Happy Wednesday, everyone! Tuesday's action was highlighted by a few surprising performances from players on the rise. We had one hitter and one pitcher who continued to get the job done on Tuesday night -- building on recent performances -- and a bonus hitter who we'll talk about. You'll want to get all three of them on your radar and they're all most likely worth a waiver wire add depending on where your roster is at now.
We'll dive into all of the action from Tuesday, but first, make sure you're all caught up with everything going on from the Fantasy Baseball Today team over at CBSSports.com/Fantasy/Baseball. Scott White broke down the latest closer news that you need to know about, including what's going on with the Red Sox saves situation in his bullpen report that you'll find here. He also took a look at some of the trendy and buzzworthy pitchers and whether or not you should be buying high or selling low on them in his pitcher stockwatch you can find here. Chris Towers dove into some Ozzie Albies injury replacements and more in his latest waiver wire that you can find here.
And of course, as always, you can follow to make sure you get the latest episodes of Fantasy Baseball Today right when they drop on Apple and Spotify.
Luke, I am your corner infielder
After a rough start to the season in his new home -- one that included an IL stint -- Padres 1B Luke Voit appears to finally be getting rolling. On Tuesday, Voit went 2 for 6 with his seventh home run and he added 5 RBI. Since Voit returned from the IL on May 10, he's batted .254 with all seven of his home runs and 26 RBI. His line drive rate is up to 26%. Voit is just 50% rostered and plays in a lineup that is only going to improve around him once Fernando Tatis Jr. returns to action. Voit is definitely worth scooping up to help you out in the corner infield, especially in leagues that start a CI slot.
Let's get Lowe
Don't look now, but Rangers 1B Nathaniel Lowe is on a heater. He's another player to monitor and probably go ahead and scoop up if you're in need of some corner infield help. Lower went 3 for 4 Tuesday with his eighth home run. He has brought his batting average all the way up to .281 overall now. In his past 18 games, Lowe is batting .352 with six homers and a 15% barrel rate. Lowe is rostered in just 42% of leagues.
Mahle makes it two straight
For the second straight outing, Red SP Tyler Mahle racked up double-digit strikeouts. In this one, he was even better than last week. Mahle threw nine innings of shutout ball against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday and he allowed just two hits, no walks and struck out 12. Mahle also collected 18 swinging strikes -- 11 on his fastball which was up nearly 1 mph in this outing. Mahle has traded off his slider for more cutters and fastballs and this has been the key to his last two breakout outings. Perhaps not coincidentally, Mahle walked zero batters in this outing, the first time all season he didn't walk a batter.
Goldy continues dark horse MVP campaign
Cardinals 1B Paul Goldschmidt is on an absolute tear this season with St. Louis and has played a major factor in their rise to first place in their division. On Tuesday, Goldy collected another three home runs to bring his total to a whopping 16 on the season. He's now on pace for 39 homers, but that's not all. Goldy is batting .349 on the season and it's finally time to start considering moving him up the rankings -- I mean all the way up -- ahead of Freddie Freeman.
Goldschmidt's secret sauce to his late-career resurgence is nothing we can pinpoint, but it helps that he has racked up a career-high 42% fly ball rate -- aiding the power surge along.
Check this: Over his past 162 games, Goldy is batting .333 with 40 homers, 12 stolen bases, 116 runs and 126 RBI. Sheesh!
News and lineup notes
Every night the Fantasy Baseball Today team dives into all of the happenings around the MLB from top performers to injuries, trades and more. The podcast is a must listen for any diehard, if I do say so myself. Tune in to the podcast to hear the FBT crew expand on the news and notes below.
- Fernando Tatis' CT scan on his wrist Monday didn't reveal the desired level of healing, so his expected return date has been pushed back. He's been limited to running and fielding grounders but, alas, remains without a timetable.
- Max Scherzer will throw a simulated game on Thursday. His oblique injury is reportedly feeling better following a recent PRP injection.
- Jacob deGrom will progress to an "up-and-down" bullpen session Friday but remains without a timetable.
- Jack Flaherty will make his season debut Wednesday against the Pirates. He's made two rehab starts but has only been built up to 58 pitches.
- Brandon Woodruff was able to throw a few breaking balls during a 40-pitch bullpen session Tuesday. Woodruff recently felt numbness in his fingers associated with Raynaud's syndrome. He said he's been on medicine and has noticed daily improvement with gripping the ball.
- Liam Hendriks was placed on the IL with a right forearm strain, which sounds pretty concerning. Kendall Graveman looks like the next man up and is just 15% rostered.
- Ozzie Albies was placed on the 60-day IL with that fractured left foot. A timeline won't become available until a decision is made regarding surgery.
- Tim Anderson began a rehab assignment Tuesday and should rejoin the White Sox at some point during their upcoming homestand, which begins June 20.
- Pablo Lopez won't start Wednesday as originally hoped and remains day-to-day with a wrist contusion. The hope is for him to make a start this weekend against the Mets.
- Chris Sale will throw live batting practices or simulated games during the Red Sox's home stand through June 22 before potentially heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment. Pitching coach Dave Bush said, "Ideally, Sale will be back as a starter".
- Freddy Peralta was transferred to the 60-day IL, which ensures he will be sidelined through the All-Star break.
- Juan Soto was out of the lineup with right knee soreness but expects to return Wednesday.
- Jeremy Pena was out of the lineup after suffering a left wrist injury on Monday. He's day-to-day.
- Trey Mancini is dealing with a right hand injury and hopes to return in the next 2-3 days.
- Sonny Gray will make his return Wednesday and start against the Mariners.
- Stephen Strasburg, who was placed on the 15-day IL Monday, is dealing with a stress reaction of the ribs.
- Hyun-Jin Ryu will undergo season-ending surgery to address UCL damage to his left elbow.
