Tuesday’s Major League Baseball action featured plenty of big name players stealing headlines and leading our fantasy baseball lineups. The night was highlighted by a vintage Justin Verlander dominant performance as the Houston Astros ace strengthened his case for the AL Cy Young Award. Other pitching performances by Max Fried and Robbie Ray stood out as their teams need all the wins they can get while jockeying for playoff positioning. The Honorable Aaron Judge presided over a Subway Series showdown with a standout performance as he stays atop fantasy baseball player rankings. Other stars also joined in on the offensive action. Finally, there was a plethora of MLB injury report news on Tuesday that we will break down as well. Before tonight’s fantasy baseball slate locks, don't forget to check out the latest fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups, the fantasy baseball player spotlight series, and players trending up and down in the fantasy baseball stock watch. For more help building daily fantasy baseball lineups, check out our MLB daily projections, MLB lineups, and MLB weather report for your MLB DFS lineups. Now let’s take a look back at the top MLB performances and key injuries from a full night of baseball on Tuesday.

 

MLB Fantasy Baseball Top Performers for Tuesday

Aaron Judge Hits 48th Homer in Yankees' Win

For his latest late-inning heroics, Aaron Judge homered and drove in two runs as the Yankees beat the Mets in the latest battle for supremacy in New York City. For good measure he also stole a base, which puts him at 14 on the year and back on pace for close to a 60-home-run, 20-steal season. If he finishes with at least 60 home runs and 18 steals, Judge would be just the second player ever (Sammy Sosa in 1998) to reach both those numbers. With an average pushing .300 as well, we have to start looking at this Judge season as one of the best fantasy campaigns ever. 

Justin Verlander No-Hitter Bid Strengthens His AL Cy Young Case

On a date where Carlos Correa came back to Houston for the first time since signing with the Minnesota Twins, it was Justin Verlander who stole the headlines. The Astros' ace put on a masterful performance, needing only 91 pitches to get through six innings with no hits and 10 strikeouts. It’s the latest gem in what is surely now to be a Cy Young-winning season.

The fact that the Astros did not even think about letting Verlander go out for the seventh with a two-run lead means they are now thinking about monitoring his workload with the division all but locked up. He should still be good for excellent ratios and enough run support for wins. But you may not be able count on as many strikeouts down the stretch if his innings are limited at times.

Robbie Ray Getting Hot at the Right Time

Seattle Mariners pitcher Robbie Ray continued his strong stretch of starts with 6.2 innings, seven strikeouts, one run, and just four baserunners allowed. One could say that this was just a case of a good pitcher beating a team he should beat (Seattle played the depleted Washington Nationals), but this prolongs a nice stretch for Ray after a tough part of the season. There was some buzz in the air after Ray had a no-hitter through six innings, but he had to settle for just the win and some excellent ratios in a game Seattle desperately needed to win. 

Max Fried Looks Ready for the Postseason & Shuts Down Pirates

Last season, before he helped his Atlanta team win a World Series, Max Fried won the NL Pitcher of the Month in September. If last night is any indication, he is getting warmed up to repeat his excellent September/October of 2021 after he absolutely mowed down the Pirates. Fried allowed just one run and four baserunners in eight strong innings, striking out seven in the process. In the last 30 days, Fried has a minuscule 2.12 ERA with 8.21 K/9 and just 1.06 BB/9. 

CJ Cron Mashes Another Homer, Drives in Three

C.J. Cron was not drafted as a top-10 first baseman this spring, but he's sure playing like one. The numbers he is producing with a full season in Colorado are paying dividends to any fantasy manager who took the leap in rostering the Rockies’ masher. Cron now ranks top-ten in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and runs among all first basemen. He is also top-15 in batting average, hitting a healthy .270 this season. Cron added to all those numbers last night against the Texas Rangers, going 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and a run. 

Freddie Freeman Totals Three More Hits, Four More RBI

Freddie Freeman continued his demolition tour through the National League last night, putting up three hits and another four RBI. The Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman raised his batting average to .324 and his slugging percentage to .520 in this process. The only odd thing about Freemen’s season is the relative lack of home runs with just 16 so far on the year. He will likely get to 20 round-trippers before the season ends, but if he doesn’t, he will join some strange, exclusive company. If he stays under 20 homers, Freeman would be the first player since Bill Mueller in 2003 to have less than 20 home runs but at least a .520 slugging percentage in more than 600 plate appearances. 

 

MLB Fantasy Baseball Injury News

Juan Soto Sits Out with Back Tightness

Juan Soto was scratched with back tightness on Tuesday night and now seems likely to sit Wednesday as well. With the recent Fernando Tatis Jr. suspension, any injury to Soto would be a massive blow to the San Diego Padres’ playoff hopes as they desperately cling to an NL Wild Card spot. Keep an eye out on the news as the weekend approaches, and hopefully this is just a couple-day absence for Soto. 

Walker Buehler To Have Tommy John Surgery

We already knew that Walker Buehler would be out for the rest of the 2022 season with an elbow injury. It was confirmed on Tuesday that the Los Angeles Dodgers ace will undergo Tommy John surgery and also now likely miss the entire 2023 season. Buehler is just 28 years old, so he has plenty of time to recover and still have a long career. Still, it’s another pitching blow to the Dodgers who were once thought to have one of the league’s greatest rotations. 

Fernando Tatis Jr. Will Have Shoulder Surgery While Suspended

While he serves his 80-game suspension for PED use, Fernando Tatis Jr. has elected to undergo surgery to try and fix the shoulder problems that have plagued him in past seasons. With Tatis in line to miss around 30 games next season to complete the suspension, the hope from San Diego management is that they can take care of the shoulder issue now. It would likely give Tatis plenty of time to recover before he returns in May 2023. 

Byron Buxton’s Hip Sends Him to IL

Battling both knee and hip injuries since June, the Twins finally decided to place Byron Buxton on the IL with a hip in hopes that the rest time can help heal both ailments. Despite his inconsistencies at the plate, Buxton’s 92 games and 382 plate appearances are both the second-most of his career. He has 28 home runs (third in the AL), and no matter how you look at it, this is a blow to the playoff hopes for Minnesota. 

Knee Injury for Michael Kopech Forces Him To IL

After Michael Kopech left his Monday start early against the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox apparently decided the knee soreness Kopech was feeling was enough to send him to the IL for at least 15 days. This has been a tough season for Kopech, who has a strong 3.58 ERA but only is striking out 7.97 batters per nine innings while allowing 4.47 walks per nine. 

 

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