• Resting against southpaw
    Kepler is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks.

    Advice: Kepler will be joined on the bench by fellow left-handed hitter Trevor Larnach as the Twins add a pair of right-handed bats (Manuel Margot and Kyle Farmer) to the lineup to counter Diamondbacks southpaw Jordan Montgomery. Expect Kepler to rejoin the starting nine for the Twins' series opener in Seattle on Friday, when right-hander Logan Gilbert is scheduled to take the hill for the Mariners. Rotowire.com Thursday, 10:35 am
    Max KeplerMIN - OF
    1:10 pm @SEA
     
  • Cubs put Javier Assad on IL with forearm strain
    Cubs placed RHP Javier Assad on the 15-day injured list with a right forearm strain.

    Advice: Assad struggled on Sunday in a loss to the Mets and also failed to record a single strikeout. Now we might know why. The Cubs haven’t issued a timeline for Assad’s injury, but forearm strains can often be a precursor to bigger injuries, so the team is liable to be careful with the right-hander. We should find out in the coming days just how long Assad will be out and who the Cubs will call up to replace him in the rotation. Rotoworld Thursday, 10:28 am
    Javier AssadCHC - SP,RP
     
  • Hits IL with strained forearm
    The Cubs placed Assad on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a right forearm extensor strain, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

    Advice: The injury has evidently been an issue for Assad off and on for about two weeks, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, which could help explain why he's stumbled in June with a 5.49 ERA after entering the month with a 2.27 mark. With Assad slated to miss at least two turns, Hayden Wesneski is likely to remain in the Cubs' rotation for a while. Rotowire.com Thursday, 10:13 am
    Javier AssadCHC - SP,RP
     
  • Crushes another leadoff shot
    Ohtani went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Wednesday's win over the White Sox while also drawing two walks.

    Advice: For the second game in a row, Ohtani crushed a leadoff home run to open the contest, giving the superstar slugger 25 long balls on the season and 11 in the month of June. He's now homered in five of his last six games and has posted at least one RBI in 10 straight, raising his league-leading average to .322 on the campaign. Ohtani has also drawn at least one walk in six consecutive games. Rotowire.com Thursday, 4:48 am
     
  • Lone bright spot in loss
    Judge went 2-for-2 with a two-run home run and a walk in a loss to the Mets on Wednesday.

    Advice: Though the Yankees suffered through an ugly loss to their crosstown rival, Judge kept chugging along, smashing a 400-foot, two-run homer in the sixth inning for his team's only runs. The long ball was the slugger's 10th through 21 games in a monstrous June during which he's also produced 32 RBI. Judge is the league leader with 30 home runs on the campaign, and he's just the third player in MLB history to reach 30 homers before the All-Star break three times in his career, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Rotowire.com Wednesday, 11:35 pm
     
  • Aaron Judge crushes 30th home run
    Aaron Judge went 2-for-2 with a two-run homer and walk on Wednesday against the Mets.

    Advice: Judge’s league-leading 30th long ball was the extent of the Yankees’ offense in this one. While the team is scuffling, Judge certainly hasn’t with nine home runs and 22 RBI in his last 15 games. Silly numbers from the most productive player in baseball. Rotoworld Wednesday, 8:49 pm
     
  • Shohei Ohtani slugs solo homer in win over White Sox
    Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-2 with a solo homer, two walks, and two runs scored in the Dodgers’ 4-0 win over the White Sox on Wednesday.

    Advice: Ohtani took Erick Fedde deep to lead off the first inning, setting a Dodgers record with an RBI in 10 straight games. He then drew a walk in the third and scored on a double by Freddie Freeman. Ohtani walked once again in the seventh to reach for the third time. The 29-year-old superstar is slashing .322/.402/.643 with 25 homers, 65 runs scored, 61 RBI, and 16 steals across 360 plate appearances as we reach the midway point of the season. Rotoworld Wednesday, 7:24 pm
     
  • Manny Machado has two hits in victory over Nats
    Manny Machado went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and a run scored as the Padres bested the Nationals on Wednesday afternoon in San Diego.

    Advice: Machado led off the eighth inning with a single off of Tanner Rainey, then rode home on Kyle Higashioka’s grand slam. With his two-hit attack on Wednesday, the 31-year-old superstar third baseman is now hitting .264/.316/.390 on the season to go along with eight homers, 40 RBI and five stolen bases. Rotoworld Wednesday, 3:46 pm
  • Candelario dealing with hamstring tendinitis
    Reds’ manager David Bell told reporters that Jeimer Candelario was held out of the team’s starting lineup on Wednesday due to hamstring tendinitis.

    Advice: The injury isn’t believed to be serious, and sounds like something the 30-year-old slugger has been dealing with for a while. He’s considered day-to-day. On the season, Candelario is slashing a respectable .245/.298/.480 with 14 homers, 39 RBI and three stolen bases. Rotoworld Wednesday, 1:02 pm