Everything that happens in and around MLB has some additional context when viewed from a fantasy baseball perspective. From lineup changes to minor league call-ups to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy baseball.
Our fantasy baseball buzz file, with contributions from our ESPN fantasy writers, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around MLB.
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Monday's lineup advice | 10-day hitting forecaster
August 4: What you need to know for Monday
Todd Zola: Monday's busy 13-game slate gets underway at 6:40 p.m. with a trio of games. The Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals are the only clubs that are not in action.
Jacob Misiorowski was scratched from yesterday's scheduled start as he was not fully recovered after being hit in the shin by a comebacker in his previous outing. The Milwaukee Brewers decided to play it safe with their dominant rookie and placed him on the 15-day IL. The silver lining is that Misiorowski may have been dealing with workload restrictions down the stretch, but now there is less of a concern. Fellow rookie Logan Henderson was called up to make yesterday's start, tossing 4 1/3 innings in the Brewers' 14-3 victory over the Nationals to extend their winning streak to seven games.
The Atlanta Braves may be without Austin Riley after he experienced lower abdominal pain in yesterday's resumption of Saturday's MLB Speedway Classic. The injury occurred when Riley dove to tag Elly De La Cruz at third base. Riley will almost certainly miss today's series opener with the Brewers, and possibly tomorrow as well. He's slated for examination to determine the extent of the ailment.
Injuries continue to mount for the Los Angeles Dodgers as Tommy Edman is headed to the 10-day IL due to an ankle issue. Fortunately for the club, Max Muncy is expected to be activated from the IL, essentially switching places with Edman. The Dodgers are also without Hyeseong Kim as he's on the IL as a result of a shoulder injury. Edman would have filled in at the keystone, but now Alex Freeland and Miguel Rojas will step in as double-play partners for Mookie Betts.
Chandler Simpson missed his third straight game yesterday as he continues to nurse a sprained left index finger. The rookie is batting .297 with 32 steals in only 65 games. Jonny DeLuca has been filling in as the Tampa Bay Rays center fielder.
August 3: What you need to know for Sunday
Todd Zola:: Action gets underway at 11:35 a.m. ET in Fenway Park with the Boston Red Sox going for the sweep over the Houston Astros. There are 12 more regularly scheduled afternoon games plus the resumption of last night's suspended Speedway Classic. The ESPN Sunday night showcase features the Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers squaring off in the rubber game of their interleague set in Citizens Bank Park.
A mass of storms near Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee forced the tilt between the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves to be suspended with one out in the bottom of the first inning. Both teams initially had today off, but they'll resume the 2025 Speedway Classic at 1:00 p.m. ET. Chase Burns started for the Reds and recorded a clean inning with a pair of strikeouts, but he's probably unavailable today. Spencer Strider was slated to start for the Braves. He completed his warmups, but with the two hour and 17-minute delay before the game began, he was scratched. Reliever Austin Cox started and gave up a run while recording just one out before the second downpour put the game on hold.
It's unclear how the teams will handle today's pitching. In ESPN leagues, only players active in Saturday's lineup will receive stats from today's action. Reds and Braves in today's active lineup will not be credited with any stats.
Miguel Vargas was scratched from last night's game in Anaheim with a left oblique strain. The Chicago White Sox will likely be without their regular first baseman today as he's scheduled for further evaluation. Vargas has been productive since the break, batting .296/.356/.519 over 13 games.
Seth Halvorsen left yesterday's game in the ninth inning after throwing just five pitches. The Colorado Rockies expressed concern that their closer could be dealing with a significant elbow injury but will await test results before announcing the diagnosis. If Halvorsen is forced to miss time, Victor Vodnik is next in line for save duty.
The Texas Rangers were down a couple of key players last night, but they still outlasted the Seattle Mariners, winning 6-4 in 11 innings. Josh Jung missed his third straight game with a sore calf. Josh Smith again handled third base with Rowdy Tellez manning first base. Meanwhile, Evan Carter was placed on the IL after experiencing back spasms on Friday night. Sam Haggerty is the likely replacement.
Some thought the Athletics would install Jack Perkins as their closer after dealing Mason Miller to the San Diego Padres. However, they also dealt JP Sears and instead will use Perkins to replace Sears in the rotation. Perkins takes the hill today in Sacramento against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He's pitched at least two frames in seven of his eight appearances so Perkins will likely fall short of the requisite five frames to qualify for a potential win. He's been effective out of the bullpen, registering a 2.75 ERA and .92 WHIP with 19 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings.
