The second half of the Major League Baseball season is now well underway, and we are getting ready for a big set of Sunday afternoon games today.  This is the last day of Week 16 and before taking a look ahead at your fantasy baseball lineups for today we first need to look back at the top MLB news and headlines from Saturday’s slate of games. Highlights include Aaron Judge making history (again), Carlos Carrasco continuing to shine, and a trade by the Rays to bolster their injury depleted lineup. Do not forget to check out our updated July Fantasy Baseball Player Rankings before setting your lineups this week plus the latest MLB Injury Report, Fantasy Baseball Player Spotlight Series, and players trending up and down in the Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch. Before we start our day let’s take a look back at the top performances from yesterday...

Aaron Judge Second-Fastest in History To #200

 

Aaron Judge became the second-fastest player in MLB history to hit 200 home runs yesterday in the Yankees 8-2 win over the Royals. His 42nd of the season, the most in the majors, was his 12th in the last 14 games which is also an organizational record. Judge now has his sights on Roger Maris’ AL-record 61 home runs which set back in 1961. 

Big Month For Carlos Carrasco

 

Yesterday’s gem by Carlos Carrasco, 7.2 shutout innings in the Mets 4-0 win over the Marlins, extended his scoreless streak to 18.2 innings over his last three starts. It was also career win  #100, making him the eighth Venezuelan-born pitcher to reach the century mark. Carrasco last surrendered an earned run on July 9 against the Marlins at Citi Field.

Julio Rodríguez Injury Scare

 

Marines star rookie Julio Rodríguez was plunked in the wrist by a pitch in the eighth inning during their 5-4 win over the Astros last night. He played the field after that at-bat but was pinch-hit for in the ninth inning as Mariners manager Scott Servais notes that J-Rod was not comfortable with a bat in his hand. This is news that needs to be monitored as Seattle is in the middle of the playoff race. 

Rays Snag David Peralta in Deal

 

The Rays have been devastated by injuries all season. Catcher Mike Zunino and center fielder Kevin Kiermaier are done for the rest of the year, and star shortstop Wander Franco, outfielder Manuel Margot, and outfielder/DH Harold Ramírez will not be back until mid-to-late August at the earliest. They did their best to put a band-aid on the situation by trading 19-year-old catching prospect Christian Cerda for veteran Diamondbacks bat and fan favorite David Peralta. The 34-year-old Peralta, who is expected to join the Rays today, has spent his entire nine-year Major League career with Arizona as a left-handed specialist. He has a career .296/.351/.492 slash line on the platoon split and a .268/.325/.498 mark this year.

Hairline Fracture For Trevor Story

 

Red Sox second baseman Trevor Story, who has been out since July 12th after being hit by a Corey Kluber sinker, has a hairline fracture in his right wrist and will be shut down from swinging a bat for the next 10-to-14 days. Story signed a six-year, $140MM contract over the winter and got off to a horrible start to the season.  After getting red-hot in the month of May he again fell into a slump at the plate and has an overall .221/.289/.423 slash; not exactly what the Red Sox had envisioned last winter when signing him.

William Contreras Goes Yard Twice

 

William Contreras went deep twice yesterday in the Braves 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks. He hit a two-run blast in the second inning and a solo shot in the fourth for his 12th and 13th home runs of the season, both off of Corbin Martin. Contreras is now slashing .263/.349/.551 with an impressive OPS of .900 as he has become a key part of the Braves 2022 offense.

Jacob deGrom Set For Tuesday Debut

 

The Mets say that two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom will make his season debut against the Nationals. He has not pitched in the majors in 13 months, which came after a dominant start to the 2021 season where he was nearly unhittable with an absurd 1.08 ERA and 45% strikeout rate through 15 starts.

 

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