Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández is set to be activated from the 10-day IL for Monday's series opener against Oakland, one month after suffering a Grade 1 left hamstring strain on May 29. Hernández completed a four-game rehab stint with Triple-A Oklahoma City — including three home runs — and played full nine-inning games with no setbacks. The Dodgers plan to ease him back in with 4-5 starts in the first week, given the team has no off-days until July 9.
Texas placed Langford on the 10-day IL on June 28 after he felt hamstring soreness while legging out a double the night before. The timing is brutal: he had been on an extraordinary hot streak since returning from an earlier forearm stint, slashing .317 with seven home runs and three stolen bases over his last 20 games. Manager Skip Schumaker confirmed Langford won't be back before the All-Star break.
Cleveland promoted 24-year-old catcher Cooper Ingle from Triple-A Columbus, with Stuart Fairchild DFA'd in a corresponding move. Ingle — the Guardians' No. 3 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 68 overall — hit .284/.416/.551 with 12 home runs and 22 extra-base hits in 51 Triple-A games. He recorded his first MLB hit and RBI in Saturday's 4-3 win over Seattle.
Boston placed shortstop Marcelo Mayer on the 10-day IL with a bone stress reaction in his left ulna — an injury he admitted has nagged him for roughly two months. No return timetable has been given; doctors indicate he must wait for the bone to heal before resuming baseball activities. He was slashing .220/.282/.312 with 3 HR across 70 games when shut down.
Who's Hot This Week
The $54M Houston righty has been one of baseball's most polarizing arms — elite strikeout stuff (10.5 K/9, 91st-percentile Whiff rate) undercut by a command issue all season. But in late June, he posted back-to-back starts with 11 and 10 strikeouts against Cleveland and Detroit (21 Ks in 2 starts, just 1 walk combined) — a strong sign the control is finally catching up to the talent. At 36% owned, there's still time to grab him before ownership surges. His ceiling, if the walk rate stabilizes, is a genuine rotation ace. Add now and carry through the All-Star break.
Worth Reading
Highlights Foster Griffin's dominant three-start stretch (1.40 ERA / 2.85 FIP, 23.4% K-BB) as a must-add across all leagues, while cautioning on pitchers whose surface ERAs are outrunning their underlying metrics. Solid format-agnostic read before setting Week 14 lineups.
Full FAAB guide for the June 29–July 5 stretch with specific dollar-amount bid recommendations per player. Top calls include Caleb Durbin as the week's premier hitter add and Joey Cantillo as the pitching pickup, both verified under 40% owned in Yahoo leagues.
Towers makes the case that Caglianone (.379/.468/.742 with 9 June HRs) and Antonacci (.307 xBA, .455 xSLG) should both be rostered in virtually every format. Also covers the Aaron Judge injury impact and buy-low opportunities at catcher.
Langford was placed on the 10-day IL June 28 with a left hamstring strain, suffered while legging out a double the prior night. He had been on an outstanding hot streak since returning from a forearm IL stint — .317 with 7 HR and 3 SB over his last 20 games. Manager Skip Schumaker confirmed he won't be back before the All-Star break.
Boston placed Mayer on the 10-day IL on June 26 with a bone stress reaction in his left ulna — an injury he admitted has nagged him for roughly two months. No return timetable has been given; doctors indicate he must wait for the bone to heal before resuming baseball activities. He was slashing .220/.282/.312 with 3 HR across 70 games when shut down.
Crochet was transferred to the 60-day IL after a lat strain was discovered during his shoulder inflammation rehab. He posted a 6.30 ERA with 37 strikeouts in just 30 innings across six starts before shutting down, badly underperforming his 2025 AL Cy Young runner-up form. When asked about a throwing timeline, Crochet told reporters he had 'no idea' — effectively ruling out any realistic fantasy contribution before at least August.
Nelson was transferred to the 60-day IL on June 25 with a forearm flexor strain and minor UCL sprain, retroactive to June 16. August 15 is the earliest he could return, but multiple reports indicate he is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 season. He carried a 4.97 ERA with below-average strikeout rates before the injury.
The 21-year-old Detroit center fielder opened up about his hitting philosophy and development in FanGraphs' long-running Q&A series. Clark — the No. 8 overall prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline and the consensus top outfield prospect in the game — began 2026 at Triple-A Toledo despite only 43 games of Double-A experience, a sign of how quickly the Tigers view him as ready. The conversation covers his approach to pitch recognition and zone management as he's matured since entering pro ball.
Clark started the season at a .377/.444/.565 clip across his first 17 games at Toledo before a mid-season cold snap dropped his overall line to .264/.346/.394 (100 wRC+). He has responded well — hitting safely in 11 of his last 12 games and slugging .453 over that stretch. Laurila's piece explores how Clark has leaned into his natural bat-to-ball skills while adding more aggressive early-count swing decisions, reducing his vulnerability to the high fastball that stymied him briefly at Double-A.
With the Tigers in legitimate playoff contention and roster decisions looming around the trade deadline, the call-up conversation is intensifying. The article positions Clark as having a 'mature blend of tools and skills' for a 21-year-old, and the consensus view is that he gets a big-league look later this summer — most likely in August after the deadline reshuffles the roster and the 40-man picture. Dynasty managers who don't already own Clark should be targeting him aggressively in the next two weeks.
The June 28 Leverage Ledger covered Saturday's slate featuring nine saves and four blown saves across the league, including Chapman's ninth-inning collapse for Boston against the Yankees. The Ledger tracks individual closer performance, save-situation breakdowns, and bullpen hierarchy updates for all 30 teams — including ongoing committee shuffles in Cincinnati, Chicago, and Washington.
Read the full Ledger →| Closer | Team | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Webb | CHC | 🔴 Committee | Daniel Palencia went to the 15-day IL on June 16 with right elbow inflammation and there's no clear return date. Manager Craig Counsell is running a matchup-based committee — Webb leads with two saves since Palencia went down, but Caleb Thielbar and Phil Maton are also in the mix. In 14+ team leagues, Webb is the best single-name grab, but monitor usage daily before locking anyone in. |
| Gus Varland | WSH | 🔴 Committee | Washington has run a full closer-by-committee all season with 22 blown saves (worst in MLB) spread across 11 pitchers. Varland leads the team with 6 saves, Beeter has 5, and Lovelady has 4. After Beeter's fourth blown save on June 26, Varland is the clearest priority if you're carrying one Nationals reliever — but don't invest real FAAB here. |
| Emilio Pagan | CIN | 🟡 Watch | Pagan (Grade 2 hamstring strain, out since May 5) threw a scoreless rehab inning in Triple-A on June 28 — nine pitches, eight strikes — and is expected back in Cincinnati this week. The interim committee has posted a 5.59 ERA since May 6. Pagan resumes the closer role immediately upon activation. High-priority add if available; check wires daily. |
| Aroldis Chapman | BOS | 🟡 Watch | Chapman blew his second save of the season on June 28 against the Yankees, allowing two runs in the ninth — though Boston won 5-4 in 10. He has 16 saves on the year and remains one of the best relievers in baseball, but a second straight rough outing could put the job in question. Hold for now and monitor closely through the week. |
Full game highlights from Yankees vs. Red Sox on June 28 — a Sunday Night Baseball matchup where Sonny Gray took a no-hitter into the eighth inning (9 Ks, 2,000th career strikeout) before Aroldis Chapman blew a save in the ninth. Boston completed a four-game sweep with a walk-off 5-4 win in extras.
Full game highlights from Mariners vs. Guardians on June 28 — Cleveland rallied for a 6-5 win on a five-run eighth inning, capped by Rhys Hoskins's two-run double.
Weekly closer breakdown thread with tiered rankings, Yahoo roster rates for low-owned adds, and holds-eligible relievers to target heading into Week 14.
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