Stop me if you've heard this one before: Giancarlo Stanton is hurt.
Only a week after returning from a lengthy IL stint for a myriad of ailments, he's right back there again after straining the PCL in his right knee.
How long he'll be sidelined is anyone's guess, but it's expected to measure in weeks. The timing could be worse with the All-Star break coming up, but then again, we might not see him at all in July.
There isn't much to say beyond that. Obviously, he's the sort of high-impact player who's worth stashing, even if it's in a bench spot. Clint Frazier has an easier path back to the majors and would be of some interest at least in five-outfielder leagues, but with Aaron Judge and Edwin Encarnacion in the mix, the lineup is full even without Stanton.
So it's pretty much a bummer all around. Maybe these potential pickups can serve as a pick-me-up:
Thursday's top adds
Four players to add
While we don't really how much time Blake Treinen will miss, a strained rotator cuff was the same injury suffered by A's pitching prospect Jesus Luzardo this spring, and we see how his recovery has gone. Liam Hendriks threw a breezy ninth inning for his second save in Treinen's stead Wednesday and is pitching like a born closer, having recorded 19 strikeouts in his past nine appearances.
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Cavan Biggio continues to trend in the right direction, collecting three hits to complete a near 100-point rise in batting average over his past 14 games. With outlier walk, fly-ball and hard-hit rates, he has the makings of an OPS monster who can also steal some bags.
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The opportunities have been there for Willie Calhoun since his return from a quad strain in mid-July — he has started eight of the Rangers' past nine games, after all — but he had yet to deliver the sort of the game that would make his presence known again. That changed with two doubles and a home run Wednesday, two of which came off a left-hander, and yeah, there's intriguing power potential here for a guy who infrequently strikes out.
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Though there's as much of a case to make for the White Sox's James McCann, who himself is only 66 percent owned, Pedro Severino's production has gone completely ignored at a position where so many are desperate for offense. Even with the recent promotion of Chance Sisco, Severino has only become more entrenched behind the plate, starting four straight and nine of the past 12, and with two hits and a homer Wednesday, the 25-year-old is batting .278 with what would be about a 25-homer pace assuming a full year of full-time duty. What's more is the batted ball data suggests he's actually had bad luck.
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Winners
Can we stop worrying about Trevor Bauer now? For all of his inconsistencies this season, he's down to a 3.55 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, which is plenty good enough, particularly in this pitching landscape, for a guy on pace for more than 220 innings and 250 strikeouts. He said after Wednesday's 12-strikeout gem that he "finally felt like [himself]" after contending with some "physical limitations" over the past few weeks.
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Though the Yankees' initial plan was to sit Didi Gregorius once a series as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery, the 29-year-old has now started six of the team's past seven games. The other half of the battle is, of course, producing, and he took a step in the right direction there, too, going 3 for 5 with a home run Wednesday.
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Somebody in the Marlins starting rotation will have to cede his spot to Caleb Smith the next time through, but Zac Gallen, who may well be the most talented of the bunch, made a strong case Wednesday that it shouldn't be him. The final line — three earned runs in five innings — was less than amazing, but that's only because he ran into some trouble the third time through the lineup. He began his day with five one-hit innings, striking out eight.
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Making his third straight start for the Mets, Dominic Smith homered for the third straight game. The problem is that he started only one of the team's previous seven games. Maybe the Mets are finally beginning to recognize the impact he has whenever he's in the lineup, showing good contact skills with improved power and impressive plate discipline, but I hesitate to put in a claim for him just yet.
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Losers
Michael Lorenzen has authored the Reds' past two saves, but manager David Bell insisted there were extenuating circumstances and that Raisel Iglesias hadn't lost his grip on the closer role. Of course, then the right-hander served up four runs, including three on a Justin Bour homer, in the ninth inning Wednesday, blowing the tie and taking his seventh loss. Bell gave him a vote of confidence afterward, but Iglesias has to be on thin ice.
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Though there were a couple of impressive starts immediately after his return from the minors, Nick Pivetta's shortcomings are showing again. He had his third straight shaky outing Wednesday, giving up four runs on nine hits and two homers to make it seven homers he's allowed during that three-start stretch. He hasn't been enough of a bat-misser to get away with that.
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If five runs in 3 1/3 innings wasn't bad enough last time, Framber Valdez allowed six runs in three innings Wednesday and was actually optioned to the minors after the game. Granted, the Astros won't need a fifth starter again until after the All-Star break and may well turn back to him, but clearly it's going to take more than an outlier ground-ball rate for the lefty to find success.
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A day after declaring him a "winner," I may have to eat crow on Christian Walker, who was out of the lineup for Jake Lamb's first game back from a near three-month absence for a quad strain. then again, Lamb struck out three times. He also spent some of his rehab assignment playing third base, so there may be a way to get both him and Walker in the lineup if the Diamondbacks are willing to use Eduardo Escobar at second base and Ketel Marte in the outfield. Stay tuned.
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