Morning Java - 09/21: Burns' All-Star Season Ends at 15-3, Cease May Be Done Too, Bregman Hit in the Face On Deck
TL;DRSkim
The five fastest-moving roster calls of the morning, in priority order:
- DROP - Chase Burns (93% owned) is done for 2026 with a right groin strain. He finishes an All-Star season 15-3 with a 2.86 ERA and 185 strikeouts.
- WATCH - Dylan Cease may be finished for the season with a shoulder issue, per Toronto. Check the full report before your next lineup lock.
- WATCH - Alex Bregman was struck in the face by a foul ball in the on-deck circle and taken for X-rays and a CT scan.
- WATCH - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left Sunday's game at Texas with left lower back tightness.
- WATCH - Clarke Schmidt had right biceps cramping while warming up and didn't enter the game. He'll see a doctor in New York.
Burns Shut Down, All-Star Season Complete
DROP · CIN · SP
Chase Burns (93% owned) was placed on the 15-day IL with a right groin strain, retroactive to Saturday, ending his season one start short of 30. "We're being very cautious," Terry Francona said. "I think it makes sense to not push him for a three-inning start. So his year is over."
The final line is exceptional for a 23-year-old in his second big-league season: 15-3, 2.86 ERA, 185 strikeouts and 56 walks over 154⅓ innings in 29 starts, with his first All-Star selection. He'd already been limited to three-inning outings over his last three starts to protect his arm, which had quietly capped his fantasy value since late August. He missed the All-Star Game with tightness in the same groin and signed a seven-year, $105 million extension in July.
Carson Spiers had his contract selected in the corresponding move and made his 2026 debut Sunday - four innings, four runs, five strikeouts - 13 months after Tommy John surgery. He'll work out of the bullpen this week.
Action: DROP Burns in redraft. In dynasty and keeper formats, he's a top-10 starter heading into 2027 with no workload limits attached. Spiers is not an add.
Cease Might Be Done for the Season
WATCH · TOR · SP
The Blue Jays indicated Dylan Cease might be finished for the season with a shoulder issue. He's been Toronto's best starter, and the Blue Jays are fighting for the final AL wild-card spot.
Action: WATCH - Do not start him until Toronto clarifies. If the shutdown is confirmed, DROP in redraft; a shoulder shutdown this late is almost always final.
Bregman Hit in the Face in On-Deck Circle
WATCH · CHC · 3B
Alex Bregman was struck in the face by a foul ball while standing in the on-deck circle and was taken to the hospital for X-rays and a CT scan.
Action: WATCH - Bench him until the imaging results are released. A facial injury can range from a bruise to a fracture or a concussion, and those carry very different timelines with six days left.
Guerrero Exits With Back Tightness
WATCH · TOR · 1B
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left Sunday's game in Texas with left lower back tightness. He has a history of back inflammation.
Action: WATCH - Check the lineup card before locking. If he sits today, you can't afford to carry a first baseman through a day-to-day back issue with this little season left.
Schmidt Cramps While Warming, Doesn't Enter
WATCH · NYY · RP
Clarke Schmidt was warming in the sixth when he felt right biceps tightness and cramping, and Aaron Boone held him out of the game. He'll see a doctor when the team returns to New York, but no testing is planned and he described it as precautionary.
Action: WATCH in holds leagues. A biceps issue in an arm that just returned from Tommy John deserves a clean outing before you rely on him.
Yankees Blow Early Lead, Lose on Walk-Off
HOLD · NYY · TEAM
Heliot Ramos (388 feet), George Lombard Jr. (424 feet) and Spencer Jones (448 feet) homered in a span of four batters in the third to give New York a 4-1 lead at Arizona - and the Yankees still lost, on a Pavin Smith pinch-hit walk-off homer.
The standings stakes are steep. Tampa Bay's magic number to clinch the AL East is down to two, and the Rays can clinch with a single win during this week's four-game series at Yankee Stadium. New York lines up Carlos Rodón and Max Fried in Tuesday's doubleheader, Gerrit Cole on Wednesday and Cam Schlittler on Thursday.
Action: HOLD all of them. Ramos, filling in for Judge, is the most useful add of the three for the final week; Jones (11% owned) is a power flier.
Brown Fans 10 Against Atlanta
HOLD · HOU · SP
Hunter Brown struck out 10 against the Braves on 71 pitches, his third double-digit strikeout game in his last five starts.
Action: HOLD and start him. He's Houston's best starter and one of the better strikeout arms in the league. The innings count per start is worth watching as the Astros manage him toward October.
Sasaki Getting a Relief Audition
WATCH · LAD · SP
Roki Sasaki will work in relief in one of the Dodgers' games against San Diego this week, per Dave Roberts - available for multiple innings but not as a bulk guy. Roberts framed it as an audition for an October role.
Action: WATCH - This is a regular-season depth move, not a rotation return. No redraft value.
King Moved Up to Face the Dodgers Tuesday
WATCH · SD · SP
Michael King moves up a day to start Tuesday's opener against the Dodgers, per Craig Stammen. The shift lines him up for the regular-season finale or a potential Wild Card Series start.
Action: HOLD and start him Tuesday. He's San Diego's top starter and the Padres have won 13 of their last 14.
Hagen Smith Keeps Missing Bats
ADD · CWS · RP
Opposing hitters are now 9-for-84 against White Sox left-hander Hagen Smith - a .107 batting average against.
Action: ADD in holds leagues and AL-only formats. The stuff is elite; the role still isn't defined enough to chase saves.
Padres Win 13 of 14
HOLD · SD · TEAM
San Diego has won 13 of its last 14, including a 10-inning win over Miami that Ethan Salas decided.
Action: HOLD Padres regulars. A team this hot heading into its final series generates wins and save chances for its pitchers.
Tucker Sits With Shin Contusion
HOLD · LAD · RF
Kyle Tucker didn't start Sunday after fouling a ball off his right shin. He said "I feel fine," no further testing was ordered, and the contact came on a different spot from the shin he broke in 2024.
Action: HOLD - Expect him back within a day or two.
Nimmo Scratched With Illness
WATCH · TEX · OF
Brandon Nimmo was scratched from Sunday's game against Toronto with an illness, which the Rangers believe is unrelated to the virus that sent Michel Otañez to the IL.
Action: WATCH - Check today's lineup. Standard one-to-two-day absence.
Herz Returns After Two Seasons Lost
STASH · WSH · SP
DJ Herz starts Monday against Detroit, his first big-league outing after missing nearly two full seasons. He struck out 10.8 per nine innings as a rookie in 2024.
Action: STASH in dynasty only. Expect a tight pitch count and no redraft value this week.
Johnson Roughed Up in 8-0 Loss
HOLD · LAA · SP
Ryan Johnson (17% owned) allowed three earned runs over 4⅔ innings as the Twins beat the Angels 8-0. The bullpen added five more.
Action: HOLD if rostered. One rough start doesn't undo an eight-start run at 2.02, but with the Angels playing out the string, his final-week workload may shrink.
Bernal's Go-Ahead Homer
STASH · STL · C
Rookie Leo Bernal hit a go-ahead solo homer after falling behind 1-2, fouling off three pitches before getting one he could drive. He's been in the majors since Sept. 1 and remains rookie-eligible for 2027.
Action: STASH in dynasty. No redraft relevance.
Edman Snaps 2-for-41 Slump
HOLD · LAD · 2B/3B
Tommy Edman homered off Carson Seymour to tie the game at 1-1, breaking a stretch in which he'd gone 2-for-41.
Action: HOLD - He's a regular on a team resting players ahead of October, so check the lineup before starting him.
Cade Smith Stays Locked In
HOLD · CLE · RP
Cade Smith (97% owned) struck out three over 1⅓ innings and remains Cleveland's closer despite tightness elsewhere in the bullpen.
Action: HOLD - No change.
Peters Playing Through Soreness
WATCH · CWS · OF
Tristan Peters made himself available Saturday and Sunday despite being "still very sore," with Monday's off-day giving him extra rest.
Action: WATCH - Confirm he's in Tuesday's lineup before starting him.
Roster Moves Around the League
WATCH · MULTI · MULTI
Tampa Bay reinstated Ben Williamson from the IL and designated Jake Fraley for assignment. Boston activated Tyron Guerrero and optioned Wyatt Olds. The Angels' Tayler Saucedo has thrown 13 straight scoreless appearances.
Action: No redraft action on any of these.