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Cincinnati placed Elly De La Cruz on the 10-day IL (retroactive to June 1) with a right hamstring strain. Manager Terry Francona called it "kind of between a Grade 1 and 2" with a mid-June MRI to assess recovery — a minimum 3-4 week absence, and the Reds won't rush him. Edwin Arroyo, the centerpiece of the Luis Castillo trade, was called up from Triple-A Louisville where he posted a .323/.383/.562 line with 11 HR and 9 SB in 53 games.
Garrett Crochet, already on the IL since late April with left shoulder inflammation, experienced new left lat tightness during a June 1 throwing session. An MRI is scheduled this week with no updated return timeline. Crochet downplayed it, but a secondary injury layered on top of an existing one — combined with his 6.30 ERA across six starts — is a troubling picture for Red Sox owners.
Dylan Cease (Padres) left Sunday's start with left hamstring discomfort and landed on the 15-day IL, missing at least 2-3 starts. Cole Ragans (Royals), already sidelined with elbow tightness, made a Triple-A rehab start Saturday (4.1 IP, 1 ER, 68 pitches) but per manager Matt Quatraro "didn't bounce back well" and has been shut down again pending re-evaluation — a meaningful step backward.
Skubal, on the 60-day IL since early April after a NanoScope procedure to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, threw a 64-pitch bullpen in St. Petersburg on June 1 and felt great. Insider Jon Heyman reports he is approximately two weeks from an MLB return, with a rehab start at Triple-A Toledo expected this weekend. Trade deadline whispers are heating up with multiple contenders reportedly circling.
Who's Hot This Week
Called up June 1 to replace Elly De La Cruz (hamstring, IL-10), Arroyo is one of the most complete prospects in baseball. He hit .323/.383/.562 with 11 HR and 9 SB in 53 Triple-A games — including a .356/.393/.693 line with 8 HR and 4 SB in May alone. At 22 years old, he's a true five-tool talent stepping into an everyday role for at minimum 3-4 weeks. Ownership will spike fast once he gets his first few big-league at-bats. Grab him now in any league.
Worth Reading
ESPN spotlights Ben Brown and Nick Mead as the week's top pickups, with a detailed breakdown of Brown's new sinker and why his 29% K-rate makes him more than a streaming arm. Also covers several two-start options for Week 10 and how the De La Cruz IL placement reshapes add priorities.
Makes the definitive case for Matthews as the most undervalued available starter: 17:2 K:BB ratio, sub-3.00 xERA, and a two-start week that should push him well above 50% owned. The author argues no other available arm currently matches his floor in standard formats.
Ranks Hancock as the top two-start streamer for Week 10 with favorable matchups against the Mets at home and at Detroit. Several sub-50% owned streamers are ranked below him, making this a useful secondary read for SP-needy managers filling Cease and Ragans vacancies.
Right hamstring strain (Grade 1-2), placed on IL retroactive to June 1. Terry Francona described the severity as "kind of between a Grade 1 and 2" with a mid-June MRI to assess recovery. A 3-4 week minimum absence is the working timeline; the Reds are not expected to rush his return.
Left shoulder inflammation (on IL since late April) plus new left lat tightness surfaced June 1. MRI results pending; no return timeline given. Carries a 6.30 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across six starts this season. Secondary injury compounding a primary one is a serious concern for the timeline.
Left hamstring discomfort forced him out of Sunday's start vs. Pittsburgh in the 5th inning; placed on 15-day IL June 2. At minimum 2-3 starts missed. Short-term drop candidate in shallow leagues; stash on IL in standard formats.
Recovering from NanoScope elbow procedure (loose body removal, early April). Threw a 64-pitch bullpen June 1 and felt great; Jon Heyman reports an MLB return approximately two weeks out. Rehab start at Triple-A Toledo expected this weekend. Trade deadline destination is a watch item for dynasty/keeper managers.
James Wood (Washington Nationals, OF, age 23) is in the middle of a genuine 2026 breakout, with his wRC+ sitting at 170 — third in all of baseball — and both his wOBA (.408) and xwOBA (.439) well above .400. The FanGraphs piece frames this not as a mechanical overhaul but as a player who doubled down on his strengths to a historic degree. He still has a vulnerability low in the zone, but he punishes everything else so severely that pitchers are running out of safe quadrants.
The headline stat is his barrel contact rate: Wood is finding the barrel on 29.5% of contact, with a 25.5% Barrel%, 60.7% hard-hit rate, and a 96.6 mph average exit velocity. His ISO sits at .353 (third in baseball). Most striking is the gap between his actual wOBA (.408) and his expected wOBA (.439) — Wood may actually be underperforming his contact quality, meaning positive regression is still ahead.
The article's key insight: Wood has raised his walk rate to a career high, pushing his OBP above .400. Pitchers can only reliably attack one narrow part of the zone against him; anywhere else produces a plus-exit-velocity outcome or a free pass. At 23, with this contact profile and these underlying numbers, this looks less like a hot streak and more like a player who figured something out permanently.
Sunday's Leverage Ledger spotlighted Bryan Baker (Reds) notching his 16th save of the season — working around a leadoff double with a 90.9% strike rate and 27.3% swinging-strike rate on just 11 pitches. Baker converted 9 of 10 save opportunities in May with 16 K against 8 BB in 13 innings, making him one of the waiver-wire-to-closer stories of the year. The Ledger also flagged Jovani Moran (BOS) collecting his first win, with Casey Legumina and Ian Seymour active in the leverage hierarchy.
Read the full Ledger →| Closer | Team | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrés Muñoz | SEA | 🟡 Watch | 4 blown saves, 4.98 ERA, 1.34 WHIP across 21.2 IP. Both his four-seamer (.477 wOBA against) and sinker (.538 wOBA against) are getting punished. Matt Brash and Jose Ferrer are waiting with closing experience. The Mariners haven't intervened yet, but this situation is deteriorating quickly. |
| Lucas Erceg | OAK | 🟡 Watch | 5 blown saves, 5.06 ERA, 1.69 WHIP — his peripherals are catastrophic. Preseason closer Carlos Estévez has been cleared for a rehab assignment. Once Estévez returns, Erceg's role is in immediate jeopardy. Sell high on any remaining saves value right now. |
| Rico Garcia / Anthony Nunez | BAL | 🔴 Committee | Ryan Helsley landed on the IL with elbow issues, leaving Garcia and Nunez sharing the ninth inning. Garcia (99th percentile xERA) handles the heart of the order; Nunez (31% K-rate, elite chase metrics) closes on other nights. Both have saves; both are rosterable in two-closer formats. |
| Jacob Latz | TEX | 🟡 Watch | 0.83 ERA in 21.2 IP, 6 saves, and manager Skip Schumaker said 'it'd be tough not to give it to Latz.' Still no official closer designation — Junis has 3 saves and has been used ahead of Latz in recent games. Latz is the priority add; Junis has standalone value in two-closer leagues. |
Hosts Chris Towers and Scott White recap the full weekend, breaking down the biggest standouts — including the De La Cruz injury, Arroyo call-up, and Sandlin's debut — and identifying the top waiver wire adds and drops heading into Week 10.
James Anderson presents the updated Top 400 Fantasy Baseball Prospects rankings for June 2026, answering subscriber questions on where specific minor leaguers rank and when they might arrive.
Full game highlights from Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks (June 1): Ketel Marte hit a 409-ft, 111.4 mph homer; Junior Caminero went 422 ft at 110.4 mph; Miguel Vargas had a two-homer night.
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