Email Not Displaying? Click Here
Thursday, June 9, 2022
Happy Thursday, everyone! It was an especially happy Wednesday night for Phillies fans. It seems like the entire ship in Philadelphia has turned around and done a 180 since they made the move to bring in a new manager. On Wednesday, the Phillies won their sixth straight game and they're now just two games under .500 -- just like that. The Phillies poured on 10 runs on 14 hits. Standouts included Bryce Harper, who hit his 14th homer of the season, Rhys Hoskins, who hit his ninth homer, Kyle Schwarber, who went 4 for 5 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI and a mini-breakout game from Bryson Stott, who is now getting another opportunity to stick. Stott went 4 for 4 with his third homer and he now has all three of his homers in his past five games. Stott is on a bit of a heater and just 21% rostered -- you could do a lot worse than scooping him up right now. 
We'll dive into all of the action from Wednesday below including a top catcher prospect called up to one of baseball's most lucrative lineups, another dominant start from a pitcher who is solidifying his case to be a locked-in SP1 the rest of the way -- and probably for the rest of his career and more. 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 made the case for Luis Garcia, Graham Ashcraft and several other players in the latest edition of his 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
Moreno gets the call
The latest top prospect to get the call up to the majors is Blue Jays C Gabriel Moreno, so if you're one of those catcher-needy teams you better open in a new tab now and make sure he's not rostered in your league. If he's not, scoop him or put in a claim ASAP. Moreno will join the team this weekend in Detroit, according to Blue Jays beat reporter Keegan Matheson. 
Moreno is a top 5-10ish prospect in all of baseball with a 60-grade hit tool and 55-grade power, but the latter hasn't shown up much in the minor leagues. So far this year in the minors, Moreno is batting .324 with one homer, eight doubles and a .784 OPS. He's 25% rostered. The hiccup for Moreno is his role on the offense once Danny Jansen returns, but Jansen has a small fracture in the hamate bone near his left pinky so it's anyone's guess when that will be.
Sandy sizzles again
Sandy Alcantara was my most-rostered pitcher this season and that's probably because I believed he was always a value in every auction I did and a fine swing for me in Round 2 if I went hitter in Round 1. The hope was that he breaks out into the SP1 range despite the offense he plays behind, and he's building a stronger case for that every outing. On Wednesday, Alcantara threw a complete-game shutout despite getting no run support. 
Alcantara threw nine innings of six-hit ball and didn't walk a batter. That elite-level command is his calling card. He struck out six and induced 17 swinging strikes on the night. Alcantara relied heavily on his changeup in this one, and it worked like a charm. He has now allowed just five walks total in his past five starts and this shutout drops his ERA all the way to 1.61.
Braves finally get going
The Braves offense showed some serious signs of life last night when Ronald Acuna Jr. smacked two homers and that carried over into a full-force breakout on Wednesday. Atlanta poured on 13 runs on 13 hits including four homers: Austin Riley hit his 15th, William Contreras hit his eighth, Ozzie Albies hit his seventh and Adam Duvall hit his fourth. Also, rookie Michael Harris (still just 46% rostered despite collecting what feels like a hit every game) delivered two hits, two RBI and two runs. Matt Olson hit his MLB-leading 24th double. It was a fun display that reminded Braves fans of the kind of upside this team has on the offensive side of the ball when everything is clicking.
Not so nice night for New York starters
Chris Bassitt kicked off his Mets career looking like the best value addition of the offseason, but he's been anything but it over his past five starts. On Wednesday, Bassitt allowed six earned runs on seven hits with two walks. He struck out six but only lasted 3 1/3 innings. Over his past five starts, Bassitt holds a 7.62 ERA.
Nestor Cortes finally got hit. The story of the season for both Yankees and MLB fans allowed four earned through 4 1/3 innings on seven hits. He didn't walk a batter, so there's your silver lining, but we knew eventually he'd have to give up at least some runs. Cortes fell victim to the long ball in this one, allowing two homers. The signs of regression were there -- entering this one Cortes had a 6.6 % home run to fly ball ratio. That was never going to last.
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.
  • Mike Trout was out Wednesday with left groin tightness but is expected to avoid the IL. 
  • Starling Marte hopes to avoid the IL after leaving Tuesday's game with left quad tightness. He was out of the lineup Wednesday.
  • Pete Alonso was not in the lineup after getting hit by a pitch on his right hand Tuesday. 
  • Kris Bryant has yet to resume swinging a bat and remains without a timetable. He's on the IL with a lower-back strain.
  • Jack Flaherty will make his second rehab start Friday at Triple-A.
  • Shane Baz will make his season debut Saturday in Minnesota. 
  • Both Carlos Correa and Willy Adames made returns to their respective teams Wednesday. 
  • Joe Ryan will report to Triple-A for a rehab start on Thursday.
  • Nolan Arenado was out of the lineup Wednesday due to knee soreness after getting hit by a pitch on Tuesday.
  • Seiya Suzuki could be ready to return from the IL this weekend. He took batting practice on Tuesday. 
  • Dave Roberts said there's a good possibility Wednesday is the last day of Max Muncy's rehab assignment. 
  • Dylan Carlson is expected to return to the Cardinals lineup Friday. 
  • Enrique Hernandez was placed on the IL with a right hip flexor strain.
  • Brandon Drury was scratched Wednesday with an Achilles issue. 
  • Hyun-Jin Ryu is expected to miss significant time with that forearm/elbow injury.
  • Joey Bart was optioned back to Triple-A. He was batting .156.
  • Aaron Civale will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Thursday. 
  • Kenta Maeda hopes to resume mound work in 2-3 weeks.
 
 
✔Scores & Highlights
✔Fantasy and Betting Advice
✔Interviews with Top Athletes

CBS Sports HQ has you covered. Stream anywhere, anytime, on any device.
Watch Now
 
Hosted by two-time World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist Kelley O’Hara, The Players’ Pod features candid conversations with some of the biggest names in women’s sports and takes listeners behind the scenes and into the minds of the movers and shakers on the frontiers of the space.
Listen Now
FOLLOW CBS SPORTS
You are receiving this email because you're opted in to receive Fantasy Baseball Today from CBSSports.com.
To ensure delivery of emails from CBSSports.com, please add contact@email.cbssports.com to your address book.
Not a Fantasy Football Today newsletter subscriber? Sign up here.
© 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. | 1401 West Cypress Creek Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309