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.

Detroit Tigers catching prospect Dillon Dingler hit two homers and drove in seven runs for Triple-A Toledo on Sunday to continue his stellar season. Dingler, the Tigers' No. 12 prospect, is hitting .287 with 10 homers and 35 RBI for the Mud Hens this season. Known as an excellent defensive catcher, the 25-year-old has turned heads with his offensive production. Injuries have stalled his development over the past few years, but Dingler has the potential to be a fantasy contributor at the catcher position when the Tigers choose to call him up. He could get the call at any time now and would be a popular waiver-wire addition, especially in two catcher leagues.

Baltimore Orioles third base prospect Coby Mayo has been on fire for Triple-A Norfolk since returning from the injured list. Mayo was sidelined with a rib injury, but has returned and put on a clinic in the nine games since. Over that span, Mayo, the club's No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline has hit .394 with five doubles and four homers. On the season, Mayo is now hitting .297 with 14 homers and 39 RBI for Triple-A Norfolk. Mayo continues to put up big numbers in Triple-A and on another franchise, Mayo would probably in the big leagues. The Orioles have plenty of star power both at the big-league level and on the farm, but Mayo's best bet to be valuable this season would be if he got dealt or an injury happened at the big-league level. For now, he holds strong value in dynasty leagues, but there are likely better stash options in redraft platforms.

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.

St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Quinn Mathews was promoted to Double-A Springfield on Monday. The 6-foot-5 left-hander made 13 starts this season across two levels before being promoted and was 6-2 with a 2.18 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 74 1/3 innings. The impressive numbers for the 23-year-old gave him a much-deserved promotion. The strikeout rate is what fantasy managers love to see from their starting pitchers. The Cardinals' No. 20 prospect is in his first professional season out of Stanford and has quickly advanced so far. If he continues to pitch like he has, he could make a case for pitching in St. Louis as soon as next year.