Fantasy Baseball Forecaster for Week 12: June 15-2...
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Zack Wheeler is slated for a two-start week for the Phillies, one of several teams whose schedule is being impacted by the World Cup. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Tristan H. Cockcroft Jun 12, 2026, 09:42 AM ETClose Tristan H. Cockcroft is senior writer for fantasy baseball and football at ESPN. Tristan is a member of the FSWA Hall of Fame. He is also a two-time LABR and three-time Tout Wars champion.Follow on XMultiple Authors Email Print Open Extended Reactions Fantasy baseball's Week 12 comes with some unusual scheduling quirks due to FIFA World Cup matches affecting games in Kansas City, Philadelphia and Texas. It's the rare week where the only two days in which all 30 teams are scheduled to play are on Tuesday and Sunday.
The Kansas City Royals have a scheduled off day Saturday, splitting up their three-game home series against the St. Louis Cardinals into games on Thursday, Friday and Sunday.The Philadelphia Phillies are off Friday, meaning that their three-game home series against the New York Mets will be played on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.The Texas Rangers have a Wednesday off day, so the finale of their three-game, week-opening series against the Minnesota Twins is scheduled for Thursday.One additional, related note: The Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners, who were originally scheduled to play a split doubleheader at T-Mobile Park on Saturday due to World Cup matches in Seattle, are now scheduled to play a traditional three-game series Friday through Sunday.