Dream11 Fantasy Baseball: Diamondbacks vs Padres

Arizona Diamondbacks (5-8) at San Diego Padres (7-6)

Saturday, August 8th, 9:10 PM EDT

Projected starters

RHP Merrill Kelly (1-1, 2.63 ERA) vs RHP Chris Paddack (2-0, 2.65 ERA)

Game Preview

The Padres are coming off a 3-0 win Friday against the Diamondbacks, and they will attempt to take another step towards a potential playoff berth against Arizona on Saturday. The Padres' offense is clicking in all cylinders at the moment, and they will have another chance to create havoc against Merrill Kelly, who will start Saturday's game for Arizona. The Padres will counter with Chris Paddack, arguably their best pitcher and someone who's coming off a strong performance the last time he faced the Diamondbacks, tossing six scoreless innings on Opening Day. Kelly, on the other hand, allowed three runs over six innings in his previous start against Los Angeles Dodgers.

Injuries

Arizona Diamondbacks

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.

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

7/23 8:52 AM EST - The Diamondbacks placed Martin (elbow) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. The Diamondbacks likely aren't counting on Martin being a major contributor in 2020 after he underwent Tommy John surgery last July, but the fact that he was included in the 60-man player pool at least implies that his rehab is going according to plan. He'll likely be a top candidate to shift to the 45-day IL at some point later this season in the event the Diamondbacks need to open up a spot on the 40-man roster.

San Diego Padres

Pedro Avila - Out - Elbow

3/9 8:27 PM EST - Avila (elbow) was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The move is purely procedural as Avila was invited to big-league camp despite undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. He is not expected to play during the 2020 season.

Jose Castillo - 10-Day IL - Lat

8/3 3:15 PM EST - Castillo (lat) is feeling much better as he continues to recover, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports. Castillo has been sidelined since early July with a lat strain, but manager Jayce Tingler provided an encouraging update on his status Monday. The southpaw still hasn't resumed throwing off a mound, but Tingler said that he remains optimistic that Castillo will be able to pitch for the Padres later in the season.

Anderson Espinoza - 60-Day IL - Elbow

4/14 10:11 PM EST - Espinoza (elbow) was reportedly throwing and looking good in Padres camp, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Espinoza has undergone two Tommy John surgeries in the last three years and has not thrown in a game since the 2016 season. Still, the right-hander is only 22 years old and was once considered among the top pitching prospects in baseball, so he remains an intriguing arm to keep an eye on. Given Espinoza's injury history, he's likely to be eased back into action slowly and held to a strict innings limit when he's ready to resume pitching in games.

Eric Hosmer - 10-Day IL - Illness

8/4 2:50 PM EST - Hosmer (illness) played catch on the field Tuesday, Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Hosmer's activity was certainly a good sign, as he's been out of action for a week due to gastritis. He'll be eligible to return from the injured list Saturday, and the Padres are optimistic that he'll be able to return that day, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Brett Kennedy - Out - Lat

10/31 2:00 PM EST - Kennedy (lat) was outrighted to Triple-A El Paso on Thursday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Kennedy missed the entire 2019 season with a lat strain, and is now off the 40-man roster after posting a 6.75 ERA in six starts for the Padres in 2018. There's a chance he could attend major-league spring training as a non-roster invitee.

Reggie Lawson - Out - Elbow

3/20 3:27 PM EST - Lawson underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday. Lawson suffered the injury during a spring training contest. Given a typical recovery timeline, he now won't return to action until the middle of the 2021 season. The 22-year-old made six starts at the Double-A level last season, recording a 5.20 ERA but a strong 29.8 percent strikeout rate.

Jorge Mateo - Covid-19 - Illness

8/5 2:16 PM EST - Mateo (illness) is impressing at the Padres' alternate training site and could be moved to the big-league club soon, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports. Mateo missed most of summer camp after testing positive for COVID-19, but he has been working out at the team's alternate site and appears close to a promotion to the big-league roster. It is unclear how much playing time Mateo would receive out the gate with Jurickson Profar, Greg Garcia and Jake Cronenworth all vying for time at second base. To make matters more complicated, MLB rosters are sent to be reduced from 30 to 28 on Thursday.

Andres Munoz - 60-Day IL - Elbow

6/29 12:01 PM EST - The Padres placed Munoz (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Sunday. The transaction was merely procedural after Munoz required Tommy John surgery back in March. He'll miss the entire 2020 season and could miss a portion of the 2021 campaign while recovering from the procedure.

Trey Wingenter - 60-Day IL - Elbow

8/1 8:29 AM EST - Wingenter (elbow) was transferred to the 45-day injured list Saturday, Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com reports. The move is simply procedural after Wingenter underwent Tommy John surgery July 17. The right-hander is expected to be sidelined until the 2022 season as a result of the injury.

Padres Expected Lineup

SP - Chris Paddack

1. Fernando Tatis

2. Trent Grisham

3. Tommy Pham

4. Manny Machado

5. Jake Cronenworth

6. Wil Myers

7. Greg Garcia

8. Francisco Mejia

9. Jurickson Profar

Diamondbacks Expected Lineup

SP - Merrill Kelly

1. Ketel Marte

2. David Peralta

3. Starling Marte

4. Eduardo Escobar

5. Christian Walker

6. Kole Calhoun

7. Carson Kelly

8. Jake Lamb

9. Nick Ahmed

Top Picks From Each Team

Fernando Tatis, Padres: Tatis homered Friday and is slashing .291/.391/.673 with a 1.064 OPS in 64 plate appearances while adding five home runs, 14 RBI and four stolen bases. His combination of power, contact and speed makes him a strong captaincy choice, and he also enters this matchup on a five-game hitting streak.

Starling Marte, Diamondbacks: Marte has been the most productive bat in an anemic Diamondbacks offense, as the veteran outfielder is riding a three-game hitting streak while hitting safely in five of Arizona's last six contests. He is hitting .349 with a .462 on-base percentage in 13 games this season.

Captaincy Options

1. Fernando Tatis
2. Trent Grisham
3. Manny Machado
4. Starling Marte

Dream11 Team

P – Chris Paddack

C – Stephen Vogt

IF – Ketel Marte

IF – Fernando Tatis (C)

IF – Manny Machado (VC)

IF – Jake Cronenworth

OF – Tommy Pham

OF – Trent Grisham

OF – Starling Marte