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.
Fear not! We'll be here each and every Monday and Thursday 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.
Here are the takeaways as we head into Week 4 of the 2017 season:
Arizona Diamondbacks: Shelby Miller had thrown four shutout innings against the Dodgers on Sunday when it all fell apart, beginning with a walk of the opposing pitcher to lead off the fifth. Two batters later, Miller was pulled with forearm tightness, and an MRI today will determine the extent of the injury. "It's really unfortunate," manager Torey Lovullo said. "Shelby has been throwing the ball extremely well. You just hate to have a situation like this pop up." Regardless of the ultimate verdict, Miller will almost certainly miss his next turn in the rotation, Friday in Colorado. Either Randall Delgado or Archie Bradley are likely candidates to step in.
Atlanta Braves: Ryan Howard, who signed a minor league deal on April 6, has progressed to the point where the Braves are expecting him to join Triple-A Gwinnett later this week. With Freddie Freeman on the roster -- and batting .381 with seven home runs, no less -- there's really no need for a guy who really can't play anywhere in the field but at first base. However, pinch-hitters are just 2-for-29 this season for Atlanta, with no extra-base hits. A little veteran pop off the bench might be worth using a roster spot on Howard. Also, a road trip with four AL games (and a DH) kicks off for the team on May 9.
Baltimore Orioles: Brad Brach (3-for-3 in saves) is doing well in holding down the fort at closer for the O's while Zach Britton (left forearm strain) is hurt, and he may have to handle that role a little while longer. An MRI on Britton on Friday was positive, but the pitcher was told not to play catch until today at the earliest. Manager Buck Showalter said Britton won't be back until he gets through one or two rehab outings.
Boston Red Sox: Marco Hernandez went 4-for-9 during the team's weekend series in Baltimore, which gives Boston every reason to take things slowly with Dustin Pedroia's ankle. Pedroia, who got hurt on a hard slide by Manny Machado on Friday, still had swelling two days later, so he will undergo an MRI on Monday. "His importance to us speaks for itself," manager John Farrell said. "At this point it warrants a further look."
Chicago Cubs: Anthony Rizzo is working on a career-high 12-game hitting streak, during which he's hit .370 with four home runs and 11 RBIs. Rizzo is one of those players who often has strong runs like this, with two 11-game streaks last season and six double-digit streaks for his career. Rizzo, who has also hit home runs in three straight games, thinks the answer to his success is pretty straightforward, "You just hit balls where they're not standing. You go through the process. It's no different than not getting any hits."
Chicago White Sox: Rookie Jacob May finally got his first (and so far, only) major league hit on Saturday, breaking an 0-for-26 stretch to begin his career. May has been splitting time in center field with Leury Garcia, who has not exactly lit the world on fire at the plate either (.222). Hopefully, now that the pressure of getting that first hit is gone, May can start to produce. Chicago is batting just .211 as a team.
Cincinnati Reds: Devin Mesoraco owners, your time may have finally arrived. The catcher is expected to be activated this week. Mesoraco got spiked on his left knee on Thursday and, while he was quite sore as a result, the fact he was able to finish that game and play again on Friday is a pretty good sign that he's finally healthy enough to rejoin the Reds. Tucker Barnhart will still likely get the bulk of playing time behind the plate for now, but perhaps not as much as he's been doing with Stuart Turner as his backup.
Cleveland Indians: Brandon Guyer has an uncanny knack for getting hit by pitches, with 57 such incidents since the start of 2015, tops in the majors. What makes that number even more impressive is that he's had only 757 plate appearances over that stretch. In other words, he's averaged a HBP every 13.3 times he steps up to the plate. (Rizzo, second on the list with 50 HBP, averages one every 29.2 PA.) Getting hit, however, isn't as important as hitting the ball, so even with two more HBP this season, the .160 batting average is keeping Guyer in an outfield platoon situation.
Colorado Rockies: Ian Desmond is ready to take full batting practice this week, meaning the time for his return from a fractured left hand is near. However, since he's been gone, Mark Reynolds has locked down the everyday first base job with a .318 batting average and a team-high 16 RBIs. Pay close attention to where Desmond plays during his expected upcoming rehab assignment, because that could well indicate where manager Bud Black is leaning towards using him in Colorado -- potentially at shortstop or in the outfield.
Detroit Tigers: JaCoby Jones is lucky not to have been more seriously injured after getting hit in the face with a pitch on Saturday. Although he will have more precautionary tests run on him today and will spend the next 10 days on the disabled list, it appears that a split lip was the worst of the damage done. Tyler Collins slid over to center field on Sunday, with Jim Adduci getting the call from Triple-A and starting in right. Adduci went 3-for-4 with two RBI and could potentially stick around even after Jones has healed.
Houston Astros: Jake Marisnick collided with the outfield wall while making a first-inning catch on Sunday and, while he stayed in the game for a few innings, he eventually was pulled as a precaution. Concussions are a big deal, so expect the Astros to be extra cautious before allowing Marisnick to return to action. He'll undergo tests on Monday's off day. Marwin Gonzalez will be the likely replacement should Marisnick either need just an extra day of rest or a trip to the 7-day DL.
Kansas City Royals: Salvador Perez rarely takes a day off, but a recent bout of neck stiffness has led the catcher to miss three consecutive games. Manager Ned Yost said he has full confidence in backup catcher Drew Butera, which is why he may give Perez more time off just to make sure he's 100 percent ready to return: "He's better today than he was yesterday. ... We're going to give Sal one more day or two more days until he can at least turn his neck comfortably."
Los Angeles Angels: It's not exactly as bad as being the drummer for Spinal Tap, but life as closer for the Angels may be just as dangerous. Cam Bedrosian was placed on the 10-day DL on Saturday after suffering a groin strain the day before. He now joins Huston Street and Andrew Bailey on the disabled list. Bud Norris earned his first major league save on Saturday, but as for who gets the next chance? That's really anybody's guess.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Joc Pederson is day-to-day after injuring his right groin while running out a ground ball on Sunday. Manager Dave Roberts seemed to indicate a trip to the disabled list was possible: "We'll get to San Francisco and see tomorrow morning how he feels. ... For me, as a person who's had injuries with the legs, you've got to be extra careful." Enrique Hernandez would presumably see more playing time if Pederson does have to sit.
Miami Marlins: After starting the season hitting .133 through his first 45 at-bats, Justin Bour is finally starting to rebound. The first baseman has a five-game hitting streak going, with a .353 batting average, two home runs and five RBIs. Manager Don Mattingly says he was never worried about Bour: "I just want to see good at-bats. I'm not really worried about the number as far as he's hitting .150 or 60 or 70 or 80 or whatever that is. You're looking for quality at-bats." It looks like that patience is finally paying off.
Milwaukee Brewers: Matt Garza, who started the season on the disabled list with a right groin strain, will be activated Monday in order to make his 2017 debut, starting for the Brewers against the Reds. Tommy Milone, who pitched well but never lasted deeper than five innings in his three starts, will return to the bullpen, and Brent Suter will go back to Triple-A.
Minnesota Twins: Kennys Vargas was hitting just .227 at Triple-A, with 15 strikeouts in 44 at-bats. Nevertheless, manager Paul Molitor wants the slugger on his bench, so he's been recalled: "He just gives me more options when I want to DH or spell Joe (Mauer) a little bit. When he's not playing, he's a nice option to have when the long ball might be a play to win a game or get back in a game."
New York Mets: Yoenis Cespedes did not participate in the weekend series with the Nationals after pulling up lame due to a hamstring cramp on Thursday against the Phillies. Cespedes remains optimistic that he can rejoin the lineup on Tuesday, but if not, expect the Mets to place him on the 10-day DL. Manager Terry Collins says he needs to be convinced: "There will be some things that he's gonna have to do before the game. Because if you remember last year, we ran through a similar situation. And first game that he played after taking a few days off he ended up getting hurt. We'll make sure that doesn't happen."
New York Yankees: With the three-game series in Pittsburgh in their taillights, the Yankees can go back to having Matt Holliday in their lineup. Holliday went 0-for-2 with a walk in a pinch-hitting role over the weekend. In early May, the Yankees have a road trip that will send them to the Cubs and Reds. If Holliday gets hot before then, manager Joe Girardi may be more willing to play him in the field. "I'll see what we do on the next trip," he said.
Oakland Athletics: With Rajai Davis sidelined for the last three games with a left hamstring injury, Jaff Decker had a chance to make an impact. Going 0-for-7 with four strikeouts in his three starts doesn't seem like it did the job. Manager Bob Melvin expects Davis to return shortly, and to hit the ground running when he does. "That's obviously a big part of his game, the running portion, so we don't want to overdo it, and we want to give him time so once he's in there, he can play his game."
Philadelphia Phillies: Howie Kendrick went on the 10-day DL last Tuesday with a strained oblique, and he is now expected to be sidelined for at least 2-3 weeks. Aaron Altherr, in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak (.400) should see an uptick in playing time as a result. The Phillies also sent cash to Toronto for Ty Kelly for some multi-positional depth.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Obviously, the biggest news out of Pittsburgh from the past week was the 80-game suspension handed out to Starling Marte for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Since that news broke, right field has been manned by a combination of Adam Frazier, John Jaso and Jose Osuna, who have gone a combined 4-for-21 (.190). At least Andrew McCutchen has been hitting .313 since returning to center field, so his fantasy owners haven't been too hurt by this news just yet.
St. Louis Cardinals: There's nothing exciting about a middle infielder with a .229 batting average. However, given that Kolten Wong has hit .333 in 21 at-bats, with a home run, five RBI and two steals over his last seven games, there may be something to see here. Manager Mike Matheny has certainly noticed the improvement: "He had some really good at-bats this series. He swung the bat well in big situations. That's the kind of player we expect to see. ... He can be a game-changer."
San Diego Padres: After a 6-for-12 series over the weekend against the Marlins, Manuel Margot is now batting .286 on the season. He ranks fifth overall among hitters with at least 70 plate appearances out of the leadoff spot. Manager Andy Green can't stop singing his praises: "I really believe he's going to develop pop in time, he's going to start driving balls out of the ballpark. Right now he's spitting line drives through the right side pretty consistently. I feel really good about what he's done for a young kid early in the season. He's gotten off to a great start."
San Francisco Giants: Yes, Madison Bumgarner's injury is a huge deal, but it's not the only bad news coming out of San Francisco. Denard Span may also be headed to the disabled list after smashing into the centerfield wall while making a catch on Saturday. The injury is to a joint near his right collarbone, and after a similar injury in 2012, Span missed two weeks of play. Should Span indeed miss time, Gorkys Hernandez and potential Triple-A callup Drew Stubbs are likely to split outfield duties.
Seattle Mariners: Apparently six hits in 54 at-bats was enough for the Mariners to decide that Leonys Martin was no longer cutting it at the big-league level. As a result, they designated Martin for assignment and recalled first baseman Dan Vogelbach from Triple-A, where he was hitting .309 with 14 RBIs. Manager Scott Servais singled out Guillermo Heredia as a beneficiary of this roster move: "We want to let some other guys play. Heredia and some other guys we have, offensively, have the opportunity to do a little more than Leonys was doing."
Tampa Bay Rays: Except for Chris Archer, the Rays' starting rotation is not doing the bullpen any favors. As a group, they're barely getting past the fifth inning and have posted an ERA of 3.95. With the Rays averaging 4.65 runs per game, that leaves the pen with little room for error. Of course, there's a fear that Archer will try to do too much to relieve some of that bullpen when he's on mound, especially when you hear him say things like: "It's important (to pitch deeper) because that's how we're going to be successful, so we have to go out there, fill up the strike zone, compete and try to stay in there as long as we possibly can."
Texas Rangers: On the one hand, it's easy to dismiss Sunday lineups as just being by-products of multiple days off that managers typically grant their players at the end of the week. But with Elvis Andrus batting cleanup for the Rangers, manager Jeff Banister explained that unexpected lineups might become the new normal in Texas: "It's how you create offense. It's easy to have the same lineup and go. If it works, great. ... I don't think we have a static lineup." Daily fantasy players should keep an eye on Texas and make no assumptions.
Toronto Blue Jays: Complete games from starting pitchers have all but gone the way of the dinosaur. However, Marcus Stroman now has two such outings in his four 2017 starts, after a 6-2 win over the Angels on Sunday. "To get that late in the game and to get a win, it's just a feel-good moment for the entire team," Stroman said. Even more eye-opening is that Stroman has yet to top 100 pitches in any of his games, including the pair of nine-inning starts. Only 16 pitchers managed at least two complete games all of last season.
Washington Nationals: While it's typically not good news when a pitcher has to miss a start, this time is the exception for Stephen Strasburg. The Nationals pitcher will leave the team for a few days to be with his wife as she gives birth to their second child. For fantasy owners, the timing is perfect, as Strasburg will avoid an outing in Coors Field. Expect him to return to action during Washington's next series, at home against the Mets.