White Sox rookie sensation Munetaka Murakami — tied for the AL HR lead with 20 and hitting .240/.378/.560 with a 161 OPS+ — strained his right hamstring legging out a grounder in Friday's walk-off win over Detroit and was placed on the 10-day IL with a Grade 2 strain. Manager Will Venable confirmed a 4–6 week recovery window. The team immediately promoted shortstop Jacob Gonzalez from Triple-A Charlotte, where the 23-year-old hit .308/.414/.646 with 18 HR in 51 games.
In his May 27 debut, White Sox right-hander David Sandlin retired 18 straight batters after allowing a leadoff homer to Byron Buxton — the most consecutive outs by an MLB pitcher in his debut since 1988. He finished 6 IP, 1 ER, 4 K, 0 BB on just 61 pitches, with pitching coach Zach Bove praising both his upper-90s four-seamer and power curveball as legitimate out pitches. Sunday's Sun-Times piece calls a no-hitter a realistic aspirational target for his next start.
Jared Jones made his first MLB start since undergoing UCL surgery in May 2025, and the velocity was immediately reassuring: his first six fastballs all registered triple digits. The results were messier — 4.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 K on 77 pitches — with two home runs off hung breaking balls. Context matters: Jones posted a 2.89 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 24:6 K:BB in 18.2 rehab innings before activation, and Bryan Reynolds walked it off in the ninth inning as Pittsburgh won 6–5.
Casey Mize was placed on the 15-day IL retroactive to May 28 with right adductor inflammation — his second groin-related stint of 2026 — and isn't eligible to return until June 12. He was 2.27 ERA through nine outings, now leaving a Detroit rotation already missing Tarik Skubal and Justin Verlander. Closer Kenley Jansen remains on his own IL stint (pelvic inflammation, no firm return date), with Kyle Finnegan serving as closer and having already blown four saves this year.
Who's Hot This Week
Jones' debut line (4.1 IP, 5 ER) will suppress ownership this week — use that window. His rehab résumé (2.89 ERA, 24:6 K:BB across 18.2 innings) and the fact that his first six MLB pitches hit triple digits after a year off confirm the UCL recovery went as well as it could have. Post-TJS pitchers routinely have a rocky first start as they recalibrate real-game adrenaline and sequencing. Stash at 11% owned before his next start reveals the more sustainable version.
Worth Reading
Pitcher List's weekly FAAB breakdown covers Sandlin, Zebby Matthews, and Coleman Crow among the top pitcher bids, plus impact callups including Jacob Gonzalez. Best starting point for setting waiver priority order before Tuesday's wire clears.
Comprehensive FAAB guide with bid amounts for hitters and pitchers. Covers Bryce Eldridge's new everyday role in San Francisco, Jacob Gonzalez's immediate opportunity, and how the Murakami injury reshapes the White Sox roster hierarchy.
Rotoworld's weekly waiver rundown covers Sandlin's debut, Gonzalez's promotion, Bryce Eldridge cementing himself as the Giants' everyday 1B, and Colt Emerson's hot first MLB week. Good complementary read alongside the FAAB guides.
Grade 2 right hamstring strain suffered May 29 while running out a fielder's choice grounder. Manager Venable confirmed a 4–6 week timeline; White Sox optimistic he's on the shorter end given the injury site. Murakami was batting .240/.378/.560 with a 161 OPS+ and 20 HR — tied for the AL lead — when he exited.
Grade 1 left hamstring strain (placed on IL May 28). Hernandez himself says he expects to return in about a month, putting him at late June at the earliest. The Dodgers are also without Enrique Hernández (60-day IL, significant oblique tear), leaving their outfield short two contributors simultaneously.
Right adductor inflammation — same issue that cost him three weeks in April. Placed retroactive to May 28; earliest return June 12. Before the injury Mize had a 2.27 ERA across nine starts, making this a significant loss for a Detroit rotation already missing Skubal and Verlander. Tigers are cautiously optimistic he misses only one start.
Pelvic inflammation; placed IL-15 on May 28 after exiting a game having thrown just nine pitches. His second groin-related absence of 2026; no return timeline has been set. Jansen carried a 4.80 ERA and four blown saves before the IL trip. Even upon return, his role is not guaranteed given Kyle Finnegan's continued usage in save situations.
Zebby Matthews' 2026 surge begins with one pitch operating at an elite level: his gyro slider. Opponents have managed a .568 OPS against it across 525 career big-league offerings, thanks to a combination of a high-30% whiff rate and a 42% ground-ball rate. FanGraphs grades it 130 Stuff+ — comfortably into plus-plus territory. That's not luck; that's a pitch with premium shape and a platoon split that tilts in his favor against right-handed hitters.
The critical upgrade this season is command. Matthews is now placing the slider for strikes, which has driven his walk rate down to 2.1% over three 2026 starts — an astonishing number for a pitcher who bounced between Triple-A and the majors for two seasons. That elite command turns a tough pitch into an untouchable one, because hitters can't sit on a slider when they know they'll be called out on it. His 17:2 K:BB across 19 innings is the clearest evidence that something has genuinely changed.
The legitimate concern is left-handed hitters. His four-seamer — the pitch meant to keep lefties honest — hasn't generated the expected whiffs for a fastball with that velocity profile, and his career OPS split (.714 vs. RHH, .944 vs. LHH) reflects real vulnerability on that side of the plate. The good news: his schedule over the next four weeks skews heavily toward righty-heavy lineups, and 44% ownership in most formats is still an opportunity given what the underlying data says.
The May 30 Leverage Ledger highlighted Kyle Finnegan's fourth blown save of 2026 — consecutive singles followed by a safety squeeze — as the defining closer story of the weekend. With Kenley Jansen on the IL and no return timeline, Detroit's ninth inning is the worst situation in baseball. Elsewhere, Mason Miller (OAK) and Bryan Baker (BOS) sit atop the Secure tier while Josh Hader's imminent return reshapes the Houston picture going into June.
Read the full Ledger →| Closer | Team | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Finnegan | DET | 🟡 Watch | De facto closer since Jansen's IL placement on May 28. Four blown saves in 2026 is a troubling pattern despite a 2.03 ERA in 26 appearances. Still the most likely save source in Detroit; Will Vest is the primary alternative if the Tigers intervene. Stream in 10-team leagues, but keep a hand on the wire. |
| Twins Bullpen (Committee) | MIN | 🔴 Committee | A team-record 10+ different pitchers have recorded saves this season — the most of any MLB team by a wide margin. Cole Sands, Taylor Rogers, Andrew Morris, and Justin Topa all see ninth-inning work. Manager Derek Shelton has shown no inclination to name a closer. Avoid for saves except in the very deepest formats. |
| Josh Hader | HOU | 🟡 Watch | Expected to be activated during the first week of June after completing a dominant rehab (1.29 ERA, 11 K in 7 IP across seven appearances). Bryan King and Bryan Abreu have been splitting save chances in his absence. The moment Hader is activated he reclaims the role — if he's available in your league, add him now before he returns. |
| Lucas Erceg | KC | 🟡 Watch | Five blown saves and a 5.06 ERA; his closer grade dropped from 79 to 67 this week (Athlon Sports). The only reason Erceg still has the job is Carlos Estevez's shoulder injury, which will keep him out at least another month. Viable only in very deep leagues — the Royals are going nowhere and the ninth-inning situation is genuinely unstable. |
Full game highlights from Jared Jones' long-awaited season debut against Minnesota — shows his first six triple-digit fastballs, the six strikeouts, and Bryan Reynolds' walk-off single that capped Pittsburgh's 6–5 comeback win.
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