Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward homered in Monday's 5-1 win over the Oakland Athletics, his first dinger since June 11. Ward, who scored twice and walked in four plate appearances, has pulled down his fantasy managers in June, slashing .148/.303/.295 with six RBI and nine runs scored. The slump has taken his numbers for the season to .241/.326/.431 with 13 homers, 40 RBI, and 37 runs scored. Ward's power potential keeps him in the good graces of fantasy managers, who hope his home run on Monday is a sign his swing is trending upward. Since he remains on a near-30 home run pace and is also a potential trade candidate, Ward is a good fantasy option in most leagues.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz swatted his 11th homer of the year in Monday's 11-5 loss at the Cincinnati Reds. Cruz, whose homer went an estimated 458 feet, finished 2-for-5 with three RBI as he went deep for the second time in three games. Despite the recent power surge, Cruz is slashing .243/.296/.433 with 34 RBI, 34 runs scored, and six stolen bases in seven attempts. Brimming with talent, Cruz is a fantasy staple since he's capable of contributing in a variety of categories. On the flip side, fantasy managers have to endure Cruz's stretches of swinging and missing as he is on pace to strike out 189 times.

Philadelphia Phillies first base prospect Keaton Anthony is being promoted to High-A Jersey Shore, per MiLB Central. Anthony joined the Phillies system last season and logged only 14 games last summer. He held a strong .379/.486/.621 slash line with two home runs and nine RBI in nine games in the Rookie League but struggled in his first taste of Single-A ball with a .143 average. However, he did post a strong 4:3 BB:K. He remained at Single-A Clearwater to open this season and posted a stellar .322/.446/.470 line with four long balls, 21 RBI, and three swiped bags. He once again showed a great eye at the plate with a 28:28 BB:K. The 23-year-old is not ranked in Philadelphia's top 30 prospects on MLB.com but could join the list later this summer if he continues to showcase his great hitting skills and eye at the plate at High-A.

San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (quadriceps) told reporters on Monday that he knows he'll be out well past the All-Star break in mid-July. Tatis didn't get into an exact timetable, but fantasy managers are going to need to be patient here after he was placed on the 10-day injured list on Monday with a right femoral stress reaction in his quadriceps muscle. It's a tough break for fantasy managers and the Padres, as the 25-year-old outfielder has been strong offensively again in 2024 with a .279/.354/.468 slash line with 14 home runs, 36 RBI and an .822 OPS in 345 plate appearances. He needs to remain stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy formats. Bryce Johnson got the start in Monday's extra-inning win over the Washington Nationals after being called up from the minors, but David Peralta and Jose Azocar could also be involved in right field moving forward with Tatis sidelined.

The Athletic's Will Sammon speculates that New York Mets starting pitchers David Peterson and Tylor Megill could both get optioned to Triple-A Syracuse following their next starts, assuming the Mets stick with their current rotation for the next few games, in favor of more relievers. Then, when those turns in the rotation pop up again, the Mets could option those relievers for starters Christian Scott and Jose Butto. Relievers Dedniel Nunez and Danny Young have been effective but are the only Mets relievers with minor-league options beyond Reed Garrett. Before closer Edwin Diaz's 10-game suspension, the Mets were already mulling the idea of adding Scott. He was demoted to Syracuse a few weeks ago due to a roster crunch, and it allowed them to toggle his innings back. Scott worked on his secondary pitches while in the minors and rediscovered the action on his sweeper.