Dansby Swanson went 5-for-9 with two home runs — including a grand slam in Game 1 — and 11 RBI as the Cubs swept a Mets doubleheader on June 24. It's the most RBI by a Cub in a doubleheader since Sammy Sosa in 2002, and Swanson has amassed 15 RBI across three games in this Mets series. His power-speed profile has been legitimate all season; Wednesday was the ceiling.
Juan Soto left the Mets' Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader after the fourth inning when his lower back locked up. The Mets haven't committed to his availability for tonight, and MJ Melendez is the expected fill-in at DH if Soto sits. The same lower-back area gave Soto trouble in May.
Kyle Tucker (Astros) is not expected to play June 25 with recurring lower-back soreness, and additional games are at risk. Kyle Schwarber (Phillies) also has lower-back tightness after missing his club's most recent game; he did not travel with the team Wednesday. Neither has been officially placed on the IL as of this morning.
Reynaldo López is back in Atlanta's starting rotation following J.R. Ritchie's demotion to Triple-A. He's expected to work around 60 pitches tonight as the Braves ease him in. López posted a 3.21 ERA with 11.4 K/9 in his last rotation stint earlier this season before shifting to relief.
Who's Hot This Week
One of Milwaukee's top outfield prospects, Lara appears on the cusp of a promotion based on his recent Triple-A performance. He brings legitimate power-speed upside that would contribute across multiple categories from day one. At 10% owned, you're getting him before the call-up bump — add now before his availability window closes overnight.
Worth Reading
RotoBaller's mid-week add piece digs into trending players with ownership projections and matchup context through the weekend. The Caglianone breakdown is particularly useful for gauging how quickly his availability window is closing.
ESPN's weekly waiver column covers the Bazzana and Jensen situations in depth, with context on playing time security and upside ceilings in different league formats. Still the best single read if you need the case made on either AL Central rookie.
FanGraphs' daily fantasy roundup covers today's injury news (Soto, Tucker, Schwarber), Reynaldo López's rotation return, and any other breaking developments from overnight through this morning. Essential first read.
Exited Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader in the fourth inning when his lower back locked up. The Mets are monitoring him overnight and have not committed to his status for June 25. MJ Melendez is the likely fill-in if Soto sits.
Not expected in the lineup June 25 with lower-back soreness, and additional games are at risk. There is a real possibility of an IL trip if the issue doesn't settle. Mauricio Dubón fills in when Tucker is out.
Missed his most recent game with lower-back tightness and did not travel with the Phillies on Wednesday. Status for tonight has not been officially updated; the situation is fluid.
Returned to the IL with a recurrent oblique strain after having just been activated in early June. His second oblique stint this season raises durability concerns for the remainder of the year. Return timeline is estimated at 7-10 days, though oblique injuries can linger.
Through 20 games in June, Jac Caglianone has nine home runs — and every single one has traveled at least 400 feet. That kind of raw power is rare in any era of baseball, but what makes it believable is the data underneath: a 58.5% hard-hit rate that ranks fifth in all of MLB and a 17.0% barrel rate that places him 11th. These aren't batted ball flukes inflated by a handful of favorable wind nights. The exit velocity is elite and consistent across different pitch types and locations.
Caglianone entered June at modest ownership in most formats, but a sustained power surge sent his ownership up 16% in a single weekend and it's still climbing — he's pushing 50% owned in standard leagues, remarkable for a player who was deeply under the radar as recently as two weeks ago. The underlying metrics suggest he's not running out of gas: the barrel rate in particular is the kind of number that sustains elevated home run rates over longer stretches, not just a hot-BABIP week.
The open question is his strikeout rate, which remains elevated around 28%. He'll have multi-HR games followed by 0-for-4 nights, and his batting average will fluctuate. But for power-format leagues or any team that needs HR and RBI production right now, Caglianone is the most compelling bat still available in most standard leagues. The boom nights are historically loud and the metrics say more are coming.
Oakland remains the most unsettled situation in baseball: Elvis Alvarado is making a real push to pull away from Hogan Harris in what's become a true committee post-Mason Miller trade. Minnesota is a full-on five-man free-for-all with no clear pecking order. Detroit's Anderson-Finnegan split has been close to a coin flip all month with neither pitcher separating himself.
Read the full Ledger →| Closer | Team | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elvis Alvarado | OAK | 🟡 Watch | Scoreless in 5 of his last 6 appearances, posting a 0.36 WHIP with elite K numbers since emerging as Oakland's lead option. Hogan Harris is still in the picture but Alvarado's workload share is growing. Best upside add among committee closers in the short term. |
| Jacob Webb | CHC | 🔴 Committee | Daniel Palencia (15-day IL, elbow inflammation) has not returned. Webb, Caleb Thielbar, and Phil Maton continue splitting duties with no clear hierarchy. Every Cubs save opportunity is a fresh lottery draw until Palencia is back. |
| Taylor Rogers | MIN | 🔴 Committee | Minnesota's closer situation has as many as five active candidates, with Rogers and Yoendrys Gomez as the current front-runners. Nobody is owning the job yet. Speculative roster hold only — check the Ledger daily for shifts in usage patterns. |
| Drew Anderson | DET | 🔴 Committee | Anderson and Kyle Finnegan have been sharing Detroit's save opportunities since mid-June with no clear winner emerging. Low-floor speculation only — viable in very deep leagues where any save opportunity has value, not worth a roster spot in standard formats. |
Full game highlights from Cubs vs. Mets Game 1 — Dansby Swanson's grand slam and second home run anchor a massive offensive performance as Chicago takes the first game of the doubleheader.
Full game highlights from Red Sox vs. Rockies at Fenway Park.
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