What you need to know for Thursday's MLB Games

[biggins]

Ten players on the Kansas City Royals' 26-man roster will not make the trip to Toronto this week because they are unvaccinated, sources tell ESPN. That includes the team’s lone All-Star and a top trade target, outfielder Andrew Benintendi. Multiple regulars among those missing.​

The 10 Kansas City Royals who are not vaccinated and will miss the trip to Toronto are: OF Andrew Benintendi, IF/OF Whit Merrifield, C M.J. Melendez, DH Hunter Dozier, SP Brad Keller, SP Brady Singer, CF Michael A. Taylor, OF Kyle Isbel, RP Dylan Coleman and C Cam Gallagher.

Up until today, 25 total visiting players had not been allowed into Canada because they were unvaccinated. Kansas City by itself has 10 -- including four of its five top hitters and its two best starters. They'll be replaced by a rash of AAA and AA players who will be in Toronto.

 

[biggins]

• Thursday's 13-game slate is headlined by a showdown between Corbin Burnes and Carlos Rodon. Both hurlers have been top-10 fantasy starters this season, and the duo occupies the top two pitcher spots on the Player Rater over the last 30 days, with Rodon ranking first and Burnes second. For DFS purposes, Rodon, who fired a complete game with 12 Ks against the San Diego Padres his last time out, gets the better matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brew Crew ranks 22nd in baseball with a 93 wRC+ and 23.4% strikeout rate versus left-handed pitching.
• Braxton Garrett (1%) doesn't have an overpowering arsenal, so he carries some start-to-start risk because he doesn't have a large margin for error. Then again, that risk is mitigated when you match up against the Pittsburgh Pirates, one of the worst teams in baseball against left-handed pitching. In addition to an 85 wRC+ and .288 wOBA, the Bucs are fanning at a 26% clip against southpaws, putting Garrett firmly on the streaming radar for Thursday's action.
  • Keegan Thompson (40%) has been on a nice roll, spinning a 1.93 ERA and 11.3 K/9 over his last five starts, which included difficult matchups against the Dodgers, Red Sox and Braves. Part of the 27-year-old's recent success has been fueled by the recent addition of a slider, a pitch he just started implementing in late June. A home matchup against the New York Mets puts Thompson in a tough spot on Thursday, but with the way he's been handling other top-tier offenses, he's earned streamer consideration.
  • Over the last month, the Atlanta Braves' Michael Harris has been the second-best outfielder in fantasy, according to the ESPN Player Rater. Dating back to June 8, the 21-year-old is hitting .310/.344/.569 while flashing both power (seven homers) and speed (seven steals). Yet somehow, he's still available in 40% of ESPN leagues. This is a skill set you want to invest in, and the rookie's matchup on Thursday against Anibal Sanchez and his 6.62 ERA is a perfect time to add his services.
  • While Nestor Cortes was the talk of baseball in April and May, he's been struggling of late, posting a 5.34 ERA over his last six outings. He's particularly had trouble with the long ball, as he's surrendered nine homers in his last six starts after giving up just four dingers in his first 10 turns. The Cincinnati Reds offense has continued to struggle as a whole, but this looks like a sneaky opportunity to get their bats going. Brandon Drury (91%), Tyler Stephenson(81%), Jonathan India (65%), Tommy Pham(57%) and Nick Senzel (6%) all have the platoon advantage on Thursday and are worth DFS and streamer consideration.

 

[BobbyFK]

Thanks Biggins!

 

[carolinakid]

GL with all your thur action Bigs a good action today plus we have the CFL GAME AS WELL