

After an off day on Friday, St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (elbow) is back in the starting lineup on Saturday to face the visiting San Francisco Giants and right-hander Jordan Hicks. Arenado left Wednesday's game early after being hit by a pitch in his left elbow and sat out of Thursday's game at Rickwood Field as a precaution. Now that he's back after a one-game absence, Arenado will look to stay rather hot in the month of June. In 17 games since June 1, he's hitting .270 (17-for-63) with a homer, three doubles, six RBI, one stolen base and four runs scored. Overall in 70 games in 2024, the eight-time All-Star has been rather mediocre at the plate, slashing .260/.315/.375 with six long balls, 32 RBI and 26 runs scored in 298 trips to the plate. Arenado has a hit in his only career at-bat against Hicks.


Atlanta Braves left-hander A.J. Minter (hip) is starting a minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday night with High-A Rome. Minter will finally return to pitching in games after landing on the injured list in late May with left-hip inflammation. Barring a setback down on the farm, Minter shouldn't need a very long rehab assignment before rejoining the back end of Atlanta's bullpen in the big leagues. When he's back with the Braves, Minter will reclaim his role as the team's primary setup man ahead of closer Raisel Iglesias. Before hitting the injured list, Minter was 5-3 this year with a 2.95 ERA (4.88 FIP), a 0.98 WHIP, one save, 23 strikeouts and six walks in 21 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. He's not going to be much of an option for saves as long as Iglesias stays healthy, but Minter is valuable in holds leagues when he's available.


San Francisco Giants outfielder Luis Matos is being recalled from Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move that put outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (oblique) on the injured list. Matos had a brief stint in the majors early this season and held a .224/.247/.329 slash line with two home runs, 20 RBI, and a 3:10 BB:K ratio in 21 games. In 44 games at Triple-A this season, Matos posted a solid .250/.324/.467 line with 15 doubles, eight long balls, 31 RBI, and five swiped bags. Since June 11, in the minors, Matos has been riding a stellar .375/.419/.925 line with five home runs, which resulted in his promotion. The 22-year-old outfielder is worth a look in deeper leagues as he should receive plenty of opportunities as Yastrzemski remains sidelined.


Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (back/thumb) will make his 2024 debut on Sunday, June 23, against the Kansas City Royals. The 39-year-old was initially scheduled to make his debut on Saturday, June 22, but instead, he will take one extra day to prepare for his season debut. Scherzer has been on the 60-day injured list since May 15 after undergoing back surgery in the offseason and was on pace to make his season debut much earlier but had to remain sidelined for some more time as he dealt with a thumb injury during the early part of the season. The three-time Cy Young winner has looked quite sharp in his two rehab starts, where he logged eight innings with 13 punchouts and 0.92 WHIP. The right-hander should be rostered in all leagues as he should provide solid strikeout numbers during the summer and should be in line to receive several win opportunities pitching behind a competing Rangers team.


San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray (elbow) will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday. Ray has remained on the 60-day injured list since February as he underwent Tommy John surgery last May. Ray has made four starts in the Arizona Complex League and has held a 5.14 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and a perfect 0:15 BB:K ratio. The 32-year-old southpaw won the 2021 AL Cy Young Award as he posted a 2.84 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 52:248 BB:K ratio in 193 frames. Then, in 2022, he held a 3.71 and 1.19 WHIP with 212 punchouts in 189 innings. Unfortunately, he was only able to log three innings in 2023 before being shut down. Ray is worth a look in all leagues once he returns, as he should have high-upside strikeout potential during the remainder of the summer.
