Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and will miss the remainder of the 2026 season. The 27-year-old All-Star attempted a PRP injection in February to avoid surgery, but the conservative approach failed. GM Mike Elias said Westburg returning as a full player in early 2027 is 'very much in play.' Coby Mayo has been the primary replacement at third base, starting 26 of Baltimore's first 44 games there.
New York promoted 22-year-old RHP Jonah Tong from Triple-A Syracuse and designated Craig Kimbrel for assignment. In his 2026 debut on Friday, Tong worked three hitless, scoreless innings in a bulk/piggyback role during a 2-1 loss to Miami. Manager Carlos Mendoza said the team 'expects a lot' from the right-hander, who is projected to earn a rotation spot. He tossed three innings in his first MLB outing last year too — then posted a 7.71 ERA across five starts.
The Reds placed 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes on the 10-day IL (retroactive to May 21) with a lumbar bulging disc, while simultaneously activating Eugenio Suárez from the 10-day IL. Hayes' back is a chronic problem — it also knocked him out of the final week of 2025. Cincinnati is expected to want a successful rehab stint before reinstating him, pushing his realistic return timeline to 3+ weeks.
After Ryan Walker was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento on May 10 following four consecutive rough outings (seven earned runs in 3.1 innings), San Francisco turned back to Camilo Doval as its primary closer. Walker was the team's Opening Day closer after a 17-save 2025, but his implosion forced the change. The Giants' save situation remained unsettled in the days immediately following, but Doval has reclaimed the role he lost after a rough 2024.
Who's Hot This Week
Melton is eligible to return from the 60-day IL this Sunday and has been exceptional in rehab: 1.54 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 16:2 K:BB in 11.2 innings across four appearances, topping out at 98.1 mph. NBC Sports called him a 'priority stash' and the Tigers clearly have a rotation spot waiting. Add at minimal FAAB cost before he makes his first MLB start — the window to get him cheap closes immediately.
Worth Reading
Comprehensive deep-league adds at the quarter pole of the season (roughly 45 games played). Casey Schmitt and Brayan Rocchio lead the hitter recommendations with Statcast-backed reasoning. Good read for 14-team managers with open roster spots heading into Week 9.
Bleday's breakout is the lead, with deeper analysis on A.J. Ewing's early MLB impression and whether Trevor McDonald has graduated to a legit SP add in 12-team leagues. The Ewing section alone is worth the read — the debut context is important.
Focused analysis on why Bleday's hot stretch isn't a fluke: harder swing, better contact direction, and improved walk rate. Includes ownership thresholds and a tier breakdown of outfield adds to pair with Bleday in the same week.
Tommy John surgery on right elbow (May 14). Season-ending. The 2024 All-Star had tried to avoid surgery with a February PRP injection, but the conservative approach failed. GM Mike Elias is targeting early 2027 for a full return. In his absence, Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander, and Weston Wilson are sharing time at third base.
Lumbar bulging disc, retroactive to May 21. Hayes' back has been a recurring problem that also cost him time at the end of 2025. The Reds placed him on the IL while activating Eugenio Suárez. A rehab assignment is likely before reinstatement, pushing realistic return to mid-June.
Right elbow inflammation, on the IL since May 1. MRI confirmed no structural damage, but he remains out without a clear return date. Had converted 7 of Baltimore's first 10 save opportunities before going down. Rico Garcia, Andrew Kittredge, and Yennier Cano are handling the ninth in a committee arrangement.
Aaron Civale has been one of the quietest and most interesting command-evolution stories of the 2026 season. His Location+, which measures how often a pitcher hits his intended spots relative to league average, has jumped to a career high — a genuine development for a pitcher who has always been more of a contact-manager than a swing-and-miss weapon. That improvement is showing up in soft contact numbers that suggest he's executing his plan at a higher clip than at any point in his career.
Civale operates with a four-pitch mix — four-seamer, sinker, slider, changeup — working both sides of the plate to induce weak contact rather than rack up strikeouts. The knock on him has always been the injury history and the relatively modest K rate, but the combination of improved location and a deep enough arsenal to avoid predictability makes him more durable than his fantasy price suggests. With his Pitching+ metrics leading the gainers list for the week of May 18, the on-field results are no longer outrunning the underlying data.
He's available in a significant chunk of competitive leagues where managers have moved on after each injury setback. That creates a buy-low window that typically closes the moment he strings three strong starts together. If you're in a 12-team league and need rotation depth heading into June, Civale's current profile — career-best command, healthy, and pitching with confidence — is the kind of opportunity that looks obvious in hindsight.
The Giants situation is the story of the week: Camilo Doval has reclaimed the closer role after Ryan Walker's triple-A demotion, but no defined hierarchy has been formalized and Walker's return could complicate things if he dominates in Sacramento. Devin Williams continues to dominate with seven saves and a 10-game scoreless streak. Kirby Yates put up a clean May but worked a tie game rather than a save situation, leaving his exact role ambiguous. Juan Morillo logged his second blown save of the year, and his erratic usage is raising questions about his standing in the pecking order.
Read the full Ledger →| Closer | Team | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camilo Doval | SF | 🟡 Watch | Reclaimed the closer role after Ryan Walker was optioned to Triple-A on May 10. The Giants haven't committed publicly to a defined ninth-inning hierarchy, but Doval is the de facto guy right now. Add with confidence, but keep an eye on Walker's Triple-A performance — if he's recalled, this race reopens. |
| Rico Garcia | BAL | 🔴 Committee | Sharing save opportunities in Baltimore with Andrew Kittredge and Yennier Cano while Ryan Helsley (right elbow inflammation) remains on the IL since May 1. MRI showed no structural damage for Helsley, but no return date has been set. Garcia has the slight edge in the committee, but this is unpredictable save volume — treat it as a streaming option, not a closer to own. |
Ketel Marte crushed a walk-off home run down to the D-backs' last out — the full inning breakdown shows the at-bat sequence from a two-strike, two-out situation.
All three innings of Jonah Tong's 2026 MLB debut — three hitless, scoreless frames against the Marlins in his bulk-inning appearance.
Mike Trout's 13th home run of the season for the Angels — a reminder that at 35, he's still playing at an elite level when healthy.
Free. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.