Tarik Skubal returned to the Tigers' rotation Saturday in Cleveland, just 38 days after arthroscopic left elbow surgery to remove a loose body — one of the fastest elbow recoveries in recent memory. He threw 80 pitches over 4⅔ innings, allowing two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk. For a first-start-back effort after elbow surgery, that is as clean a return as you could reasonably hope for. Detroit is managing his workload, and pitch counts will build over the next several starts.
Drake Baldwin came off the 10-day IL Monday and immediately announced his return with a 473-foot moonshot off the Giants — the longest home run in MLB this season. The Braves catcher had been sidelined with an oblique strain after posting a remarkable pre-injury line of .303/.389/.543 with 13 home runs and 38 RBIs in just 48 games. Rain eventually halted the contest, but Baldwin's statement had already been made.
Turner was removed from Tuesday's lineup after being hit by a pitch on his right wrist in Sunday's game against Miami. X-rays came back negative and the Phillies expect him back in Wednesday's starting lineup. This is a scare, not a setback — though it arrives during an already difficult stretch for Turner, who is hitting .216/.268/.326 and owns a career-worst .595 OPS through 71 games.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Monday he expects Francisco Lindor to return before the end of June, with the club's next homestand — beginning June 22 — viewed internally as the likely activation window. Lindor has been on the IL since mid-April with a left calf strain and progressed through full baseball activities this week. A brief rehab assignment could precede his activation.
Who's Hot This Week
Baez is demolishing Triple-A Memphis with a .396/.434/.917 slash line over his last 53 plate appearances, adding six home runs in that stretch to bring his season total to 19. He also has 12 steals — genuine five-tool upside. The Cardinals added him to the 40-man roster earlier in June, which is the organizational signal that his call-up clock is running. At 11% owned, the stash cost is low; by the time the call-up drops, ownership will spike. Grab him now.
Worth Reading
The weekly rundown of the biggest movers in Ottoneu leagues, which reliably surfaces underloved players before they hit mainstream waiver wires. A useful early indicator of which names are gaining traction among analytics-first managers before the Monday FAAB rush.
Razzball's Week 13 waiver guide with dollar-value estimates for top adds across all formats. The piece notes that the available pool is thinning as the season enters its second half — a useful reminder to prioritize early before the Monday FAAB window closes.
The weekly SP rankings update, including notable risers, fallers, and matchup context for the current week. Particularly useful for identifying two-start streamers against weak offenses before other managers in your league do the same.
Right wrist bruise from being hit by a pitch on June 15 vs Miami. X-rays negative. Turner missed Tuesday's game as a precaution but is expected back in the starting lineup Wednesday. A minor scare during an already-slumping June (.216 average).
Left calf strain — on the IL since mid-April. Completed full baseball activities this week and the Mets are targeting a return before June 30, with the June 22 homestand start as the most likely activation window. A short rehab assignment remains possible but is not required. This is one of the highest-upside returns of the fantasy second half.
Right hamstring strain, placed on IL June 8. Scans confirmed the hamstring is 90% healed and a rehab assignment could begin as early as the June 19–21 weekend. The fastest pathway back has De La Cruz in Cincinnati's lineup by June 23–24. Hold in all formats.
Justin Wrobleski entered 2026 as a depth arm competing for a back-of-the-rotation role. By June 17 he is Los Angeles' most consistent starter — 8-2, 2.72 ERA, 1.05 WHIP — and on Tuesday he shut out the Rays 1-0 in six innings to help the Dodgers pass the Braves for the most wins in baseball. He has been the engine that kept LA's rotation functional while injuries reshuffled the lineup card around him all spring.
What separates Wrobleski from a run-preventing mirage is his 21.1% K-BB rate, which would rank among the top eight starting pitchers in all of baseball by that measure. His arsenal — a sinker/slider combination that tunnels well and generates soft contact — keeps average exit velocity well below 90 mph. The barrel rates against him are suppressed. These are not the profile of a pitcher surviving on sequencing luck; the underlying process and the surface results are telling the same story.
With Tommy Edman returning today and bolstering the Dodgers' lineup depth, LA's run-scoring environment will only improve through the stretch. The fantasy community is still under-appreciating Wrobleski relative to his numbers. If you can add or acquire him under 55% ownership, do it now — this is the quietly elite SP of the 2026 fantasy season.
Monday's 10-game slate produced five reliever wins, three saves, and three blown saves. The 2026 season has now generated 543 saves by 167 different pitchers entering Tuesday — a reflection of how fragmented closer roles remain league-wide. The clearest consolidation trend is in Minnesota, where Yoendrys Gomez is building a real case for a permanent ninth-inning designation.
Read the full Ledger →| Closer | Team | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yoendrys Gomez | Minnesota Twins | 🟡 Watch | Five saves since arriving from Tampa Bay in early May, with a 1.65 ERA and 11.0 K/9 with the Twins. Four of those saves have come in June. He is the clear top option in Minnesota's ninth inning, but analysts note the source of his breakthrough is not fully explained — he leans more heavily on his sweeper with the Twins than he did in Tampa. Watch for the Twins to formally name him the closer if the saves continue through the week. |
| Hogan Harris | Oakland Athletics | 🔴 Committee | Harris leads Oakland's committee with five saves and nine holds — the team's highest-leverage reliever — but six different pitchers have combined for the A's 19 saves this season. Justin Sterner and Scott Barlow have also recorded saves recently. This is a true committee with no clear pecking order, only worth targeting in very deep leagues where any save opportunity matters. |
| Alex Lange | Kansas City Royals | 🟡 Watch | Lange has converted back-to-back saves and is pulling ahead of Lucas Erceg in Kansas City's unsettled closer competition. The Royals have not formally announced a closer, but Lange is receiving the most ninth-inning looks. Monitor through the week — consolidation here would make him a legitimate 12-team add. |
Drake Baldwin's 473-foot blast off the Giants is the longest home run in MLB this season — and it came in his very first game back from an oblique IL stint. The ball left the park like it had somewhere to be.
Spencer Jones hit his first career home run at Yankee Stadium in Tuesday's win over the White Sox. The Yankees' top prospect has been given regular reps with Aaron Judge on the IL and is starting to make his case.
Justin Wrobleski threw six shutout innings in a 1-0 Dodgers win over the Rays on Tuesday, extending his run as LA's most reliable starter. The full-game highlights show his sinker/slider combination working both sides of the plate all evening.
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