July 4, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder
Daulton Varsho (hamstring) ran the bases on Thursday and felt good. He will repeat it in the coming days before starting a minor-league rehab assignment, according to Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling. Varsho could begin his rehab assignment this weekend and rejoin the big-league squad next week before the All-Star break, barring a setback. The 29-year-old has been out since May 31 with a hamstring injury, but the team's starting center fielder is on the cusp of a return. Varsho got a late start in 2025 because of offseason shoulder surgery and won't be doing fantasy managers any help in the batting average department, but he did hit eight home runs and drive in 20 in 92 at-bats before injuring his hamstring. The Blue Jays have been mixing and matching in center field of late with
Myles Straw and
Nathan Lukes.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sportsnet.ca - Arden Zwelling
July
4,
2025
The
Toronto
Blue
Jays
transferred
outfielder/designated
hitter
Anthony
Santander
(shoulder)
to
the
60-day
injured
list
on
Friday,
according
to
Sportsnet's
Ben
Nicholson-Smith.
Right-handed
pitching
prospect
Lazaro
Estrada
was
also
called
up,
read more...
July
4,
2025
Toronto
Blue
Jays
catcher
Alejandro
Kirk
will
head
to
the
bench
for
the
start
of
a
series
on
Friday
against
the
visiting
Los
Angeles
Angels
at
the
Rogers
Centre.
Tyler
Heinemanread more...
July 4, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays second baseman
Andres Gimenez (ankle) is back at second base and batting leadoff for Friday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels and right-hander
Kyle Hendricks. Gimenez left Wednesday's win over the New York Yankees early with a minor ankle injury and was held out of the series finale on Thursday, but he'll return to the field atop the batting order for Friday's series opener. Although the 26-year-old doesn't feature much power at the plate, he'll be in play as a DFS sleeper at the second base position out of the leadoff spot against a soft-tossing pitcher. He has a solo home run in two career at-bats against Hendricks. The Venezuelan infielder is hitting a weak .216/.299/.322 with a .621 OPS, only five home runs, 22 RBI, 26 runs scored and 10 steals in 208 at-bats on the year.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
July 4, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (foot) is not in the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels after fouling a ball off his foot in Thursday's victory over the New York Yankees, according to Sportsnet's Shi Dividi. It doesn't sound like a very serious injury, so the Blue Jays are most likely exercising an abundance of caution for one of the best hitters in the league. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Saturday to see if the 26-year-old is back in action for Game 2 of the series at the Rogers Centre.
Will Wagner will make the start at first on Friday and will hit eighth against Angels right-hander
Kyle Hendricks. Wagner is still searching for his first home run of the season and has gone 14-for-69 (.203) on the year with two RBI, seven runs scored and one stolen base.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sportsnet.ca - Shi Davidi
July 4, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop
Bo Bichette (knee) is back at shortstop and is hitting third in the batting order for Friday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels and right-hander
Kyle Hendricks at the Rogers Centre. Bichette stepped on a ball during pre-game batting practice on Monday and tweaked his knee, causing him to miss the entire four-game sweep of the division-rival New York Yankees. The 27-year-old is back for the weekend series against the Halos, though, and should be returned to all starting lineups for the first-place Blue Jays. It was an injury-plagued and disappointing 2024 campaign for Bichette, but he's bounced back in 2025, hitting .272 (97-for-357) with 11 home runs, 49 RBI, 39 runs scored and four stolen bases. Bichette has never faced the soft-tossing Hendricks in his career.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
July 4, 2025
San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said on Thursday that catcher
Tom Murphy (back) is still rehabbing and that there is no timetable for his return, according to MLB.com. Murphy has yet to play in 2025 and has only played 13 games for the Gigantes so far since joining the club in 2024. The 34-year-old veteran backstop is currently on the 60-day injured list with a mid-back disc herniation, although he's expected to return at some point in the second half. Murphy missed the majority of last season with a sprained MCL in his left knee. When he's healthy and with the big-league club, Murphy will merely serve as the backup to
Patrick Bailey, leaving him minimal fantasy appeal for his power. He did hit 18 home runs with the Seattle Mariners, but that was way back in 2019.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
July 4, 2025
Washington Nationals right-handed reliever
Derek Law (forearm) resumed a minor-league rehab assignment on Wednesday with Triple-A Rochester and threw a scoreless inning with a strikeout and a walk, according to MASN's Mark Zuckerman. Law reported a reoccurrence of arm soreness last week but is now pitching in games again and could rejoin the big-league bullpen before the All-Star break. The 34-year-old has not pitched for the Nationals yet in 2025 but has already made four appearances on the farm. In his first year in D.C. in 2024, Law was a key reliever for the Nats, going 7-4 with a 2.60 ERA (3.32 FIP), a 1.18 WHIP, one save, a career-high 76 strikeouts and 24 walks in 90 innings out of the bullpen. When he's ready to return, he'll likely be eased back in for the second half of the season.
--Keith HernandezSource: MASN Sports - Mark Zuckerman
July 4, 2025
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone called right-handed pitching prospect
Cam Schlittler "an exciting pitcher" and said he has "certainly put himself in the mix" to join the team's starting rotation after right-hander
Clarke Schmidt (forearm) landed on the 15-day injured list on Friday. Schlittler is the club's No. 10 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and has gone 6-6 with a 2.82 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 99 strikeouts and 26 walks in 76 2/3 innings over 15 outings (14 starts) this year with Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It could come down to the 24-year-old or
Allan Winans for a spot start in Schmidt's place next week before the All-Star break. Schlittler Schlittler features an upper-90s fastball and backs it up with two effective breaking pitches in a sweeping slider and curveball. It might be a short stay in the big if Schilittler comes up.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch
July 4, 2025
Baltimore Orioles infielder
Jordan Westburg (finger) is making his return to the starting lineup on the Fourth of July on Friday against the hosting Atlanta Braves and right-hander
Spencer Strider, playing third base and batting second in the order. Westburg isn't going to be 100 percent, but he'll return for the O's for the first time since aggravating his left index finger injury last Friday. It's been an injury-plagued year for the 26-year-old, and although he does have seven home runs in 136 at-bats, he's hit just .228 with 14 home runs and 20 runs scored. The former first-rounder in 2020 out of Mississippi State has never faced Strider, a pitcher that is starting to finally hit his stride after a slow start early in the year. When healthy, Westburg is Baltimore's regular third baseman, pushing
Ramon Urias back to a utility role.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
July 4, 2025
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that after the team placed right-hander
Jameson Taillon (calf) on the 15-day injured list on Friday, right-hander
Chris Flexen is "a candidate to be stretched out for sure. He's prepared to do a little bit more." Fantasy managers searching for rotation help or streaming options in deeper leagues should have Flexen firmly on their radars, especially with how well he's pitched for the Cubs this year in a relief role. The 31-year-old veteran is a perfect 5-0 with a stingy 0.62 ERA and 0.83 WHIP while striking out 15 and walking eight in 29 innings out of the bullpen. He also has one save. Flexen has a sharp 6.5 K-BB% and plenty of experience as a starter in his seven big-league seasons, so he could get some run in a starting role while Taillon is out.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN Chicago - Jesse Rogers
July 4, 2025
The Detroit Tigers activated right-hander
Reese Olson (finger) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and optioned outfielder
Justyn-Henry Malloy to Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move. Olson is starting Friday's series opener in Cleveland against the division-rival Guardians. The 25-year-old is returning to an ERA under 3.00 and is worth a waiver-wire pickup in deep-mixed leagues if available, but he won't come recommended as a fantasy starter in his first game back. He made three minor-league rehab starts but only got built up to four innings in his final start at Toledo on June 25. The good news is that Olson will be facing a slumping Guardians squad that has the third-lowest OPS (.660) in the big leagues entering play on Friday. Olson's xERA of 3.54 means he could be due some regression in the second half, although his FIP does sit at a strong 2.95.
--Keith HernandezSource: Tigers PR
July 4, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals catcher
Ivan Herrera (hamstring) might begin a minor-league rehab assignment, but the team doesn't expect him to return to the major-league roster until after the All-Star break, according to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak. Until Herrera returns,
Pedro Pages will continue to hold down the starting duties behind the plate in St. Louis. The 25-year-old Herrera has been out of action since June 19 but should return to starting duties for the Cardinals to begin the second half of the season, barring a setback when he begins a rehab assignment. The Panamanian backstop has been an offensive asset for the Red Birds so far this year by hitting .320/.392/.533 with a .925 OPS, eight home runs, 36 RBI, 22 runs scored and a stolen base in 42 games. He also hit over .300 in 72 games in 2024, but with only five homers and 27 RBI.
--Keith HernandezSource: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Derrick Goold
July 4, 2025
The Philadelphia Phillies will reinstert right-hander
Taijuan Walker into their starting rotation, according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb, and he'll toe the rubber on Tuesday in San Francisco against the Giants and potentially go four innings. After that, the team will reassess the situation after the All-Star break. The 32-year-old veteran has been solid for the Phils as both a starter and reliever this year, but he hasn't started a game since May 30, which means he's not going to go too deep into the contest next week in the Bay Area. Walker hasn't thrown more than two innings in an outing since his start on May 30 versus the Milwaukee Brewers. Overall, he's outperformed expectations with a 3.64 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, one save, 46 strikeouts and 22 walks in 54 1/3 frames over 19 outings (eight starts). Top pitching prospect
Andrew Painter could be called up early in the second half, which would push Walker back to the bullpen.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Matt Gelb
July 4, 2025
New York Mets right-hander
Paul Blackburn (shoulder), who landed on the 15-day injured list on Thursday with a right-shoulder impingement, is expected to resume throwing next week. Manager
Carlos Mendoza said Blackburn's prognosis was "relatively good news." The 31-year-old veteran will be shut down for only three to five days. With right-hander
Kodai Senga (hamstring) and left-hander
Sean Manaea (elbow, oblique) likely joining the Mets' starting rotation soon, there's a good chance Blackburn will be relegated to the bullpen for a long-relief role in the second half of the season when he comes off the IL. The former first-rounder by the Chicago Cubs in 2012 has battled injuries since joining the Mets during midseason last year, and he hasn't been very good in six outings (four starts) in 2025, posting a 7.71 ERA, 1.98 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jorge Castillo
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