In The Field
OF Owen Cassie (neck) was not in the Marlins lineup on Friday, which marked the third straight game he missed due to neck spasms. SS Xavier Edwards (thumb) is starting to increase his activity. He has been throwing and doing rotational work but hasn't been able to squeeze a glove due to the inflammation in his hand. Edwards is hitting .282 with 2 HR, 59 R, 51 RBI, and 20 SB in 574 PA. SS Masyn Winn (thumb) was activated on Saturday as the Cardinals took on the Rockies. Winn was hitting .238 with 5 Hr, 49 R, 51 RBI, and 10 SB in 490 PA. He has continued to decline after his breakout 2024 season (.267 AVG with 15 HR, 85 R, 57 RBI, and 11 SB in 637 PA). The strikeouts have increased while struggling to make hard contact (4% Barrels). OF Kyle Stowers left Thursday's game early with left hamstring tightness and was subsequently out of the Marlins lineup on Friday. Stowers has been unable to repeat last year (.247 AVG with 18 HR, 48 R, 59 RBI, and 1 SB). The main difference is that his strikeout rate went from 27% to 32%. DH Shohei Ohtani (biceps/knee) was out of the Dodgers lineup Thursday-Saturday with left knee discomfort and a right bicep issue. His return to the mound has been delayed, and manager Dave Roberts said that a trip to the IL is unlikely, but it could be possible if the conversations with Ohtani change. He has been good (.279 AVG with 30 HR, 89 R, 80 RBI, and 11 SB) but nowhere near his previous three seasons, as he has been hampered by the knee issue for a large portion of the season. SS Konnor Griffin was activated off the 15-day IL on Friday. It is a huge plus for the Pirates to have him back, but manager Don Kelly said that they will be managing his playing time as he returns, which means that he is not going to start every day. His rookie season has been marred by injury each time he seemed to be getting going. Despite that, he has hit .276 with 5 HR, 35 R, 25 RBI, and 20 SB in 247 PA. The ridiculous ceiling is still there, but we probably won't see it until next year. 1B/OF Ryan O'Hearn (quad) is targeting a return during the Pirates' Sept. 11-Sept. 13 series against the Cubs. O'Hearn had been very productive for the Pirates (.270 AVG with 17 HR, 54 R, 69 RBI, and 1 SB). The return of O'Hearn and Griffin, plus the recent addition of OF Oneil Cruz, will be a huge boost for the Pirates' offense, but it will still be too late for their postseason chances. OF Spencer Steer (wrist) is scheduled to have his wrist examined next week. The hope is that he will be able to return before the end of the year. Steer hit .238 with 16 HR, 54 R, 40 RBI, and 3 SB in 384 PA. The Reds have been consistently playing OF Hector Rodriguez in right field and J.J. Bleday in left field, then mixing and matching in center field. Rodriguez is hitting .240 with 5 HR, 11 R, 11 RBI, and 0 SB in 82 PA, and Bleday hasn't been great but has provided some fantasy value (.222 AVG with 22 HR, 53 R, 55 RBI, and 6 SB in 467 PA). OF Andy Pages (hand) is getting close to starting a hitting progression. He was placed on the IL on August 22 with a fractured left hand, which he later had surgery on. Pages had been very good for the Dodgers before the injury (.272 AVG with 21 HR, 72 R, 80 RBI, and 12 SB). Pages being out has allowed UTIL Tommy Edman to play in the outfield while they mix and match on the infield with Miguel Rojas and Enrique Hernandez. 3B Kyle Karros cleared concussion protocol and started a rehab assignment with Double-A Hartford on Thursday. Karros has hit .263 with 10 HR, 58 R, 44 RBI, and 5 SB in 403 PA. 2B J.J. Wetherholt (wrist) received a cortisone injection in his right wrist. He is eligible to come off the 10-day IL on September 9. Wetherholt has really struggled in the second half (.201 AVG with 4 HR, 12 R, 23 RBI, and 5 SB). The good news is that most of it is due to a .227 BABIP because his strikeout rate has increased but is still above-average (17% K). Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters that OF Corbin Carroll is dealing with discomfort in his lower back. This was on Tuesday, but Carroll has yet to miss a game this week. OF James Wood (oblique) was activated on Wednesday. This is great news for fantasy owners heading into the home stretch, as Wood is in the midst of another monster season (.265 AVG with 30 Hr, 100 R, 73 RBI, and 17 SB). The Diamondbacks activated OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. off the IL on Tuesday, but he has not started any of the three games since then. His role has shifted to a bench player, which kills his fantasy value. OF Willi Castro was not in the Rockies lineup on Friday due to plantar fasciitis. This is concerning news because it is a troublesome injury, especially for someone who relies on speed as part of their game. The Rockies placed him on the 10-day IL on Saturday.
On The Mound
Reynaldo Lopez (knee) is going to be activated off the 15-day IL next week and make a start. He has been out since late July with left knee inflammation. Lopez has shown decreased skill when on the mound this year (3.64 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 22% K, 10% BB, and 4.30 SIERA). Edward Cabrera (blister) made a rehab appearance for Triple-A Iowa on Friday night (0.2 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, and 1 K). Cabrera has not been good this year (5.68 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 20% K, and 10% BB). Corbin Burnes (elbow) is expected to make his season debut on Tuesday against the Royals. Burnes had Tommy John surgery last June. He is going to be on a limited pitch count considering he threw just 17 pitches in his last rehab start. Getting a look at his stuff will be extremely valuable for fantasy given that his stuff was down drastically before having surgery. SP Shohei Ohtani (biceps/knee) is dealing with left knee discomfort and a right bicep issue. His return to throwing has been delayed, and it is looking increasingly likely that we won't make it back as a starter this year. Ohtani was elite when on the mound this season (1.79 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 28% K, 8% BB, and 3.31 SIERA across 85.2 IP). The Cubs ruled Ben Brown out for the year due to his neck injury. He had been trending towards a return but suffered a setback last week. Brown looked good in his transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation (1.85 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 25% K, 7% BB). The downside is that he has been shut down each of the last two seasons with a neck injury. Joe Musgrove (elbow) has had his recovery paused due to his lack of recovery between starts. This is concerning news because Musgrove appeared close to returning and hasn't pitched on a major league mound since 2024. He has a track record of injury, so it would be nice to see him on a major league mound before the end of the year, but he is quickly running out of time. Mike Soroka (shoulder) threw a scheduled simulated game on Friday. He has pitched well when on the mound (3.40 ERA and 1.16 WHIP) but has pitched just 95.1 IP. Zac Gallen (elbow) also threw a simulated game on Friday. Gallen is not fantasy relevant unless he shows a drastic turnaround (6.34 ERA and 1.56 WHIP). Ryne Nelson (elbow) started a rehab assignment with Single-A Visalia on Saturday. It looks like he will be used out of the bullpen when he does return. Justin Steele (elbow) began a rehab assignment on Wednesday with a start for Triple-A Iowa (1.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, and 2 K). He is going to need to build up his pitch count before returning to the big league club. Roki Sasaki (finger) came away from a bullpen on Friday feeling good. He is eligible to return on September 11, which is looking likely.
In The Bullpen
Edwin Diaz (neck) threw a live BP session on Friday and reportedly looked good according to manager Dave Roberts. He also said that Diaz is going to need a rehab assignment before coming back. They are also likely to work him in lower-leverage situations before even thinking about possibly moving back to being the closer. The Marlins have two back-end relievers working their way back. Anthony Bender (shin) has been cleared to start a rehab assignment. Pete Fairbanks (hand) has started throwing off a mound. Juan Morillo picked up the Diamondbacks' only save this week. He has looked good this year (2.11 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 29% K, 9% BB, and 3.07 SIERA). Raisel Iglesias secured save #30 on Friday night. He has been remarkably consistent over the past four seasons with save totals of 33, 34, 29, and 30 this year. In fact, over the past ten years, the only seasons with fewer than 28 saves were 2022 and the shortened 2020 season. Emilio Pagan continues to chug along as well. He got two saves this week and has 5 W and 20 SV this year in 35.1 IP. Jordan Romano had a save on Tuesday and then blew a save and took the loss on Friday night. Kodai Senga had a save on Monday and has pitched well since the beginning of August. He has a 1.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 26% K, and 13% BB. Mason Montgomery has a huge week for fantasy owners. He had 3 SV and 1 W. This season, he has 6 W, 8 SV, 2.97 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 29% K:BB. Dylan Smith has the heat turned up on his seat as the Giants' closer but was able to convert his latest save chance on Wednesday.
Players to add this week:
RP Juan Morillo (ARI)- Juan Morillo picked up the Diamondbacks' only save this week. He has looked good this year (2.11 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 29% K, 9% BB, and 3.07 SIERA). He is not the full-time closer, but anyone getting save opportunities this late in the year could swing the category, so he needs to be rostered where available if you are looking for save opportunities.
C Ethan Salas (SDP)-Ethan Salas has just four MLB at-bats, but his minor-league production gives fantasy managers plenty of reason to pay attention after his call-up. He hit .287 with 7 HR, 41 R, 37 RBI, and 14 SB in 300 PA at Double-A before batting .326 with 3 HR, 13 R, 24 RBI, and 3 SB in 105 PA at Triple-A. That .296 combined average with 10 HR and 17 SB shows a complete offensive profile. Salas is a speculative add immediately, particularly in dynasty and two-catcher formats, with the opportunity to establish himself as San Diego's long-term catcher.
1B Bryce Eldridge (SFG)-Bryce Eldridge is hitting .262 with 15 HR, 44 R, and 45 RBI across 399 PA, while his 12% Barrel rate and 52% HardHit rate give the power legitimate support. He's been even better over the last 14 days, hitting .366 with a pair of homers and 11 RBI while posting a 19% BB rate. The combination of power, patience, and improving production makes Eldridge one of the more appealing young bats available.
3B Javier Sanoja (MIA)-Javier Sanoja is hitting .287 with 7 HR, 37 R, 53 RBI, and 9 SB across 405 PA, while his 8% strikeout rate is one of the more impressive contact profiles on this list. He's hitting .320 over the last 14 days and has added a homer and three steals, giving him a nice combination of average and speed. Sanoja isn't likely to provide much power, but the contact and multi-category production make him a useful middle-infield option.
OF Hector Rodriguez (CIN)-Héctor Rodríguez has hit just .231 with 11 HR, 11 R, and 11 RBI in 86 PA, but he's showing signs of breaking out with a .318 average, 5 HR, 9 R, and 9 RBI over his last 14 days. His 13% Barrel rate during that stretch is a significant improvement over his season mark, while the 40% HardHit rate still leaves some room for growth. The strikeouts are high at 27%, but the recent power surge makes him an intriguing upside add.
SP Tyler Mahle (CIN)-Tyler Mahle's 4.25 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 125.0 IP don't exactly jump off the page, but the 23% strikeout rate, 8% BB rate, 15% K-BB%, and 3.97 SIERA indicate there's more upside here than the surface numbers suggest. He's been much better lately, posting a 1.48 ERA and 0.96 WHIP across his last 30.1 IP while striking out 27% and walking just 4% for a strong 23% K-BB%. The 3.10 SIERA during that stretch is especially encouraging, and Mahle is one of the better waiver-wire targets here if those recent skills continue.
2B Tommy Edman (LAD)-Tommy Edman is hitting .274 with 5 HR, 35 R, 29 RBI, and 6 SB across 251 PA, and his .271 average with 1 HR, 10 R, 5 RBI, and 2 SB over the last 14 days has maintained the useful floor. He doesn't offer much power, but the positional versatility and ability to contribute across multiple categories make him a solid deeper-league addition.
UTIL Thomas Saggese (STL)-Thomas Saggese has hit .245 with 4 HR, 17 R, 11 RBI, and 2 SB in 104 PA, but he's been outstanding over the last 14 days, batting .500 with 3 HR, 8 R, 7 RBI, and a stolen base. His 20% Barrel rate during that stretch provides some evidence that the recent power isn't completely empty production. The sample is small, but Saggese is worth a speculative add while he's swinging the bat this well.
OF Heriberto Hernandez (MIA)-Heriberto Hernández has hit .230 with 23 HR, 43 R, 61 RBI, and 10 SB across 412 PA, showing a useful combination of power and speed. He's hitting .250 with 5 HR, 8 R, 10 RBI, and 2 SB over the last 14 days, while his 25% Barrel rate is particularly encouraging. The 27% strikeout rate creates some batting-average risk, but the power production gives Hernández plenty of fantasy appeal.
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