In The Field
1B/OF Jac Caglianone (hamstring) is scheduled to start a rehab assignment next week. His recovery is on pace and going well. He was hitting .147 with 5 HR, 9 R, 10 RBI, and 1 SB in 41 GP. 1B/OF Luke Raley (back) started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Friday. Raley has had multiple stints on the IL this year. He is hitting .220 with 4 HR, 19 R, 18 RBI, and 2 SB. OF Jonny DeLuca is back on the 10-day IL with a hamstring injury. He has only played in 20 games this year and is hitting .333 with 0 HR, 5 R, 4 RBI, and 6 SB. 1B Josh Naylor (shoulder) was out of the Mariners lineup on Friday. He has dealt with a shoulder injury for the past month. It hasn't affected him when in the lineup. He is hitting .289 with 14 HR, 57 R, 65 RBI, and 21 SB. Naylor flipped the script from power to speed this year. A year ago, he hit 31 HR with 6 SB, and this year it is 14 HR and 21 SB. OF Austin Slater (hamstring) is going to miss 4-6 weeks. OF Colton Cowser was placed on the 7-day concussion IL on Friday. OF Tyler O'Neill was also placed on the 10-day IL with right wrist inflammation. It has been a hard year for O'Neill. He hasn't been able to stay on the field and has struggled when healthy (.210 AVG with 8 HR, 20 R, 23 RBI, and 2 SB). OF Trevor Larnach (side) has not been in the Twins lineup since Tuesday. Larnach is hitting .246 with 15 HR, 49 R, 48 RBI, and 2 SB. C Christian Vazquez was placed on the 10-day IL with a left shoulder infection. SS Chase Meidroth was placed on the 10-day IL with a right thumb contusion. OF George Springer (concussion) was expected to start a rehab assignment on Wednesday, but did not. He is reportedly feeling better but has not been cleared by the MLB. Springer has had a nice bounce-back 2025 season (.291 AVG with 18 HR, 66 R, 57 RBI, and 12 SB). OF Evan Carter (back) received an injection to try to alleviate the discomfort in his back. The next step will be attempting baseball activities. Carter has struggled to stay on the field this year, and his stock has taken a massive hit. He is hitting .238 with 4 HR, 27 R, 21 RBI, and 12 SB. Carter has displayed good plate skills (9% BB and 21% K) but has struggled hitting the ball hard (5% Barrels and 36% Hardhit). 3B Luis Urias (back) was out of the Athletics lineup on Tuesday and Wednesday due to lower back spasms. He was back in the lineup on Thursday. Urias has been playing most nights at second base, with 2B Max Schuemann occasionally getting a start at 2B. He has been a quality real-life player (.240 AVG with 4 HR, 26 R, 21 RBI, and 2 SB), but doesn't provide much fantasy value. 3B Isaac Paredes (hamstring) was moved from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL on Wednesday. He is now eligible to return on September 19. The Red Sox signed top prospect OF Roman Anthony to an eight-year, $130 million contract extension. He has held his own at the major league level (.281 AVG with 2 HR, 27 R, 19 RBI, and 2 SB in 48 GP). The eye-popping power/speed combo hasn't shown up for fantasy, but the underlying skills are excellent. He has good plate skills (14% BB and 24% K), and he hits the ball hard (11% Barrels and 57% Hardhit). It is just a matter of time until he gets rolling. OF Byron Buxton (ribs) has started hitting and is close to an activation. Buxton has been awesome, so a return will be welcomed for his fantasy owners (.282 AVG with 23 HR, 68 R, 59 RBI, and 17 SB). OF Yordan Alvarez (hand) took batting practice on Tuesday. Manager Joe Espada has said that he is on a slow buildup and, at this point, is not close to returning. He has appeared in just 29 GP this season. OF Victor Robles (shoulder) is going to start a rehab assignment on August 12. He has been out since early April. The Mariners would like for him to get 40-50 at-bats before returning. Robles hit .273 with 0 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI, and 3 SB in 10 GP after his breakout 2024 (.307 AVG with 4 HR, 44 R, 28 RBI, and 34 SB). 2B Gleyber Torres missed Tuesday's game with left forearm tightness but was back in the lineup on Wednesday. Torres is hitting .271 with 13 HR, 59 R, 55 RBI, and 4 SB. OF Parker Meadows (quad) has started running, so he is getting closer to a return. OF Matt Vierling and OF Javier Baez have been manning CF while he is out. SS Jacob Wilson (forearm) is playing catch and running. He has not been cleared for swinging a bat. 2B Max Muncy (hand) has also started baseball activities but has been cleared for hitting. Both players will have a clearer timeline for their return once we get news of them swinging a bat. OF Jake Meyers (calf) has started running. He is expected to return in August, and OF Taylor Trammell (.238 AVG with 3 HR, 10 R, 11 RBI, and 2 SB) has been starting nearly every day in CF. OF Aaron Judge returned to the Yankees lineup on Tuesday and will likely be limited to DH duties for the foreseeable future. This does not impact Judge's fantasy value, but it does affect the Yankees' lineup. It has meant that OF Giancarlo Stanton hasn't been in the lineup since he returned. If the Yankees want Stanton's bat in the lineup, he is going to have to play the outfield, which is going to cut into OF Jasson Dominguez's playing time the most, but at this point, they haven't made that move. OF Chandler Simpson (finger) missed last weekend's series but returned to the lineup on Tuesday. He is hitting .288 with 0 HR, 31 R, 16 RBI, and 32 SB in 261 PA. 2B Andres Gimenez (ankle) started a rehab assignment on Tuesday with Triple-A Buffalo. He is close to returning. Gimenez has struggled in his first season in Toronto (.218 AVG with 5 HR, 26 R, 23 RBI, and 10 SB). 1B Ryan Mountcastle was activated on Friday. He was the DH and hit 5th. 2B Luke Keaschall was activated off the 60-day IL on Tuesday. 2B Edouard Julien has shifted to 1B since he returned with 1B Kody Clemens moving to the OF, but that has also coincided with OF Trevor Larnach out of the lineup.
On The Mound
Bryce Miller (elbow) went 3.2 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, and 5 K in his most recent rehab start with Triple-A Tacoma. He went 66 pitches in this one, so it is conceivable that he could return, but on a short leash or make another rehab start so that he is built up to a full starter's workload. Miller has struggled mightily this year (5.73 ERA and 1.54 WHIP). Cole Ragans (shoulder) has been out since June 11 with a left rotator cuff strain. He is progressing in his throwing program, but has not been able to throw off a mound. The assumption is that the Royals will bring him back as a starter, so he is going to need to build up his pitch count, and the fact that he hasn't thrown off a mound yet means that a return in August is unlikely. Cristian Javier (elbow) is going to make his season debut next week. Javier did not pitch well on his rehab assignment (5.14 ERA and 15:15 K:BB over 14 IP). The last time we saw Javier on a major league mound, he was struggling with control (13% BB), which makes this concerning. It will be worth waiting on picking him up because we don't know what his stuff looks like and whether the control issues are real or a blip on the radar. Michael Lorenzen (oblique) made a rehab start on Tuesday (3 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, and 5 K) for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Tyler Wells (elbow) went 2.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, and 4 K for Triple-A Norfolk. He went 49 pitches in this outing, which means that he will need a couple more starts before being activated for his season debut. Shane Bieber (elbow) made a rehab start last Sunday (62 pitches) and is scheduled for another on Saturday. The expectation is that he will make one more start before making his 2025 debut in the Pittsburgh series August 18-20. It will be interesting to see what the Blue Jays do with their rotation when he debuts because it is full of veterans who wouldn't appreciate a move to the bullpen and Eric Lauer, who has pitched extremely well this year (2.59 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 19% K:BB in 80 IP). They could also go with a six-man rotation. Reese Olson (shoulder) received a PRP injection in his shoulder and is out for the season. The hope is that he can avoid surgery and be ready for 2026. Luis Garcia (elbow) went 4 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, and 7 K in his most recent rehab start for Triple-A Sugar Land. He went 59 pitches, which means he is getting close to a return but will likely need at least one more start. Grayson Rodriguez (elbow) is going to have right elbow debridement surgery next week. He said that he should be able to throw bullpens 1.5-2 months afterward. He is expected to be healthy for the start of the 2024 season, but he carries significant injury risk. Rodriguez has now missed 1.5 seasons with injuries. He missed most of the second half of 2024 and all of 2025 with injuries. Spencer Arrighetti (thumb) was activated off the 60-day IL on Wednesday. He went 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 11 H, 1 BB, and 5 K. Simeon Woods Richardson was placed on the 15-day IL on Monday due to an illness. Brandon Walter (elbow) started playing catch on Tuesday. Walter has pitched well this year (3.35 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 23% K:BB), but the Astros are about to get Luis Garcia and Cristian Javier back in addition to Spencer Arrighetti, so someone is going to have to be the odd man out. Luis Severino was placed on the 15-day IL with a left oblique strain.
In The Bullpen
Keegan Akin is the guy getting save opportunities in Baltimore right now. Akin has a 3.21 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and 11% K:BB. It is not a traditional closer's profile with average strikeouts and too many walks (12% BB), but saves are saves at this point in the year. Devin Williams took the loss on Friday night (1 IP, 2 ER, 1 HR). He struggled in July (5.73 ERA) and has a 16.88 ERA in August. David Bednar picked up a save on Wednesday and Saturday, so it appears to be the top option in New York. Pete Fairbanks picked up a save on Wednesday, and Griffin Jax blew a save and took a loss on Friday night. Jax has excellent skills (35% K, 7% BB, and 0.91 HR/9) but has been very unlucky in 2025. The Guardians saw three relievers pick up saves this week (Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, and Nic Enright). Cade Smith is still the guy to own, though. Kyle Finnegan picked up two saves (23 SV) for the Tigers this week. Justin Topa picked up a save on Tuesday and appears to be the closer. He has pitched well (3.86 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 20% K, and 6% BB), but the skills don't suggest long-term success. Andres Munoz got two saves this week (26), and Matt Brash got one on Friday.
Players to add this week:
3B Josh Jung (TEX)- Josh Jung is back with the Rangers and playing every day. He is hitting .250 with 11 HR, 33 R, 44 RBI, and 4 SB. It is not a league-winning profile, but one that has value in deeper mixed league formats. He has solid plate skills (25% K and 6% K) and hits the ball hard enough (8% Barrels and 45% Hardhit).
OF Daulton Varsho (TOR)- Daulton Varsho is hitting .241 with 11 HR, 17 R, 30 RBI, and 1 SB. He is crushing the baseball (18% Barrels and 46% Hardhit), which has resulted in a career-high .366 ISO. It is going to be a lower average because of the heavy fly ball approach (49% FB), but the power is legit, and he has the potential to steal bases.
OF Jo Adell (LAA)- Jo Adell is hitting .232 with 24 HR, 43 R, 67 RBI, and 3 SB in 406 PA. He is on track to set career highs in PA, HR, R, RBI, and Barrel%. Adell is still looked down on in the fantasy community because he hasn't lived up to his prospect status. He has been ice cold in the second half (.187 AVG with 5 HR, 7 R, 13 RBI, and 0 SB), but as we know, he is a streaky player who, when he gets hot, hits home runs in bunches. If you are in need of some power and Adell has been dropped, he offers nice HR upside down the stretch.
2B Luke Keaschall (MIN)-Luke Keaschall was activated this week off the IL. In his short time in the majors, he has hit .406 with 1 HR, 5 R, 10 RBI, and 5 SB. It is just 39 PA, but he has shown excellent plate skills (13% BB and 5% K) to go along with 10% Barrels. In the minors, he hit .263 with 1 HR, 16 R, 9 RBI, and 11 SB in 118 PA at Triple-A. The speed is real, and he has the ability to put the ball in play.
SP Slade Cecconi (CLE)- Slade Cecconi has a 3.72 ERA and 1.19 WHIP through 82.1 IP. He doesn't miss many bats (20% K), but he has good control (7% BB), and his swinging strike rate (10% SwStr) suggests he could get a few more strikeouts. His 4.17 SIERA is a good indicator of his potential, which is a backend starter in 15-team leagues and/or a streamer in other formats. He faces the Braves at home next week.
SP Joe Boyle (TBR)- Joe Boyle has appeared in seven games and started three of them. He has a 2.30 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. He has the ability to miss bats (24% K and 11% SwStr), and the Rays have figured out a way to get him to throw more strikes (10% BB). He has an excellent matchup this week with a start against the Giants on the road in a pitcher-friendly environment.
RP Phil Maton (TEX)- Phil Maton picked up a save on Tuesday, and Robert Garcia took the loss on Wednesday. Maton may not have been in Texas long, but he is their best reliever. He has been excellent this year (2.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 30% K, and 10% BB). Maton may be part of the committee now, but there is a chance that he will run away with the job.
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