BATS

Charlie Blackmon is ripping it up with a .295/.357/.500 slash line which is better than his 2015 breakout season (.287/.347/.450). The problem though is that after swiping 43 bases last season he’s stolen just six bases this season. The toe that scuttled him earlier is obviously an issue still. He has swiped two bases in eight games though, so let’s hope the foot is getting better.

Travis d’Arnaud is back for the Mets. He went 0-for-3 in his first game Tuesday before sitting out Wednesday. DA, as I like to call him, is already 27 years old and that clock is ticking. He’s hit a mere .241 in the big leagues, including a .184 mark this season, but he’s way better than that. I would suggest that if he could stay healthy for 6-straight weeks, and at this point it would be a minor miracle if he did, he could be an extremely effective hitter. He’s a top-10 catching talent who shouldn’t be anything other than a low end catcher two in mixed leagues at the moment. He’s ALWAYS hurt. #CantTrustHim

Yulieski Gurriel is looking for a contract after he was declared a free agent by major league baseball. A 32 year old infielder who has mostly played third base, the 14 year vet has been one hell of a hitter virtually everywhere he’s played from Cuba to Japan. According to the L.A. Daily News Gurriel has hit .335 with a .417 OBP and .580 slash line as a professional. Last season, his last in Cuba, all he did was hit .500 (174 at-bats) with a .874 SLG. It remains to be seen where he will end up, or how quickly he will be in the bigs, but be ready to pounce quickly, especially those of you in league specific setups.

Giancarlo Stanton is out of action Wednesday after yet another terrible performance Tuesday (0-for-5, two strikeouts). Stanton is batting .211. Pathetic. He’s failed to hit .266 in four of his first six big league seasons by the way. He’s still on pace for 30 homers but he’s also on pace to push 200 strikeouts. He could lead baseball in homers this season but man has he been dreadful. Shockingly, Giancarlo has been out-Stantoned by Khris Davis (.243-16-45-30 with 67 strikeouts) at a fraction of the cost.

Darby Swanson was the number one selection last season in the Draft. He’s top-10 prospect according to everyone. There’s some hope that he’s up in September this season, but note that he’s hit .177 with 20 strikeouts in June. It’s just not that easy.

Johnny Cueto is locked in right now. Sonny Gray has looked good since coming back from the DL. Tanner Roark has been very effective for the Nats. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO.

ARMS

Rich Hill is set to start Monday with High-A Stockton as he works his way back from a groin issue. If that goes well the lefty will return the following weekend for the Athletics. Out since May 30th with an injury that was deemed to be no big deal, Hill will have gone more than a month between starts at the big league level. Let’s hope that he doesn’t break down again, though I’m nearly certain he will. My suggestion is the first good game he has – deal him.

Jose Fernandez has been a star this season striking out more than 13 batters per nine innings with amazing ratios (2.36 ERA, 0.99 WHIP). As great as he is he’s only been allowed to throw 100-pitches just half of his 14 starts. The micromanaging thing is in full effect in Miami. Even Tuesday when he was tossing seven scoreless innings against the Braves he was pulled after just 99 pitches. The Marlins simply won’t extend him out as he’s also been allowed to throw seven innings just six times this season and never more. Compare that to Corey Kluber who has thrown nine innings in two of his last three outings. Just something to keep in mind if you own Fernandez.

Chris Sale got back on the domination train Tuesday with seven innings of one run ball against the mighty Red Sox (nine strikeouts, one walk). You weren’t really concerned, where you?

Speaking of righting the ship, Hector Santiago is doing his best to do just that. Over his last two starts the lefty from the Angels has thrown 12.1 innings while allowing the Twins and Astros to score just two runs. He limited the competition to five hits while walking four. He’s still a borderline usable piece in AL-only leagues, but I’m just not a fan of his overall game for those in mixed leagues.

Kurt Suzuki has been driving the baseball and gathering RBIs. Pedro Alvarez has been pretty darn good lately. Jay Bruce has had a tremendous season, but a trade is lurking. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO.

REDS PEN

The Reds bullpen stinks. We all know that. Tony Cingrani has racked up eight saves, albeit with five blown chances and a pathetic 5.40 BB/9 rate. He’s been much better of late tossing six scoreless innings over six outings while racking up three saves. Too bad he only has one strikeout. Bottom line is that he’s having success in the 9th inning but he’s far from locked down the spot long-term.

In comes Raisel Iglesias. On the sidelines since April 25th with an impingement in his shoulder. He made three outings in the minors as a reliever, the role he will be asked to fill at this point. The club would also like to avoid using Iglesias as a long reliever is possible. Sounds like he’s going to be pitching single frames out of the bullpen. Iglesias says he is ready. "The issues I have in my shoulder are something that I cannot control," Iglesias said. "I don't want to have this issue. I'm focused right now on getting stronger. I would like to see what happens in the future."

Thought of by many as a better option as a reliever than a starter when he signed, Iglesias will get the chance to reestablish some value in the second half out of the bullpen. He will work in low leverage situations in the short run but there is no doubt he is more talented than Cingrani, and he’s also right-handed, so it’s possible that Iglesias could end up working the 9th inning for this club. Possible, but don’t go nuts adding him at the moment unless you are in an extremely deep league.

 

Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Friday, 7 PM EDT and Friday on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 7 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).