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USATSI

Happy Monday, everyone! It was another exciting weekend in baseball as we saw the New York Mets finish out another series with a win -- for those counting at home the Mets have won every series they've played in 2022 so far. The White Sox extended their winning streak to six, the Astros extended their win streak to seven and in the NL the Dodgers won their sixth straight to take the NL West lead.

We also had a major prospect call up in Diamondbacks OF Alek Thomas. Although the excitement has been tempered for just about every prospect call up due to the struggles of top prospects like Jared Kelenic, among others, Thomas has an excellent case to hit the ground running with a potential power/speed/average combination that can contribute in your Roto and category leagues right away. Chris Towers is especially excited about what Thomas can offer and broke down exactly why you should be, too.

Last time we spoke, Twins SS Royce Lewis hadn't yet been called up to replace the injured Carlos Correa. Now that he's up, Scott White wrote a few words on why he can help your rosters now. And before we dive into the weekend's action, make sure you catch up on the entire Week 6 preview: Scott's sleeper hitters, sleeper pitchers, and two-start pitchers.

And of course, as always, you can follow to make sure you get the latest episodes of Fantasy Baseball Today right when they drop on Apple and Spotify. 

Kirby dazzles in debut

You know a prospect has hype when he's already 52% rostered after just his first big-league start. But for Mariners pitching prospect George Kirby, who was promoted on Sunday, the hype seems warranted. He was quite frankly awesome in his debut against the Rays. He shut out Tampa over six innings and allowed just four hits and no walks. He also struck out seven with 15 induced swinging strikes on 81 pitches. His fastball averaged 95.8 mph and induced 13 swinging strikes. Kirby was a former first-round pick from the 2019 draft and had been dominating Double-A ball this year before the promotion to the tune of a 1.82 ERA with a 0.89 WHIP. He should be rostered in almost all leagues. 

Winder time?

Twins SP Josh Winder doesn't come with a fancy top prospect profile, but he continues to deliver and has now posted two straight quality starts with at least seven strikeouts in each. On Friday night, he delivered six innings of three-hit ball with zero walks and allowed just a single unearned run. The under-the-hood numbers were great too with 16 induced swinging strikes on 80 pitches. He has a four-pitch arsenal and thus far it's working. Winder is just 28% rostered and there are concerns about whether or not he will stick around on the roster, but he's dealing at the moment and can help your team in the now.

Top SP picks getting hit

It was a rough weekend for a pair of starting pitchers you likely drafted inside the top-10 at the position.

Shane Bieber got rocked by the Jays on Saturday. He lasted just 3 1/3 innings and allowed 11 combined walks and hits plus seven earned runs. He didn't strike out a batter and averaged a season-low 89.9 mph  on his fastball. He also allowed nine hard hit balls, which has been an issue for him. Bieber's 12.7% swinging strike rate is the lowest it's been since his rookie season.

Sandy Alcantara was expected to take the leap in 2022, but it's been an up and down season for him so far. He put together another subpar outing on Friday and that was his second consecutive. He lasted just 4 2/3 and allowed five hits, three runs and two walks while striking out five. The biggest concern for Alcantara right now is that his first pitch chase rate is down, and that has inevitably led to more walks. That and his swinging strike rate -- that's also down. He remains an obvious start this week against the Diamondbacks, but we may not see the ace-like numbers we were hoping for this season.

News and lineup notes

Every night the Fantasy Baseball Today team dives into all of the happenings around the MLB from top performers to injuries, trades and more. The podcast is a must listen for any diehard, if I do say so myself. Tune in to the podcast to hear the FBT crew expand on the news and notes below.

  • Chris Sale is behind schedule by a few weeks after dealing with a non-baseball medical issue. He's on the IL with a stress fracture in his ribcage.
  • Jack Flaherty made some progress and threw a bullpen session Saturday. 
  • Mike Soroka, attempting to return from a second Achilles surgery, hasn't had any setbacks in his recovery process and has been doing some mound work recently. The team is hoping he can return some time around the All-Star break. 
  • Teoscar Hernandez was reinstated from the IL Saturday. 
  • Nick Lodolo was examined Friday night and it was determined he wasn't ready to rejoin the rotation. He's on the IL with a back injury.
  • Andrew Heaney has joined the Dodgers in Chicago and started a throwing progression this weekend.
  • Alex Kirilloff was reinstated this weekend. He started at first base on Saturday and Sunday. 
  • Josh Rojas returned and started at third base both Friday and Saturday.
  • Chris Paddack left Sunday's start with right elbow inflammation. Should help Josh Winder stay in the rotation. 
  • These players were placed on the IL this weekend: Carson Kelly with a strained left oblique, retroactive to May 5, Trevor Larnach with a right groin strain, Michael Wacha with left intercostal irritation, Roberto Perez with a strained left hamstring, Stephen Piscotty with a grade 1 calf strain.
  • Rich Hill has tested positive for COVID and placed on the IL. Garrett Whitlock will remain in the rotation for now.
  • Brian Anderson was placed on the COVID IL Friday and missed all three games this weekend.
  • Non-IL news: Keston Hiura optioned back to Triple-A. 
  • Robinson Cano was officially released by the Mets on Sunday.
  • Casey Mize is nearing a rehab assignment. He's on the IL with a sprained right elbow.