Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Sunday

The return of SP Clayton Kershaw fortified the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation, as will both SP Yoshinobu Yamamoto and SP Walker Buehler rejoining the club down the line. In the interim, Justin Wrobleski and River Ryan have helped Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone hold down the fort. On Sunday, it's Ryan's turn to take the hill.

Ryan is not a placeholder. In February for ESPN+, Kiley McDaniel listed Ryan as the Dodgers' No. 6 prospect (102nd overall). Ryan experienced shoulder fatigue in the spring, delaying his reporting to Triple-A Oklahoma City. After a few rehab efforts in the low minors, Ryan started five times in Triple-A, posting a 2.76 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 19 strikeouts in 16 1/3 frames. It's important to note that Ryan is 25 years old, which is a bit advanced for the level. Scouts are still divided with respect to Ryan's long-term role. Some still peg him as a starter, while others earmark him for the bullpen.

Ryan held his own in his debut earlier in the week, limiting the San Francisco Giants to just one unearned run in 5 1/3 innings. He scattered four hits while fanning two and issuing three walks. The effort isn't enough to trust Ryan on Sunday when the Dodgers wrap up a road set with the Houston Astros. However, Ryan should continue to help lengthen the Dodgers' rotation down the stretch, and he'll often be in play for streaming purposes.

What you may have missed on Saturday

• Seattle Mariners SP Bryan Woo completed four innings before leaving last night's outing after experiencing pain in his right hamstring. Woo spent time on the IL in June with a right hamstring sprain. Even so, the club doesn't believe last night's injury is serious and expects Woo to make his next start.

• Pittsburgh Pirates 2B Nick Gonzales exited last night's contest in the sixth inning after reporting left groin discomfort. Gonzales was slated to be evaluated and his status for Sunday's game unclear. The Pirates were already playing without 1B Rowdy Tellez, who is day-to-day with back spasms.

• Philadelphia Phillies 3B Alec Bohm left last night's game in the seventh inning with a left ankle contusion. The severity of the injury is unclear. Edmundo Sosa replaced Bohm and is the likely fill-in if Bohm must miss more action. The Phillies also announced that newly-acquired OF Austin Hays is earmarked for regular action in left field, leaving Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas to platoon in center field.

• Milwaukee Brewers OF Jackson Chourio missed last night's game with an ear infection. He's considered day-to-day. The club is shorthanded in the outfield with Christian Yelich also sidelined. Blake Perkins has been losing playing time lately, but he should play more if Chourio is forced to miss more action.

• Oakland Athletics RP Tyler Ferguson recorded his second save last night. It was assumed RP Lucas Erceg would be the chief closer, but Ferguson collected a save last Thursday and again yesterday. However, it should be noted that Erceg has pitched on Thursday and Friday, garnering a save on Friday. Furthermore, he was brought in during the eighth inning Thursday to face the second through fourth batters in the lineup, leaving Ferguson to retire the bottom of the order for his save. It appears that the Athletics will deploy Erceg when the game is on the line, so Ferguson could gather a few more saves.

• New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that SP Kodai Senga is expected to miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a high-grade calf strain. Senga will rehab in the hope that the Mets make the playoffs, but he isn't being counted on for the regular season.

Everything else you need to know for Sunday

• Sunday marks the return of the 11:35 a.m. start, which is when waivers and free agents lock for the day. This week's contest features the Tampa Bay Rays hosting the Cincinnati Reds. The Sunday night ESPN contest showcases the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in Fenway Park.

• Sunday's card is not ideal for those needing a last-minute pitching boost in head-to-head leagues. The highest ranked streaming option is Washington Nationals SP DJ Herz (rostered in 1.2% of ESPN leagues), and he's best described as high risk/high reward. The upside comes in the form of strikeouts, as he has fanned double-digit batters in two of his eight outings. However, he has failed to punch out more than five hitters in his remaining six appearances. Furthermore, he's facing a St. Louis Cardinals lineup with one of the lowest strikeout rates with a left-hander on the hill.

• Next on the list is New York Mets SP David Peterson (3.6% rostered) in a home date with the Atlanta Braves. There was a time streaming against the Braves was a bad idea, but they're without three of their best hitters and have been especially vulnerable to lefty pitching on the road. Peterson has to do a better job limiting walks, as he has issued 18 free passes over his last 32 innings, but he has also fanned 30 in that spanning while posting a 2.53 ERA.

• After opening his MLB career with a pair of six-inning efforts, allowing just one run in each, Arizona Diamondbacks SP Yilber Diaz (3.2%) was tagged for seven runs over three stanzas in his last outing against the Kansas City Royals. Diaz is in a favorable spot to rebound Sunday in a home affair against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The visitors sport the second lowest wOBA with a righty on the hill and carry an above-average strikeout rate.

• SP Tobias Myers (18.0%) is one of the reasons the Milwaukee Brewers are in the driver's seat in the NL Central. Over his last eight starts, Myers has recorded a pristine 1.95 ERA and 0.99 WHIP. Myers fanned a tepid 41 in 50 2/3 innings over that span but walked a stingy 12 while yielding only four homers. Myers enjoys a juicy home date with the Miami Marlins, whose lineup sports the third-worst wOBA with a right-hander on the mound.

• Betting tip of the day: With SP Ranger Suarez on the IL, the Philadelphia Phillies have called up SP Kolby Allard to start today at home against the Cleveland Guardians. Allard has recorded a 5.23 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in 63 2/3 innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. This bodes well for the Guardians offense, most notably 3B Jose Ramirez. I'll take the over on Ramirez and 1.5 hits (+175).

It's not too late to start a free fantasy baseball league. Leagues drafted this week will start scoring fresh the following Monday. Come and join the fun!

Starting pitcher rankings for Sunday

Reliever report

To get the latest information on each team's bullpen hierarchy, as well as which pitchers might be facing a bit of fatigue and who might be the most likely suspects to vulture a save or pick up a surprise hold in their stead, check out the latest Closer Chart, which will be updated every morning.

Hitting report

Plan ahead in fantasy baseball with help from our Forecaster projections. Each day, we will provide an updated preview of the next 10 days for every team, projecting the matchup quality for hitters (overall and by handedness) as well as for base stealers.

Best sub-50% rostered hitters for Sunday

Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing, and lots more.

• Ryan O'Hearn (BAL, 1B -- 38%) vs. Randy Vasquez

• Taylor Ward (LAA, LF -- 46%) vs. Osvaldo Bido

• Jorge Soler (SF, RF -- 45%) vs. Austin Gomber

• Matt Chapman (SF, 3B -- 47%) vs. Gomber

• Joc Pederson (ARI, LF -- 9%) vs. Mitch Keller

• Anthony Rendon (LAA, 3B -- 1%) vs. Bido

• Michael Massey (KC, 2B -- 2%) vs. Javier Assad

• Hunter Renfroe (KC, RF -- 3%) vs. Assad

• Byron Buxton (MIN, DH -- 30%) at Alex Faedo

• Rhys Hoskins (MIL, 1B -- 28%) vs. Kyle Tyler

Worst over-50% rostered hitters for Sunday

• Brenton Doyle (COL, CF -- 59%) at Jordan Hicks

• Anthony Volpe (NYY, SS -- 77%) at Tanner Houck

• Ryan McMahon (COL, 3B -- 55%) at Hicks

• Jeremy Pena (HOU, SS -- 53%) vs. River Ryan

• Cal Raleigh (SEA, C -- 75%) at Garrett Crochet

• Gleyber Torres (NYY, 2B -- 56%) at Houck

• Dansby Swanson (CHC, SS -- 53%) at Cole Ragans

• Elly De La Cruz (CIN, SS -- 99%) at Tyler Alexander

• Spencer Steer (CIN, 1B -- 96%) at Alexander

• Ian Happ (CHC, LF -- 79%) at Ragans

The BAT X's Best Stacks for Sunday

• Cleveland Guardians at Kolby Allard

• Baltimore Orioles vs. Randy Vasquez

• Kansas City Royals vs. Javier Assad