Notable Fantasy Baseball News as New Week Starts: Rafael Devers, Shohei Ohtani and More

There's been some big MLB news that's broken over the past 24 hours. Let's discuss some of it here in this article.

After breaking things down a bit, we'll discuss the fantasy baseball implications of everything.

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Rafael Devers Traded

The big news in the MLB was the Boston Red Sox trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants for Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs III and Jose Bello.

It comes at a weird time with the Red Sox heating up. Devers also is barely into his 10-year, $314,500,000 extension with Boston.

Devers is one of the best hitters in the game and is consistently delivering monster numbers. He's at a .272 average and .401 on-base percentage over 73 games and 334 plate appearances this season.

Devers has 18 doubles and 15 homers among his 74 total knocks this season. He has 58 RBIs, a stolen base, 47 runs scored, 56 walks and 76 strikeouts.

He starts just about every game when he's healthy, and has remained pretty healthy over his nine-year career. He's 28 years old right now, meaning he might not have even hit his peak yet.

After selling Devers, I expect the Red Sox to keep moving more veteran talent to open the door for some more talented prospects in the organization.

He joins a worse offense in San Fran, but there's enough talent on the team to get the offense going now. Devers is going to remain a big-time fantasy asset batting near the top of the order. I don't expect Devers' fantasy value to change all that much, one way or another. Once he gets settled in, he should be amongst the game's top options again.

Hicks is on the 15-day injured list, but gives the Red Sox another arm. He could be traded again before the deadline if he gets back on the mound soon and produces a bit.

He made nine starts in San Fran before moving to the bullpen for his past four appearances. Hicks is 1-5 with one hold on the season. He's pitched 48 2/3 innings and sits with a 6.47 earned run average. Hicks has fantasy appeal with his strikeout numbers, with 43 Ks so far.

He's only be a big fantasy asset if he rejoins the Red Sox' rotation, or functions as a closer. Hicks could maybe have some fantasy appeal in a long relief role, but that's less likely. 

Harrison was sent to Triple-A after the trade went through. He's made four starts over eight appearances this season and sits with a 1-1 record and 4.56 ERA over 23 2/3 innings.

Harrison has a 4.48 ERA in the big leagues over 35 starts and 39 appearances overall. He has 178 strikeouts, so there's some fantasy appeal there, but he hasn't lived up to the hype he had as a prospect.

Tibbs is the No. 6 prospect for the Red Sox after the trade. Again, the Boston organization is stacked with talent in the minor leagues, so he's maybe the most notable part of the return for Devers.

He was drafted 13th overall last summer and is 22 years old and playing in High-A for now. Tibbs has a .244 average and .379 OBP across 83 minor league games so far. 

He's graded as a 50-overall player, with a 55 for power and 50 for his hitting. Tibbs has flashed some pop this season, with 23 extra-base hits over 51 total knocks. His ETA is 2026 because he was an older prospect when he was drafted.

Hopefully the Red Sox can work some magic and help Tibbs become the highly-regarded prospect he was drafted to be.

Bello is not ranked among the top-30 Boston prospects for now. He joined the San Fran organization in 2023, and has pitched just 78 2/3 innings since.

This season in eight games for the Giants' Arizona Complex League team, Bello is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA over 18 innings. He's struck out 28 batters, so you can see why Boston maybe sees something in him.

Overall, I think the Red Sox are going to come out as big losers in this trade. Devers wasn't willing to help the team out when injuries arose, so the team decided to ship him off. He should excel in San Fran just like he did in Boston, so I'd be more inclined to roster Devers than look to ship him off after his change of scenery.

Boston didn't get many big fantasy assets in return, at least for this season. Hicks and Harrison could occasionally have some value, but they won't right away.

Tibbs is a prospect to keep a name on and Bello is a lottery ticket in the deepest of fantasy dynasties out there. One of both of those guys, plus Harrison or Hicks, are going to need to develop into daily/regular starters in Boston for this trade to ever become close to fair.

Shohei Ohtani Returning to Mound

The league's two-way superstar is finally ready to get back on the mound. Ohtani will start against the Padres on Monday.

He hasn't pitched since 2023, and is only expected to cover an inning or two on Monday. Ohtani is basically making his rehab pitching appearances in the big leagues, and will get ramped up that way, while still batting in the heart of the team's order.

Ohtani started 23 games in 2023 and went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA over 132 innings for the Angels. He struck out 167 batters along the way.

Ohtani has a career 3.01 ERA over 86 big leagues starts from 2018-2023. He's on a much better team now, so his chances to excel as a fantasy pitcher are even greater than they were with the Angels.

Ohtani is already one of the top fantasy players in the game, and now adding pitching to the mix, he'll be the top fantasy player overall in due time. If your league treats him as one player and counts his pitching and hitting stats together, he'll eventually pass Aaron Judge as the top guy.

For those of you who play in leagues that treat Ohtani as two players, you finally get to see Ohtani back on the mound. Don't expect him to be a major asset right away, but if things go well for him, he could be a fantasy pitcher you turn to every turn through the rotation. He'll be startable against all teams, and capable of matching some of the game's other elite pitchers for the rest of the season.

If you are worried about Ohtani sticking around as a pitcher after his long layoff, now would be a time to sell high on the two-way star. You would need a king's ransom to sell him, so make sure you're getting enough in return.

You really should be hanging on to Ohtani in leagues where he gets points as a pitcher and hitter though. He'll be the top fantasy player soon enough, and even if he doesn't pitch the rest of the season, he's still right there with Judge as the game's top fantasy asset.

Jackson Merrill Hits IL Again

Somehow Merrill is the least valuable fantasy asset among the players listed in the subheaders. And Merrill is an elite fantasy hitter.

Merrill hit the injured list with a concussion. The hope is that he is on the IL for the minimum seven days, but you never know how a concussion might affect a player.

He's played in 44 games and gotten 186 plate appearances this season. Merrill has a .304 average and .349 OBP, along with 26 RBIs, a stolen base, 24 runs scored, 12 walks and 41 strikeouts.

Unfortunately, injuries are ruining his fantasy season, and the owners who drafted him are probably not faring the best, unless you drafted extremely well around him.

Merrill should continue to be rostered in all leagues, and hopefully he'll be back in a week or so. His fantasy owners will have to stash him on their benches, unless you have an IR spot available to you.

Let's hope Merrill returns to being himself in a couple days and gets back to mashing at the plate. It's never fun to see an elite asset like him out with an injury, and this is already the second time it's happened this season.