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USATSI

Happy Tuesday, everyone. Of course, it was another unhappy Monday for anyone who used a premium draft pick on Blue Jays SP Alek Manoah. After performing as one of the best overall draft picks and top starting pitchers in Fantasy Baseball last season, Manoah has been better left on benches this season,  and that was true of his outing on Monday. He didn't make it through five innings en route to allowing five runs and it could've been worse if he didn't get a little help from a pick off and from his bullpen after being pulled in the fifth. It's the second consecutive outing where Manoah couldn't make it through five. 

With this shellacking, Manoah's ERA jumps to 5.40, and if his slider is going to continue to perform this poorly, Manoah doesn't belong anywhere near your starting lineups. We'll dive into a few Waiver Wire pitchers that Chris Towers is suggesting and other nuggets to help you find someone to take Manoah's place in your lineups. If you roster him, all you can do is bench, hold and pray.

Let's dive into more of the action from Monday:

Wacha what

If you need a Manoah replacement, we might have someone for you. The most added starting pitchers in CBS leagues are Eury Perez, Dane Dunning, James Paxton, JP France and Louie Varland but maybe Padres SP Michael Wacha belongs on that list too. He took a no-hitter into the eighth inning on Monday and finished with seven shutout innings -- one hit, one walk and a career high 11 strikeouts on 103 pitches. Wacha's changeup was lights out and generated 10 swinging strikes. He has now allowed just one earned run over his past three starts and pitches behind a great lineup. Wacha's trick has been his ability to limit hard contact, and if that keeps up he'll be rostered in a lot more than 64% of leagues like he is now on CBS.

Waiver wire priorities

Chris Towers broke down the top waiver priorities after Monday's action and here are a few of the standouts from Chris:

Brenton Doyle, OF, Rockies: "As a general rule, if you have any interesting skills as a hitter, we're going to be interested in you if you play for the Rockies. It feels like it's been a few years since that's actually worked out, but I'll throw Brenton Doyle out there after his two-homer game Monday. He's hitting .250 with an .836 OPS, four homers, and six steals in 17 games, and that power-speed combo is pretty intriguing in Coors Field. He's worth a look in deeper five-outfielder leagues.

Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners: "I'm surprised that Raleigh's roster rate has shrunk enough that he could realistically be featured in this column, but Monday's game showed us why he probably needs to be rostered in all leagues – at least all leagues with two catchers. He homered twice and went 3 for 4, with three batted balls with an exit velocity over 107 mph. He's not far off from last year's 27-homer pace, and his .320 expected wOBA actually outpaces his actual .308 mark, so you could argue he's been better than his results so far."

Towers also broke down Flaherty's impressive Monday start and what it means:

'Many Fantasy players surely gave up on Flaherty, whose roster rate was down to 70% entering play Monday. Flaherty was notably frustrated when asked about his diminished velocity in his previous couple of starts, and I, for one, was ready to give up on him.

"And then Monday happened.

"Flaherty turned the clock back in an 18-1 win over the Brewers, tossing seven brilliant, shutout innings in his longest start in over two years. He struck out 10 in the outing, his first double-digit strikeout game since September of 2020, and he walked just two while allowing three hits. It was the best results we've seen from Flaherty in years – and there's something kind of funny about this performance coming in Willson Contreras' return to catching after the Cardinals seemingly made him the fall guy for their rotation's struggles."

News & notes

  • Manny Machado exited after getting hit by a pitch on his hand. We don't have any test results yet. 
  • Cody Bellinger left Monday's game with a left leg injury he suffered while making a leaping catch. Initial tests have ruled out a serious injury, thankfully.
  • Christian Yelich was removed due to back tightness, which is worrisome given his injury history. 
  • Jose Altuve will move his rehab assignment to Double-A for the next few games. 
  • Nico Hoerner remains on track for activation when first eligible Friday. 
  • Brandon Woodruff was transferred to the 60-day IL as he continues to recover from a sub-scapular strain in his right shoulder. The Brewers have a tentative goal of Woodruff returning before the end of June.
  • Corey Seager is expected to return in the next couple days. He's been out since April 12 with a left hamstring strain.
  • The Rays reinstated Pete Fairbanks. Jason Adam has been awesome in Fairbanks' absence, picking up five saves.
  • CJ Cron was placed on the IL with back spasms. Mike Moustakas started at first base and was batting cleanup Monday. Michael Toglia was also recalled.
  • Luis Severino may be activated to start this Sunday in Cincinnati. He'll make another rehab start Tuesday.
  • Willson Contreras started at catcher Monday, his first time since May 4.
  • Tyler O'Neill is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Thursday. He's missed the past few weeks with a lower-back strain.
  • Twins prospect Royce Lewis has moved his rehab up to Triple-A. 
  • Anthony Rendon was placed on the IL with a left groin strain. Gio Urshela started at third base Monday.
  • The Braves transferred Kyle Wright to the 60-day IL. He's out with that strained right shoulder. 
  • Jose Alvarado is expected to begin a throwing program in the early part of this week. Perhaps Craig Kimbrel and Gregory Soto won't have Fantasy value for long.
  • Hayden Wesneski was optioned to Triple-A. Kyle Hendricks could potentially take that rotation spot later this week.
  • Joc Pederson was placed on IL with a right hand contusion while Mike Yastrzemski was reinstated.
  • TJ Friedl was placed on the IL with a left oblique strain. Jake Fraley, Stuart Fairchild and Wil Myers started in the outfield Monday.
  • Jared Shuster will be recalled from Triple-A to start Tuesday against the Rangers.
  • Joey Votto was transferred to the 60-day IL, which freed up a spot for Matt McLain on the 40-man roster.
  • Hyun-Jin Ryu has been throwing bullpen sessions at the Blue Jays' spring training complex. He's aiming to return some time around the All-Star break. 
  • Luke Voit was placed on the IL with a strained neck. Darin Ruf has been signed to replace him on the roster.
  • Dylan Carlson underwent imaging on his left ankle Monday. Alec Burlseon started in left field with Brendan Donovan in right.
  • Brad Boxberger went to the IL with a strained forearm. It appears that Mark Leiter Jr. and Adbert Alzolay are the leaders in the Cubs' bullpen.
  • Brandon Williamson will make his Reds debut Tuesday in Coors Field.