With America heading into a holiday weekend celebrating Independence Day, a few hitters decided to get the party started early, delivering plenty of fireworks on Thursday. Two notable names reached 20 home runs on the year in Blue Jays 2B/SS Marcus Semien and Rangers OF Joey Gallo.

Semien had finally started to quiet down in the first half of June following a scorching-hot first two months, but he's been heating back up over the last few weeks, including going 3 for 4 Thursday with his 20th homer, which came in the first inning and wound up being the only run Mariners starter Yusei Kikuchi surrendered in seven innings of work. I currently have Semien ranked fifth at 2B over the rest of the year, but he could make that look silly if he has another extended hot stretch in him.

Gallo took quite a while to heat up this year, as he was slugging just .301 at the end of April with only two home runs on his ledger. But he's been the hottest hitter in baseball over the last week or so, homering in five straight games and cranking seven homers total during that stretch to reach 20 dingers overall as well. It's coming at a perfect time for the Rangers, who may want to see what they can get for the slugger on the trade market.

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Blue Jays SP Hyun-Jin Ryu delivered his normal excellent numbers for Fantasy managers over his first 10 starts, where he posted a 2.62 ERA with 58 Ks in 58.1 IP. But he's looked like a totally different pitcher since, including getting lit up by the Mariners on Thursday to the tune of five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks in just four innings with two strikeouts.

Ryu also gave up two home runs, his third time surrendering multiple dingers in his rough six-start stretch; considering he only had one multi-homer start from the start of 2020 through the end of May 2021, it's definitely a concern. Note that all three multi-homer games have come at home, which has been in Buffalo since the start of June. Coincidence? Fantasy managers may have no choice but to continue running Ryu out there each week considering the state of pitching around the league, but if at all possible, it may be worth avoiding using him at home until the ship gets righted.

Considering Cardinals SP Adam Wainwright has been in the majors since 2005, you can forgive Fantasy managers for not expecting much from him heading into 2021 as he approaches the age of 40. Well, all he's done is go out and be one of the most consistent pitchers in the league since the start of June, throwing six straight quality starts. That includes an eight-inning outing in Colorado on Thursday where he allowed just two earned runs on six hits and four walks.

Wainwright owns a 39-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 41 innings over his stretch of quality starts, putting together a nice follow-up to his 3.15 ERA and 1.05 WHIP from last season that may have been a little fortunate. His FIP is under 4.00 for the first time since 2016, and while he's obviously not the pitcher he was at his peak, Fantasy managers can have peace of mind that he has no chance of getting shut down early if he stays healthy, which may be a problem for younger pitchers as we get into August and September.

• Brewers SP Corbin Burnes left Thursday's start with knee soreness. Apparently he slipped while making a pitch. He put together a nice start for Fantasy managers before exiting, allowing just one earned run on four hits and one walk in 7.1 innings. While he's now had 12 swinging strikes or less in three straight starts, his spin rate wasn't nearly as low as we've seen in previous starts. After the game, he said he's optimistic for his next start.
  
• Braves OF Ronald Acuna was scratched from Thursday's lineup with back tightness. He's dealt with this off and on all season, but it hasn't affected his performance when on the field, as the superstar is hitting .283 with 22 homers and 16 steals while posting a career-best .992 OPS.
  
• Nationals SS Trea Turner was not in the lineup Thursday after jamming his left middle finger the day before. Turner is coming off his best month of production in 2021, hitting .345 with a .938 OPS in June.
  
• Angels OF Mike Trout took 50 swings off a tee, threw from 90 feet and jogged on Tuesday. He's been on the IL since mid May with that calf injury. As long as he doesn't suffer a setback, Trout should return in mid-late July. 
  
• Padres SP Blake Snell was cleared to rejoin the team after being placed on the COVID IL. Snell is tentatively lined up to face the Phillies Sunday. He's been more bad than good for Fantasy managers this year but did throw five shutout innings against the Dodgers in his last start.
  
• Whie Sox 3B Yoan Moncada is dealing with a bruised hand that he suffered on a slide Thursday. He's likely to miss the entire weekend series. He's coming off a down June that saw him hit just .222 with a .636 OPS, and he has just two homers since the start of May.
  
• Mets SP Carlos Carrasco has been throwing full bullpens recently and could face live hitters in the near future. He's yet to make a start this year after straining his hamstring during the spring.
  
• Orioles SP Dylan Bundy has been officially demoted to the bullpen after posting an ugly 6.78 ERA in 14 starts, and he threw two scoreless innings in his first relief appearance of the year on Wednesday. Jose Suarez will take his spot in the rotation moving forward; he owns a 1.98 ERA in 27.1 innings over nine relief appearances this year with 26 Ks against nine walks. However, his track record as a starter has been pretty terrible, including posting a 6.00 ERA in two Triple-A starts this year, allowing 10 earned runs in 2.1 innings over two starts for the Angels in 2020, and posting a 6.85 ERA in 15 starts with the Angels in 2019. 
  
• Cardinals OF Harrison Bader returned from the IL on Thursday, going 0-for-4 at the plate. He's hitting just .208 with four homers in 77 at-bats.

• Rays SP Luis Patino is expected to be called up and start Friday against the Blue Jays. He allowed zero earned runs over his last three starts at Triple-A with 23 Ks to four walks over 15 IP. Patino is 25% rostered.
  
• The White Sox are calling up infield prospect Jake Burger. He's a former first-round pick from 2017 that plays mostly 3B and a little 2B, so it seems like he'll just be filling in for Moncada. He was batting .322 with 10 HR and a .964 OPS at Triple-A. Burger is 2% rostered.
  
• Brewers SP Aaron Ashby was optioned back to the minors after giving up seven runs (four earned) on four hits and three walks while recording just two outs in his MLB debut on Wednesday.
  

Scott has you covered as you get ready for Week 15. His sleeper hitters include names like Cleveland 1B Bobby Bradley, Orioles OF Austin Hays and the only 4% rostered Gavin Sheets, an outfielder recently called up by the White Sox who's been raking.

Best hitting matchups for Week 15:

1. Phillies @CHC4, @BOS3
2. Royals CIN3, @CLE4
3. Indians @TB3, KC4
4. White Sox @MIN3, @BAL3
5. Tigers @TEX3, @MIN4

Worst hitting matchups for Week 15:

1. Marlins LAD4, ATL3
2. Pirates ATL3, @NYM4
3. Nationals @SD4, @SF3
4. Yankees @SEA3, @HOU3
5. Astros OAK3, NYY3  

On the pitching side, Scott thinks Rangers SP/RP Kolby Allard is worth considering due to his two starts and recent stretch of quality performances. He's also singled out Braves SP Kyle Muller after the prospect delivered five one-hit innings with nine strikeouts in his last outing.