Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho left the game Saturday with a back injury. In the ninth inning, he hit a ground ball and never made it out of the batter's box, immediately grabbing at his lower back. Manager John Schneider said after the game that Varsho was dealing with lower back tightness. Varsho is hitting .207 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI, eight stolen bases and 40 runs scored in 240 at-bats. Should Varsho be forced to miss time, look for Davis Schneider or Addison Barger to get a tick-up in playing time.

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Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar was unavailable Saturday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays, per manager Derek Shelton. He is dealing with left-side soreness. Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth and earned his second save. Bednar has three wins, 16 saves, a 5.17 ERA, and 32 strikeouts in 31 innings. It is unknown how serious the injury is, or how long Bednar might be out. Should he miss any time, look for Chapman to be the fill-in in the short term.

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Philadelphia Phillies infielder Edmundo Sosa had negative X-rays on his sore elbow. He is listed as day-to-day with a contusion. Sosa was hit by a pitch by Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Scott McGough, left the game, and was replaced by Whit Merrifield. Should Sosa need to miss time, Merrifield could replace him in the lineup in the short term. Sosa provided a huge boost to the team when Trea Turner was out with a leg injury, hitting .281 with five home runs, 19 RBI, and three stolen bases in 139 at-bats.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Alec Burleson knocked in five runs Saturday against the San Francisco Giants, helping the Cards to a 9-4 victory. Burleson had three hits, two of which were home runs, and also added a walk and a stolen base. He is hitting .281 with 12 home runs, 30 RBI, three stolen bases and 30 runs scored on the season. Burleson hit his first homer off starter Jordan Hicks, a three-run shot, and the second homer off Sean Hjelle, a two-run blast. Burleson has recently moved to second in the lineup and the move has paid dividends for the Cardinals. Continue to start the hot-hitting Burleson in most formats.

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San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano is going to the IL with an injured thumb. Manager Mike Shildt suggested that Campusano will only miss the minimum of 10 days. Catcher Brett Sullivan was called up from Triple-A to replace Campusano on the roster. Shildt said Campusano felt he would be good to play in a couple of days, but the team erred on the side of caution and did not want to be without a backup catcher. Campusano is hitting .234, with five home runs and 31 RBI this season for the Padres. Veteran Kyle Higashioka figures to get the bulk of the starts with Campusano on the IL.

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Veteran right-hander Yu Darvish will return to the mound this coming Tuesday for the San Diego Padres against the Washington Nationals. Darvish has four wins, a 3.20 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts in 11 games started this season. He is set to come off the injured list, where had been placed with left groin soreness on May 29th. In his last rehab outing, Darvish threw only 49 pitches at High-A Fort Wayne, so he figures to be on a pitch count on Tuesday. The Padres currently sit at 40-40 eight games back of the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, and will look for their ace to provide quality starts.

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Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe left the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates early on Saturday afternoon with a right foot contusion. He was removed from the game as a precaution and was replaced by Isaac Paredes. The injury is not believed to be serious and was suffered on a hit-by-pitch by rookie Jared Jones. Lowe is hitting .217 with five home runs and 22 RBI in 115 at-bats for the Rays this season. Consider him day-to-day at this point. Should he miss time, look for Amed Rosario or Richie Palacios to get a start or two in the meantime.

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Star third baseman Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals left the Saturday afternoon game against the San Francisco Giants. He left the game due to left forearm discomfort, and there was no more information available after the game. This injury was not related to the hit-by-pitch Arenado suffered earlier in the week against Miami. It seemed he was in discomfort after being jammed on a pitch and grounding out. Jose Fermin replaced Arenado in the lineup. Arenado is hitting .257 with six home runs, 32 RBI and 26 runs scored in 272 at-bats. Should he be forced to miss time, perhaps Brendan Donovan could slide over to third base.

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New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte was removed during the second inning of Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs with right knee soreness. Marte has been battling knee issues over the past few weeks so having to be removed during a game is a bit concerning for the 35-year-old after already missing multiple games earlier this month. The right-hander has been having a solid season, hitting for a 117 OPS+ and an .834 OPS in the month of June. If Marte is to miss much time with his knee issue, fantasy managers should expect Tyrone Taylor to receive more starts. With a .626 OPS and two HR in 135 AB, Taylor is a much less appealing fantasy option and fantasy managers likely shouldn't consider adding him unless desperate in a deeper league.

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Toronto Blue Jays reliever Jordan Romano (elbow) was shut down from baseball activities by the team after experiencing soreness in his right elbow while throwing long toss on Friday. The shutdown is only expected to be for a few days but it marks a setback in Romano's recovery. The 31-year-old has been on the injured list since June 1st and missed the start of this season with elbow inflammation, adding to the Blue Jays' need to be cautious with any setbacks. Romano did not perform well while healthy, posting a 6.59 ERA in just over 13 innings while still leading the Blue Jays in saves with eight. In his absence, and with Yimi Garcia being placed on the injured list, Toronto has turned to Nate Pearson for their closer role. Fantasy managers in need of a closer should consider Pearson, though his 4.13 ERA isn't exactly appealing on the surface.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder/infielder Tommy Edman (wrist) recently spent four days in Florida ramping up baseball activities and is moving closer to starting a rehab assignment. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol is optimistic that Edman could return relatively soon. With a rehab assignment in the mix, a likely return to the Cardinals' active roster would be around the All Star game. The switch-hitter has been recovering from wrist surgery in the offseason and has yet to debut this season. When he is set to return he should be expected to start in the outfielder with rookie Masyn Winn performing well for the Cardinals. Michael Siani has been starting in centerfield for St. Louis and would be the likely candidate to move to the bench once Edman is activated. Fantasy managers should plan accordingly as soon as Edman begins his rehab assignment.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (oblique) has been taking full swings this week and is almost ready to begin taking batting practice. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol was optimistic that Nootbaar returning soon, though the outfielder will need a rehab assignment prior to joining the active roster. The lefty was hitting for a solid .742 OPS before he strained his oblique in late May. In Nootbaar's absence, Alec Burleson has been receiving more playing time in the Cardinals' outfield. When Nootbaar returns it should be expected that Burleson returns to DH more often. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect Nootbaar's return until around the All Star game, given that there will be no setbacks. In the meantime, Burleson is a fine fantasy option who is currently hitting for a 109 OPS+.

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Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker (shin) is still not participating in any baseball activities after initially being expect to start baseball activities this weekend. He was also seen walking with a slight limp. Initially expected to be day-to-day, Tucker's shin has taken significantly longer to recover than the team and fantasy managers have anticipated. The lefty was in the midst of an MVP caliber season prior to fouling a ball off his shin, hitting for a 176 OPS+ on the season. He does not have a timeline to return and fantasy managers may want to set their expectations for a return to happen after the All Star break given the outfielder's inactivity. Trey Cabbage and Chas McCormick have been splitting time in right field in Tucker's absence. Fantasy managers may want to consider grabbing Cabbage off the waiver wire with his 132 wRC+ in June far outweighing McCormick's 81 wRC+.

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Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's contest against the visiting Cleveland Guardians. The 29-year-old is mired in a slump as he has collected just one base hit (a single) across his last five starts (six appearances) and 21 trips to the plate, so he will take a seat against Guardians righty Ben Lively on Saturday afternoon. Alejandro Kirk will take over and hit eighth on Saturday. A free-agent-to-be, Jansen has established himself as perhaps one of this summer's highly-touted trade targets as he has hit five homers alongside an 11.7% BB% and a .746 OPS across an injury-shortened 45 games played, production that grades out 14% superior to the league average, as per his 114 wRC+. Jansen has quietly been one of the more productive catchers in baseball in recent seasons but has had trouble staying healthy while playing in a timeshare with Kirk.

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Miami Marlins third baseman Jake Burger is not in the starting lineup for Saturday afternoon's contest against the Seattle Mariners. The 28-year-old has just one base hit over his last five games and 22 trips to the plate and will get a chance to recharge while the Marlins take on a tough Mariners righty in Logan Gilbert. It's been a tough season as the plate for the former White Sox infielder who is hitting just .216 with six home runs alongside a .598 OPS across 54 games, production that grades out 33% below the league average, as per his 67 wRC+. It's worth noting that Burger dealt with an oblique injury earlier in the season but fantasy managers are no doubt frustrated following a 34-homer season in the 2023 campaign.

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Texas Rangers right-hander Dane Dunning will move to the bullpen to make room in the rotation for the return of Max Scherzer, according to skipper Bruce Bochy. The Rangers will go with a five-man rotation consisting of Nathan Eovaldi, Scherzer, Michael Lorenzen, Jon Gray, and Andrew Heaney for the time being. Dunning sports a 4.73 ERA in 12 starts spanning 59 innings on the season but he also owns a 3.89 xFIP and a 3.96 SIERA while his 26.7% K% stands as a career-high, even with an 11.6% BB% that is a career-worst figure. Fantasy managers can safely cut bait for the time being as Dunning is likely bound for a multi-inning, middle-relief role but he could factor into the rotation should a member of the team's rotation scuffle moving forward.

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Miami Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett is experiencing elbow discomfort and will not make Sunday's start against the visiting Seattle Mariners. He is currently under evaluation on Saturday. The 26-year-old's season got off to a late start due to a shoulder issue and it appears an elbow ailment could potentially cause him to miss additional time. Garrett has endured an up-and-down season that has seen him pitch to a 5.35 ERA across seven starts but his 3.39 xFIP, 3.32 SIERA, and quality 18.6% K-BB% all suggest he has been much better than his surface ERA indicates. Fantasy managers have been frustrated by the way 2024 has gone on the heels of a 3.66 ERA and 19.3% K-BB% in 2023 but the prudent move is to exercise some patience and keep an eye on the southpaw's status in the coming days.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder/first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday. The 30-year-old currently resides on the 10-day injured list and has not appeared in a big-league contest since May 27. Wade had been off to a nice start to his season as he was hitting .333 with a pair of homers alongside an .896 OPS across 52 appearances but a bloated .436 BABIP was due for significant regression while his .093 isolated power was well below his career .169 mark. Nonetheless, he still walked in a whopping 19.9% trips to the plate, a figure just slightly below his 21.1% K% on the season. The lefty-swinging Wade is an intriguing streaming option when he gets into the lineup against right-handed pitching.

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St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (back) has suffered a setback in his rehab process and will be shut down for at least two weeks. He will essentially be forced to restart his throwing progression. The veteran woke up feeling tightness after his latest rehab start in which he tossed three-plus scoreless innings on June 16. Matz has been on the 15-day injured list with low back soreness and has not appeared with the Cards since April 30. It's been a difficult season from both a health and performance standpoint for the 33-year-old who owns a 6.18 ERA across six big-league starts, striking out just 13.4% of the hitters he has faced. Add in an 8.7% BB% and Matz's 4.7% K-BB% is a career-low, albeit in a small sample size. He remains off the fantasy radar for the time being.

From RotoBaller

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera (back) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday, June 22, with lower back tightness. The 24-year-old backstop has been out of the lineup for the past two games and will now remain sidelined for at least the next week. As a result, the Cardinals promoted Nick Raposo from Triple-A Memphis to fill the empty roster spot. Herrera has performed very well through 54 games this season with a .279/.340/.378 slash line with 19 RBI, three long balls, and four swiped bags. Pedro Pages will now see the majority of starts behind the dish while Herrera remains sidelined but could revert back to the bench as Willison Contreras (forearm) is projected to return from the injured list on June 24. Pages is worth a look in DFS this weekend and could be a popular streaming option in NL-only formats as he has launched two home runs in his previous seven games.

From RotoBaller