Los Angeles Dodgers DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Cincinnati Reds second baseman/outfielder Gavin Lux (back) was scratched on Saturday due to lower back spasms. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status leading up to Sunday's contest in case he needs additional time to recover. This afternoon, Will Benson moved over to left field. Over his last three games, Lux has been quite productive at the plate, posting three-straight multi-hit games. Over his last nine contests, Lux has posted a stellar .303/.361/.394 slash line with three doubles. Through his first 42 games in Cincinnati, Lux has been quite impressive, as he has held a .297/.386/.407 line with one home run and one stolen base. If Lux were to remain sidelined, this could open up more opportunities in the starting nine for Rece Hinds and Connor Joe.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (toe/knee) was officially activated off the 60-day injured list ahead of his season debut on Saturday evening against the Los Angeles Angels. The 37-year-old has been sidelined since August with toe and knee injuries. Through the early part of the campaign, the left-hander logged 21 innings of rehab work within the Dodger system. Across this stint, the future Hall of Famer held a strong 2.57 ERA with a stellar 0.81 WHIP. He struck out 16 batters and served up five free passes. Last season, Kershaw logged 30 innings in the big leagues and held a 4.50 ERA with a 1.150 WHIP. However, in 2023, Kershaw was quite effective, holding a 2.46 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP. He is a strong play in all formats this evening, facing the Angels.

Los Angeles Dodgers designatedhitter Shohei Ohtani went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 6-2 loss to the Angels. The reigning NL MVP has now homered in three straight and has five multi-hit efforts in his last seven games. That gives him 16 home runs on the season and pushes the 4x All-Star'sseason-long slash line to .316/.416/.690 with a .459 wOBA and 197 wRC+, which also puts him at the top of the NL MVP race again. The left-handed slugger ranks behind only Aaron Judge in fantasy scoring so far this season, and although the Dodgers face a lefty on Saturday, Ohtani could be used in DFS as he surprisingly has a better batting average againstLHP this season than he does against RHP (.352 vs. .299). This particular lefty, Tyler Anderson, Ohtani is 4-for-7 off of in his career, with three triples and a home run.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Walker Buehler (shoulder) is expected to take the mound for Tuesday's game against the New York Mets, according to manager Alex Cora. Buehler appears to be on the verge of returning after landing on the injured list on May 2 due to a shoulder bursitis. He threw a successful live batting practice session on Thursday. Now, the Red Sox are waiting a few days to make sure Buehler doesn't suffer any setbacks. He won't get an easy matchup against the tough Mets lineup, but Buehler is still worth rostering in most 12-team formats right now.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have optioned left-handed pitching prospect Justin Wrobleski to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Wrobleski was tasked to pitch four innings of relief on Thursday but will now return to Triple-A. In this contest against the Athletics, the left-hander performed quite well, logging four one-hit innings. He did not allow a walk and struck out four batters. During his first outing of the season, Wrobleski allowed eight runs and eight hits across five innings against the Nationals. Last season, the No. 10-ranked prospect in the system held a 5.70 ERA with a 1.38 WHIP across 36 1/3 innings of work. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his production at Triple-A, as he should be in the mix to return to Los Angeles later in the summer.