August 22, 2025
The Tampa Bay Rays optioned right-hander
Joe Boyle to Triple-A Durham on Friday and recalled righty
Brian Van Belle to take his roster spot. Boyle had been working out of Tampa Bay's rotation, but the team demoted him after three straight rough starts in which he yielded a combined 15 earned runs on 17 hits and 10 walks (13 strikeouts) in 9 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old owned a 2.30 ERA before that stretch, but that figure has ballooned by over three runs in two weeks. As a result, Boyle will head back to Durham 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA, a 1.39 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts against 21 walks across 36 2/3 frames. He had been scheduled to make his next start for the Rays on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians, but the club hasn't named a replacement yet.
--Connor ByrneSource: Tampa Bay Rays
August 22, 2025
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher
Walker Buehler is officially shifting to the bullpen, according to manager Alex Cora. There has been speculation about this with how poorly Buehler has been pitching this season. He currently holds a 5.40 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and a 82/54 K/BB ratio across 22 starts this season. The Red Sox could use the help in the bullpen with multiple relievers currently sidelined with injuries. The move to the bullpen will eliminate any fantasy value that Buehler still had left. The Red Sox haven't named a starting pitcher for Monday's game, but
Richard Fitts and
Kyle Harrison seem like the favorites.
--Andy WebbSource: Chris Cotillo
August 22, 2025
Texas Rangers outfielder
Evan Carter (wrist) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday. Ouch, Carter is likely going to miss the rest of the regular season due to a fractured wrist. He was hit by a pitch on the wrist during Thursday's game which is going to sideline him for weeks. This is a shame considering Carter was beginning to come around at the plate. The potential is there, but the injuries continue to pile up for Carter. In a corresponding move, infielder/outfielder
Michael Helman has been recalled from Triple-A Round Rock. The absence of Carter means
Wyatt Langford will likely see a majority of his time in center field while
Alejandro Osuna probably goes to left field.
--Andy WebbSource: Texas Rangers PR
August 22, 2025
Texas Rangers outfielder
Adolis Garcia (ankle) is expected to be activated off the injured list ahead of Saturday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. Garcia was only forced to miss the minimum of 10 days due to a sprained ankle. He took batting practice ahead of Friday's contest without any issues. It appears Garcia is ready to return, barring a setback before Saturday's game. He has struggled with a .224/.266/.388 slash line with 16 home runs, 64 RBI, and 10 stolen bases this season. He's not someone that must be rostered in 12-team formats at the moment.
--Andy WebbSource: Shawn McFarland
August 22, 2025
Texas Rangers starting pitcher
Jacob deGrom (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday. The right-hander had his last turn in the rotation skipped due to shoulder fatigue. This seemed more like a precautionary measure than any sort of injury. The 37-year-old has a long history of injuries and has already thrown over 140 innings this season. If deGrom throws on Saturday without any issues, then he should start against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. Fantasy managers should check back on Saturday for another update.
--Andy WebbSource: Jeff Wilson
August 22, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher
Tanner Scott (elbow) was activated off the 15-day injured list ahead of Friday's game against the San Diego Padres. Scott returns to the mix after missing the last month of the season due to left elbow inflammation. Before landing on the shelf, Scott posted a 4.14 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and a 50/11 K/BB ratio with 19 saves. The Dodgers have been using a committee approach in the ninth inning while Scott was sidelined. Now, Scott should move right back into the closer role. In a corresponding move, right-hander
Matt Sauer has been optioned to Triple-A. Scott should be rostered in most fantasy formats where saves matter.
--Andy WebbSource: Los Angeles Dodgers
August 22, 2025
Seattle Mariners outfielder
Dominic Canzone (arm) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Athletics. Canzone has been sidelined since being hit by a pitch on the arm during Monday's game. The X-rays didn't reveal any structural damage, so fantasy managers should consider Canzone as day-to-day for now. Hopefully, he'll be able to get back into the lineup at some point this weekend. In the meantime,
Luke Raley will take over in right field and bat seventh versus right-hander
Luis Morales. Fantasy managers should check back on Saturday for another update on Canzone.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
August 22, 2025
The Athletics reinstated shortstop
Jacob Wilson (forearm) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and optioned infielder
Max Schuemann to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. Wilson is back at shortstop and is batting fifth for the A's in his return to the lineup on Friday night against the division-rival Seattle Mariners and right-hander
Bryan Woo at T-Mobile Park. Fantasy managers need to return the contact-orientd Wilson to their starting lineups in all leagues. The 23-year-old potential American League Rookie of the Year is due some regression to close out the year, but he's still one of the toughest players to strike out and enters Friday's action with a .311 average, 10 home runs, 45 RBI, 46 runs scored and five steals as the A's starting shortstop. He's also hitting .625 with a 1.542 OPS and an RBI against Woo, albeit in only eight career at-bats.
--Keith HernandezSource: A's Communications
August 22, 2025
San Diego Padres outfielder
Jackson Merrill (ankle) remains out of the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park.
Ramon Laureano is getting another start in center field and will bat seventh against Dodgers left-hander
Blake Snell. Merrill suffered a left-ankle contusion in last Sunday's loss to the Dodgers and hasn't played since, missing five straight games. The 22-year-old's injury wasn't considered serious, but if he's unable to play this weekend, the Padres will certainly be considering putting him on the injured list. Merrill was an All-Star in his rookie season in 2024, but things have been tougher in 2025. He has only two home runs while hitting .255 (27-for-106) in 27 games since the All-Star break. Laureano has been hot since joining the Pads at the trade deadline but is hitting .111 in nine career at-bats against Snell.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
August 22, 2025
The Chicago Cubs recalled right-hander
Javier Assad from Triple-A Iowa on Friday, and he will make the start in the series opener in Anaheim against the hosting Los Angeles Angels, according to Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. In a corresponding move, the Cubs put right-handed reliever
Ryan Brasier (groin) on the 15-day injured list with a strained left groin. Depending on how Assad fares in his outing on Friday night, the 28-year-old could stick around in Chicago's starting rotation with right-hander Michael Sorka (shoulder) on the IL. This will be only Assad's third start of the year for the Cubs due to injuries in 2025. He allowed five earned runs on 13 hits (one homer) while walking two and fanning five in eight innings in his two starts versus Toronto and Pittsburgh. The former reliever has limited strikeout upside and won't be a very popular fantasy streamer on Friday evening.
--Keith HernandezSource: Chicago Sun-Times - Maddie Lee
August 22, 2025
Miami Marlins shortstop
Otto Lopez (illness) was scratched from Friday's starting lineup against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays due to a stomach illness, according to Kevin Barral of Fish on First. With Lopez under the weather,
Maximo Acosta will make the start at the 6 in Miami and will bat ninth against Blue Jays right-hander
Shane Bieber, who will be making his first start of the season and his team debut with Toronto. There's a good chance that the Marlins will have Lopez back in action for the second game of th weekend series on Saturday. The 26-year-old Dominican infielder has become Miami's starting shortstop in his second year with the team. Lopez is currently slashing .240/.309/.361 with a weak .670 OPS and modest contributions in homers (11) and steals (11) with 58 RBI and 52 runs in 110 games played. Acosta will be playing in just his fourth major-league game.
--Keith HernandezSource: Fish On First - Kevin Barral
August 22, 2025
The St. Louis Cardinals' newly acquired infield prospect
Jesus Baez smacked his first home run with his new ballclub on Thursday and went 1-for-4 on the evening with two strikeouts. Baez is the Cardinals' seventh-ranked prospect in the organization, according to MLB.com, and was recently acquired from the New York Mets in the trade that sent
Ryan Helsley to the Mets. Baez profiles as an explosive athlete who generates a lot of power and makes some web gems in the field. In the season in Single-A and High-A, he has slashed .239/.332/.373 with 11 home runs, 50 runs scored, 44 RBI, and seven stolen bases. Although he is a bit of a project for the Cardinals at this time, he has the potential to be an exciting ballplayer if he continues to develop.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: Minor League Baseball
August 22, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect
Carson Williams is making his major-league debut on Friday night against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander
Miles Mikolas, starting at shortstop and batting seventh for the Rays. Fantasy managers might want to temper expectations for the 22-year-old infielder in his first taste of big-league pitching given his struggles at the plate in the minors, but he should at least play regularly for Tampa while
Ha-Seong Kim is on the 10-day injured list with a back injury. The Rays' top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, had 23 home runs, 22 stolen bases and 55 RBI in 451 plate appearances at Triple-A Durham, but he was also hitting just .213. The upside is evident, though, and Williams should already be rostered in all dynasty/keeper leagues for his power/speed skills. If he can continue to improve, he has the ability to be a future All-Star.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
August 22, 2025
Minnesota Twins second overall prospect and MLB's 54th overall prospect,
Eduardo Tait, has found his stride in High-A for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. The Twins acquired Tait in exchange for right-hander
Jhoan Duran at the trade deadline, and he is currently on a four-game hitting streak, going 5-for-16 (.312) and is slashing .252/.313/.429 with 14 homeruns, 51 runs scored, and 66 RBI across 431 plate appearances on the season. While he is still currently in High-A, should he continue to impress, he could spend most of 2026 and 2027 in Double-A and Triple-A before being promoted to the majors sometime in 2028. Tait is a power-hitting catcher with good athleticism and is viewed as one of the organization's top prospects.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: Cedar Rapids Kernels
August 22, 2025
Los Angeles Angels shortstop
Zach Neto (wrist) is starting at shortstop and hitting in his customary leadoff spot for Friday's series opener at the Big A in Anaheim against the visiting Chicago Cubs and right-hander
Javier Assad. Neto had to leave Wednesday's contest early against the Cincinnati Reds after he was hit by a pitch on his left wrist, but thankfully X-rays came back negative and he' ready to go for the weekend. The 24-year-old has never faced Assad in his career, but fantasy managers should be putting him back in their starting lineups. The former 13th overall pick in 2022 out of Campbell Univerity is having another strong season for his fantasy managers, slashing .267/.325/.479 with a career-high .804 OPS, 21 long balls, 55 RBI, 74 runs and 22 steals in 108 games. Neto has hit a cool .300 (12-for-40) with four homers, nine RBI and a steal in his last 10 contests.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
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