Washington Nationals relief pitcher Gus Varland secured his team's 4-3 win over the Giants on Monday night after Keaton Winn blew the save for San Francisco. After the Nats plated three runs in the top of the ninth, Varland had two strikeouts while allowing a single and a walk on his way to his fifth save of the year. The 29-year-old righty has a 4.01 ERA and 3.23 FIP in his 24 2/3 innings this season and is currently sharing time at the end of games with Clayton Beeter, who earned the win on Tuesday despite giving up two runs before Varland entered. Varland seems to be the slightly better option of the two relievers at this point in the Nationals' bullpen, although both relievers have been shaky this season for fantasy production.

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Los Angeles Angels first baseman Trey Mancini returned to the majors for the first time since July 31, 2023, and he looked impressive in his first game back. The 34-year-old righty went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in his team's 5-4, extra-inning loss to the Astros. He put up solid numbers in Triple-A last year for the Diamondbacks, hitting .308 with 16 homers and a .389 wOBA before opting out on July 1st. He slashed .273/.377/.464 in 52 games in Triple-A this season with six homers, 40 runs scored, and 29 RBI before returning to the majors on Monday. Mancini could get some playing time with Nolan Schanuel (ankle) battling tendinitis and Vaughn Grissom (oblique) on the injured list. Mancini has hit well enough at Triple-A to be an interesting deep-league pickup and streaming option if he continues to get playing time for the Halos. He doesn't have elite power or an extremely high ceiling, but he has proven that he can make consistent contact and accumulate counting stats.

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Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) had bone spurs removed from his elbow in February and has begun a throwing progression as he works his way back to the rotation at some point late in the season. Even though he's still a ways from his return and has been limited to throwing from flat ground, it could be time to stash him in deep leagues if you have roster flexibility to do so. He has been one of the most electric young arms in baseball when available, but has been limited to just 17 starts over the past two seasons. For standard-sized leagues, he's still too far away to stash quite yet, but he's definitely someone with enough upside to monitor his return closely as he makes progress over the next few weeks. In deeper leagues with more injury flexibility, though, he has enough late-season potential to be a sneaky add early in his return.

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Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Kirby Yates couldn't hold on to a one-run lead against the Astros on Monday night, and his team went on to lose in extra innings. To start the inning, Yates walked Jeremy Pena, who stole second and scored on a single by Christian Walker. While he didn't take the loss on Monday, Yates' ERA climbed to 5.23 on the season, and he has allowed a run in three of his last four appearances. The Angels don't have many proven options in the bullpen, or Yates may have already been in a committee, but if they do look to go a different direction, Sam Bachman has been very effective as a setup man. Yates still will likely get save chances for the Angels, but he'll need to turn things around soon if he doesn't want to lose his job. It's hard to have much confidence in him at this point, and better options may be available on your league's waiver wire.

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San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Keaton Winn entered a save situation on Monday night, but he gave up three runs to the Nationals and took the loss. He got James Wood to start the inning, but he left the game after a double, a hit-by-pitch, and a pair of singles turned a 3-1 lead into a 4-3 deficit. He fell to 2-2 with the loss and was charged with three earned runs on three hits with one strikeout. His blown save spoiled a great start from Logan Webb and caused Winn's ERA to climb to 3.23 in his 30 2/3 innings this year. Winn has allowed a run in four of his last six appearances and could lose ground to Caleb Kilian in the Giants' closer timeshare. For now, Kilian seems to be the relief pitcher to target in San Francisco, although the shaky bullpen is a high-risk situation overall.

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Athletics relief pitcher Hogan Harris entered the eighth inning of Monday night's wild, 15-14 loss to the Brewers. He couldn't secure the five-out save even though he escaped the eighth inning by inducing a double-play from Brice Turang. In the ninth, he ran into trouble and allowed a two-run double to Andrew Vaughn before striking out the side to avoid further damage. He left the game tied at 10 and was charged with two earned runs on two hits in 1 2/3 innings. Harris is 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA and 3.96 FIP in his 31 2/3 innings this season and has nine holds and five saves to go with his two blown saves this year. With Joel Kuhnel traded and Jack Perkins in the rotation, Harris will likely remain a key part of the closer committee with Scott Barlow and Mark Leiter Jr. He's still the slight favorite of the three for save chances, but the A's will continue to rotate options at the end of games, making all of their bullpen arms hard to count on for fantasy production.

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Philadelphia's SP Cristopher Sanchez recorded 10 strikeouts in 7 innings with the win in a 5-2 win over Toronto on Monday, Jun. 8.

Seattle Mariners right-handed closer Andres Munoz has not had the kind of year so far that he was hoping for, and after blowing three of his last four save chances, fantasy managers have been wondering whether he's on the verge of a bullpen demotion. After blowing his fifth save of the year and losing his fourth game in Sunday's 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Tigers, Munoz bounced back the very next day with his 10th save of the season in Monday's 6-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. The 27-year-old Mexican hurler didn't allow a hit or a run in his inning of work while walking one and striking out two. It wasn't exactly easy, as he needed 20 pitches to close things out, but it's a step in the right direction after his recent rough patch. Munoz now has a 5.18 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 37:10 K:BB in 24 1/3 innings pitched. He's been a bit unlucky this year, and it doesn't appear that manager Dan Wilson is ready to go in another direction just yet.

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Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez continued his dominant 2026 season with another gem in Monday night's 5-2 win on the road at the Rogers Centre against the hosting Toronto Blue Jays. Sanchez allowed two earned runs on four hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out 10 in seven innings to win his eighth game of the season. The 29-year-old Dominican southpaw is the front-runner for the Cy Young award in the American League at this juncture, and he lowered his season ERA to 1.54 with his latest impressive outing on Monday night. Sanchez allowed just his fourth home run of the year in the outing, but he also struck out double-digit hitters for the fourth time in 2026. Since giving up a season-high six earned runs on April 23 against the Chicago Cubs, Sanchez has allowed just five earned runs in his last eight starts. He has a much more challenging matchup on tap this Sunday against the first-place Milwaukee Brewers, but Sanchez is a set-and-forget pitching asset in traditional fantasy baseball leagues.

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San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow) was hopeful for an early-season return after missing all of 2025 following Tommy John surgery in October of 2024, but he experienced a setback after making one spring training start. Musgrove began playing catch in late May, according to MLB.com. He's currently on the 60-day injured list and isn't expected to return at this point until after the All-Star break in mid-July. It's good news that the 33-year-old veteran is throwing a baseball again, but he still has plenty of boxes to check and must next get back on the mound. The Padres could definitely use Musgrove's presence in their starting rotation with Nick Pivetta (forearm) out until late in the year, but the Padres aren't going to rush him back. When/if Musgrove is available for the Friars in the second half, he'll most likely be eased back into action, limiting his fantasy upside. At best, Musgrove will probably be a matchup-based streamer in deep-mixed leagues whenever he returns. Right now, he's rostered in 16% of Yahoo leagues.

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New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells (head), who was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with cervical headaches, had an MRI exam on June 8, although manager Aaron Boone didn't have an update on his status before Monday's series opener in Cleveland against the Guardians, according to MLB.com. It's good news that the 26-year-old backstop isn't dealing with a concussion, but there's no timetable for when he might come off the IL. Until he's able to return, the Yankees will roll with J.C. Escarra and Ali Sanchez behind the plate. Wells has never hit for average in his four seasons in the big leagues, but he did have a career-best 21 home runs and 71 RBI in 126 regular-season games played in 2025 in his third year in the majors. Wells is having a rough season in 2026 to this point, batting an ugly .166 (24-for-145) with just four home runs, seven RBI, 15 runs scored, and a career-high 26.6% strikeout rate in 47 games across 169 plate appearances. He's rostered in under 10% of Yahoo leagues because of his struggles.

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Baltimore Orioles right-handed reliever Ryan Helsley (elbow) threw a live bullpen session on the field at Camden Yards on Monday, according to Matt Weywrich of The Baltimore Sun. It is potentially his last step before going on a minor-league rehab assignment. The 31-year-old is finally getting close to a return to the back end of Baltimore's bullpen after being sidelined since May 1 with inflammation in his right elbow. If Helsley can avoid a setback on his rehab assignment, he could come off the 15-day injured list early next week. The two-time All-Star was looking ready to bounce back after struggling with the New York Mets in 2025 following a midseason trade, allowing three earned runs with seven walks, 15 strikeouts, and seven saves in his first 12 appearances out of the bullpen with the O's before his elbow injury. The O's might ease Helsley back into save situations, but in the long run, he's their best clear option for saves in 2026. Until he returns, Rico Garcia has been manager Craig Albernaz's favorite option in save situations.

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Since earning a promotion to the big leagues in mid-May, Athletics outfielder Henry Bolte has hit .309/.392/.368 with zero home runs, five RBI, five runs scored, and four stolen bases across 79 plate appearances. The 22-year-old may now be moving into an everyday role for the A's, as Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler owns a .501 OPS this season and has begun to cede playing time to Bolte. While Bolte's power has been lacking in the big leagues so far, he hit 12 home runs across 177 plate appearances at Triple-A before being called up by the Athletics. He's also made consistently solid contact despite the lack of home runs, as he's posted a 53.2% hard hit rate. Swing-and-miss is a bit of a concern for Bolte, as he's struck out in 27.8% of his plate appearances. His batting average has been buoyed by a .447 batting average on balls in play, which fantasy managers should expect to regress. Still, Bolte's demonstrated speed and power upside make him an intriguing waiver wire target.

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Milwaukee Brewers left-handed reliever Aaron Ashby is off to a dominant start to the 2026 season, as he's recorded a 9-0 record with a 2.35 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 53 strikeouts across 38 1/3 innings (28 games). With Ashby's ability to work more than one inning, Milwaukee has opted to keep him in a fireman role rather than move him to the ninth inning. While the lack of saves limits Ashby's fantasy upside, his role with the Brewers still allows him to provide value for fantasy managers. Given his frequent appearances in high-leverage situations, Ashby should continue to find himself in position to rack up wins. He's also struck out 32.5% of the batters he's faced so far this season. In deeper league formats, Ashby may have more value as a waiver wire target than a below-average starting pitcher.

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Across 74 innings (13 starts) in 2026, Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers owns a 2-5 record with a 4.26 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 88 strikeouts. The left-hander has a rough outing in mid-May against the Athletics, allowing eight earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. However, Detmers has been red-hot since then, allowing just four earned runs while striking out 27 across 19 innings (three starts). With a 2.92 xERA and a 2.92 FIP, Detmers' underlying metrics reflect that his ERA is inflated by a couple of blow-up starts. He also owns an excellent 28.5% strikeout rate and has done a solid job of limiting both walks (7.8% walk rate) and home runs (0.73 HR/9). In any fantasy league where he's not already rostered, Detmers profiles as a high-upside starting pitcher option who should be a priority waiver wire target for managers.

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Across 69 2/3 innings (14 starts) so far in 2026, Washington Nationals starting pitcher Cade Cavalli has recorded a 3-4 record with a 3.88 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and 76 strikeouts. The 27-year-old ran into some trouble in his most recent outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks, allowing four earned runs across five innings of work. However, Cavalli was riding a heater heading into the Arizona start, allowing just eight earned runs while recording 30 strikeouts across his previous 24 1/3 innings (four starts). While Cavalli's elevated WHIP is an issue for fantasy managers, his 8% walk rate is manageable. Cavalli's WHIP is more of a function of opposing batters hitting .355 on balls in play against him, which is likely to regress over a larger sample size. The hard-throwing right-hander's 3.36 FIP and 16.3% K-BB rate both point to the possibility of a breakout season for Cavalli in 2026.

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Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Griffin Jax put together a strong outing on Sunday against the Miami Marlins, striking out four across five scoreless innings. It was a much-needed bounce back for Jax, who was bludgeoned by the Detroit Tigers for six earned runs over four innings in his first start of June. Outside of the rough day against Detroit, Jax has performed well since being moved from the bullpen to the rotation in late April. The 31-year-old has allowed one earned run or fewer in six out of his eight starts and has gone at least five innings in three out of his last five appearances. Jax may not offer tremendous upside for fantasy managers, but he's steadied himself after a slow start to the year in the bullpen and could be a valuable deep-league streaming option as a starting pitcher.

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Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Addison Barger (elbow) continues to ramp up his hitting at Single-A Dunedin and "is making progress," manager John Schneider told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. It's been an injury-plagued year so far in 2026 for Barger, who is on the 10-day injured list for the second time this year with inflammation in his right elbow. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter has played in only nine games for the Jays and has just one hit in 28 plate appearances with five walks and seven strikeouts. Barger isn't known for his plate discipline, but he did have 21 home runs and 74 RBI in 135 regular-season games for Toronto last year in his first full year in the majors. When he returns to the major-league roster, Barger should play regularly for the Jays against right-handed pitchers, giving fantasy managers in deeper leagues an option for depth at third base and the outfield. Barger is rostered in 21% of Yahoo leagues.

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Boston Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said that outfielder Roman Anthony (finger) has yet to return to swinging a bat, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. Anthony has been out since early May and has suffered multiple setbacks while rehabbing from a finger injury. The 22-year-old hit .229/.354/.321 with one home run, five RBI, 12 runs scored, and two stolen bases across 130 plate appearances before getting injured. While Anthony has now missed more than a month of action, it appears he is still not particularly close to making a return. Anthony remains a high-upside fantasy outfielder when healthy, but managers in leagues without IL spots may have to make a decision on how long to hold him if he continues to show little progress in his rehab.

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Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (thumb) will serve as the designated hitter for a minor-league rehab game at Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday and catch on Wednesday and Thursday, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. Manager John Schneider said that Kirk returning from the 60-day injured list on Friday is possible as the best-case scenario. The 27-year-old backstop is finally nearing a return after having surgery on his left thumb, which has kept him out since April 4. In two games on his rehab assignment so far, the Mexican catcher has gone 2-for-9 with a solo home run. When he's back in Toronto, he'll be the Jays' primary catcher, and he'll be worth adding off the waiver wire for fantasy managers in need of a fresh body at the position. Kirk was hitting just .150 (3-for-20) with a home run in five games before his injury, but the two-time All-Star can add some pop to Toronto's lineup after hitting a career-best 15 long balls in 130 regular-season games in 2025 in his sixth year in the big leagues. Kirk is rostered in only 24% of Yahoo leagues right now.

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