Cruz sustained non-displaced fractures to the fourth and fifth metacarpals in his left hand while sliding into home plate on June 8. The Pirates placed him on the 10-day IL retroactive to that date and recalled utility player Billy Cook from Triple-A Indianapolis. He had been having a career season at .264/.326/.488 with 14 home runs and was the centerpiece of Pittsburgh's offense.
Acuña pulled up running out a grounder in the fourth inning of Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the White Sox and was held out. The Braves ran additional imaging Wednesday and confirmed a Grade 1 left hamstring strain — his second such injury of 2026 after missing May 3-18 with the same issue. No specific return timeline given; Rowdy Tellez recalled in a corresponding move.
Caglianone launched two home runs Tuesday — a solo shot in the fifth inning and a two-run blast to highlight the sixth — as Kansas City rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Texas 5-3. It was his second multi-home run game of the season, and he has driven in at least one run in five straight games. Kansas City has won six of its last eight.
Skubal threw five scoreless innings (6 K, 2 H, 54 pitches) for High-A West Michigan on June 7 — what should be his only rehab start. Manager A.J. Hinch confirmed Thursday's game against Cleveland as the target, pending how Skubal feels through the week. The NanoScope arthroscopic procedure on May 6 dramatically shortened the original August return estimate.
Who's Hot This Week
At 68% owned, Skubal is still available in roughly a third of leagues despite targeting a return TOMORROW. His five-inning, six-K rehab start on June 7 was dominant, and the Tigers are bringing him back as their staff ace — not a cautious workload-managed return. Don't wait for Thursday's box score to trigger your add; he will be 99% owned the moment he is reinstated.
Worth Reading
Comprehensive FAAB recommendations for Week 11 with ownership data and bid ranges across all formats. Strong pitcher-heavy edition this week with useful coverage of streaming options that have favorable June schedules — read before you finalize your FAAB bids.
Focused specifically on under-the-radar SP adds, this piece digs into Melton, Ureña, and two others all available in the majority of leagues. The 'sneaky' label is earned — every name has the underlying metrics to back the hype.
Category-by-category breakdown covering the best adds for average, home runs, steals, ERA, and strikeouts separately — useful if you have a specific counting-stat need rather than looking for a general-purpose pickup.
Non-displaced fractures to the left hand fourth and fifth metacarpals, sustained June 8 while being tagged out sliding into home plate. The Pirates placed him on the 10-day IL retroactively; no surgery currently planned. Expected out approximately four weeks, meaning his earliest return is around July 8. Billy Cook recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis.
Grade 1 left hamstring strain confirmed June 11, his second hamstring injury of 2026 after missing May 3-18 with the same issue. He exited Tuesday's game after running out a grounder in the fourth inning. No specific return timeline, but the Braves have been cautious with this injury history. Rowdy Tellez recalled in a corresponding move.
No throwing activity as of this week; doctors have not cleared him to resume. Moved to the 60-day IL on June 7 after back spasms prevented any progress since May 8. Manager Dave Roberts said 'the body is not allowing for it.' Mid-July is the realistic return target.
Moved to the 60-day IL on June 5 after a lat strain setback during a May 31 throwing session reset his recovery clock from shoulder inflammation (originally on IL since April 26). Has not resumed throwing. July is the more realistic return window.
Emerson Hancock was on the outside of the Mariners' rotation looking in before the season, but after winning a spring training job he has become one of the more interesting arms in baseball. What's new in 2026 is the stuff — his Stuff+ jumped from below average to 102, powered by a new cutter he's wielding heavily against left-handed hitters (17.2% usage vs. LHH after barely using it in 2024 and not at all in 2025). That cutter drops three more inches with an additional 1.5 inches of glove-side movement compared to his 2024 version, and hitters simply don't know it's there.
The results reflect the profile change. Hancock carries a career-high 20.3% K-BB%, more than doubling his mark from a season ago, and a 10.8% swinging-strike rate that is more than a full point above any previous season. His Location+ improved across the board, particularly on his four-seam (121) and sinker (117) — meaning he is not only adding stuff, he is placing it precisely. The combination of legitimate swing-and-miss added to an already ground-ball-heavy profile makes for a dangerous starter when he's right.
Young notes that Hancock is a case study in how a single pitch addition can restructure a pitcher's entire hierarchy. The cutter vs. LHH creates a platoon advantage he never had, while the improved four-seam and sinker command keeps right-handed hitters off-balance. With a career-high K-BB% and a Stuff+ that continues to trend upward in recent starts, Hancock has moved firmly into the SP2-3 discussion and should be rostered in all 12-team leagues.
The June 10 Leverage Ledger is headlined by Zach Maxwell, who earned his first career save in the 11th inning against the Padres on nine pitches after Tejay Antone failed in the 10th. Cincinnati's committee remains wide open with Pagan still weeks from resuming throwing. Alex Lange locked down his fourth consecutive save for Kansas City, tightening his grip while Estevez continues to recover from a foot injury. The Twins reached double digits in unique closers on the season.
Read the full Ledger →| Closer | Team | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zach Maxwell | CIN | 🔴 Committee | Maxwell earned his first career save June 10 after Antone coughed one up in the 10th. The Reds committee remains chaotic — Pagan (Grade 2 hamstring) is still not throwing and his MRI is pending. Maxwell, Antone, Pierce Johnson, and Brock Burke are all collecting high-leverage work. Maxwell's nine-pitch, three-up-three-down save gives him short-term momentum, but nothing in Cincinnati is stable. Best current bet for saves in the next 1-2 weeks; treat as a streaming add only. |
| Alex Lange | KC | 🟡 Watch | Four consecutive saves without allowing a run since taking the job from Erceg (MLB-leading 6 blown saves). Carlos Estevez (left foot contusion) is still weeks away from returning. Lange has closing pedigree — 26 saves with Detroit in 2023 — and has handled the role cleanly. At around 18% owned, the ownership gap is enormous for a pitcher getting consistent save opportunities. Priority add in leagues with two closer spots. |
| Yoendrys Gomez | MIN | 🔴 Committee | The Twins hit 10 or more unique pitchers with a save on the season, breaking the team record before the halfway point of June. Gomez has been the most consistent arm (four saves, 16:4 K:BB, one earned run in 12⅔ innings) and manager Derek Shelton's preferred option — but Cole Sands and Trevor Megill keep getting mixed in. Best avoided in standard leagues unless you have exhausted every other option. |
Official game highlights from the Mariners-Orioles matchup on June 10. Emerson Hancock (today's scouting report subject) has been Seattle's most improved arm in 2026; Baltimore's bullpen continues managing a complicated situation while Adley Rutschman works through his hamstring.
Reds defeat the Padres in 11 innings as Zach Maxwell earns his first career save — nine pitches, three batters, done — after Tejay Antone failed to hold the lead in the 10th. The Cincinnati closer committee just got a new frontrunner.
Dodgers beat the Pirates in Pittsburgh with LA's offense doing damage against the Pittsburgh bullpen. The game is the first look at the Pirates' lineup operating without Oneil Cruz, who was placed on the IL earlier in the day.
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