Swanson hit three home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in eight — the second-most ever by a No. 9 hitter in MLB history — as Chicago scored 23 runs on Tuesday, their most in a home game since 1977. The eight-home-run outburst tied the franchise record set July 4, 2025. With 5 HR over his last two games and 9 HR with 29 RBI over his last 13, Swanson has one of the hottest bats in all of baseball right now.
Peña had been playing through a mild left calf strain for more than a week before the Astros placed him on the IL retroactive to June 30. Manager Joe Espada called the placement 'hopefully minimum,' targeting a return around July 10 against the Rangers. Nick Allen and Brice Matthews will cover shortstop in his absence. The move marks Peña's second IL trip of 2026 following a right hamstring strain earlier in the season.
Chris Bassitt landed on the 15-day IL with low back discomfort — no return timeline has been set, and back issues are notoriously unpredictable. Zach Eflin was simultaneously transferred to the 60-day IL with right elbow discomfort, effectively ending his 2026 season. Baltimore activated Dean Kremer as the corresponding move. With Colin Selby already on the 60-day IL (right shoulder), the Orioles rotation is in serious flux.
Hughes, 24, was the 10th pick in the 2022 draft and was dominant at Triple-A: 0 ER, 6 H, 8 BB, and 26 K over his last 21.2 innings across five outings. Colorado is bringing him up strictly as a long reliever — the rotation has no open spot — and DFA'd John Brebbia to make room. He is expected to appear within the next five days in the home series against Miami and San Francisco.
Who's Hot This Week
The 2025 third overall pick (LSU) is the best pitcher in professional baseball right now. Anderson owns a 1.22 ERA, 2.34 xFIP, and 99 K to just 9 BB in 66.2 innings at Double-A — leading all of minor league baseball in ERA, xFIP, K/BB, K-BB%, and WHIP. June alone: 0.79 ERA, 32 K, 3 BB in 22.2 innings. He has been named to the All-Star Futures Game and is expected to reach Triple-A Tacoma next, with a potential Seattle debut before season's end. His four-pitch mix (plus fastball, plus curveball, plus slider, changeup) projects to an immediate SP2 in the majors. Grab him in all redraft formats with a bench spot — the promotion is coming.
Worth Reading
RotoBaller's mid-week add list spotlights Caleb Durbin, Clayton Beeter, Nasim Nuñez, Cooper Pratt, and Brandon Sproat — all rostered under 40% in Yahoo. Verifies ownership across Yahoo, CBS, and ESPN for each pick.
Full ranked waiver wire list for July 2–5 roster moves, covering hitters and pitchers with current production driving the rankings. Especially useful for daily-lineup leagues with moves available today.
Razzball's Week 14 targets include Jung-Hoo Lee, Curtis Mead, Bryce Eldridge, Mick Abel, Aaron Civale, and Dustin May — with a pitching-heavy focus on streamers who can carry you to the All-Star break on favorable schedules.
Peña was placed on the 10-day IL retroactive to June 30 with a left calf strain he had been playing through for more than a week. Manager Joe Espada was optimistic about a minimum-stint return, targeting July 10 when Houston opens a home series against the Rangers. This is Peña's second IL trip of 2026 after a right hamstring strain earlier in the season. Nick Allen and Brice Matthews will share shortstop duties — neither provides meaningful fantasy offense.
Bassitt landed on the 15-day IL with low back discomfort. The Orioles have not established a return timeline — back injuries are wildly unpredictable, ranging from a week to months depending on severity. The activation of Dean Kremer fills the rotation vacancy. Baltimore is now without Bassitt, Eflin, and Selby simultaneously, making their rotation one of the thinnest in the American League.
Lawlar was placed on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain. Arizona has not provided a return timeline. Hamstring injuries in outfielders typically carry a 10–21 day recovery window, making a return around the July 10–14 window plausible if the strain is mild. He was contributing across multiple categories for the Diamondbacks before going down.
Eflin was transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day IL with right elbow discomfort, effectively ending his 2026 season. He had already struggled when healthy this year. The 60-day IL placement removes him from active roster consideration for at minimum the next two months, and the elbow designation suggests a surgical evaluation may follow.
Pitcher List's June 2026 Prospects of the Month report is headlined by the most dominant minor leaguer in baseball: Kade Anderson, the Mariners' 21-year-old left-hander posting numbers that defy what a Double-A pitcher should be capable of. Anderson — the third overall pick in the 2025 draft out of LSU — threw 22.2 innings in June with a 0.79 ERA, 32 strikeouts, and 3 walks. His full-season line of 8-0, 1.22 ERA, 2.34 xFIP, 99 K to just 9 BB in 66.2 innings ranks first in all of minor league baseball in ERA, xFIP, K/BB ratio, K-BB%, and WHIP simultaneously. The Texas League is a hitter-friendly environment and it has made almost no impression on him.
What makes Anderson's profile exceptional beyond the raw numbers is the mechanism. He operates with four fully developed pitches: a fastball with lateral life generating a 30% miss rate, an upper-70s curveball with elite spin and depth, a plus slider producing 30% whiffs, and a mid-80s changeup with tumbling action that neutralizes right-handed hitters. His 69.2% strike rate forces batters to commit and swing — exactly what his arsenal punishes. Pitcher List notes that his 41.4% K rate and 4.2% walk rate are not random variance peaks; they have been consistent across all three months of the 2026 season. He has not allowed a run in his last five consecutive outings.
The other June honorees underscore a remarkable offensive wave in the high minors. Outfielder Joshua Báez hit 10 home runs in June — his second consecutive 10-HR month — bringing his 2026 total to 26 in just 69 games. Cleveland system outfielder Reiner Herrera posted a .396/.532/.875 line in June with 6 HR, 4 SB, and more walks than strikeouts. Anderson's Futures Game selection and imminent Triple-A promotion make him the fantasy priority — but Báez and Herrera are dynasty names worth targeting now before call-up buzz inflates their cost.
The July 1 Leverage Ledger highlighted Andres Munoz closing out June on a 6-game scoreless streak with 5 saves in that span (0.67 WHIP, 10 K, 2 BB in 6 IP — role fully locked). The post flagged two developing situations: Ryan Rolison earned his first Cubs save on just 3 pitches, adding another name to Chicago's committee; and Brandyn Garcia has a 6-game scoreless streak with a save and 3 holds in Arizona as Paul Sewald continues to struggle — a potential role change brewing. The highest-priority watch flagged is Ryan Helsley (Baltimore), who could not enter a July 1 game due to right elbow discomfort and may be headed to the IL.
Read the full Ledger →| Closer | Team | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Helsley | BAL | 🟡 Watch | Helsley was warming in Baltimore's bullpen on July 1 and could not enter due to right elbow discomfort — a significant red flag. He also blew a save June 20 versus the Dodgers. If an IL placement is announced today, Yennier Cano is the top internal candidate for Baltimore saves, with Tyler Wells also in the mix. Add Cano proactively in all formats before the announcement lands. |
| Brandyn Garcia | ARI | 🟡 Watch | Paul Sewald has been struggling and Garcia has strung together a 6-game scoreless streak with a save and 3 holds (0.428 WHIP in that span). The Diamondbacks have not officially changed the closer designation, but the usage pattern is shifting. Add Garcia now in 14+ team leagues before the formal announcement — if Sewald blows another one, this role could change hands immediately. |
| Jacob Webb | CHC | 🔴 Committee | Daniel Palencia remains on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation. Manager Craig Counsell is using a committee of Webb, Caleb Thielbar, Ryan Rolison, and Phil Maton for ninth-inning work, with Rolison earning his first career save July 1. Webb leads the group in save opportunities but the committee nature limits reliability. Stream in the deepest of formats only. |
| Seranthony Dominguez | CWS | 🟡 Watch | Dominguez has 12 saves but has blown his last two with command issues. Grant Taylor and Bryan Hudson are potential replacements internally. He retains the role for now, but two consecutive blown saves with control problems puts the job in jeopardy heading into July. In 10-team leagues he is holdable; in shallower formats with better options on the wire, the sell window is open. |
| Clayton Beeter | WSH | 🔴 Committee | Washington continues to run a full closer committee with Beeter as the chair and Gus Varland and Richard Lovelady also seeing ninth-inning work. No reliable closer to own here — streaming only in the deepest of formats, and only when Washington is heavily favored in a given game. |
Full game recap of the Cubs' historic 23-3 win over San Diego featuring every Dansby Swanson home run — including the grand slam — and all eight Cubs home runs in one video. Swanson's 8 RBI was the most by a Cub since Sammy Sosa in 2002.
ESPN Cubs beat reporter Jesse Rogers live-tracked Swanson's historic night: 'Here we go. Cubs HRs today: Suzuki, Busch, PCA, Conforto 2, Swanson 3. The 8 home runs tie the franchise record. Dansby Swanson has 8 RBI, the most in a game by a Cubs player since Sammy Sosa in 2002 (9 at Rockies).'
Official MLB embedded highlight clip of Dansby Swanson adding to the Cubs' monster total — posted mid-game during the July 1 blowout as it turned historic.
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