Schwarber blasted a two-run homer off the Mets in the seventh inning Sunday to become the first MLB player to reach 30 home runs in 2026 — and set a Philadelphia Phillies franchise record by getting there in just 84 team games, faster than Mike Schmidt (87 games) ever did it. He now has six consecutive seasons of 30-plus home runs, the longest active streak in baseball, with the All-Star break still two weeks away.
García hit 11 home runs in June — the first Nationals player with double-digit homers in a single month since Kyle Schwarber did it in 2012 — and closed the month with a 3-for-5, 2-HR, 5-RBI performance against Baltimore on June 28. His week ending June 28 featured a .435/.500/1.304 slash line with six long balls. On the season he is batting .279 with a .850 OPS and 16 home runs. The power surge is backed by a 1-MPH bat speed increase and a 91st-percentile exit velocity reading this year.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed Judge — diagnosed June 5 with a stress fracture in his right first rib — is progressing through recovery but has not yet reached his reimaging window. Judge has not played since May 31. Boone offered no timeline and said Judge is "taking things slow." Standard protocol for rib stress fractures is 6–8 weeks of rest before baseball activity resumes, putting a realistic best-case return in mid-to-late July.
The Detroit second baseman is headed to the 10-day IL with his second left oblique strain of the season — this one sustained during Monday's game in Houston. He returned from his first oblique stint June 2 and had been scorching hot in 11 games back, slashing .341/.413/.585 with 2 HR and 7 RBI, before the setback. Manager A.J. Hinch said this strain appears less severe than the first but offered no timeline.
Who's Hot This Week
Pittsburgh's No. 9 prospect has hit five home runs in his first 44 MLB at-bats — including homers in three straight games — with a 1.001 OPS and a .370 xwOBA that confirms the power is real. The 24-year-old posted a .255/.388/.526 slash with 13 HRs across 237 Triple-A plate appearances before the call-up. There's real strikeout risk (29% K-rate) and the BABIP (.429) will regress, but the exit velocity and raw strength profile suggest legitimate top-100 upside. Grab him in all formats at 6% owned and hold through the first cooling-off period — the floor is low but the ceiling is a breakout OF3.
Worth Reading
ESPN's weekly waiver wire column makes the case for streaming Rockies hitters during their six-game home stand, with specific targets including Mickey Moniak (recently activated from ankle IL) and Jake McCarthy. Quick format-agnostic read for anyone needing OF depth before the July 4 stretch.
Pitcher List's week 14 relief rankings cover the committee chaos in Chicago and Cincinnati while flagging Mason Barnett (2 saves, 19 K in 14.2 innings) as the most intriguing low-owned closer stash. Also covers Yoendrys Gomez's push into the Twins' ninth inning picture.
Comprehensive week 14 rankings with separate tiers for standard and deep leagues. Highlights Esmerlyn Valdez and Keider Montero as the two under-the-radar adds of the week, with ownership percentages verified across Yahoo, CBS, and ESPN as of Sunday morning.
Langford was placed on the 10-day IL on June 28 with a left hamstring strain, suffered while legging out a double the night before. The timing is brutal: he had been one of baseball's best hitters since returning from a forearm IL stint in June — .317 with seven home runs and three steals over his last 20 games. Manager Skip Schumaker confirmed Langford will not return before the All-Star break. He's eligible July 7 but the break runs July 14–17, making a mid-July return the realistic floor.
Judge has a stress fracture in his right first rib diagnosed June 5 — an injury he played through for weeks before being shut down. He has not appeared in a game since May 31. Manager Boone offered no timetable as of June 28, noting Judge is approaching but has not yet reached his reimaging window. Standard healing protocol for rib stress fractures is 6–8 weeks before baseball activity; a best-case return would be mid-July.
Torres went back on the 10-day IL with a second left oblique strain after just 11 games in his return from the first one. He was slashing .341/.413/.585 with 2 HR and 7 RBI before the injury. Manager Hinch believes this strain is less severe than the first, but offered no timetable. Recurrent oblique injuries within the same season often require extended rest to prevent a third occurrence.
Soto left a June 23 Cubs game with left-side back tightness and missed both games of the June 24 doubleheader, but returned to the starting lineup on June 25 and played through the weekend. Manager Carlos Mendoza has not fully ruled out an IL trip. Soto was in the midst of an 11-game tear (.432, 4 HR) before the scare; he's batting .299 with 17 HR, 38 RBI, and a .965 OPS through 61 games.
Jacob Misiorowski enters July as arguably the best starting pitcher in baseball by rate stats, and CBS Sports' deep-dive explains how the Milwaukee right-hander got there. His four-seamer averages 101.1 mph — six miles per hour harder than the league-average starter — and hitters are batting .165 against it in 2026 with a .224 slugging percentage. Fastball usage has climbed from 55.2% in 2025 to 63.4% this season, meaning he's leaning harder into his best weapon as the league has yet to offer a credible answer.
The strikeout numbers are generational: 108 punchouts in 71 innings works out to 13.7 per nine, and he reached 100 strikeouts in just 11 starts — the fastest pace since Spencer Strider in 2023. More impressively, the control has come along with the dominance. His K/BB ratio is 5.68, with walks cut from 4.2 per nine last year to 2.4 this season. The result is a 0.789 WHIP — more than a half-point below the MLB average of around 1.25. The Brewers have two rotation arms inside the top 25 in strikeouts with ERAs under 2.00.
For fantasy purposes, there is no debate: Misiorowski is an SP1 in all formats and a Cy Young frontrunner. The dynasty trade price is sky-high, but if you have him, he is not moving. If you can somehow acquire him in redraft for a player or two from your strength, do it — seasons like this don't happen every year, and the underlying metrics suggest it is not stopping.
The June 29 Leverage Ledger covered Monday's 13-game slate and all active bullpen hierarchies heading into Week 14. The Ledger focused on three active committee situations — Chicago, Cincinnati, and Oakland — and flagged two closers in shaky standing: Elvis Alvarado (OAK) allowed four home runs over his last four outings including a blown save, and Caleb Kilian (SF) had a blown save in his first two weeks as the Giants' designated closer. Emilio Pagán (CIN) is close to returning from his Grade 2 hamstring strain, which should end the Reds' chaotic nine-inning rotation.
Read the full Ledger →| Closer | Team | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Webb | CHC | 🔴 Committee | Daniel Palencia has been on the 15-day IL since June 16 with right elbow inflammation and has no clear return date. Manager Craig Counsell is running a matchup-based committee with Webb, Caleb Thielbar, and Phil Maton all seeing ninth-inning work. Webb leads the trio with two saves since Palencia went down. In 14+ team leagues he's the best single name to own, but monitor usage daily before locking anyone in as a reliable save source. |
| Elvis Alvarado | OAK | 🟡 Watch | Alvarado emerged as the A's primary closer after a June 5 recall and had four straight scoreless appearances, but has since allowed four home runs in his last four outings including a blown save against the Giants. Manager Mark Kotsay has not officially changed the job, but the homer rate is alarming and Oakland's committee history makes a role change possible. Hold cautiously; set a daily lineup reminder. |
| Emilio Pagán | CIN | 🟡 Watch | Pagán completed a scoreless rehab inning at Triple-A on June 28 (nine pitches, eight strikes) and is expected to be activated this week. The Reds have posted a 5.59 ERA from the ninth inning since he went on the IL May 5, using four different pitchers for saves. Pagán resumes the closer role immediately upon activation — he's a high-priority pickup if available in your league, and worth a real FAAB bid. |
| Caleb Kilian | SF | 🟡 Watch | Manager Tony Vitello named Kilian the Giants' primary closer two weeks ago, but he has already blown a save. The role is still his — there's no clear alternative in San Francisco's bullpen — but the lack of a reliable backup means another high-leverage failure could trigger a committee. Roster in 14+ team leagues; not worth a heavy FAAB investment in standard formats. |
MLB's official YouTube channel compiled all 30 of Kyle Schwarber's home runs in 2026 in a single video, published hours after he set the Phillies franchise record on Sunday. The compilation spans opposite-field line drives, pull-side tanks, and a handful of center-field moonshots — as diverse a 30-HR display as you'll see.
Official full game highlights from the Nationals vs. Red Sox on June 29 — Washington's offense in action during an active week when Luis García Jr. is dominating fantasy conversations after NL Player of the Week honors.
Official full game highlights from Pirates vs. Phillies on June 29 at Citizens Bank Park — featuring Esmerlyn Valdez's at-bats against a top-10 bullpen, plus the Schwarber lineup context at the top of the batting order.
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