On the street with Huston

Huston Street

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim cannot seem to catch a break. First, they lost All-Star outfielder Mike Trout (hand) to a lengthy injury, and now their veteran closer Huston Street (lat, shoulder, triceps) appears to be further away from a return than previously expected.

Street was already on the 10-day disabled list due to a strained right latissimus muscle, and during his rehab he incurred a minor shoulder impingement to hamper his progress. Now, you can add right triceps tightness to his bevy of injuries, as the oft-injured closer has more injuries than pitches thrown in the majors this season. As such, Bud Norris will continue to hold down the fort in the ninth inning until either Street can shake off his numerous injuries or Cam Bedrosian (groin) can make it back from his ailment.

Bedrosian, like Street, is on the 10-day DL with a strained right groin. He has been facing live hitting and continues to make progress from his injury. The son of former MLBer Steve 'Bedrock' Bedrosian is nearing a minor-league rehab stint and could be back to the big-league club before the middle of the month if all goes well. However, he might find himself out of a job, even if Street isn't ready.

That's because veteran Bud Norris, converted from a starter to closer out of necessity, has been pitching fairly well in his new role. Norris has converted 10 of his past 11 save chances while yielding just one earned run over his past seven innings while posting a 2.77 ERA and 1.08 WHIP overall on the season. Norris has served up just two home runs with 12 walks and 34 strikeouts across 26 innings this season while yielding just 16 hits during the impressive span. He has always had good stuff, but has been rather hittable as a starter. He has posted a 0.6 WAR, which is his best mark since the 2014 season when he made 28 starts for the Baltimore Orioles.

At 32 years old, Norris isn't exactly a spring chicken, but remember the name John Smoltz. Sure, Smoltz was way more decorated as a starter from 1988-99 before injuries forced the Atlanta Braves organization to consider him in a relief role. But he made the switch at 34 years of age and racked up and impressive 154 saves. So perhaps Norris, after managing 62 victories across 1121 2/3 innings mostly as a starter over 231 previous appearances prior to this season, could be ready to re-invent himself in Anaheim and push Bedrosian and Street into a permanent setup role.

Bedrosian actually has a lot more fantasy upside and appeal than Street at this point, as the former University of Texas standout has a propensity for injury that makes him awfully unappealing from a fantasy perspective. He was limited to 26 appearances last season and blew three of his 12 save chances with a dismal 6.45 ERA and 1.93 WHIP across 22 1/3 innings. So it isn't exactly like waiting for Mariano Rivera or Dennis Eckersley to make a return. Street is damaged goods and it would be wise for fantasy owners to let him be someone else's problem at this juncture.

Sam-sonite

The Texas Rangers are expected to designated Sam Dyson for assignment, so it appears he has pitched his last ball - literally - for the club. Dyson burst onto the scene last season with 38 saves while going 3-2 with a 2.43 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 70 1/3 innings across 73 appearances for the Rangers. However, he quickly went to the pishadoo to start the season, blowing save after save in April to draw the ire of his manager, fans and, most importantly, of course, his fantasy owners.

The Rangers reportedly have suitors for Dyson and are trying to trade him rather than just cut him outright for no return. He is likely to fetch a mid-level minor leaguer in return after his quick demise earlier in the season. However, perhaps a change of scenery will do him some good, especially if he is shipped out of the American League West and maybe into the National League. He isn't nearly as bad as his 10.80 ERA and 2.58 WHIP indicates, as his career numbers suggest he is much better. Dyson just lost confidence in his ability to throw strikes early on and things snowballed. He still has a future as a bona fide fantasy producer, perhaps even as a closer again with another organization, but his psyche will need some serious mending first.

In the meantime, Matt Bush is finally realizing his potential and he is flourishing in the closer's role for manager Jeff Banister. Bush has issued just five walks with 21 strikeouts across 19 2/3 innings, posting six saves with a 1.37 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. He hadn't allowed a run over 16 consecutive appearances dating back to April 9 before Tampa Bay's Kevin Kiermaier touched him for a solo home run in a 4-3 game on Wednesday to force extra innings and hang him with a blown save. The ice is mighty thick for Bush, however, and he is likely to finish out as the closer barring any type of an injury. He has been All-Star caliber.

Don't Bett On It

Boston's Dustin Pedroia (wrist) is on the DL due to a wrist ailment, and he is not expected to be sidelined long. The team plans on using former Colorado Rockies infielder Josh Rutledge as the primary fill-in until Petey is available. In addition, manager John Farrell struck down the potential notion that Mookie Betts could be slotted at second base until Pedroia is ready. Betts will continue in his role as a full-time outfielder and the skipper will not risk mixing things up for a short-term gain.

Rutledge has hit safely in four of his past five games while driving in four runs over his past 28 at-bats. It isn't huge production by any means, but he could help fantasy owners keep their heads above water in deeper AL-only seasonal formats until Pedroia is ready, if you're desperate for middle infielder assistance. In addition, he is a player who is likely to have rather limited exposure in DFS, but he will come with a light price tag allowing you to stock up at other positions. Rutledge hit .284 in 39 games with the Red Sox in 2015, and he will also deliver an occasional extra-base hit with a steal or two. Don't look for much more than that, although it won't take much for him to exceed DFS salary expectations, either.

National League Quick Hits:  Eric Sogard continues to make the most of his chance with the Brewers. He collected two more hits on Thursday to run his average to .410 across 39 at-bats while enjoying a gaudy 1.233 OPS. He is quickly becoming a fan favorite in Cream City. … Chase Anderson worked around just three singles and a walk across seven scoreless frames while punching out seven batters in his 104-pitch quality start and win at N.Y. Mets. He has won back-to-back starts while striking out 18 batters over 14 scoreless innings. … Orlando Arcia came on as a defensive replacement for Sogard and officially went 0-for-1 to finish the game, snapping the longest active batting streak in the National League at 11 games. … Jose Reyes continues to limp along. He took the collar Thursday, dropping his average to a measly .193. He is hitless over his past 13 at-bats. … If you had any doubt previously, make no mistake that Adam Wainwright is not just back, but he is in top form. He allowed just four hits with two walks and six strikeouts over six scoreless frames, throwing 64 of his 101 pitches for strikes against the Dodgers. Waino extended his scoreless streak to 16 1/3 innings, and he helped himself with a two-run home run to account for all of the offense. In fact, he was the first pitcher in franchise history to account for all of his team's offense with a home run while also not allowing any runs in his start. … Gerardo Parra continued his offensive tear with four more hits in four at-bats Thursday, including a double, a run scored and RBI. The Venezuelan has three or more hits in three of his past four outings, raising his average from .264 to .312 just since May 27.

American League Quick Hits: Corey Kluber (back) did not exhibit any signs of rust in his return from the DL on Thursday. He pounded the strike zone 51 times out of 77 pitches while limited the A's to two hits and one walk across six scoreless innings while racking up 10 strikeouts. … On the other side, Jharel Cotton deserved a much better fate. He allowed five runs, but just one earned, while yielding only four hits in 5 2/3 innings for the loss. The defense did him no favors with three miscues in the field, including two by Ryon Healy. … Nelson Cruz was forced out of Thursday's game due to a left hand injury, courtesy of a Kyle Freeland cutter. Cruz joined Jean Segura (ankle) on the trainer's table after the game. It's uncertain if either Cruz or Segura will miss time, but if they do it likely means more playing time for Jarrod Dyson, Taylor Motter and perhaps more playing time for Boog Powell. … Christian Vazquez continues to rake for the BoSox, as the receiver finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and pair of RBI. He is slashing .348/.378/.467. … Rookie Andrew Benintendi was benched on Thursday, as he received a mental day off to try and snap him out of his 0-for-12 slide. He did make an appearance as a pinch hitter and flied out. … Aaron Hicks had a monster day at the dish, doubling three times with a single, two runs scored and a career-high six RBI to push his average to .317. … Gary Sanchez would not be overshadowed by Hicks, as he belted a pair of homers to finish with three RBI in the 12-2 win in Toronto. … Marco Estrada of the Jays was touched up for seven runs, nine hits and two walks in just 3 2/3 innings against the Bronx Bombers. … The red-hot Whit Merrifield of the Royals and his team had a scheduled off day, but he'll be back in action looking to extend the longest active hitting streak in the majors. He has hit .400 with three homers, six RBI and nine runs scored during his 16-game hitting streak.