Washington Nationals infielder Curtis Mead has seen increased playing time in the nation's capital in the first half of the 2026 season, giving him some deep-league fantasy value for his power stroke from the right side of the plate. The 25-year-old Australian has hit .232/.343/.465 with a career-best .807 OPS, a career-high 11 home runs, 34 RBI, 33 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 61 games across 216 plate appearances so far this year in his first year with the Nationals. Before this season, Mead had never played in more than 90 games in the big leagues in his three years in the league after debuting in 2023 with the Tampa Bay Rays. While he has some appeal in deeper leagues for his power, Mead has gone just 11-for-53 (.208) with three home runs, one double, nine RBI, seven runs scored, five walks, and 12 strikeouts in 16 games in June. Mead sits in the 58th percentile in hard-hit rate, the 70th percentile in barrel rate, and the 89th percentile in xwOBA while sporting a .261 expected batting average and .367 xwOBA. The power is real, and with eligibility at second, third, and first base, Mead can help fantasy managers in deeper leagues in need of more pop. He's rostered in 20% of Yahoo leagues.

From RotoBaller

Although San Francisco Giants right-handed reliever Caleb Kilian only has one save in his seven appearances out of the bullpen in June, he is the preferred closing choice for manager Tony Vitello and the top option for saves in fantasy in San Francisco. In his first year in the Bay Area and his fourth in the big leagues, Kilian has gone 2-3 with a career-low 3.06 ERA (4.25 FIP), 1.11 WHIP, his first four career saves, 38 strikeouts, and 15 walks in 32 1/3 innings pitched. Tristan Beck picked up the Giants' last save on Wednesday, but Kilian still feels like the favorite for saves in this bullpen since Ryan Walker returned to the big leagues. Since allowing a season-high five earned runs against the Colorado Rockies in a blown save and a loss on May 29, Kilian has thrown 7 1/3 scoreless innings with four hits allowed, three walks, 11 strikeouts, a win, and a save. The former eighth-round pick in 2019 out of Texas Tech University isn't going to have a long leash if he struggles, but right now, he's your best bet if you're scrounging for saves on the waiver wire. Kilian is rostered in just 9% of Yahoo leagues.

From RotoBaller

Cincinnati Reds right-handed reliever Emilio Pagan (hamstring) felt good during his 20-pitch live bullpen session (he used his full repertoire of pitches) on Friday at Yankee Stadium, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "The fastball command was good, stuff was good. Physically, I felt strong. I'm really happy with how it went," Pagn said. "I felt like I could have thrown probably another 15-20 more, too. I felt like I was getting stronger as I went. That's a good sign." The 35-year-old has been out since he strained his left hamstring on May 5 against the division-rival Chicago Cubs, and his original prognosis was that he would miss four to eight weeks. Pagan threw his first bullpen on June 9 and has continued to progress without setbacks. He will next throw another live bullpen on Monday, and if that goes well, manager Terry Francona expects him to start a minor-league rehab assignment. The Reds' bullpen has mostly struggled the last six weeks without Pagan. The veteran reliever had a 6.43 ERA and six saves in nine chances before his injury, but he's coming off a career year in 2025 in which he had a 2.88 ERA and a career-high 32 saves. The expectation is that Francona will reinsert Pagan as the team's primary closer whenever he's activated from the IL.

From RotoBaller

Colorado Rockies right-handed pitcher Jaden Hill earned his second save in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 26-year-old entered with runners on the corners and one out (replacing Brennan Bernardino) before hitting Nick Gonzales to load the bases. Hill recovered by striking out Tyler Callihan, and the game ended when Jake Mangum's groundball resulted in a forceout. He now has two saves, a 5.06 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and 28 strikeouts over 26 2/3 innings. Hill has recorded Colorado's two most recent saves, moving him to the front of an unsettled ninth-inning committee. Antonio Senzatela, Victor Vodnik, and Juan Mejia remain capable of receiving opportunities, while Hill's poor ratios create considerable fantasy risk. His 1% Yahoo roster rate makes him easy to find for managers seeking a speculative saves pickup in deeper leagues, as he appears to see his fantasy value gradually increasing.

From RotoBaller

The New York Yankees announced on Sunday that they reinstated catcher Austin Wells (head) from the 10-day injured list. Wells returns to the Yankees after missing two weeks while dealing with cervical headaches, but it's unclear if he'll be in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale in the Bronx on Father's Day against the Cincinnati Reds. During three minor-league rehab games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Wells went 2-for-12 at the plate with two home runs. Now that he's back, the left-handed-hitting backstop will return to starting catching duties for the Yankees, with Ali Sanchez backing him up. The 26-year-old former 28th overall pick in 2020 out of the University of Arizona had a career-high 21 home runs and drove in 71 runs in 126 regular-season games in 2025 in his second full season in the big leagues, so he's displayed above-average power for a catcher. However, before landing on the IL, Wells was struggling mightily with a .166/.278/.255 slash line, career-low .533 OPS, four homers, seven RBI, and a 26.6% strikeout rate in 47 games across 169 plate appearances. Wells is rostered in under 10% of Yahoo leagues.

From RotoBaller

Washington Nationals right-handed pitcher Clayton Beeter earned his fifth save in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The 27-year-old allowed one run on one hit and two walks (one intentional) but escaped further damage by striking out the final two batters with the tying run at second base. Beeter is now 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 25 strikeouts, and has earned five saves over 22 1/3 innings. The ninth-inning picture is not completely settled, as Gus Varland leads Washington with six saves and converted an opportunity earlier in the week. Still, Beeter received the club's latest save chance and has the strikeout ability to remain prominently involved. Only 11% rostered on Yahoo, he should be prioritized in deeper leagues by fantasy managers willing to navigate a committee for potential saves.

From RotoBaller

According to Martn Gallegos of MLB.com, the Athletics are calling up first baseman/outfielder Joey Meneses from Triple-A Las Vegas. The 34-year-old earned another major-league opportunity by batting .348 with a .944 OPS, 11 home runs, 20 doubles, and 76 RBI across 69 games at Triple-A. Meneses has produced in the majors before, most notably when he hit .324 with 13 home runs and 34 RBI over 56 games for the Washington Nationals in 2022. Brent Rooker's absence creates a potential path to at-bats at designated hitter or in the corner spots, although Nick Kurtz's presence at first base leaves Meneses without a guaranteed everyday role. His Pacific Coast League production should also be viewed cautiously until he proves it against major-league pitching. Completely un-rostered at 0% on Yahoo, Meneses is worth a speculative pickup in AL-only and deeper redraft leagues for managers seeking power and RBI help.

From RotoBaller

Baltimore Orioles middle infielder Jackson Holliday (groin) was pulled from Saturday night's game early against the Los Angeles Dodgers due to groin tightness, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com. Manager Craig Albernaz didn't want it to become too serious. Before leaving the eventual 3-2 win over the Dodgers on the road, Holliday went 0-for-3 at the plate with two strikeouts. He was replaced at second base by Jeremiah Jackson. It doesn't sound like Holliday's injury is particularly serious, so we'll consider him day-to-day. However, fantasy managers shouldn't expect Holliday to be back in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale at Dodger Stadium. After his hitless performance on Saturday, the 22-year-old former first overall pick in 2022 is hitting just .200 (17-for-85) with four homers, 12 RBI, 14 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 29 games after getting a late start to the 2026 season due to a broken hamate bone in his hand that he suffered back in February. Holliday has 20-20 upside as a former top prospect, but he has yet to put it all together at the big-league level.

From RotoBaller

Guardians' 2B Travis Bazzana scored 33.5 fantasy points going 8-for-17 with three home runs and six RBIs in five games this week. Bazzana is owned in 61.3% of mixed leagues.

Cubs' SS Dansby Swanson had three stolen bases and a .250 average with 3 RBIs in five games this week. Swanson is owned only in 18.7% of mixed leagues.

Minnesota's RF Trevor Larnach scored 29.0 fantasy points going 10-for-19 with two home runs and six RBIs in four games this week. Larnach is owned only in 0.1% of mixed leagues.

Brewers' SS Cooper Pratt had three stolen bases and a .375 average with 2 RBIs in five games this week. Pratt is owned only in 0.0% of mixed leagues.

Cubs' 3B Matt Shaw scored 25.5 fantasy points going 6-for-21 with a home run and seven RBIs in five games this week. Shaw is owned only in 0.6% of mixed leagues.

Pirates' 3B Jared Triolo had three stolen bases and a .286 average in four games this week. Triolo is owned only in 0.0% of mixed leagues.

Royals' C Carter Jensen had a slash line of .471/.500/.824 going 8-for-17 with 3 RBIs in four games this week. Jensen is owned in 53.7% of mixed leagues.

Twins' DH Josh Bell scored 32.0 fantasy points going 9-for-21 with two home runs and seven RBIs in five games this week. Bell is owned only in 5.0% of mixed leagues.

Nationals' SS Nasim Nunez scored 27.5 fantasy points going 9-for-14 and two RBIs in five games this week. Nunez is owned only in 14.3% of mixed leagues.

Blue Jays' 2B Andres Gimenez had three stolen bases and a .375 average with 3 RBIs in five games this week. Gimenez is owned only in 6.1% of mixed leagues.

San Diego Padres' SP Walker Buehler had an ERA of 1.80 and a WHIP of 1.47 in 15 innings over his last three games. Buehler is owned only in 19.5% of mixed leagues.

Blue Jays' RF George Springer scored 29.0 fantasy points going 7-for-19 with two home runs and five RBIs in five games this week. Springer is owned in 55.5% of mixed leagues.