Dream11 Fantasy Baseball: Diamondbacks at Athletics

Arizona Diamondbacks (13-12) at Oakland Athletics (17-8)

Thursday, August 20th, 9:40 PM EDT

Projected Starters

LHP Alex Young (1-0, 3.86 ERA) vs LHP Sean Manaea (0-2, 7.65 ERA)

Game Preview

The Athletics have been one of the biggest surprises in the American League this season and already look like a virtual postseason lock – they sit nine games over the .500 threshold and hold a comfortable 2.5-game lead over the Houston Astros in the race for the AL West title. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are fourth in the NL West but are just 0.5 games behind the Colorado Rockies for second place in a division where four of five teams currently have winning records. The pitching matchup will feature two lefties, as Alex Young will be filling for the injured Madison Bumgarner in Arizona while Sean Manaea will get the ball for the Athletics. Manaea has looked disappointing this season, but he took a step in the right direction in his most recent start against the San Francisco Giants and could be the safest option of this matchup.

Injuries

Arizona Diamondbacks

Jeremy Beasley - 10-Day IL - Shoulder

8/16 1:43 PM EST - The Diamondbacks placed Beasley on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a right shoulder strain, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports. Beasley hasn't appeared out of the Arizona bullpen since making his MLB debut Tuesday in Colorado, when he retired one of the three hitters he faced before exiting. According to Piecoro, the right-hander showed lower-than-normal velocity in that outing, which was likely caused by the shoulder injury. Arizona recalled Joel Payamps to take Beasley's spot in the bullpen.

Seth Beer - Out - Face

7/15 9:08 PM EST - Beer was diagnosed with a contusion after being hit in the face with a one-hopper during Wednesday's intrasquad game, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports. Manager Torey Lovullo said the 23-year-old didn't sustain a concussion, so he appears to have escaped the situation with only a bruise. Beer missed some time early in summer training after testing positive for COVID-19, and he may take it easy for a couple days after Wednesday's incident.

Silvino Bracho - 60-Day IL - Elbow

7/5 6:11 PM EST - Bracho (elbow) has tested positive for COVID-19, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports. Bracho was already placed on the 60-day injured list Monday as he continues to recover from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in March of 2019. He suffered a setback in his recovery while play was suspended, so he might not be ready to play at any point in 2020. However, manager Torey Lovullo revealed Sunday that Bracho was one of three Diamondbacks to test positive for coronavirus, although he is asymptomatic.

Madison Bumgarner - 10-Day IL - Back

8/20 3:52 AM EST - Bumgarner (back) will throw a bullpen session Thursday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. Bumgarner, who threw a 46-pitch simulated game earlier this week, will be evaluated following the session to determine the next step. That next step could be a return to the rotation next week. The club estimated Bumgarner would miss two starts and that second turn in the rotation comes up Thursday. He's on schedule for a potential return next Tuesday at home against Colorado.

Andrew Chafin - 10-Day IL - Finger

8/19 6:19 PM EST - Chafin was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a left finger sprain. Chafin has surrendered six runs on nine hits through 6.2 innings this season, though it's unclear how long he's been battling the finger injury. Matt Grace had his contract selected from the alternate training site in a corresponding move.

Jon Duplantier - Out - Elbow

7/10 5:15 AM EST - Duplantier (elbow) is slowly ramping up a throwing program, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. Duplantier is working back from elbow soreness that cropped up in April. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said it's likely the right-hander will not be ready to go when the season begins July 24. As a rookie in 2019, Duplantier logged a 4.42 ERA over 36.2 innings mostly as a reliever. He was expected to serve in a starting role in 2020, though he is not currently part of the projected five-man rotation.

Mike Leake - Out - Opt Out

6/29 11:08 AM EST - Leake will opt out of participating in the 2020 season, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. He was included on the initial version of the Diamondbacks' 60-man roster and would have been fighting for a rotation spot in July. While Leake is the first known player to opt out of playing this year, this shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as Leake has made just shy of $95 million in his career and there are obviously health risks involved with playing during a pandemic. Alex Young now appears to be Arizona's sixth starter in case one of the top five guys gets injured. Leake says he looks forward to playing in 2021. Arizona will either pay him $18 million next season for the final year of his contract or buy him out for $5 million.

Domingo Leyba - Out - Suspension

3/6 12:13 PM EST - Leyba received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. Leyba was called up for his major-league debut in September and made a quality first impression with a .280/.367/.440 slash line in 21 games, and he had a chance to begin the season in a utility role for the Diamondbacks. The 24-year-old will instead miss the first half of the season.

Corbin Martin - 10-Day IL - Elbow

8/19 9:37 PM EST - Martin (elbow) will be shut down for a couple weeks after suffering an oblique strain, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports. The 24-year-old is working his way back from Tommy John surgery last July, but his buildup will be interrupted due to the oblique strain. Martin figured to be a candidate to see the big-leagues sometime in September, but that now appears unlikely since he won't be reevaluated for a few weeks.

Oakland Athletics

A.J. Puk - 10-Day IL - Shoulder

8/19 12:11 PM EST - Puk (shoulder) will likely need a handful of more bullpen sessions before being deemed ready to face live hitters, the Associated Press reports. The southpaw had a solid 30-pitch bullpen session at the Athletics' alternate training site in San Jose on Monday and is scheduled to throw another Wednesday. Puk may still need at least one more bullpen before he tests himself against some of the hitters at the site as he continues on a path that has a targeted early-September activation date from the injured list.

Burch Smith - 10-Day IL - Forearm

8/17 4:35 PM EST - Smith (forearm) won't throw for another two weeks, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. Smith was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a forearm injury, and while his MRI showed no ligament damage, the Athletics will shut him down for at least the next 14 days. A timeline for his return should become more clear once he gets the green light to begin a throwing program.

Athletics Expected Lineup

SP - Sean Manaea

1. Marcus Semien

2. Ramon Laureano

3. Matt Chapman

4. Matt Olson

5. Mark Canha

6. Khris Davis

7. Chad Pinder

8. Stephen Piscotty

9. Sean Murphy

Diamondbacks Expected Lineup

SP - Alex Young

1. Ketel Marte

2. Starling Marte

3. Christian Walker

4. Eduardo Escobar

5. Kole Calhoun

6. Carson Kelly

7. David Peralta

8. Nick Ahmed

9. Daulton Varsho

Top Picks From Each Team

Matt Chapman, Athletics: Chapman only has three hits in his last 23 at-bats, but he went 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored in Wednesday's game against Arizona, meaning he might be trending in the right direction. Despite his recent struggles, the star third baseman should be a reliable option for captaincy given his solid track record over the last two years and also because his OPS (.803) is not severely down from last year's mark (.848).

Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks: Marte went 2-for-4 in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to Oakland and, as a result of his 11th multi-hit performance in 24 games, he raised his batting average to an excellent .337. That's higher than what he posted during this 2019 breakout season, although he only has one home run so his power numbers are trending in the wrong direction.

Captaincy Options

1. Matt Chapman
2. Ketel Marte
3. Matt Olson
4. Sean Manaea

Dream11 Team

P – Sean Manaea

C – Carson Kelly

IF – Matt Chapman (C)

IF – Ketel Marte (VC)

IF – Matt Olson

OF – Robbie Grossman

OF – Starling Marte

OF – Stephen Piscotty

OF – Ramon Laureano