Dream11 Fantasy Baseball: Orioles at Blue Jays

Baltimore Orioles (14-19) at Toronto Blue Jays (18-14)

Monday, August 31st, 2:07 PM EDT

Projected Starters

LHP Keegan Akin (0-0, 8.10 ERA) vs RHP Chase Anderson (0-0, 3.68 ERA)

Game Preview

Both the Orioles and the Blue Jays are a few steps below both the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays in the race for a playoff berth in the AL East, although the Blue Jays have been getting decent results of late – they are four games above the .500 mark and could make a run to an AL Wild Card spot if they remain playing at this level. The Orioles, on the other hand, are still in the midst of a rebuilding process but are five games below the .500 threshold, so they might very well be a selling team during the upcoming trade deadline. The pitching matchup favors the Blue Jays as well, as they will send an experienced right-hander in Chase Anderson and his 3.68 ERA to the mound. The Orioles will counter with lefty Keegan Akin, who will be making his first career MLB start.

Injuries

Baltimore Orioles

Shawn Armstrong - 10-Day IL - Back

8/29 1:57 PM EST - The Orioles announced Saturday that they are putting Armstrong on the 10-day injured list with back soreness, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports. Armstrong hasn't pitched since last Saturday, when he gave up a run on two hits and a walk in just one-third of an inning against Boston. He will be eligible to return Sept. 5 as the transaction is retroactive to Aug. 26. The Orioles called up Evan Phillips in a corresponding move.

Chris Davis - 10-Day IL - Kneecap

8/21 12:19 PM EST - Davis was placed on the 10-day injured list with left patella tightness, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports. It's not yet clear how much time Davis is expected to miss. His loss won't be a particularly significant one for the Orioles, as he's hitting just .122/.173/.184 through 52 plate appearances this season, considerably worse than his quite poor numbers from the previous two campaigns. Ryan Mountcastle was recalled in a corresponding move.

Austin Hays - 10-Day IL - Ribs

8/25 1:56 PM EST - Hays (rib fracture) is without a timetable to return, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports. The Orioles originally said Hays would miss the minimum 10 days with the injury, which would have allowed him to return Tuesday. However, he either suffered a setback or has just been slower to heal than anticipated. At this point, it's tough to continue rostering Hays in mixed leagues that don't have IL spots.

Wade LeBlanc - 60-Day IL - Elbow

8/25 12:01 PM EST - LeBlanc was placed on the 45-day injured list Tuesday with a left elbow stress reaction. He is done for the season after logging an 8.06 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 22.1 innings. LeBlanc was on a one-year deal, so he may have to settle for a minor-league contract if he hopes to stay in affiliated ball in 2021.

Trey Mancini - 60-Day IL - Abdomen

6/28 1:21 PM EST - Mancini (cancer) was placed on the 45-day injured list Sunday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports. The 28-year-old announced in April he was undergoing six months of treatment for his battle with colon cancer, so it was only a matter of time before the team removed him from the 40-man roster. Mancini isn't expected to see the field in 2020 as a result, though he's expressed optimism about making a full recovery and resuming his career next season.

Richie Martin - 60-Day IL - Wrist

7/16 12:54 PM EST - Martin underwent surgery Wednesday to repair his fractured right wrist, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports. Martin is expected to miss 2-to-3 months following surgery, effectively putting an end to his 2020 season. He appeared in 120 games during his rookie season in 2019, slashing .208/.260/.322 in 309 plate appearances.

Josh Rogers - Out - Elbow

10/30 12:18 PM EST - Rogers (elbow) cleared waivers Wednesday and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. Rogers underwent Tommy John surgery in early July and is unlikely to pitch until late in 2020 if at all. He allowed 14 earned runs in 14.1 big-league innings prior to the injury.

Kohl Stewart - Out - Opt Out

7/31 1:22 PM EST - Stewart is opting out of the 2020 season due to concerns regarding COVID-19. The 25-year-old was in the mix to start Sunday's game versus the Rays, but he'll instead step away from the team due to the potential for serious complications from coronavirus as a Type 1 diabetic. Stewart was removed from the 60-man player pool and 40-man roster and was replaced by Tom Eshelman.

Stevie Wilkerson - Out - Finger

7/26 9:26 AM EST - Wilkerson (finger) could be sidelined for the rest of the season, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports. The Orioles haven't provided a specific recovery timeline, but it appears the 28-year-old may be sidelined for the next two-plus months after fracturing his left ring finger last week. Wilkerson had a .669 OPS in 119 games last season and was in competition for a spot on the 30-man roster prior to the injury.

Toronto Blue Jays

Bo Bichette - 10-Day IL - Knee

8/30 2:11 PM EST - Bichette (knee) ran sprints and was able to field ground balls and hit in the cage during his on-field workout Sunday prior to the Blue Jays' game against the Orioles, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. The Blue Jays remain reluctant to put a timeline on Bichette's return from the injured list, but with another day of baseball activities under his belt, the young shortstop looks well on his way to being activated at some point in September. Before Toronto pinpoints a target date for his return, Bichette may need to show that he can comfortably run the bases and change direction while fielding. Toronto has leaned on a platoon of Joe Panik and Santiago Espinal at shortstop since Bichette suffered the knee injury Aug. 15.

Yennsy Diaz - 60-Day IL - Lat

3/16 10:10 AM EST - Diaz was placed on the 60-day injured list Monday due to a lat strain, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports. Joe Panik was added to the Blue Jays' 40-man roster in a corresponding move. The severity of Diaz's injury and his expected return date remain to be seen.

Ken Giles - 10-Day IL - Forearm

8/28 12:52 PM EST - Giles (forearm) is ready to advance to live batting practice, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports. He threw a side session Friday that went well, with Giles reporting feeling good physically, so the next step will be to face live hitters. The Jays' bullpen has been solid in the late innings, with Jordan Romano and Anthony Bass both pitching well of late. However, if Giles gets back to normal physically, he will likely take back the ninth inning duties.

Elvis Luciano - 10-Day IL - Undisclosed

7/2 8:59 AM EST - The Blue Jays placed Luciano on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to an unspecified issue. Luciano was one of four Blue Jays placed on the IL, with no explanation given for any of the transactions. The move is retroactive to June 30, so if deemed healthy, Luciano would be eligible to return from the IL before the Blue Jays begin their season July 23 or 24. After being selected by the Blue Jays in the Rule 5 draft in December 2018, Luciano worked in mostly low-leverage spots out of the big-league bullpen as a rookie, posting a 5.35 ERA, 1.78 WHIP and 27:24 K:BB in 33.2 innings.

Tim Mayza - Out - Elbow

11/20 3:24 PM EST - Mayza (elbow) was outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday. The move helps clear space on the Blue Jays' 40-man roster for the team to protect Thomas Hatch and Santiago Espinal ahead of the Rule 5 draft. Mayza is expected to miss the entirety of the 2020 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Eric Pardinho - Out - Elbow

2/11 4:40 PM EST - Pardinho underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2020 season, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. Pardinho was promoted from rookie ball to Low-A in 2019 and delivered a 2.41 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 30:13 K:BB over 33.2 innings (seven starts), but he won't be able to pitch this season. The 19-year-old will have to focus on his recovery and look to come back in 2021.

Nate Pearson - 10-Day IL - Elbow

8/29 2:31 PM EST - Pearson (elbow) was throwing up to 90 feet Saturday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. Pearson played catch Friday for the first time from 60 feet and has now already upped the throwing distance to 90. There is no current outlook for a return, but it's not out of the discussion for the young right-hander to be activated before the regular season concludes.

Jordan Romano - 10-Day IL - Finger

8/29 2:24 PM EST - Romano (finger) is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks with middle finger numbness, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. The Blue Jays placed Romano on the 10-day injured list earlier in the day, but it appears as though he will need an extended absence. It's a tough break for the 27-year-old who was enjoying a 1.23 ERA and was just getting acclimated to the closer role before going down with the injury.

Matt Shoemaker - 10-Day IL - Lat

8/30 2:14 PM EST - Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said Shoemaker (lat) played catch from 60 feet Sunday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. As expected, Shoemaker was able to initiate his throwing program just over a week after being shut down with a right lat strain. The right-hander still has several benchmarks to meet in his rehab, but the Blue Jays are holding out hope that he'll be able to return from the IL at some point in the second half of September.

Trent Thornton - 60-Day IL - Elbow

8/27 9:23 AM EST - The Blue Jays transferred Thornton (elbow) to the 45-day injured list Thursday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. Though Thornton is expected to avoid surgery after he exited his Aug. 23 start with right elbow inflammation, his move to the 45-day IL will nonetheless spell an early end to his season. Before being shut down, Thornton made three starts for the Blue Jays, giving up seven runs on 15 hits and three walks in 5.2 innings. The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Taijuan Walker, whom the Blue Jays acquired from the Mariners on Thursday to bolster their rotation depth.

Breyvic Valera - Out - Undisclosed

7/21 4:38 PM EST - Valera is unable to report to camp for unspecified reasons and was placed on the restricted list Tuesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. The 28-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Padres in early July, but he hasn't appeared in camp with his new team. Valera has now changed organizations seven times -- including a previous stint with the Blue Jays -- and had a .234/.308/.383 slash line in 52 big-league plate appearances in 2019.

Blue Jays Expected Lineup

SP - Chase Anderson

1. Cavan Biggio

2. Randal Grichuk

3. Travis Shaw

4. Teoscar Hernandez

5. Vladimir Guerrero

6. Danny Jansen

7. Lourdes Gurriel

8. Brandon Drury

9. Santiago Espinal

Orioles Expected Lineup

SP - Keegan Akin

1. Hanser Alberto

2. Anthony Santander

3. Jose Iglesias

4. Renato Nunez

5. Pedro Severino

6. Rio Ruiz

7. Ryan Mountcastle

8. Chance Sisco

9. Cedric Mullins

Top Picks From Each Team

Randal Grichuk, Blue Jays: Grichuk has been one of the most consistent hitters in the Blue Jays roster this season, and he is currently riding a six-game hitting streak. The slugging outfielder is hitting .298 with a .949 OPS, although he has struck out in more than 25 percent of his plate appearances this month.

Anthony Santander, Orioles: Santander has hit safely in all but four of the Orioles' games in August, although three of those hitless performances have come in Baltimore's last five contests. Even if that scenario, the star outfielder has been a reliable power threat this season and is hitting .278 with a .929 OPS this month.

Captaincy Options

1. Randal Grichuk
2. Anthony Santander
3. Chase Anderson
4. Vladimir Guerrero

Dream11 Team

P – Chase Anderson

C – Pedro Severino

IF – Hanser Alberto

IF – Vladimir Guerrero

IF – Travis Shaw

IF – Santiago Espinal

OF – Lourdes Gurriel

OF – Randal Grichuk (C)

OF – Anthony Santander (VC)