Even when you're a fan of one specific major league team, it can be difficult to keep track of all of the news that surrounds your favorite club on a daily basis.
However, when you're a fantasy baseball owner and you now have to multiply that effort by 30 in order to be as up to date as possible with each and every club? It's a fool's errand that borders on the impossible.
Fear not! We'll be here each and every week to give you a snapshot of what's going on in the world of baseball, with one fantasy takeaway from each of the league's 30 teams. Think of it as your one-stop shop for the week ahead.
Arizona Diamondbacks: With Zack Greinke still hurt, and Shelby Miller in Triple-A and on the trade block, Arizona has decided to roll with 24-year-old Braden Shipley on Monday. Shipley, the No. 15 overall pick in 2013, has seen a decline in strikeouts as he's risen up the organizational ladder (5.8 K/9 in 2016) but has exhibited a lot of control this season, as evidenced by his 3.5 K/BB rate.
Atlanta Braves: Julio Teheran is optimistic that he'll be able to avoid the disabled list, despite having to be pulled from Friday's game in the fifth inning when he felt some tightness behind his right shoulder. With the team off on Monday, interim manager Brian Snitker said he might just give Teheran a few extra days off before letting him get back on the mound later in the week.
Baltimore Orioles: Hyun Soo Kim (hamstring) is just about ready to return to the Baltimore lineup. The outfielder is expected to play in one more rehab game today at Double-A before rejoining the O's on Tuesday. With Joey Rickard (thumb) now expected to be out four to six weeks, Kim should be in left field and the No. 2 spot in the order against right-handed pitching, with Nolan Reimold jumping in against lefties.
Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox may not have to make any deals to see improvement in their bullpen down the stretch. That's because Craig Kimbrel is scheduled to throw this week with an eye toward progressing to face live hitters potentially as early as Friday. Kimbrel says he has no post-surgery pain in his knee and is making good progress toward an early-August return.
Chicago Cubs: Lost in all the buzz surrounding the team's deal for Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman was the sight of shortstop Addison Russell having to leave Sunday's game after just four innings due to a left heel contusion. Manager Joe Maddon did not know for sure if Russell would be able to play against the White Sox on Monday, and there's a very good chance he may sit out a few days to heal. Javier Baez would presumably start at shortstop in Russell's place until he's feeling better.
Chicago White Sox: Chris Sale was handed a five-day suspension and fined by the team following the weekend outburst in which he destroyed throwback uniforms so that he wouldn't have to wear them while he pitched. He may or may not be back on the mound Thursday, his next scheduled start -- and while both player and team say that a trade is not imminent, this latest incident could well provide impetus for a deadline deal. However, should Sale stay in Chicago, as Tim Gunn of "Project Runway" might offer as advice, "Make it work!"
Cincinnati Reds: With a .333 batting average -- including three home runs and nine RBIs over his last six games -- if this is goodbye for Jay Bruce and the city of Cincinnati, he's certainly going out with a bang. Multiple teams, including Cleveland, Texas, Toronto and the Dodgers, have all reportedly expressed interest in the right fielder who, when asked after Sunday's game if this was "goodbye," responded: "It could have been, also might not have been, we'll see ... I can't control any of that, just have to play ball and try and help this team win games."
Cleveland Indians: Over the weekend, the team promoted its top two prospects to Triple-A Columbus. Outfielders Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier have combined for 101 RBIs this season at Double-A Akron, though they've also combined for 201 strikeouts. While the promotions don't preclude the possibility of one or both of these players getting moved in a deadline deal, it does put them on the "Francisco Lindor" track toward Cleveland, as he went from Akron to Columbus this time of the season in 2014.
Colorado Rockies: Colorado is calling up its top outfield prospect on Monday in the form of David Dahl, who is tearing up the PCL with a .484 batting average since being promoted 16 games ago. Brandon Barnes will be designated for assignment to make room on the roster for now, but adding an outfielder is certainly doing nothing to quell rumors that either Charlie Blackmon or Carlos Gonzalez might be dealt over the next few days. Stay tuned.
Detroit Tigers: Jordan Zimmermann threw 50 pitches over four shutout innings in a rehab start for Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, putting him in very good stead toward an imminent return to the Tigers' rotation. Last week, manager Brad Ausmus had said Zimmermann would probably need two rehab starts before returning but added, "We'll let him tell us how he feels and see how deep he goes in the first one."
Houston Astros: The team officially announced the promotion of highly touted prospect Alex Bregman, and he will join the Astros in time for tonight's game at home against the Yankees. Bregman (.333 in 18 games at Triple-A) is expected to play third base, some left field and DH as well as potentially spell Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve in the middle infield on days when they get a minibreak as the DH. In other words, he didn't come to Houston to sit.
Kansas City Royals: Monday may finally be the day Lorenzo Cain (hamstring) begins a rehab assignment. Cain was able to run in the outfield in Kansas City on Sunday, and if there are no overnight setbacks, odds are good the center fielder will be testing things out in minor league play this week. The Royals have won just eight of 21 games with Cain sidelined.
Los Angeles Angels: On July 31, 2014, Tyler Skaggs was almost halfway through a no-hitter against the Orioles when he tore his UCL, resulting in Tommy John surgery. Tomorrow, Skaggs final returns to a major league mound after multiple setbacks hampered his recovery. It's hard not to root for Skaggs. As manager Mike Scioscia puts it, "I think we're all very excited to see him be ready to take the ball. He got the work in he needed. He's ready to go after that challenge of pitching in the big leagues."
Los Angeles Dodgers: Jose De Leon continues to dominate at Triple-A. In his last start, he went eight shutout innings, striking out 10. He's 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA and a 13.3 K/9 rate. He's on the mound again tonight for Oklahoma City, but if he has another stellar outing, it would be hard to imagine him not getting a call-up to Los Angeles in the very near future.
Miami Marlins: Suffering from some left elbow tenderness, Wei-Yin Chen will be headed to the disabled list, lost to the team for the next two weeks at least. "We don't feel like it's anything crazy, but we also want to be cautious knowing that he's feeling something," manager Don Mattingly said. Jarred Cosart, who was sent to the minors in April after three starts in which he posted a 7.98 ERA and walked 15 batters, has been recalled to take Monday's start. A repeat of his early-season struggles and you can be sure that Miami will be working the phones, looking to add some arms, pronto!
Milwaukee Brewers: Last year, as the trade deadline approached, Carlos Gomez was all but set to join the Mets in exchange for a package including Wilmer Flores, but we all know that deal quickly evaporated along with the infielder's tears. This year, the Brewers are looking to deal catcher Jonathan Lucroy, and again the Mets seem to be among the most interested parties. Reports have Brewers scouts looking at some lower-level New York prospects, so perhaps this year a trade between the teams indeed gets done.
Minnesota Twins: Catcher Kurt Suzuki doesn't have a concussion after taking a foul ball off the mask on Saturday, but the catcher did need several stitches to close the resulting cut on his chin. Suzuki is hoping to return to action on Tuesday, but the team will have to first be sure that the wound won't be reopened simply by his wearing the catcher's mask.
New York Mets: There is still no concrete timetable for Lucas Duda (back) to begin a rehab assignment, though the organization has said it doesn't expect the first baseman back until late August at the earliest. There's no need to rush Duda, as James Loney already has more RBIs and just two fewer home runs in 164 at-bats with the Mets than Duda did in his 130 at-bats before getting hurt -- and Loney's batting average is 56 points higher.
New York Yankees: Chapman, Chapman, Chapman. Once the dust from the Aroldis Chapman trade settles, the Yankees will still have to deal with having Alex Rodriguez on the roster. A-Rod is mired in a 2-for-23 slump since the start of the second half and did not start in either weekend contest against the Giants. A DH who can't hit has very little upside, and it's quite likely that by the time rosters expand in September, his usage in New York might be limited to daily pinch-hitting duties, if he's not just outright released before then.
Oakland Athletics: Coco Crisp has a history of neck problems, so even though we can easily trace the need to bench him on Sunday to his crashing into the outfield wall the day before, it's hard for Crisp's fantasy owners to remain too calm. Manager Bob Melvin said of Crisp's neck, "As we've seen last year, that's something we don't want to fool around with." Yes, he could easily be back in the lineup tonight. However, if you've got weekly lineup locks in place in your league, maybe you'd be better off keeping him on your bench, just in case.
Philadelphia Phillies: In terms of fantasy importance, the injury to Andres Blanco (owned in just 0.4 percent of ESPN standard leagues) over the weekend doesn't seem to be that big of a deal. But then again, it could be. Blanco fractured his left index finger and may be headed to the disabled list, with surgery a potential option for the infielder. Losing Blanco might open up the door for a J.P. Crawford promotion, and if the Phillies decide to give the 21-year-old a chance, I'm sure he'll generate a lot more than 0.4 percent ownership.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Tyler Glasnow's debut in front of the home fans was brief and might be the last time they see him for a while. Shoulder discomfort ended the young pitcher's second career start after 75 pitches, and he's been placed on the 15-day disabled list as a result. If there is a silver lining, it's that Glasnow has thrown 110 1/3 innings this season (mostly at Triple-A), so if there was an innings-cap plan in place for him, a spell on the DL now means he won't need to be limited if he returns in September to the big league club.
St. Louis Cardinals: Help is on the way in St. Louis, as the Cardinals expect to get a trio of injured players back no later than next Tuesday, the day after the non-waiver trade deadline. Brandon Moss (ankle) and Matt Carpenter (oblique) are set to begin rehab assignments by the end of this week, and Jhonny Peralta (thumb) is going to try to return next Tuesday without having to go to the minors.
San Diego Padres: He's hitting .306 at Triple-A El Paso with 24 stolen bases, and he may be headed to the Padres. His name is Manuel Margot, and he was not in the Chihuahuas' lineup on Sunday. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Melvin Upton Jr. was not in San Diego's lineup on Sunday, leading to speculation that a trade is on the horizon. Grabbing Margot off the waiver wire on the cheap, especially if steals are your team's shortcomings, could be a wise investment.
San Francisco Giants: Joe Panik seemed to be in line to rejoin the Giants at Yankee Stadium on Friday but said he wasn't "feeling great," so the team decided to give him a few more days of rehab before activating him. The good news appears to be that Panik's concern wasn't related to his concussion, but rather some timing issues at the plate. As it looks now, it wouldn't be a surprise to see San Francisco get the second baseman back by the end of the week.
Seattle Mariners: Shawn O'Malley and Luis Sardinas will split time at shortstop for now, as Ketel Marte was diagnosed with a form of mononucleosis and placed on the disabled list. Marte had been complaining of a sore throat and "general achiness" and last played on July 17. Left fielder Nori Aoki has moved into the leadoff role for the Mariners and is hitting .316 since his recall from the minors.
Tampa Bay Rays: Brad Boxberger may be back with the Rays as early as Friday. The reliever said he felt he was back to 100 percent after completing his third rehab appearance over the weekend, but Tampa Bay wants to see how he feels after working back-to-back nights. He's scheduled to pitch in Class A on Tuesday and Wednesday and presumably will be activated if he still feels good on Thursday. With Alex Colome struggling of late -- a 9.53 ERA and a .320 BAA in his last seven outings -- the timing of Boxberger's return seems to be ideal.
Texas Rangers: Starting pitchers are what the Rangers are seeking this week, with an eye on the likes of Chris Sale, Andrew Cashner, Jake Odorizzi, Matt Moore and Chris Archer. While Texas seems to be fine with potentially trading away Jurickson Profar and/or Joey Gallo in order to procure a quality arm, when it comes to including Nomar Mazara in any package, the Rangers are balking. Mazara has hit just one home run since June 20 but has also limited his strikeouts over that stretch, fanning just 14 percent of the time, down from 19 percent prior to that date.
Toronto Blue Jays: Toronto has finally run out of patience with reliever Drew Storen, designating him for assignment, which gives them the Jays 10 days to trade or release him. Storen actually had thrown scoreless outings in 17 of his last 21 appearances, but he did allow hits in 16 of those games, and after serving up home runs in two of his last seven appearances, manager John Gibbons had seen enough. "It was just one of those years where it never really clicked," Gibbons said, wishing the reliever well.
Washington Nationals: Michael Taylor's roller-coaster ride of a 2016 season takes another dip, as the outfielder has once again been sent to Triple-A. The demotion likely has less to do with his performance, though he did hit just .188 in six games, and more to do with the health of Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman (ribs) is expected to return to the Washington lineup on Tuesday, and well, somebody had to go.