Dream11 Fantasy Baseball: Athletics at Mariners

Oakland Athletics (3-3) at Seattle Mariners (3-4)

Saturday, August 1st, 9:10 PM (EDT)

Projected starters

RHP Mike Fiers (0-0, 9.00 ERA) vs LHP Yusei Kikuchi (0-0, 12.27 ERA) 

Game Preview

The Mariners and the Athletics have both gotten off to inconsistent starts this season, and both teams are either at .500, or barely moving above that threshold. The first game of the series happened Wednesday, and the Mariners secured a 5-3 win, and they will send lefty Yusei Kikuchi to the mound hoping to make it back-to-back wins over their division rivals. Kikuchi lasted just 3.2 innings in his season debut, but he was hitting 98 MPH with his fastball. Meanwhile, Mike Fiers will get the ball for the Athletics. He allowed four runs and seven hits in four innings in his season debut.

Injuries

Oakland Athletics

Daulton Jefferies - Out - Biceps

3/6 10:10 PM EST - Jefferies (biceps) was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, Chris Haft of MLB.com reports. The move comes as no surprise, as Jefferies was expected to start the season with Las Vegas and has also been sidelined with a biceps strain that short-circuited his opportunity to get further seasoning in big-league camp. The 24-year-old's status will certainly be one to monitor, as a 2019 campaign that was good enough earn him the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year award has led to expectations that the talented right-hander could eventually reach the big leagues at some point in 2020.

Dean Kiekhefer - Out - Undisclosed

3/3 3:34 PM EST - Kiekhefer was sent to minor-league spring training Sunday, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports. Kiekhefer appeared in four games for the Athletics in 2018, although he got lit up for four runs on seven hits and a walk in two innings of work. He figures to start the 2019 campaign with Triple-A Las Vegas.

A.J. Puk - 10-Day IL - Shoulder

7/24 12:24 PM EST - Puk (shoulder) will play catch Friday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Puk's shoulder issues returned earlier in the week, leading to him being placed on the injured list with a shoulder strain Monday. He underwent a cortisone injection and is already ready to throw again, which is certainly a good sign for his eventual return to action. He's expected to miss at least two weeks, with Daniel Mengden filling his rotation spot for now.

Seattle Mariners

Austin Adams - 60-Day IL - Knee

7/23 1:02 PM EST - Adams (knee) will remain on the 60-day injured list to begin the season, Lauren Smith of The News Tribune reports. Adams had been working to return to full strength for the regular season after undergoing surgery on a torn ACL in September, but the team will give him more time to recover rather than rushing him back into action. Manager Scott Servais said that the team may have rushed the right-hander too much during camp. "We're slow playing him a little bit," Servais said. It's unclear when Adams could make his debut this season, but he could pitch in higher-leverage situations when he's ready to return.

Gerson Bautista - 60-Day IL - Elbow

7/23 8:49 AM EST - The Mariners placed Bautista (elbow) on the 45-day injured list Wednesday. While Bautista is expected to avoid surgery to address the strained right elbow he picked up during summer camp, the Mariners are preparing for him to miss extensive time. The move to the 45-day IL will keep him out of the mix for more than half of the 60-game season.

Chasen Bradford - Out - Elbow

6/10 11:01 AM EST - Bradford (elbow) announced Tuesday via his personal Twitter account that he has resumed throwing bullpen sessions. According to Bradford, Tuesday's workout marked the first time he's gotten back on a mound since undergoing Tommy John surgery last August. The right-hander was outrighted off Seattle's 40-man roster in October and isn't expected to return to competitive action until the 2021 season.

Brandon Brennan - 10-Day IL - Oblique

7/27 3:57 PM EST - Brennan landed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique Monday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports. The move was made retroactive to Sunday, so Brennan could return as soon as next Wednesday, though it's not yet clear if he's expected to do so. Taylor Guilbeau was recalled to take his place in the bullpen.

Sam Carlson - Day-To-Day - Elbow

2/21 11:18 PM EST - Carlson (elbow), who missed the last two seasons and underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2018, threw his first live batting practice since the procedure Friday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. The momentous occasion, which saw Carlson throw 20 pitches against fellow minor leaguers, marked the right-hander's first time facing hitters in 32 months. Carlson experienced several setbacks during the process, including a scare last August where the pitcher thought he may have torn his ulnar collateral ligament a second time. The 21-year-old has just three innings of AZL Rookie-level ball under his belt so far as a professional, and given his extended recovery, the organization will proceed with caution in terms of his activity level over the coming months.

Matt Festa - Out - Elbow

3/2 7:11 AM EST - Festa (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the 2020 season, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. Festa reportedly felt some discomfort after a bullpen session early in spring training, and the team decided surgery was required, ending his 2020 campaign before it started. The right-hander made 20 appearances out of the major-league bullpen in 2019, posting a 5.64 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 22.1 innings, but he'll now focus on recovery in hopes of returning in 2021.

Sam Haggerty - Out - Hip

7/20 7:55 PM EST - Haggerty left Monday's intrasquad game after his first at-bat with hip soreness, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. Manager Scott Servais said that the injury is nothing serious. Haggerty remains a likely candidate to make the Mariners' Opening Day roster over fellow utility options Jose Marmolejos and Dylan Moore. The 26-yera-old has just four major-league at-bats and was claimed off waivers by Seattle this offseason.

Mitch Haniger - 60-Day IL - Back

7/8 4:50 PM EST - GM Jerry Dipoto said Wednesday that Haniger (back) hasn't resumed baseball activities and there's a possibility he doesn't play this season, Lauren Smith of The Tacoma News Tribune reports. The 29-year-old was placed on the 60-day injured list before the start of summer training last week, which was a solid indication he may not be taking the field anytime soon. Haniger first went down with a ruptured testicle last summer and required multiple surgeries, and he also had a procedure to fix a vertebrae in his lower back in February. The team is making sure the outfielder doesn't push things beyond his comfort zone during the recovery process, which makes sense given the myriad of issues he's returning from. The Mariners don't appear in a rush to put Haniger on the field for the shortened 2020 campaign, though he's yet to be officially ruled out.

Yoshihisa Hirano - Covid-19 - Illness

7/30 8:41 AM EST - Hirano (illness) is scheduled to throw his first bullpen session at the Mariners' spring training facility in Peoria, Arizona on Thursday, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports. Hirano remains without a firm timetable for his 2020 debut, but manager Scott Servais noted the veteran is "another guy we desperately need." The 36-year-old had signed a one-year, $1.6 million deal with the Mariners in January and was thought of as a leading candidate for the closer's job until testing positive for COVID-19 on June 25. Hirano did manage to gain clearance in time to participate in the last few days of summer camp, and he'll eventually work up to pitching in intrasquad games at the team's alternate training site in Tacoma before activation is considered.

Nick Margevicius - Day-To-Day - Leg

7/29 9:18 PM EST - Margevicius left Wednesday's game in the sixth inning with a leg injury after falling while trying to catch a foul ball. Margevicius made a long run to the foul area along the third base line with no third baseman in the area due to a shift. He appeared to fall hard on his hip while diving for a foul ball. He tried to make a few pitches but was uncomfortable and was replaced by Bryan Shaw.

Tom Murphy - 10-Day IL - Foot

7/30 4:39 PM EST - Murphy (foot) still does not have a timetable for a return, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. Murphy, who was placed on the injured list July 23 with a broken bone in his foot, still figures to be a ways out from returning to the Mariners.

Max Povse - Out - Shoulder

2/16 8:12 AM EST - Povse has been delayed in camp due to a sore shoulder, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. Povse hasn't thrown yet in camp but is expected to do so in a few days. Assuming he's able to hit that timeline, he should still be ready to go by Opening Day, but he's unlikely to spend that day on the big-league roster, though, as he was designated for assignment in late January.

Julio Rodriguez - Out - Wrist

7/21 7:56 PM EST - Rodriguez, who suffered a hairline fracture in his left wrist Wednesday, was already taking one-handed swings in the batting cage Monday, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. Rodriguez is supposed to be shut down from all baseball activities for 4-to-6 weeks and officially isn't expected to be ready for game action until the Dominican Winter League at the earliest. However, manager Scott Servais noted Monday that Rodriguez's abundance of energy led to the 19-year-old taking his hacks in the cage, as Rodriguez is determined to stay in shape through his recovery. Whether the prospect's clear desire to compete can translate to a quicker-than-expected return remains to be seen, but Monday's development at least implies Rodriguez will likely push for the chance to remain involved in baseball activities as much as possible.

Dom Thompson-Williams - Out - Achilles

2/24 1:19 PM EST - Thompson-Williams underwent surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles and will miss the entire 2020 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports. This is a tough break for Thompson-Williams, who was acquired from the Yankees in the James Paxton deal in 2018. The 24-year-old outfielder spent all of the 2019 season with Double-A Arkansas, slashing .234/.298/.391 with 12 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 115 games.

Mariners Expected Lineup

SP - Yusei Kikuchi

1. J.P. Crawford

2. Tim Lopes

3. Kyle Lewis

4. Kyle Seager

5. Evan White

6. Jose Marmolejos

7. Austin Nola

8. Shed Long

9. Mallex Smith

Athletics Expected Lineup

SP - Mike Fiers

1. Marcus Semien

2. Matt Chapman

3. Matt Olson

4. Khris Davis

5. Mark Canha

6. Ramon Laureano

7. Stephen Piscotty

8. Franklin Barreto

9. Sean Murphy

Top Picks From Each Team

Kyle Lewis, Mariners: Lewis has hit safely in all eight games this season, including six straight multi-hit games, and he went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored Wednesday. He has been Seattle's most dangerous hitter by a wide margin, racking up 15 hits, two homers and eight RBI while hitting for .455 in 33 at-bats.

Ramon Laureano, Athletics: Laureano is hitting for .348 with a .433 on-base percentage, three extra-base hits, and four RBI so far. He should be a popular pick for most users due to his consistency at the plate.

Captaincy Options

1. Kyle Lewis
2. Kyle Seager
3. Ramon Laureano
4. Matt Chapman

Dream11 Team

P – Yusei Kikuchi

C – Austin Nola

IF – Kyle Seager (VC)

IF – Matt Chapman

IF – Matt Olson

IF – Dylan Moore

OF – Khris Davis

OF – Ramon Laureano

OF – Kyle Lewis (C)