Dream11 Fantasy Baseball: Yankees at Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies (1-3) at New York Yankees (8-1)

Wednesday, August 5th, 4:05 PM EDT

Projected starters

RHP Zack Wheeler (1-0, 1.29 ERA) vs TBD

Game Preview

The Phillies have not played many games due to the several postponements, but they have won just one of their first four contests this season, so they didn't exactly start the season on a strong note. The same can't be said about the Yankees, though, as they have won eight of their first nine games while looking like a serious contender in the American League. The Yankees are yet to announce their starter for this matchup, although J.A. Happ is probable to get the nod. Meanwhile, the Phillies will send Zach Wheeler to the mound. He tossed seven innings of one-run ball in a win over the Miami Marlins in his season debut.

Injuries

New York Yankees

Luis Cessa - Covid-19 - Not Injury Related

8/3 11:43 AM EST - Cessa (illness) could be activated as soon as Tuesday, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports. Cessa remains on the COVID-19 injured list and has been working out at the Yankees' alternate training site in Scranton. He threw 40 pitches in a simulated game Saturday and should be back in the big leagues soon, where he's expected to fill a relief role.

Aroldis Chapman - Covid-19 - Not Injury Related

8/3 1:00 PM EST - Chapman (illness) threw Monday and will throw a bullpen session within the next two days, Meredith Marakovits of YES Network reports. Chapman missed most of camp after testing positive for COVID-19. Previous reports suggested that he'd throw a bullpen session Monday, but he's evidently a day or two behind that timetable. Zack Britton will remain the temporary closer until Chapman is activated from the injured list.

Domingo German - Suspension - Suspension

7/18 4:22 PM EST - German (suspension) will not be retiring, Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reports. German announced in a somewhat cryptic Instagram post Friday that he was stepping away from baseball. He's since deleted that post and provided another one, in which he apologized for the "unsettling post," explaining that he let his emotions get the best of him after being forced to watch his teammates get ready for the season from afar. German will miss the entirety of the season as well as the first three games of next year while serving a domestic-violence suspension.

Kyle Holder - Day-To-Day - Hip

7/19 11:55 AM EST - Holder (hip/stomach) was assigned to the Yankees' alternate training site Saturday. Holder's reassignment came on the same day that he underwent a series of tests due to discomfort in his hip and stomach area. The 26-year-old was not expected to make the Yankees' initial 30-man active roster, though a callup this year is not out of the question if he's able to overcome the injury concern.

Tommy Kahnle - 10-Day IL - Elbow

7/31 7:32 PM EST - Kahnle (forearm) will likely require Tommy John surgery after being diagnosed with a UCL issue, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Kahnle was unavailable for Thursday's game and placed on the 10-day injured list Friday, but manager Aaron Boone revealed that the right-hander will likely require surgery to fix his significant injury. The 30-year-old will undergo further testing to confirm the need for surgery, but Kahnle will miss all of 2020 and most or all of next season if he indeed requires surgery.

Dan Otero - Out - Undisclosed

7/21 3:49 PM EST - Otero was placed on the restricted list Tuesday. The reasoning behind the move is unclear, but Otero won't be available for the start of the shortened season and has no official timeline for his return. The 35-year-old joined the Yankees on a minor-league deal with offseason after posting a 4.85 ERA and 1.52 WHIP with the Indians in 2019.

Luis Severino - 60-Day IL - Elbow

6/28 3:17 PM EST - Severino (elbow) was placed on the 45-day injured list Sunday. This was inevitable after Severino underwent Tommy John surgery in February. He has been progressing well in his rehab and is optimistic that he will be able to pitch for the Yankees at some point in 2021.

Philadelphia Phillies

Victor Arano - Day-To-Day - Shoulder

7/18 1:13 PM EST - Arano (shoulder) was optioned to the Phillies' alternate camp site Saturday, Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com reports. Arano missed much of last season due to elbow surgery, though it was shoulder soreness that held him back in summer camp. Saturday's move lines up with previous reports that the righty was behind schedule, though when exactly he'll be ready for game action remains to be seen.

Seranthony Dominguez - 60-Day IL - Elbow

7/30 11:07 AM EST - Dominquez had successful Tommy John surgery Thursday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. This was expected. Dominquez will now begin a lengthy rehab process that will likely keep him sidelined for 12-plus months.

Reggie McClain - Paternity - Personal

8/3 1:27 PM EST - McClain was placed on the paternity list Monday, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports. McClain appeared in two low-leverage situations for the Phillies over the start of the season, allowing one run on two hits and one walk while striking out zero over two innings. He'll now be unavailable for several days as he prepares for the birth of his child. Right-hander Enyel De Los Santos was recalled from the alternate training site to take his place.

David Robertson - 60-Day IL - Elbow

4/30 5:17 PM EST - Robertson (elbow) could be helped by the delayed start to the regular season, as previous reports from Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic indicated he hoped to be back from Tommy John surgery around the midpoint of the season's original schedule. Robertson underwent Tommy John surgery back in August of 2019, so his goal of being back halfway through the campaign may have always been overly ambitious. Still, if the season extends into October and beyond, there's a much greater chance of the veteran making an impact than had previously seemed possible. Robertson has thrown just 6.2 innings for the Phillies since singing a two-year, $23 million deal with the team prior to the 2019 campaign, but he has 137 career saves to his name and could potentially add a handful more if and when he returns.

Ranger Suarez - Covid-19 - Undisclosed

7/3 10:44 AM EST - Suarez was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The Phillies didn't initially specify why Suarez and three of his teammates were placed on the injured list, but it's since been revealed that all four are on the COVID-19 injured list rather than the normal 10-day injured list. That doesn't necessarily mean that any of them actually have the virus, as players can land on that list simply due to having had contact with someone who tested positive. It's not clear when Suarez is expected to return to the field, but even a minor delay may take him out of the running for an Opening Day rotation spot, something which seemed like a long shot to begin with.

Yankees Expected Lineup

SP - J.A. Happ

1. DJ LeMahieu

2. Aaron Judge

3. Gleyber Torres

4. Giancarlo Stanton

5. Aaron Hicks

6. Gary Sanchez

7. Brett Gardner

8. Luke Voit

9. Gio Urshela

Phillies Expected Lineup

SP - Zack Wheeler

1. Andrew McCutchen

2. J.T. Realmuto

3. Bryce Harper

4. Rhys Hoskins

5. Didi Gregorius

6. Jean Segura

7. Scott Kingery

8. Neil Walker

9. Roman Quinn

Top Picks From Each Team

Aaron Judge, Yankees: Judge has undoubtedly been the hottest bat in the American League this season. The slugging outfielder homered six times in five straight games before going "only" 1-for-4 with a double Monday. He has a 1.271 OPS, six homers and 14 RBI in his first nine games.

Bryce Harper, Phillies: Harper hit safely in each of Philadelphia's last three games, and he should be one of the team's most reliable bats ahead of this matchup. He only has one homer and three RBI, but he has enough of a track record to be an impact player regardless of the team he's facing.

Captaincy Options

1. Aaron Judge
2. Giancarlo Stanton
3. Bryce Harper
4. Gleyber Torres

Dream11 Team

P – J.A. Happ

C – Gary Sanchez

IF – Rhys Hoskins

IF – Gleyber Torres

IF – Luke Voit

OF – Andrew McCutchen

OF – Bryce Harper

OF – Aaron Judge (C)

OF – Giancarlo Stanton (VC)