Trusting the Mets training staff on how it handles players can be fleeting. After seeing how the team handled Jacob deGrom , it’s lucky he’s still thriving despite not seeing results in his win totals. Back to the Mets, Noah Syndergaard will become their 10th player to head to the disabled list with a strained ligament in his finger. He hopes to miss the minimum 10 days due to the lingering injury, but it remains to be seen. Syndergaard missed most of last season due to a lat injury after bulking up prior to the season and now succumbs to a finger issue. Seth Lugo will start on Thursday with the Mets rotational depth being tested with June looming.

 

Injury Updates

Good news for Carlos Martínez . He will make an “abbreviated” rehab start at Double-A Springfield targeting 50-60 pitches. If all goes well, Martinez could return to the rotation next week. Add this in with the debut of Álex Reyes and things could get interesting in the National League Central.

Mike Soroka will make his rehab start on Friday. The Braves will determine the next step in his rehab based on results.

Both Jean Segura and Dee Gordon were taking ground balls this afternoon in Seattle in preparation of a return to action. Segura will start on Tuesday night and Gordon could be activated as soon as Thursday if his toe proves healthy enough to play.

Mookie Betts will miss a third straight game with a sore side. Rhys Hoskins will not start in Los Angeles after fouling a ball off of his face on Monday. Paul Goldschmidt ’s getting a mental day off for the Diamondbacks.

 

What to Watch for Tuesday Night

Both Freddie Freeman and Anthony Rizzo will carry 10-game hit streaks into action tonight. Freeman’s hitting .390 during his streak. More impressive, his .447 (21-for-47) mark with runners in scoring position this year with three home runs, 30 RBI and eight walks.

Rizzo’s causing controversy with his slide on Monday, but fantasy owners will focus on his active hit streak, his four straight games with an RBI and 13 over the last 10. In May, Rizzo’s driven in 27 (tied with Eugenio Suárez for the most in the National League) with a .295/.396/.557 slash line including five doubles and six home runs.

Baltimore will try Jonathan Schoop out at leadoff in Tuesday’s tilt at home versus the Nationals. So far this year, the cumulative slash of the Orioles first batters is a paltry .217/.295/.335 with only 27 runs scored in 57 games. While Schoop’s owners want him to hit home runs and drive in runners, perhaps seeing more fastballs hitting ahead of Manny Machado will kickstart a hot streak in June.

It’s early to speculate, but fantasy owners should take note of Max Muncy of the Dodgers. Before looking him up, he’s leading off tonight for Los Angeles and seems to be taking the Justin Turner path to a breakout. On the surface, Muncy’s hitting .244 but his .359 on-base percentage and .512 slugging should raise eyebrows. Of players with at least 60 batted ball events, Muncy ranks fifth in the majors in barrels per plate appearance, ahead of Mike Trout and Brandon Belt . Add in Muncy’s 41.7 hard hit percentage, 45 percent fly ball rate and 22.2 home run per fly ball percentage for someone to track going forward. Especially if he gains second base eligibility going forward.

Two other interesting names lurking in or near the top-10 of Statcast’s barrels per plate appearances: Daniel Palka (11.5 barrels/PA) and Niko Goodrum (10.2 barrels/PA).

With Brian McCann joining the growing list of catchers out for fantasy, two names to focus on as replacements:

  • J.R. Murphy , Arizona - 31 games, six home runs, 14 RBI, .314 isolated power, 47.9 hard hit percentage, 61.7 fly ball rate.
  • Max Stassi , Houston - 29 games, four home runs, 14 RBI, .225 isolated power, 41.2 hard hit percentage.

Pittsburgh claims Felipe Vázquez will be ready to pitch if needed. This comes after reporting he felt a pop in his elbow forcing him to leave Sunday’s game early. Hopefully, fantasy owners can watch this one from afar. Although this feels ominous, so did the reports on deGrom, so time will tell. For what it’s worth, Vazquez has blown three consecutive saves leading up to his leaving Sunday’s game early.

 

Burning Questions

Which pitcher will bounce back in Arizona, Luis Castillo or Zack Godley ? Can Matt Carpenter stay hot in Milwaukee? Who wins the duel between Jake Arrieta and Kenta Maeda ? Will Coors once again provide runs?

All of these questions and more will covered by Justin Mason in Fantasy Alarm’s Round Up on Wednesday morning. Be sure to check back to stay ahead of your competition.

 

Statistical Credits:

BaseballSavant.com

MLB.com

Fangraphs.com