Shane McClanahan is nearly all the way back to his pre-injury form. (Frank Franklin II/AP)
This week, Junior Caminero became the youngest player since 1900 to go yard in six straight games; Dansby Swanson stayed hot, enjoying the most productive day by a Cub since Sammy Sosa in 2002; and the Yankees are on their longest losing streak in three years (seven straight setbacks). Other Fantasy baseball stories we’re following include…
Shane McClanahan Nearly Back to 2022 Version
Just over a year ago, the Tampa Bay Rays looked like they were having a solid bounce back season, posting a 36-32 mark to begin the campaign. They remained hot, winning 10 of their next 13 games, but a 22-8 shellacking at the hands of Baltimore near the end of June started a swoon that saw Tampa Bay go just 31-50 in the second half to miss the playoffs again.
Well, once again the Rays enjoyed a strong first half, and after beating KC 4-0 on Wednesday, they’ve won seven straight games to surge past the reeling Yankees into the AL East lead with a 3.5-game bulge.
What’s really helped Tampa Bay this season has been the return of starter Shane McClanahan after battling injuries for over two years. Back in June 2023, his back acted up, but that was a minor woe compared to two months later when he underwent Tommy John surgery.
That ended McClanahan’s season early and cost him all of 2024, but then he doubled down with a nerve injury that sidelined him all of last season as well.
Well, he’s finally active again and while he still isn’t quite back to his 2022 level, he’s pretty damned close. McClanahan scuffled through June with four tough outings (winless with a 5.79 ERA), although he looked better in his final start (notwithstanding the gopheritis), and then — after given some extra rest — hurled six shutout frames to kick off July with one of his best starts of the season.
Despite getting the W on Wednesday, his record still isn’t sparkling at 7-5, but his ERA and hit rates have been very strong in 2026. McClanahan’s K rate hasn’t returned to its pre-injury form, but as an SP3 for your Fantasy team, he’s providing nice value. Consider him a top 25 starter for the rest of the season.
Interestingly, he went changeup heavy on Wednesday, throwing it almost 41 per cent of the time, whereas his four seam fastball is usually his lead pitch (36.9 per cent). This may be something to watch as it was the first time in over a month McClanahan didn’t issue a single walk. Of course, his slider – another of his excellent offerings – also features prominently and he’ll also mix in his curve over 14 per cent of the time.
We’re expecting McClanahan to up his K rate as he gets further away from his recent injuries and that’s a trend to follow in the second half. We know he’s capable…
Jordan Walker’s Breakout
Over the last few years, the St. Louis Cardinals have bounced around quite a bit, alternating bad seasons with good ones, yet haven’t made the playoffs in each of the last three years.
St. Louis got off to a strong start this year, winning 28 of its first 47 games, but is just 16-20 since to drop to third in the NL Central behind the red-hot Cubs, with the fourth place Pirates just three games back.
But just imagine where the Cardinals would be without Jordan Walker’s long-awaited breakout. In 2023, he was our third ranked prospect before graduating from our Top 100 Prospects in 2024 after a decent rookie effort.
However, Walker was ineffective in 2024 and then even worse in an injury-plagued campaign last year.
So nothing really prepared us for a 2026 season in which he’s emerged as an NL MVP candidate (+7000 as per FanDuel). Walker slowed down in June, especially from an extra-base power standpoint, but started July with an RBI single and stolen base (driving in the Cards’ only run of the day while recording one of their two hits).
His walk rate is actually down a smidge this season, but that’s been more than offset by a dramatically reduced strikeout rate, which has really helped drive one of the first half’s top breakout performances. At this stage, Walker is pretty much a consensus top 10 outfielder. Yes, he still swings (and misses) too much, but has compensated for that with bat speed that is in the 100th percentile.
Waiver Wire Pick of the Week
Shane Drohan, RP/SP, Milwaukee Brewers (ESPN: 4.7 per cent; CBS: 32 per cent): Drohan moved into the Milwaukee rotation at the start of June, and while it took him a few starts to stabilize, he looks good now, giving up just 14 hits and three runs over his last three starts covering 15 frames (while whiffing 15). Acquired from Boston in the Chad Durbin deal, Drohan’s emergence (combined with Kyle Harrison’s breakout) tilts this trade even more in favour of the Brewers. Depending on how long Drohan actually remains in the rotation, this may just be a short-term add, but you should consider pouncing while the opportunity presents itself.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
American jazz musician Eddie Harris was active from the early ’60s until his death in 1996. In 1993, he released Listen Here! with his Funk Project. The album’s longest track is “People Get Funny When They Get a Little Money.”