Harper lands on 10-day IL with wrist inflammation
Eric Samulski details the fantasy implications of Bryce Harper landing on the 10-day IL, and with no timetable for his return, managers in deeper formats could look to take a "gamble" on prospect Otto Kemp.
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NBC Sports
4 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Fantasy Baseball Steals Report: Mets Run Wild on Rockies, Rays Stay Aggressive
As stolen bases continue to rise league wide, I will be here every Wednesday to help you track important stolen base trends so you can find more speed for your fantasy teams. Stealing a base is as much about the opposing pitcher and catcher as it is the actual base runner themself. So, being able to spot which teams and pitchers specifically are being run on most frequently will help you to figure out who can swipe some bags over the next week. Last week, I highlighted the Mets as a team to stream stolen bases ahead of their series against the Rockies. As a team, they stole five bases during their three-game set over the weekend. Eric Samulski, Before we get to this week's important trends, here is the stolen base leaderboard over the past seven days. Credit to Jazz Chisholm Jr. for literally hitting the ground running upon his return from an oblique strain. Jacob Melton is a player to watch. He's started seven of the Astros' last eight games since being promoted and has a chance to earn significant playing time in what's been a disappointing outfield mix in Houston so far. Now, here is the overall stolen base leaderboard on the season. Still not totally an everyday player, José Caballero has been unstoppable on the base paths lately. Another strong week has vaulted him ahead of Oneil Cruz and Luis Robert Jr. to the top base stealer in the league so far this season. There's certainly some second-hand anger from fantasy managers seeing Chandler Simpson keep a spot on this leaderboard despite being demoted nearly two weeks ago at this point. Remember to respect José Ramírez because he deserves it as a surefire Hall of Famer and still an elite fantasy player at 32 years old. He and Trea Turner are the only players over 30 here. Next, here are some players that we'd hoped would be more aggressive or efficient on the base paths. The dream of a 20-20 season for Jackson Merrill looks lost unless he starts running wild soon. Agustín Ramírez's ability to swipe a bag was supposed to make him a unicorn at catcher. Yet, he hasn't successfully stolen a base since his major league debut and has only attempted one stolen base since his second game. It's beyond frustrating that while Masyn Winn has turned a corner at the plate, he can't seem to figure out how to be a capable base stealer despite his plus speed. Now, let's go over the most important stolen base trends over the past week. Fantasy Baseball Stolen Base Targets Often the feature of this section, the Marlins will get a break this week after only allowing four stolen bases over the past week. That's a banner achievement for them as by far the easiest team to run on in the league this season. Rather, the Rockies deserve some shine here after allowing seven stolen bases over the last week without catching anyone. The Mets stole five alone against them over the weekend with newly called up Ronny Mauricio swiping two of his own. Mauricio has loud tools and could be the type of player to go 30-30 over a full season if everything were to break perfectly. Otherwise, all five of the stolen bases the Rockies allowed in this series came with either Germán Márquez or Chase Dollander on the mound. Francisco Lindor tormented Márquez by singling in each of his first two at-bats and immediately taking second base afterwards without a throw. In both instances, he took a full-on running lead and Márquez seemed to never consider looking him back. Márquez has allowed the eight-most stolen bases of any pitcher in baseball and it's not difficult to see why. Expect the Rockies to continue to be picked on along with the Marlins and Astros as the clear easiest teams to steal a base against in the league. Watch the Angels The Angels led all teams over the last week with eight stolen bases allowed without catching a single runner. In fact, they did so in just their first five games of the week with the Mariners stealing six on them between Saturday and Sunday. Jack Kochanowicz had two come against him, which was somewhat surprising considering he's one of the top pitchers in Baseball Savant's Net Bases Prevented metric. Kyle Hendricks allowed three himself and he's just slightly below average in terms of net bases prevented, but at the same time a wily veteran who we'd expect to be better at the game within the game than this. Rather, catchers Logan O'Hoppe and Travis d'Arnaud – who both oddly have apostrophes in their names – both grade out poorly defensively and have likely been saved by a pitching staff who's better than most at holding runners on. Heading into the week, they'd allowed the 10th-fewest stolen bases of any team in the league, so this was a bit of a surprise. They're a team to keep an eye on moving forward. Speed Tested Apart from the incredible duo of Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin in Kansas City who have combined to catch a ridiculous 10 of 21 would-be base stealers this season, the Mets have been the most difficult team to run on. Luis Torrens has asserted himself as one of the best defensive catchers in the league and Francisco Alvarez has made tremendous strides there as well. In total, 29 bases have been stolen successfully against them while they've caught 18. That's a sensational ratio. They're about to be tested though with the Rays coming to town this weekend. Tampa Bay leads all teams with 95 total stolen bases – nine more than any other team – and 62 since the beginning of May – 16 more than any other team. They're running at a breakneck pace. It will be fun to monitor this matchup of strength versus strength.
Forbes
10 hours ago
- Forbes
Phillies Reaching Crossroads, Must Balance Today And The Future
Coming into this season, the Philadelphia Phillies were pretty sanguine about their prospects for a deep run into the postseason. They were pretty much running back the same outfit that has been in the thick of playoff contention in recent years, making it to the World Series in 2022. Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner would again lead the offense, while Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and an emerging Cristopher Sanchez would again front the rotation. Players such as OF Max Kepler and lefty starter Jesus Luzardo would fill notable gaps on either side of the ball. The bullpen, a longstanding club issue, would have a new face at the end of ballgames in Jordan Romano. Depending on the week, the Phils have looked like the best team in baseball or a complete also-ran. They started off 8-3, lost 10 of their next 15 to drop to .500, then went on a 21-5 tear, and then through Monday's games skidded into a 4-10 slide that landed them at 38-28, in 2nd place in the NL East, 4 1/2 games behind the Mets. Now fans in many locales would kill for such problems, but the Phillies truly are headed for a crossroads, facing key organizational decisions that will affect the franchise for years. Their nucleus, particularly on the position player side, has gotten old and relatively stale. They're heavily committed to the currently injured Harper, and to SS Turner in terms of dollars and years. Their other offensive star, Schwarber, is a free agent at the end of the season. C J.T. Realmuto, whose bat has stagnated but whose defense remains strong, is also a free agent at the end of the season. RF Nick Castellanos is signed through 2026, and has begun to decline a bit. All five aforementioned players are 32 or older. Their younger regulars, 3B Alec Bohm, 2B Bryson Stott and OFs Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas, haven't developed as expected at the MLB level. Starting pitching is the club's clear strength. Wheeler is arguably the game's best starter. Sanchez isn't too far behind and is signed long-term on a team-friendly deal. Lefty Ranger Suarez has missed some time this season, but has looked great since his return. He's a free agent at the end of this season. Nola got off to a rough start this season, then hit the injured list with a sprained ankle, and just yesterday his rehab was short-circuited by a rib cage injury. Then there's Luzardo, whose extremes in performance mirror his team's. After 11 starts, his record stood at 5-0, 2.15, with a 77/19 K/BB ratio in 67 innings. Then he gave up an unfathomable 20 earned runs over 5 2/3 innings in his next two starts, more than doubling his ERA to 4.46. Plenty of the bullpen's warts were covered up by Jose Alvarado (4-1, 2.70, 7 SV, 25/4 K/BB in 20 IP) before he was suspended for 100 games for using a banned performance-enhancing substance. Under the terms of his suspension, he will not be allowed to pitch in the 2025 postseason. Romano moved back into the closer role since the loss of Alvarado, and has alternated awesome and awful performances - his ERA is an unsightly 7.40 to date. Bubbling under the major league surface is an exciting minor league system that one way or the other holds the key to the Phillies' future. Do players like SS Aidan Miller, OF Justin Crawford, C Eduardo Tait, RHP Andrew Painter, RHP Mick Abel and 2B Aroon Escobar represent the Phils' future, or will they be dealt to salvage the club's present? More likely it will be a combination of the two. This trading deadline has unique, defining traits of its own compared to previous years. In the American League, specifically, there is a heavy imbalance, with buyers far outnumbering sellers. Even in the NL, where the likely playoff field is a bit tighter, only the Marlins, Pirates and Rockies are clear bottom-feeders. It's going to be tough - and expensive - for a club like the Phillies to meet their needs in the trade market. How might the Phils approach the deadline? - Bullpen - This is the easiest area to identify, and the hardest one to fix. A guy like the Orioles' Felix Bautista could be available, but the price would be outlandish. In addition, the Phils' track record off adding bullpen arms has been abysmal. Relievers run hot and cold - unless you're getting an elite guy like Bautista (and even he hasn't be quite as elite this season), it might be best to stand pat or to make minor deals with minimal prospect cost. - One More Everyday Bat - The Philly lineup has gotten stale. At this point it doesn't appear that Marsh or Rojas are ever going to hit, and they've got become redundant. Kepler is what he is - make a mistake, and he might make you pay, and that's about it. If the Phils can create a package with non-elite prospects (say, taking at least Painter and Miller off of the table, and likely one or two more), they might be able to score a non-elite, team controlled everyday OF that could add a jolt to their lineup. Marlins' OF Jesus Sanchez is such a player. He missed the beginning of the season with a strained oblique, and is just beginning to round into form. He has always hit the ball extremely hard, and while he is more of a corner outfielder than a CF, he could get the job done defensively in the middle of a much smaller outfield in Philly. I wouldn't give up any of the Phils' very best prospects named above for him, but would put an attractive package together and potentially add an MLB OF to it. Sanchez has three more years of team control including this one. - Minor Leaguers - I wouldn't move Miller or Painter under any circumstances. Tait is nearly untouchable as well - the transition from Realmuto to him could be a seamless one. Escobar is one of this season's breakout prospects, and will be asked for often. The Phils know him better than anyone, and will know when someone is overpaying. Ditto Abel, who has looked great in early MLB opportunities after stagnating for an extended period in the upper minor leagues. The minor leaguer I think that' they're most likely to move is Crawford, whose speed is clearly ready for the majors, but whose bat might not be. - Major Leaguers - The Phils could get really frisky and attempt to move some of their pending free agents for more established big leaguers. Moving an elite defensive catcher like Realmuto might be a bridge too far, but I'm certain that Castellanos would available in a deal that brought back a more complete outfielder. Who knows, Stott or Bohm could go in an old-fashioned 'challenge' trade that bring back a comparable player at the same position. Suarez is needed in their rotation right now, and you can never have too much starting pitching, but if Abel and Painter both emerge as reliable big leaguers and Nola comes back strong before the deadline, the lefty could be made available. So this could go in any number of directions. Bottom line, the Phillies still intend to win in 2025, but they will shortly have to decide whether they need to deal from their future to give themselves their best chance. No doubt, team President Dave Dombrowski and GM Preston Mattingly will be trying to find that middle road where the club contends now and in the foreseeable future.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Phillies Urged to Be Cautious With Bryce Harper's Return 'No Need to Rush Him Back'
Phillies Urged to Be Cautious With Bryce Harper's Return 'No Need to Rush Him Back' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Philadelphia Phillies are a team that seemingly lives and dies by the production of Bryce Harper. After getting hit in the elbow by a Spencer Strider pitch, things in Philadelphia haven't been the same since. Advertisement With the Phillies needing Harper to get healthy and return to form, Evan Macy of Philly urged the Phillies to be cautious with Harper's injury and eventual return. "There is no need to rush him back." Macy writes. "A true contending team should have the luxury of being patient with a superstar." Harper is in his 14th MLB season, and seventh with the Phillies. During his time in Philadelphia, Harper has routinely missed time. Whether it's for load management or an injury, Harper hasn't played more than 145 games in a season since his 2019 season, the first in a Phillies uniform. Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) walks towards the dugout after the third out against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fourth inning at Rogers Turchiaro-Imagn Images With concerns over Harper's health mounting after his latest wrist issue, the call for the Phillies to be patient is a justifiable one. This Phillies roster should be more than capable of winning games and staying afloat in the National League for a postseason berth. Advertisement Sitting Harper for an extended period, allowing him to recover, is the right call in the long term. This Phillies team is looking to win the World Series, not just make the postseason. If Harper is rushed back, the Phillies will be risking a re-injury or a setback in his production. Getting Harper more time to heal would be a smart move. The Phillies are looking to make a deep playoff run, and a couple extra wins in June and July don't compare to having a healthy Harper for the postseason. Related: Phillies Make Major Zack Wheeler Announcement Ahead of Cubs Series Related: Rob Thomson Makes Unfathomable Claim Amidst Phillies' Hitting Woes This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
