Anthony’s Fantasy Baseball Week in Review – May 19th – May 25th

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  • By Anthony Kates

    Last Updated on May 27, 2025 1:22 am by Anthony Kates | Published: May 27, 2025

    Every Tuesday I take a look at and review the previous week’s fantasy performances. We crown the top ten hitters and top ten pitchers, cover injury news and transactions that impact the fantasy landscape, review noteworthy performances from across the league and check in on the state of the relief corps.

    Top 10 Fantasy Hitters of the Week

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    Top 10 Fantasy Pitchers of the Week

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    Injury News

    1. The Tigers placed SP Reese Olson on the 15-day injured list on Monday with right ring finger inflammation. He threw off of flat ground on Thursday, which was the first time he had done any throwing since landing on the injured list. Olson doesn’t believe he will need much more than the minimum 15 days before returning to the mound, but he needs to start throwing off of a mound if he wishes to make his stay on the IL short.
    2. RP Porter Hodge was diagnosed with a left oblique strain on Tuesday and placed on the 15-day injured list by the Cubs. The Cubs bullpen will need to shake up the hierarchy, with Daniel Palencia and Ryan Pressly the most obvious arms in the saves race. There is no news on how long he is expected to be out, but expect it to last longer than the minimum 15 days.
    3. The Nationals placed their young OF, Dylan Crews, on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday after he was diagnosed with a left oblique strain. He suffered the strain on a check swing in Tuesday’s game against the Braves. It is unknown how much time Crews could miss because the severity of the strain has not been disclosed yet.
    4. The Rockies placed rookie SP Chase Dollander on the 15-day injured list on Thursday with right forearm tightness. He will be sidelined for a couple of weeks and we won’t have a solid timeline for his return until he can start to throw the ball again.
    5. SP Ronel Blanco was placed on the 15-day injured list on Thursday, after the Astros starter was diagnosed with inflammation in his right elbow during an examination. He is seeking the dreaded second opinion, which doesn’t always mean the injury is the worst of the worst (aka Tommy John), but rarely does a second opinion result in a better diagnosis. There is no timeline on Blanco’s return, but fantasy managers and Astros fans have to hope the second opinion doesn’t reveal any additional damage or a worse injury.
    6. On Thursday, the Giants placed SP Justin Verlander on the 15-day injured list with a right pectoral strain. On Sunday, Giants Manager Bob Melvin stated that Verlander is on track to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday. If all goes well, then he would be able to return from the IL after the minimum 15 days are up.
    7. Red Sox 3B Alex Bregman was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a right quadriceps strain. He suffered the injury while rounding first base in the Red Sox win over Baltimore on Friday. Unfortunately for Bregman, it sounds like this will be a long IL stay, as Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that the strain is similar to the he suffered in 2021 when he was with the Astros, that led to him missing over 50 games. At this time there is no timeline for return and we won’t know more until Bregman is able to resume baseball activities. Assume he is out until after the All-Star break and breathe a sigh of relief if he is back before then.
    8. Padres SP Michael King was scratched from his start on Saturday due to should stiffness and then placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday with right should inflammation. He will now miss a total of at least three starts, though we do not know the exact timeline for a return, so he could miss additional starts if he is not ready to get back on the mound on June 6th.


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    May 27, 2025, 1:22 am