July 2, 2025
It wasn't his cleanest outing, but Houston Astros closer
Josh Hader picked up his 24th save of the season in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Rockies. Hader came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by two. He got the first out on a fly-out, allowed a solo home run and a single, and ended the game on back-to-back strikeouts. The 31-year-old has converted all of his save opportunities this season and now leads baseball in saves. He has put up strong numbers even by his standards, compiling five wins with a 1.86 ERA, a 0.72 WHIP, a 13.73 K/9 rate, and a career-low 1.63 BB/9 rate in 38 2/3 innings of work.
--Connelly DoanSource: MLB.com
July 1, 2025
Chicago Cubs starter
Matthew Boyd picked up his eighth win of the season in his team's 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Boyd went seven innings, allowing five hits, one walk, and two earned runs with five strikeouts. The veteran lefty has emerged as an integral piece of the division-leading Cubs' rotation. He's posted a 2.65 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with 87 strikeouts in 98 2/3 innings pitched. There are some signs of regression in his profile, as Boyd has stranded an unusually high 80.4% of baserunners, and his 8.4% home run-to-fly-ball rate is well below his career norms. Even if Boyd pitches closer to his 3.44 xERA the rest of the way, he'll still be a useful fantasy starter with solid win potential every time he takes the mound for the Cubs.
--Will BradySource: MLB
July 1, 2025
Shams Charania of ESPN reports that forward
Taurean Prince has agreed to a two-year, $7.1 million contract to remain with the Milwaukee Bucks. In 2024-25, Prince started 73 of his 80 regular-season outings during his first year in Milwaukee. He also averaged 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steals in 27.1 minutes per contest, while shooting a career-best 43.9 percent from three-point range. The 31-year-old could remain in the Bucks starting five, but he will likely struggle to stay a fantasy-relevant asset during the 2025-26 regular season.
--Andrew LennoxSource: Shams Charania
July
1,
2025
Baltimore
Orioles
catcher
Gary
Sanchez
(finger)
took
a
ball
tip
off
his
finger
in
the
eighth
inning
in
Tuesday's
10-2
loss
to
the
Texas
Rangers
and
is
receiving
imaging
to
make
sure
it's
OK,
according
to
read more...
July 1, 2025
Minnesota Twins starter
Joe Ryan was excellent on Tuesday night, throwing seven innings of one-run ball in his team's 2-0 loss to the Miami Marlins. Ryan recorded four strikeouts without walking a batter and allowed just five hits (one homer). The right-hander has been one of the American League's better starters this season, posting a 2.75 ERA, 108 strikeouts and eight wins in 98 1/3 innings pitched (16 starts). He entered the night sporting an elite 23.5% K-BB rate, and his ability to limit free passes is the driving force behind his sterling 0.90 WHIP. Ryan is a high-end starting pitcher option in all fantasy formats. His next scheduled start will come at home on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays.
--Will BradySource: MLB
July 1, 2025
Miami Marlins outfielder
Kyle Stowers homered in his team's 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night. Stowers is in the midst of a breakout campaign, hitting .283 with 14 home runs, 38 runs scored, and 44 RBI in 305 plate appearances. With an elevated 28.6% strikeout rate, though, Stowers may be in for some batting average regression over the second half of the season. However, he's posting elite barrel and hard-hit rates of 19.2% and 52.7%, respectively, and his .545 xSLG is better than his actual .509 slugging percentage. Stowers is a quality outfield option in all fantasy formats heading into the second half of the season.
--Will BradySource: MLB
July 1, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays starter
Shane Baz picked up a quality start in an impressive outing on Tuesday night against the A's. The young righty threw seven innings for a no-decision, allowing seven hits (two homers) and three earned runs while striking out 11 and walking just one. Baz is coming off a red-hot June where he pitched to a 3.26 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 31 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings, recording wins in four out of his five starts. His season-long numbers are not quite as strong, as he's posted a 4.33 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 97 2/3 innings (17 starts). However, Baz has managed to stay healthy this year, a feat that has eluded him in previous years. He's a former top prospect with a world of talent and appears to be rounding into form as he heads into the second half of the season.
--Will BradySource: MLB
July 1, 2025
Atlanta Braves starter
Grant Holmes was lights-out on Tuesday night, earning a no-decision by throwing six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts while allowing three hits and three walks in his team's 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. In 96 innings pitched this season, the veteran right-hander has pitched to a 3.47 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with 113 strikeouts. The only major blemish on Holmes' resume so far this season has been walks. He entered the night sporting an 11.2% walk rate, a significant increase from the 5.3% walk rate he recorded in 2024. Even still, Holmes has been an excellent source of strikeouts for fantasy managers so far this season. His next scheduled start will come on Sunday at home against the Baltimore Orioles in a strong matchup.
--Will BradySource: MLB
July 1, 2025
Houston Rockets forward/center
Jeff Green signed a one-year, $3.63 million contract to remain with the franchise. This upcoming campaign will be the third consecutive season for Green in a Rockets uniform. The 38-year-old veteran posted averages of 5.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.1 blocks across 12.4 minutes per contest during 32 regular-season outings. At this point in his career, the big man won't factor into fantasy in 2025-26.
--Andrew LennoxSource: Shams Charania
July 1, 2025
Detroit Tigers left-hander
Tyler Holton will serve as the opener on Wednesday for Game 1 of a split doubleheader against the hosting Washington Nationals in D.C. Right-hander
Jack Flaherty, who was scheduled to start Tuesday's game before it was postponed due to inclement weather, will start in Game 2. In his four opening assignments this year, Holton has allowed five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of work, so fantasy managers shouldn't consider him a realistic streamer. The 29-year-old southpaw has been more effective as a traditional reliever for the first-place Tigers and is sporting a 4.34 ERA overall with a 1.26 WHIP and 30:8 K:BB in 37 1/3 innings over 34 appearances (four starts). Holton was much better last year, posting a 2.19 ERA and 0.78 WHIP with a career-high eight saves in 94 1/3 innings of work in the regular season.
--Keith HernandezSource: Detroit News - Chris McCosky
July 1, 2025
The Houston Astros recalled infielder
Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land to replace shortstop
Jeremy Pena (ribs), who landed on the 10-day injured list on Monday. Whitcomb, a former fifth-rounder in 2020 out of UC San Diego, debuted with Houston last year as a utility infielder and went 9-for-41 (.220) with no homers, five RBI and a run scored in just 20 games. The 26-year-old is hitless in nine plate appearances in the majors this year but has impressed in 60 games at Sugar Land, slashing .280/.360/.582 with a .942 OPS, 19 long balls, 43 RBI, 43 runs scored and six steals. Whitcomb will serve in a super-utility role for the Astros again and could even see some playing time in the outfield. However, because his playing time will likely be sporadic, he's nothing more than a waiver-wire flier for short-term depth in AL-only fantasy formats.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
July 1, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder
Jordan Walker (appendix) has joined the team in Pittsburgh to meet with the team's trainers and medical staff before heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment, which means he won't come off the 10-day injured list when he's eligible on Friday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold. Walker landed on the IL due to appendicitis, but he didn't require surgery and could rejoin the big-league squad early next week, barring a setback on his rehab assignment. When the 23-year-old former top prospect does return, there's a good chance he'll only be in a platoon situation in St. Louis' outfield. The former 21st overall pick in 2020 has hit just .210 (37-for-176) with three home runs, 23 RBI, 21 runs and 63 strikeouts in 191 trips to the plate in his 55 games in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Derrick Goold
July 1, 2025
Colorado Rockies shortstop
Ezequiel Tovar (oblique) said he has been hitting off a tee for four days but has yet to take full batting practice. Tovar is making progress, but with the All-Star break quickly approaching, it seems like a good bet that we won't see him back with the Rockies until the start of the second half of the season on July 18. The 23-year-old starting shortstop has been on the 10-day injured list since early June after injuring his left oblique muscle. In addition to his injury, it's been a disappointing 2025 campaign for the Venezuelan infielder, as he's hit .258/.301/.406 with a .708 OPS, three home runs, 10 RBI, 14 runs scored and two stolen bases in 128 at-bats after he had 26 home runs, 78 RBI and a league-high 45 doubles in 157 games in 2024. Until Tovar is able to return to Colorado, rookie
Ryan Ritter will serve as the starter at the 6.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Thomas Harding
July 1, 2025
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac said on the Rich Eisen Show that Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro pass-rusher T.J. Watt is in a stalemate with the team regarding a contract extension because he "wants to be the highest-paid non-quarterback" in the league. Watt will turn 31 years old in October, so the Steelers don't want to do an extension for anything less than five years in order to spread the money out in terms of guarantees and a signing bonus. The Steelers want to bring Watt, one of the most disruptive defenders in the league, but they know it's not a smart business decision after they noticed a decline in his performance last year when he dropped from a league-leading 19 sacks in 2023 to 11.5 last year in 17 regular-season starts. The Steelers usually don't play hard ball with their stars, but this is something that could stretch well into training camp and the preseason.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Gerry Dulac
July 1, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman
Willson Contreras (hand) said he is doubtful for Wednesday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports. Contreras exited Tuesday's 1-0 loss after taking a 99.3 mph fastball from Pirates ace
Paul Skenes off the left hand in the fourth inning. X-rays came back negative, but it'll take Contreras at least another couple of days to return. The Cardinals are off on Thursday, but Contreras could be back in the lineup Friday against the Chicago Cubs.
--Connor ByrneSource: Katie Woo - The Athletic
July
1,
2025
Toronto
Blue
Jays
outfielder
George
Springer
put
on
a
show
as
the
club
rolled
to
a
12-5
win
over
the
visiting
New
York
Yankees
on
Tuesday.
Springer
finished
3-for-4
with
two
home
runs,
a
career-high
seven
RBI,
read more...
July
1,
2025
The
Athletic's
Joe
Buscaglia
has
Buffalo
Bills
wide
receiver
Joshua
Palmer
listed
as
a
sleeper
after
signing
a
three-year
deal
with
the
team
in
the
offseason.
Buscaglia
writes
that
Palmer's
potential
role
and
impact
in
this
read more...
July 1, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates closer
David Bednar encountered trouble Tuesday, but he worked out of it to record his 12th save in a 1-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. The right-hander walked
Jose Fermin to lead off the inning and later allowed a one-out double to
Yohel Pozo. Bednar then locked down the Cardinals with two runners in scoring position, retiring
Victor Scott II on a fielder's choice and striking out
Brendan Donovan to end the game. The 30-year-old still hasn't blown a save this season and hasn't allowed an earned run since May 23. Overall, Bednar has pitched to a 2.73 ERA with 42:9 K:BB and a 1.15 WHIP in 29 2/3 innings.
--Connor ByrneSource: ESPN
July 1, 2025
The Los Angeles Lakers have added some depth in the form of forward
Jake LaRavia on Monday. According to Shams Charania, LaRavia has agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with the Lakers. The 23-year-old is averaging 6.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists across three NBA seasons. He has spent most of his career with the Memphis Grizzlies before being traded to the Sacramento Kings mid-way last season. This is a nice depth move by the Lakers to add a player like LaRavia who can do a little bit of everything. He figures to play a fairly significant role off the bench, but probably won't be anything more than a streaming option in most fantasy formats.
--Andy WebbSource: Shams Charania
July 1, 2025
The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia lists Buffalo Bills wide receiver
Laviska Shenault Jr. on the bubble watch heading into training camp. Shenault is likely best suited for the X receiver role behind
Keon Coleman, and his run-after-the-catch skills and speed give him a real shot to with the kickoff-return job. The Bills made a low-cost investment in Shenault after liking him in the pre-draft process before his draft year. Despite all those things that Buscaglia mentions, he also writes that the odds are that Shenault doesn't make the team beyond training camp because they'll have answers elsewhere to the value he'd provide. If the 26-year-old doesn't make the 53-man roster, he'll be a prime candidate to be stashed on the practice squad for depth. Shenault caught just five passes for 36 yards as mostly a kickoff returner in 2024 with the Seahawks and Chargers.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Joe Buscaglia
July 1, 2025
Miami Marlins right-hander
Edward Cabrera turned in his best performance of the season in a 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. Cabrera tossed a season-high seven innings of scoreless, two-hit ball and issued six strikeouts against one walk to improve to 3-2. The 27-year-old has now gone three starts in a row with at least 5 1/3 frames and two or fewer earned runs allowed. Thanks to his recent run of success, Cabrera has dropped his ERA to 3.41 over 71 1/3 innings with 75:30 K:BB and a 1.28 WHIP. Cabrera is scheduled for a home start against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.
--Connor ByrneSource: ESPN
July 1, 2025
The Orlando Magic added some depth at the point guard position by signing free-agent guard
Tyus Jones on Monday. According to Shams Charania, Jones signed a one-year, $7 million deal with the organization. Jones has bounced around quite a bit during his career, but last played with the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 26.8 minutes per game in 81 games with the Suns last season. It's unclear if he'll see that much playing time in Orlando, but that is also dependent on the health of
Jalen Suggs. Jones figures to be the primary backup point guard, so he'll likely be asked to step up if the oft-injured Suggs goes down. Jones probably won't have standard league fantasy value on draft day.
--Andy WebbSource: Shams Charania
July
1,
2025
Carolina
Panthers
running
back
Raheem
Blackshear
will
"almost
exclusively
be
a
special
teams
player"
in
2025
if
the
team
elects
to
keep
a
fourth
RB
around
beyond
training
camp,
writes
The
Charlotte
Observer's
Alex
Zietlow.
The
read more...
July 1, 2025
Miami Marlins reliever
Ronny Henriquez pitched a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to earn his fourth save in a 2-0 win over the Minnesota Twins. Henriquez closed out the game on 13 pitches and fanned a pair of hitters to help the Marlins to their eighth straight win. The 25-year-old has now gone 3-for-3 in save opportunities since June 22. While
Calvin Faucher leads the team with eight saves, the Marlins haven't used him to close a game since June 24. Henriquez has recorded better numbers than Faucher this year, having pitched to a 2.85 ERA with 57:16 K:BB and a 1.22 WHIP over 41 innings.
--Connor ByrneSource: ESPN
July 1, 2025
The New Orleans Pelicans signed free-agent center
Kevon Looney on Monday. According to Shams Charania, Looney agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal with the Pelicans. Looney has spent each of the last 10 years with the Golden State Warriors. Last season, Looney averaged 4.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 15.0 minutes per game across 76 contests. Looney is an experienced player who won three championships during his time in Golden State. He doesn't offer a ton of upside outside of his elite rebounding skills. He figures to play a role off the bench, which probably won't result in a ton of fantasy value. He'll probably end up being more of a streaming option than an everyday contributor in fantasy leagues.
--Andy WebbSource: Shams Charania
July
1,
2025
The
Charlotte
Observer's
Alex
Zietlow
writes
that
Carolina
Panthers
running
back
Rico
Dowdle
will
split
carries
with
rookie
Trevor
Etienne
as
the
backups
to
lead
back
Chubaread more...
July 1, 2025
The Charlotte Observer's Alex Zietlow writes that Carolina Panthers running back
Chuba Hubbard "will still get the overwhelming majority of the touches" this year. Hubbard was the team's bell-cow back in 2024 with 712 snaps. He carried the ball 250 times, which ranked 11th in the NFL and second among all RBs who played 15 games or fewer. Zietlow thinks that number will drop a bit this year as the Panthers look to keep Hubbard fresh, with
Rico Dowdle and rookie
Trevor Etienne splitting change-of-pace carries. The 26-year-old had his first 1,000-yard rushing season with a career-high 10 touchdowns in 15 starts, adding a carer-high 43 catches for 171 yards and a score through the air. There's a good chance 2024 ends up being Hubbard's career year, as Dowdle should be much more effective than
Miles Sanders was behind Hubbard last year. Fantasy managers should target Hubbard as an RB2.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Charlotte Observer - Alex Zietlow
July 1, 2025
First baseman/outfielder
Trey Mancini has exercised an opt-out clause in his minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Mancini is now a free agent. After taking 2024 off, Mancini joined the Diamondbacks over the winter and spent the first few months of the season with their Triple-A affiliate in Reno. The 33-year-old slashed .308/.373/.522 with 16 home runs and 62 RBI in 335 plate appearances in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, leading him to test free agency again. Mancini is best known for a successful stint with the Orioles from 2016-22. He slugged between 21 and 35 home runs four times during that span and earned AL Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2021 after making a remarkable return from a battle with colon cancer. In 2023, his most recent major league season, Mancini hit .234/.299/.336 with four homers in 263 trips to the plate as a member of the Chicago Cubs.
--Connor ByrneSource: Ken Rosenthal
July 1, 2025
The Milwaukee Bucks have signed center
Jericho Sims to a new deal on Tuesday. The two sides have come to terms on a two-year deal. Sims was acquired by the Bucks mid-season from the New York Knicks. He didn't do too much damage as he averaged 2.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.8 assists across 15.0 minutes per game in a career-high 53 games. It's worth noting that Sims did play in all the postseason games for the Bucks. Despite that, Sims figures to have a minimal role in the rotation behind newly acquired center
Myles Turner. Sims is unlikely to bring much to the table while Turner is healthy.
--Andy WebbSource: Shams Charania
July 1, 2025
The Denver Nuggets have agreed on a one-year deal with free-agent guard
Tim Hardaway Jr. on Tuesday. After one season in Detroit, Hardaway has departed and will try his luck in Denver. Hardaway made 77 starts with the Pistons last season, but saw his offensive numbers take a hit. He averaged 11.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists and 2.2 three-pointers per game last season. Some of those numbers were the lowest Hardaway has produced in nearly a decade. He's a reliable shooter that should rebound with his new organization. However, Hardaway is unlikely to make 77 starts in Denver. In fact, Hardaway will probably come off the bench, so his fantasy value is uncertain right now.
--Andy WebbSource: Shams Charania
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