AJ Mass, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Fantasy 30: Goldschmidt surging, Murphy hurting

Fantasy MLB, MLB

Even when you're a fan of one specific major league baseball 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.

With the regular season in the homestretch, we're here for the last time 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 final games ahead. On to the choice nuggets!

Arizona Diamondbacks: An unexpected day off on Monday seems to have given Paul Goldschmidt a little late-season boost headed into the final games of the season. Manager Chip Hale rested his first baseman for the first game of a three-game set with the Padres, and he responded with three home runs in the last two games, his first round-trippers since Aug. 24. Fantasy owners are certainly hoping that a scheduled day off for the team on Thursday doesn't end Goldschmidt's momentum headed into a weekend set with the Orioles.

Atlanta Braves: Josh Collmenter is now 2-0 with a 9.0 K/9 rate and a .206 BAA since joining the Braves, and the pitcher is hoping he can be part of the team's 2017 rotation. "It'll be interesting to see what happens this offseason, but yeah, it'd be a tremendous opportunity to stay here," Collmenter said prior to his quality start against the Marlins. Manager Brian Snitker has liked what he's seen so far from the recently-acquired pitcher. "He's definitely helped us," Snitker said. "We definitely needed stabilization with some of the holes in the rotation. He's been really good."

Baltimore Orioles: Manager Buck Showalter is optimistic that Kevin Gausman can get back on the mound for the Orioles by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Gausman has been scratched from his scheduled Sunday's start due to a muscle sprain that Baltimore is hoping that they've caught before it gets more serious. Dylan Bundy will start in Gausman's place on Sunday. If Gausman does throw on Tuesday, he would be in position to also take the mound against the Yankees in the October 2 season finale.

Boston Red Sox: Since returning from the disabled list on September 15, Andrew Benintendi has hit safely in all five games that he has started. Each of those starts saw the left fielder in the No. 9 spot in the Boston order, but there's growing buzz that he may end up getting bumped to No. 6 in the lineup. Manager John Farrell has started four players in that lineup spot over the team's last four games, and 13 players for the season, so some stability down the stretch would be nice.

Chicago Cubs: As expected, with their playoff placement no longer in doubt, the Cubs are using the final stretch of the regular season to get their ducks in a row ahead of postseason baseball. Kyle Hendricks has had his next start pushed from Saturday to Monday, lining the rotation up to have Jon Lester in Game 1 of the playoffs, followed in Game 2 by Hendricks.

Chicago White Sox: In his previous six starts, Chris Sale had gone at least eight innings in each, with a 1.98 ERA and a .206 BAA. On Wednesday, Sale lasted just four innings, allowing six runs in a loss to the Phillies. Manager Robin Ventura seemed to hint that he believed his ace was a bit fatigued after a heavy workload this season. "Usually there's a big difference between his fastball and changeup." Ventura said. "Tonight it didn't seem like there was as much life on the fastball." Sale chalked the poor outing up to it just being an off night, however his manager may decide to take the proverbial foot of the gas on his pitcher's behalf for the rest of the season.

Cincinnati Reds: Odds are good that both Billy Hamilton and Zack Cozart have played their last baseball for 2016. Manager Bryan Price wouldn't formally announce that his players were done, but did say that "we're so far removed now from baseball activity, we're getting to that point where the realism portion of this deal is fading real fast -- for both." Hamilton is expected back with the team next season, but the emergence of Jose Peraza puts Cozart's return in question. If the Reds can find a taker before April, they may well trade him.

Cleveland Indians: In the last 15 innings he pitched this season, Danny Salazar struck out 25 batters (a 15.0 K/9 rate). Unfortunately, it was at this point, September 9, that Salazar was diagnosed with a strained forearm that ended his regular season. However, fantasy baseball players who participate into major league's post-season take note that Salazar may be part of the Indians' plans. Salazar has his eyes set on pitching out of the bullpen in the ALDS: "I'm trying to get back and I know I will. By the way I feel right now, it's good and I'm really positive about it."

Colorado Rockies: Jorge De La Rosa made his final start of the season, and probably his last for the Rockies. The pending free agent posted a 10.93 ERA in his last three starts, and has been told by manager Walt Weiss that he's finished for 2016 so that the team can take a look at 21-year-old German Marquez. In his first major league start on Wednesday, Marquez got the win with five innings of one-run, four-hit ball against the Cardinals. A strong finish to the season could give Marquez a leg up on the competition for a spot in the team's 2017 rotation.

Detroit Tigers: Jordan Zimmermann will pitch this weekend -- but only in yet another simulated game. The pitcher says he could pitch right now if allowed to only throw out of the stretch, and that even with a full wind-up "I still throw pretty well." As of now, it looks like the Tigers may let Zimmermann take the mound in the final series against the Braves --- but only if they feel he gives them a better chance to win than using either Anibal Sanchez or Buck Farmer, since every game still counts.

Houston Astros: He's had zero hits in just 22 plate appearances since Sept. 9 and now, it looks like Colby Rasmus could potentially be out of action for the rest of the season. Rasmus says he's "not feeling right" and, given his season-long battle with vertigo, it's possible that this situation may continue for some time. Tony Kemp and Teoscar Hernandez should see an uptick in playing time going forward as a result.

Kansas City Royals: The team had Jason Vargas on a pitch count of 70 for his second start back from Tommy John surgery on Thursday. Vargas hit the nail on the head, striking out four over four innings in the process. Manager Ned Yost is very pleased with the pitcher's progress and future promise, saying "It just gives him, and everybody, confidence that he's going to be ready to go in spring training."

Los Angeles Angels: Garrett Richards is hoping to be able to be a part of the Angels' plans for 2017, and a huge step in that direction would be to get back on the mound by October. Richards, who tore his UCL in May, decided to rehab his throwing elbow rather than undertake Tommy John surgery. The plan right now is to have him face live hitters on Oct. 1, before sending him to the instructional league for a few starts.

Los Angeles Dodgers: On Thursday, Brett Anderson (blister) was able to make it through five innings in his first start since August 20. Today, Scott Kazmir will take the mound in his first start since being placed on the disabled list on Aug. 23 with thoracic spinal inflammation. The Dodgers are hoping that one or both of these pitchers will throw well enough down the stretch to warrant starting in the postseason in lieu of rookies Ross Stripling, Brock Stewart and Jose De Leon.

Miami Marlins: Although he has yet to play a complete nine innings, the good news regarding Giancarlo Stanton is that in his last three starts, he has been able to get in three at-bats in each contest, hitting home runs in two of them. Miami is monitoring their right fielder closely. Stanton did appear to have an issue with his leg on Thursday, while fielding a ball, just before getting pulled. It may end up being nothing, however the team's caution just underscores that you simply can't count on any regular playing time the rest of the season here.

Milwaukee Brewers: Owner Mark Attanasio was asked if he thought Ryan Braun would be on his team in 2017. The question needs to be asked, since the Brewers were quite close to dealing Braun to the Dodgers at the deadline, before running out of time. "I hope he is," Attanasio said. "That was a unique circumstance, and we'll see if a circumstance like that presents itself again or not. I think all of us like having a guy who hits .300 and 30 home runs in the middle of the lineup."

Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer hit just 2-for-29 (.069) from Sept. 5-18, and he has not played since then due to a sore right quad. When will he be able to play again? It may not be until Sunday, with left-handed pitchers on the mound for Seattle in the first two games of their upcoming series, as Mauer has been sitting regularly against southpaws. However, if his quad is still giving him grief, the hometown fans may not get another chance to see Mauer play in person in 2016.

New York Mets: In the midst of a 3-for-39 (.077) stretch with 11 strikeouts, manager Terry Collins has opted to put Jay Bruce on the bench, starting him just once since Sept. 17. Alejandro De Aza has been seeing more time in center field, with Curtis Granderson moving to right. How long Bruce will remain in purgatory is unknown, but as Collins said, "My job is try to win the game," even if that means benching a high-priced regular.

New York Yankees: When Starlin Castro went down with a hamstring injury on Saturday, the prevailing wisdom was that his season was over. However, that may not be the case after all. Castro has been rehabbing hard and claims he may be ready to get back in the Yankees lineup as early as this weekend: "I've been feeling pretty good... Hopefully it's going to be soon." Until Castro gets the green light, Donovan Solano and Ronald Torreyes will split time at second base.

Oakland Athletics: Josh Reddick is hitting .400 for the month of September, which would be great news for the A's -- if he hadn't been traded to the Dodgers at the deadline. That said, Reddick is a free agent at the end of the season, and the feeling is that there's a chance the slugger might return to Oakland. Jane Lee of MLB.com writes, "Reddick was always sincere in his desire to remain in Oakland, and I'm not sure the trade has changed that... The need is also there, with the A's likely pining for help to augment their outfield this offseason... If the A's are willing to guarantee Reddick four years, which seems to be a non-negotiable, I wouldn't be surprised if they could work something out."

Philadelphia Phillies: Could Joely Rodriguez be the Phillies' closer in 2017? Manager Pete Mackanin will see what the pitcher can do over the last 10 games of the season. Rodriguez topped 98 mph on the radar gun earlier this week, causing his skipper to declare, "He has nasty stuff and he could get righties out. [The] last pitch he threw was filthy."

Pittsburgh Pirates: Negotiations are reportedly in full swing between the Pirates and starting pitcher Ivan Nova. Nova is said to have requested a five-year, $70 million deal, and Pittsburgh has made a counter-offer. Should an agreement be reached, Nova would likely slot in as the team's No. 3 pitcher in 2017, behind Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon.

St. Louis Cardinals: Jaime Garcia's second relief outing resulted in four strong shutout innings, with five strikeouts -- a result made all the more impressive as it took place at Coors Field. "That's the guy that we love to watch," manager Mike Matheny said. "His breaking ball was terrific, he had good sink. He didn't make a lot of mistakes." Should Garcia continue to excel in this role, and should St. Louis make the playoffs, Garcia could be a huge postseason asset.

San Diego Padres: Yangervis Solarte has been dealing with the loss of his wife, who passed away over the weekend from complications related to cancer. Knowing now what he had been dealing with off the field, it's even more impressive that Solarte had been batting .357 in September. Solarte says he wants to play again before the end of the season. While no return date has been set yet for the third baseman, Solarte is sure to have a lot of support from fans, teammates and coaches once he's back.

San Francisco Giants: Johnny Cueto may not be ready to make his next start on Sunday as he continues to deal with a strained groin. Though he hasn't yet rules Cueto out, manager Bruce Bochy doesn't want to rush his pitcher back too soon only to have him end up having to miss potential playoff starts should he exacerbate the injury, originally suffered on Tuesday night.

Seattle Mariners: Ketel Marte has gone just 1-for-16 since September 14, and the Mariners are wondering what's to blame. Is it simply fatigue at the tail-end of a season, a residual effect from the mononucleosis he dealt with earlier in 2016, or is it cracking under the pressure of a pennant race? If the team feels it's the latter reason, don't be surprised to see renewed off-season interest in upgrading at shortstop via trade, potentially in the form of the previously-discussed Cozart.

Tampa Bay Rays: Steven Souza Jr. underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair his left hip, and was placed on the 60-day disabled list. The move opened up a spot on the 40-man roster for Juniel Querecuto, an infielder who can play second base, shortstop and third base. That decision is telling, since the Rays decided not to add either Tim Beckham or Taylor Motter to their expanded September roster. If Querecuto impresses, there may well be a bench spot on the 25-man roster waiting for him in the spring.

Texas Rangers: The idea of having Shin-Soo Choo in the Rangers lineup for the playoffs is starting to look more and more like a reality. Choo, who had surgery for a fractured left forearm on August 17, is expected to travel with the team this weekend to take batting practice. A trip to the instructional league would follow, should all go well, with an eye on a return to Texas for the start of the ALDS on Oct. 6.

Toronto Blue Jays: The team has been spacing out Aaron Sanchez's starts of late, hoping to keep down an innings count that is already at 179 for the season. However, that "kid gloves" treatment appears to be at an end. Manager John Gibbons says that Sanchez will now give Sanchez the ball every fifth day, for as long as the team remains alive. That's good news for fantasy owners who have Sanchez on their roster, and the better news for Blue Jays fans is that Gibbons included the playoffs as part of this new "every five days" policy.

Washington Nationals: Daniel Murphy is dealing with some kind of leg injury, though neither Murphy, nor the Nationals will be any more specific about the ailment. Manager Dusty Baker did say on Wednesday that his second baseman "hasn't been responding to treatment," which means that Stephen Drew will be seeing a lot more at-bats until this mysterious calamity goes away.

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