Alright! Tuesday was much more fun for Fantasy Baseball purposes. Now let's just get all 30 MLB teams back on the field. We've got some updates on the Marlins situation, Juan Soto, winners and losers from yesterday, swinging strikes leaders and a bunch more. Oh, and Happy Nate Pearson Day! Go check and make sure he's not available in your leagues.
THE LATEST IN THE WORLD OF FANTASY BASEBALL
- Here's what we currently know about the Marlins COVID situation and how it affects scheduling moving forward
- 15 Marlins players have been confirmed positive for COVID
- The Marlins won't play again until Monday at the earliest
- The Yankees and Phillies were postponed Tuesday night. The Yankees will travel to play the Orioles on Wednesday and Thursday.
- The Phillies won't play against until Friday against the Blue Jays.
- The Nationals will not play their weekend series, which was scheduled to be against the Marlins.
- Juan Soto has received back-to-back negative tests from the MLB and is now just waiting to be officially cleared. The timelines don't really add up as he originally tested positive just last week but hey, as long as he tests negative, let's get him back.
- Alex Wood was placed on the Injured List with shoulder inflammation Tuesday. It seems like Dustin May will remain in the rotation after all.
- There was speculation Clayton Kershaw might return Friday against the Diamondbacks, but instead he'll throw an extended bullpen session Thursday. If all goes well, he should be able to rejoin the rotation next time through.
- Miles Mikolas is headed for season-ending surgery on the flexor tendon in his right arm. Daniel Ponce De Leon will join the rotation. In 12 career starts, he owns a 3.67 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. He should be monitored in standard leagues.
- Cristian Javier will start against the Dodgers on Wednesday. The 23-year-old prospect posted a dominant 1.74 ERA with 170 strikeouts in 113 2/3 innings last season in the minor leagues. Like Ponce De Leon, Javier should be monitored.
- Astros GM James Click said Tuesday that Yordan Alvarez should soon advance to batting practice. He might not be ready to go for next week, but I would personally bet on the week after.
- Anthony Rendon returned from his oblique injury and homered in his debut with the Angels.
Tuesday's Biggest Winners
- Somebody forgot to tell Merrill Kelly that pitchers were supposed to be limited early on this season. Kelly was superb Tuesday night against the Rangers, firing 7.2 innings of one-run ball while striking out seven. With Mike Leake opting out of the season, Kelly was gifted a golden opportunity and thus far has made the most of it.
- Although he wasn't facing the White Sox' A lineup, Aaron Civale was a man possessed Tuesday afternoon. He wound up striking out nine (with 16 swinging strikes) over six innings of two-run ball. Civale did so with a diverse arsenal as he threw five different pitches at least 10 times. While Civale isn't known for whiffs, he did have a bunch of them in his final summer camp start, too. He's moving closer to my top 40 starting pitchers.
- While we had some concerns over his playing time entering the season, J.D. Davis has started every game for the Mets this season. He's actually batted cleanup over the last two games as they came against southpaws. In Tuesday's action, he went 2-3 with a two-run homer. It's happening!
- Kyle Crick was placed on the IL Tuesday, which left another void in the back of the Pirates bullpen… or did it? Nick Burdi is the next man up and he looked the part Tuesday night against the Brewers. With a two-run lead, he pitched a clean inning, walking one and striking out one. If you're in need of saves, Burdi is available in nearly 90% of CBS leagues.
Tuesday's Biggest Losers
- When it comes to Adalberto Mondesi, we all knew the risks due to his poor plate discipline. So far to start the season, he's just 2-21 with nine strikeouts, zero walks, and zero steals. He's somebody who can get hot in a hurry but also keep in mind he had offseason shoulder surgery.
- I've never been an Andrew Benintendi guy and right now, I'm happy I'm not. He has just one hit in his first 16 at-bats this season and on Tuesday night, he hit ninth against a left-hander. In his career against lefties, Benintendi has just a .692 OPS. He's not a drop candidate, but yikes.
- When it came to Khris Davis in the offseason, I was the high guy on him. I thought last year's struggles were mainly due to a hip injury he suffered. Well, so far this season he is 0-15 with seven strikeouts and just two walks. Like Benintendi, I'm not dropping him yet, but I'd like to see something from him soon.
- Carlos Martinez was given another opportunity in the Cardinals rotation and through one game, it looks like a mistake. Against the Twins Tuesday night (yes, the Twins offense is amazing), Martinez allowed six earned runs over just 3.2 innings pitched. Even more alarming was that his fastball averaged just 92.9 MPH while it has averaged 95.5 MPH in his career. He has to show improved velocity or more effectiveness in his second start.
Swinging strikes are not the end-all, be-all in Fantasy Baseball, but they're highly correlated with strikeouts and strikeouts are highly correlated with success. Here were your swinging strike leaders among starting pitchers on Tuesday:
Adam Plutko -- 17
Aaron Civale -- 16
Merrill Kelly -- 12
Yonny Chirinos -- 12
Josh Lindblom -- 12
Patrick Sandoval -- 11
Derek Holland -- 11
Tyler Mahle -- 10
Daniel Mengden -- 10
Carlos Rodon -- 10
