San Diego Padres

San Diego paused Pivetta's rehab for at least a few days after elbow tightness ended his first Single-A appearance after 14 pitches. He threw another 20-30 pitches in the bullpen afterward, but skipped Thursday's scheduled bullpen and will miss his next rehab start. The club is optimistic this is not a major setback; fantasy managers should stop counting on an August return until he resumes game work.

The surface stats look average but Merrill has been a five-category monster over the past six weeks. His recent stretch is legitimately star-level. Available in roughly a third of 10-12 team leagues.

France has been on fire for six weeks — 10 home runs since June 15, a .949 slugging percentage over his last 10 games, and career-best Statcast metrics (12% barrel rate, 92.3 mph average exit velocity). He's only relevant in leagues where he's genuinely available at 8-10 teams, but if you're in one of those and need power, France is the most obvious pickup at the position. He's been one of the best first basemen in baseball since the All-Star break.

France has been one of the three most productive first basemen in fantasy over the last two weeks, with five home runs and a .375 average. The Padres offense is stout and France is squarely in the heart of their lineup. Worth adding in 10-12 team leagues if you have an open 1B or corner spot — particularly valuable in OBP formats.

Miller was placed on the bereavement list Monday ahead of the Padres' series in St. Louis. He leads the NL with 19 saves and is one of the most dominant closers in baseball, so this is a short-term absence — not a role threat. Tyler Zuber and Calvin Faucher are the most likely bridge options. Retain Miller; you may have a window to grab Zuber cheaply if your roster has room.

Left hamstring discomfort forced him out of Sunday's start vs. Pittsburgh in the 5th inning; placed on 15-day IL June 2. At minimum 2-3 starts missed. Short-term drop candidate in shallow leagues; stash on IL in standard formats.

OBP .275 → .331 (Δ +0.056)

Started vs Philadelphia Phillies (5W-2L, 2.96 ERA)

OBP .263 → .331 (Δ +0.068)

Started vs Philadelphia Phillies (5W-2L, 2.96 ERA)

OBP .273 → .338 (Δ +0.065)

Pitcher List's priority deep-league hitter. Andújar has settled into an everyday role for San Diego with a slugging percentage over .500 and solid contact skills. The durability history is a flag (no 100-game season since 2018), but the bat is real. Add in 14+ team leagues; multi-position eligibility is a bonus.

OBP .271 → .338 (Δ +0.067)

OBP .271 → .340 (Δ +0.069)

Started vs Los Angeles Dodgers (5W-1L, 2.68 ERA)

OBP .269 → .333 (Δ +0.064)

OBP .271 → .316 (Δ +0.045)

OBP .271 → .316 (Δ +0.045)

MLB-leading 14 saves, 0.63 SIERA, 55.7% K-rate. The most dominant closer in baseball. Hierarchy is Miller / Adam / Estrada — Miller is untouchable. Top-5 RP rest of season.

13 saves with elite K production. The Padres' bullpen has been deep and Miller is the unquestioned ninth-inning arm. Top-10 RP rest of season.

Started @ Seattle Mariners (4W-1L, 3.05 ERA)

13 saves (tied for MLB lead). San Diego picked him up over the winter and he's been everything advertised — elite velocity plus a Padres bullpen that gets him into save chances. Top-8 RP rest of season.

NEW: Released by the Padres on Monday and reportedly will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. Verdugo never appeared in a regular-season game in 2026 (1-for-6 with a walk in two ST games). Drop in any league still holding.

0.84 ERA, 23 K in 16 IP. The setup-to-closer story of the year — fully locked since Robert Suarez went out. Top-5 RP rest of season; claim immediately if available.

The cleanest setup-to-closer story of the year. 0.84 ERA, 23 K in 16 IP, and the role is uncontested with Robert Suarez out. Top-5 RP rest of season — at this point he's the priority RP add in any league he's somehow available.