New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf) started facing live pitching on June 12 in a simulated environment that also included defensive work. If additional sim games go well this week, Lindor could start a minor-league rehab assignment next week, according to MLB.com. The 32-year-old five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger winner has been out since April 23 due to a left-calf strain, but he has been progressing and is fully expected to return to the Mets' starting lineup before the end of June. If everything goes well once Lindor begins a rehab assignment, it's possible that he could be back from the 10-day injured list by next weekend. Although Lindor was hitting just .226/.314/.355 with a .669 OPS, two home runs, five RBI, 14 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 24 games before his injury, he belongs on all fantasy rosters. The Puerto Rican shortstop had at least 31 home runs in each of the last three seasons while also driving in at least 86 runs and stealing 29 bases for the Mets.

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Texas Rangers left-hander MacKenzie Gore was saddled with his sixth loss of the season in the 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Globe Life Field on Monday night, but he also had a season-high 10 strikeouts. Gore allowed four earned runs on four hits (two homers) while walking two. The 27-year-old southpaw was bit by the long ball early in this one, with most of the damage coming on a three-run homer off the bat of first baseman Josh Bell in the first inning. In his three starts in June, Gore has surrendered 10 earned runs on 21 hits (two homers) while walking eight and striking out 21 in 16 2/3 innings pitched. He's now 4-6 with a 4.27 ERA (3.65 FIP) and 1.31 WHIP with 86 strikeouts and 35 walks in 78 innings over his 15 starts in his first season with the Rangers. It's been an up-and-down year for Gore in 2026, but fantasy managers should consider him a strong streaming option for his upcoming matchup against his former team, the San Diego Padres. The Padres currently rank last in MLB in OPS at .652.

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Cincinnati Reds third baseman Eugenio Suarez could be turning a corner after going 2-for-4 with two home runs, a season-high six RBI, and two strikeouts in the 12-0 blowout victory over the visiting New York Mets at Great American Ballpark on Monday night. The 34-year-old Venezuelan right-handed power hitter has struggled in 2026, slashing .222/.287/.395 with a .682 OPS, seven home runs, 25 RBI, 16 runs scored, and a career-high 31.5% strikeout rate in his 178 plate appearances in his return to Cincinnati. Suarez has always been a high-strikeout hitter with lots of swing and miss in his game, but he's also in just the ninth percentile in hard-hit rate in 2026, so when he is making contact, he's not hitting the ball as hard as he typically does. The two-time All-Star had a two-run homer and a grand slam on Monday against New York for his first multi-homer game of the year. In his last six games, Suarez has gone 8-for-24 (.333) with three homers, two doubles, nine RBI, three runs, no walks, and eight strikeouts. The strikeouts aren't going to go away, but he could be in the midst of a nice hot streak.

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Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz is as hot as they come right now. In the A's 11-2 blowout win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night, Kurtz went 3-for-4 at the plate with two home runs, five RBI, and a walk to raise his season average to .293 and his OPS to 1.006. Both of his home runs on the night were powered to the opposite field and were light-tower shots. Overall in his second season in the big leagues, Kurtz is hitting .293/.443/.563 with 18 home runs, a league-high 57 RBI, 51 runs scored, and seven stolen bases in 325 plate appearances. The former fourth overall pick out of Wake Forest University in 2024 immediately turned into a fantasy star in his rookie campaign last year, hitting .290 (122-for-420) with 36 home runs and 86 RBI in 117 games played. Kurtz also leads the league this year with his 67 walks and .443 on-base percentage. So far in June, he's crushing baseballs to the tune of a .313 average (15-for-48) with eight home runs, a double, 16 RBI, 12 runs, and a steal. The combination of his elite raw power and his hitter-friendly home park in Sacramento is certainly paying off for fantasy managers.

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Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock has been very effective in a setup role this season for the struggling Red Sox, allowing just seven earned runs while racking up 27 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings in his 22 appearances. He missed 15 days with left knee inflammation but returned last week and looked solid in two scoreless innings since coming back. Right now, he's clearly behind Aroldis Chapman in Boston's bullpen, and Chapman has been outstanding with 14 saves in 21 games. Chapman has been so good, though, that he's likely to be a hot commodity at the MLB Trade Deadline. If the Sox trade Chapman and keep Whitlock, Whitlock would quickly be an elite closer. Whitlock could also be on the trading block, though, leaving many unknown factors. If he ends up as the primary closer with the Red Sox or another team, he has the potential to be a great source of saves. If you're in a deep league where you have to move early, stashing him now could be a strategy that pays off down the stretch.

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Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung is a great option on the waiver wire if you're looking for a consistent contact option from the hot corner. The 28-year-old righty has dramatically slashed his K% from 25.2% last year to 16.1% this year, while his batting average has jumped from .251 in 2025 to .302 in his first 67 games this season. His hard-hit rate and barrel rate have actually dipped a little bit, but he's putting the ball in play and making things happen from a premium run-production spot near the top of the order. Jung has eight homers to go with his 32 runs scored, 30 RBI, and his .360 wOBA. He has been especially effective at home, but wherever he has played, he has been solid enough to help fill in your roster if you need batting average and run production over pure power.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher/relief pitcher Ian Seymour seems to be moving towards a transition to a spot in the starting rotation after beginning the year in the bullpen. He has a 4.93 ERA and 4.64 FIP in his 38 1/3 innings this season, but his xERA is only 3.54, indicating he has had some below-average contact luck. He has 41 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings, and his 25% K% is enough to give him an intriguing upside. The 27-year-old lefty started against the Red Sox last Monday and went four innings, giving up just one run. On Sunday, he came in after an opener and worked 3 1/3 innings against the Angels, allowing two runs on two hits and three walks. He'll need to improve his control and efficiency as he stretches back out, but his strikeout upside makes him worth stashing in deep leagues if the Rays continue to position him to pitch as a starter or a predictable primary reliever going forward.

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Washington Nationals first baseman/third baseman Curtis Mead has become a regular part of his team's batting order, usually hitting third in the young lineup and providing nice run-production potential. Mead has swatted six homers in his last 20 games while going 18-for-73 (.247) with two doubles, 12 runs scored, and 15 RBI over that span. He has a 14% barrel rate to go with his 42.1% hard-hit rate, so there isn't anything flukey about his production. The 25-year-old righty has solid splits and has been very solid this season, cutting down his K% from 23.9% last year to 17.2% this year and increasing his BB% from 5.7% to 12.3%. His improved plate discipline has definitely helped his power production, and he can be a solid pickup in almost all formats if you need corner infield help.

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Washington Nationals relief pitcher Orlando Ribalta has been very effective as a setup man for the Nationals this season and could be a key name to watch if Clayton Beeter stumbles as closer. Ribalta has posted an impressive 1.80 ERA with a 3.40 FIP in his 20 appearances this season, earning two saves and four holds over 20 innings. He only has 14 strikeouts, so he isn't an elite strikeout producer, but he has limited his walks and only allowed a .171 batting average against him. Ribalta isn't a must-add until his role changes in standard-sized leagues, but he's definitely pitching effectively enough to watch closely. In shallower leagues where bullpen arms are stretched thin, he could be a nice speculative pickup from the waiver wire if you're trying to get ahead of the ever-shifting bullpen roles in Washington.

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Detroit Tigers' 3B Colt Keith had six RBIs going 3-for-4 with three home runs in a 9-3 win over Houston on Monday, Jun. 15.

Rangers' SP MacKenzie Gore recorded 10 strikeouts in 7 innings but took the loss in a 4-2 loss to the Twins on Monday, Jun. 15.

Las Vegas Athletics' 1B Nick Kurtz had five RBIs going 3-for-4 with two home runs in a 11-2 win over the Pirates on Monday, Jun. 15.

Reds' 3B Eugenio Suarez had six RBIs going 2-for-4 with two home runs in a 12-0 win over the Mets on Monday, Jun. 15.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong accomplished something special in Monday night's series opener at Wrigley Field in a 5-4 walk-off win over the visiting Colorado Rockies. Crow-Armstrong went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate to hit for the cycle while driving in two runs and scoring once as Chicago's leadoff hitter. It was the first cycle of the 24-year-old's career, and he hit his 13th home run in the process. With the rare performance, PCA is now hitting .277 on the season with an .844 OPS, and he's been incredibly hot offensively of late, hitting .452 with 10 extra-base hits in his last 10 games. Crow-Armstrong was a first-time All-Star in his second full season in the big leagues with the Cubs in 2025, reaching 31 homers, 95 RBI, 35 stolen bases, and 91 runs scored in 157 regular-season games, but he tanked in the second half. His plate discipline is still a work in progress, as he's in just the ninth percentile in chase rate and the 26th percentile in strikeout rate, but he's in the 89th percentile in hard-hit rate and the 77th percentile in xwOBA. Crow-Armstrong can be a streaky hitter, but he's as dynamic as they come when he's on a roll, and it's safe to say he's on a nice little roll right now.

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Detroit Tigers infielder Colt Keith had a day to remember on Monday night in Houston in the Tigers' 9-3 win over the hosting Astros at Daikin Park. Keith went 3-for-4 at the plate with three home runs, a career-high six RBI, and a strikeout to boost his season batting average to .267 and his OPS to .701. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter went 62 games to begin the 2026 season without clearing the fences before hitting his first home run of the year on June 11 against the Minnesota Vikings, and now he sits at four round-trippers after an out-of-nowhere display of power. The former fifth-rounder in 2020 came into Monday's series opener with a .257/.299/.335 slash line, .634 OPS, just one home run, 10 RBI, 24 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 191 at-bats. Keith hit exactly 13 home runs in each of his first two years in the big leagues. He's on a homer binge right now, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect it to last. Keith has minimal power and speed, but he is eligible at first, second, and third base in Yahoo leagues, which makes him more attractive as bench depth in deeper fantasy leagues.

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St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Dustin May had all of his stuff working during his start at Busch Stadium on Monday night in the team's 3-0 victory. May threw a complete-game, nine-inning shutout with only one hit allowed, one walk, and nine strikeouts to win his fifth game of the year and lower his season ERA to 3.75. In his last two games, May has thrown 15 shutout innings with five hits allowed, two walks, and 15 strikeouts, so he's clearly been locked in the zone lately. The 28-year-old former third-rounder by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 had a perfect game going against San Diego through six innings before walking outfielder/second baseman Fernando Tatis Jr. to start the seventh frame. Third baseman Manny Machado broke up the no-hitter later that same inning. Since May 27, May has given up three earned runs or fewer in four straight starts, which has built his case as a waiver-wire pickup in fantasy baseball. May could have another stellar start this weekend on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals. Run to the waiver wire and grab him. He's only rostered in 53% of Yahoo leagues.

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Cleveland Guardians left-handed reliever Erik Sabrowski (elbow) was scheduled to begin his minor-league rehab assignment on Sunday with High-A Lake County, according to Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. Lake County's game ended up getting rained out on Sunday, so the 28-year-old's next chance to make a rehab appearance will come on Tuesday. Sabrowski landed on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his left elbow on May 25, but if he can avoid a setback in a couple of rehab games, he could be back in Cleveland's bullpen by the weekend. Although Sabrowski is merely a late-inning setup man for the Guards in front of closer Cade Smith, he has become relevant in deeper fantasy leagues that reward holds for his dominant performance so far in 2026. Before injuring his elbow, the Canadian hurler went 2-1 with a 1.71 ERA (1.87 FIP) and 0.95 WHIP with 39 strikeouts and 13 walks in 21 innings out of the bullpen. He's currently rostered in 18% of Yahoo leagues. Despite missing time with an injury, Sabrowski is tied for the major-league lead in holds (17) with St. Louis' JoJo Romero.

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The Kansas City Royals announced that they have transferred relief pitcher Carlos Estevez (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list. It's a procedural move for the team, as Estevez has been out since late March and remains eligible to return at any time. The veteran right-hander first hit the IL with a foot injury, but then suffered a rotator cuff strain during a rehab appearance in early May. Estevez was shelled in his lone outing of 2026, allowing six earned runs while recording just one out. His average fastball velocity in that appearance was 91.3 miles per hour, a significant drop-off from his average fastball velocity of 96.1 mph in 2025. Estevez was a highly valuable fantasy closer in 2025, pitching to a 2.45 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 54 strikeouts and 42 saves across 66 innings. Kansas City has had major difficulty filling the ninth-inning role this season, so Estevez could immediately take over as the closer upon his return. However, the 33-year-old currently remains without a firm return timetable and has yet to progress to throwing off a mound.

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Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) will make his second rehab start in the Arizona Complex League on Tuesday before the Brewers "decide if he's ready to rejoin their rotation," per MLB.com. Woodruff has been sidelined since late April due to right shoulder inflammation. The 33-year-old was effective before being placed on the injured list, recording a 2-1 record with a 3.60 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts across 30 innings (six starts). However, the veteran right-hander has been battling shoulder issues for multiple seasons now and has not made more than 12 starts in a season since 2022. He was able to throw 68 pitches in his first Complex League start, but allowed five hits and three earned runs across 3 2/3 innings. Woodruff remains worth rostering in deeper fantasy leagues when healthy, but his production is difficult to project given his injury history.

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Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Matthew Boyd (shoulder, knee) is scheduled to throw a bullpen on Tuesday before the Cubs "figure out what's next," according to Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune. Boyd has been sidelined since early May. He was initially placed on the injured list due to a torn meniscus in his knee. However, he started experiencing shoulder soreness while rehabbing the knee injury. The shoulder is likely the larger issue for Boyd at this point, but it appears he could be getting close to going back out on a rehab assignment. Across 24 innings (five starts) in 2026, Boyd has recorded a 2-1 record with a 6.00 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts. While his ERA in a small sample size is unsightly, his 25% K-BB rate and 2.35 FIP suggest he's due for better results. Boyd's profile comes with significant injury risk, but he could be worth stashing off the waiver wire ahead of his potential return.

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