July 18, 2025
The San Francisco Giants have set their starting rotation for the upcoming second-half series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. The organization announced that right-hander
Justin Verlander will take the ball in the second half opener. After that,
Logan Webb will get the starting nod on Saturday. Then,
Robbie Ray is set to pitch in the series finale on Sunday. Verlander is still seeking his first win of the season as he takes an 0-7 record with a 4.70 ERA and 1.42 WHIP into Friday's outing. The 42-year-old is looking like basically a deep league option at this point in his career.
--Andy WebbSource: Alex Pavlovic
July 18, 2025
Chicago Cubs third baseman
Matt Shaw is in the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Boston Red Sox. Shaw sat out the final three games ahead of the All-Star break, but will get another chance on Friday. The rookie slugger has been awful this season, going 1-for-27 at the plate during the month of July. The expectation is that the Cubs are going to add a third baseman at the trade deadline. It honestly might be too late for Shaw to save his everyday job, but a hot start to the second half could help him. Shaw isn't someone that needs to be rostered in most fantasy formats right now. He figures to lose playing time in the second half of the season.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
July 18, 2025
Boston Red Sox outfielder
Masataka Yoshida is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Chicago Cubs. Yoshida started in four of the last five games ahead of the All-Star break. He was hitless in the final two games ahead of the break and finds himself on the bench ahead of Friday's game. The expectation is that Yoshida is only going to play against right-handed pitching. However, he's not even going to start all those games as he takes a seat against right-hander
Colin Rea on Friday. The Red Sox are going with the youth movement, so Yoshida is unlikely to see enough playing time to warrant rostering in most fantasy formats.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
July 18, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers catching prospect
Marco Dinges has enjoyed an impressive first half and has been able to carry his success into his first taste of High-A. The backstop opened the season with Low-A Carolina, where he posted an elite .353/.500/.576 line with a 1.076 OPS through 26 contests. During this stretch, Dinges hit eight doubles and three home runs. This impressive start earned him an early promotion to High-A. Through his first 32 games with High-A Wisconsin, Dinges has held a .302/.364/.500 line with three doubles and six long balls. He has shown a strong eye at the plate, striking out just 26 times while drawing 13 walks. Given his rather quick progression through the lower levels, Dinges could earn a taste of Double-A later in the second half.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
July 18, 2025
Chicago White Sox left-handed pitching prospect Shane Murphy has looked very impressive during his first look at the Double-A level. Through 75 2/3 innings with Double-A Birmingham, Murphy has posted a stellar 1.55 ERA with a 0.82 WHIP. During this stretch, the southpaw has struck out just 60 hitters but has shown high command of his pitches, allowing just 11 free passes. Earlier this season, Murphy spent time with High-A but needed only 10 innings to prove he was ready to move up to the upper levels of the Chicago system. Last summer, Murphy spent the majority of his time with High-A, where he logged 91 1/3 innings to the tune of a 4.14 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. Given his impressive first half, Murphy should be expected to reach Triple-A later this season.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
July 18, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers infield prospect
Jesus Made has looked quite impressive during his first taste of Low-A ball. Made opened the 2025 regular season with Low-A Carolina after spending time at the rookie level in the Dominican Summer League during the 2024 season. Through his first 71 games with Low-A Carolina, the top-ranked prospect in Milwaukee has posted a .268/.377/.395 slash line with 17 doubles, three triples, four home runs, and 38 stolen bases. He has shown an elite eye at the plate, holding a 67:47 K:BB. In the DSL, he showed similar speed upside, swiping 28 bags across a 51-game stint. Even though Made remains several seasons away from his MLB debut, he is climbing up prospect boards quite quickly. He currently sits as the No. 7-ranked prospect in the sport on MLB.com.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
July 18, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays right-handed pitching prospect Khal Stephen enjoyed an impressive first half of the campaign with High-A Vancouver. Through 48 1/3 innings of work, the No. 9-ranked prospect in the Toronto system has posted a stellar 1.49 ERA with a 0.85 WHIP. Through this stretch, the right-hander has struck out 49 hitters while showing elite control, allowing only 10 free passes. Since the start of June, Stephen has been near-perfect, holding a 0.89 ERA with a 0.74 WHIP. Earlier this season, he made his professional debut with Low-A but needed only seven starts to prove he was ready to make the jump to High-A. The Blue Jays drafted the 22-year-old in the second round of last year's draft out of Mississippi State. Given his impressive development, he could make his Double-A debut in the second half.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
July 18, 2025
The Los Angeles Angels have signed right-handed pitcher Tyler Bremner to a $7,689,525 contract. The Angels selected Bremner with the second overall pick in last week's MLB Draft out of UC Santa Barbara. According to Carlos Collazo of Baseball America, this contract is just over two million dollars under the slot value of the second overall pick. Bremner spent his entire collegiate career with Santa Barbara. After bouncing between the rotation and bullpen through his first two seasons, the right-hander found a starting role in the rotation this past spring. Across 14 starts (77 1/3 innings), the 21-year-old posted a 3.49 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP. During this stretch, he struck out 11 batters (12.9 K/9) while showing solid control, serving up just 19 free passes. He is credited with having an elite changeup and a fastball that can touch the upper 90s. Given his college experience, he could debut in the upper minor leagues next season.
--Andy SmithSource: Carlos Collazo
July 18, 2025
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the New York Mets are not expected to trade top pitching prospects
Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, as well as infield prospect
Jett Williams, ahead of the trade deadline. While the Mets are expected to be active as they look to strengthen their roster in preparation for another deep playoff run, their top prospects are currently viewed as a key part of the team's future. McLean was moved up to Triple-A this season and has shown high strikeout upside, tallying 65 through 60 innings. Tong has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the minor leagues this season, posting a 1.94 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP through 78 2/3 innings with Double-A. Williams is viewed as their top hitting prospect and could even be in the mix to move up to Triple-A in the second half.
--Andy SmithSource: Jon Heyman
July
18,
2025
The
St.
Louis
Cardinals
will
activate
outfielder
Jordan
Walker
(appendix)
from
the
10-day
injured
list
Friday,
Katie
Woo
of
The
Athletic
reports.
The
team
cleared
room
for
him
by
optioning
infielder
Thomas
Saggeseread more...
July 18, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals closer
Ryan Helsley is a potential trade candidate as the July 31 deadline approaches, but he's "more likely" to remain with the team through the season, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Helsley will be a free agent over the winter, but even if the Cardinals don't re-sign the flamethrowing right-hander, they could get draft compensation back by issuing him a qualifying offer. In the meantime, Helsley could help the Cardinals chase down a playoff spot. They'll enter the second half of the season just 1 1/2 games out of wild-card position. While Helsley has helped the Cardinals' cause to this point, he hasn't been nearly as effective as he was from 2022-24. Over that three-season, 167 2/3-inning span, Helsley put up a lights-out 1.83 ERA with 12.08 K/9, 3.22 BB/9, and 82 saves in 95 chances. The 31-year-old has gone 19-for-24 on saves this season and pitched to a 3.27 ERA with 36:14 K:BB across 33 innings.
--Connor ByrneSource: Katie Woo - The Athletic
July 18, 2025
The Atlanta Braves have designated right-hander
Jesse Chavez for assignment. His roster spot is going to righty
Dane Dunning, whom the Braves acquired from the Texas Rangers on Thursday. This is the third time this season the Braves have designated Chavez, who re-signed on minor-league deals in the previous two instances. It stands to reason that the 41-year-old will do the same in this case. He has thrown just eight innings and allowed eight earned runs with the Braves this year. On the other hand, Chavez has fared much better with Triple-A Gwinnett, where he has registered a 2.05 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 12 walks in 30 2/3 frames.
--Connor ByrneSource: Atlanta Braves
July 18, 2025
New York Mets right-hander
Paul Blackburn (shoulder) began a rehab assignment Thursday in the rookie-level Florida Coast League. The 31-year-old was strong over 3 2/3 innings, as he allowed one earned run on three hits while piling up eight strikeouts against two walks. Blackburn has been on the 15-day injured list since July 3 with a shoulder impingement. He previously missed the first two months of the season with knee inflammation, and things haven't gone well when Blackburn has been healthy enough to pitch. In six appearances (four starts) in June, Blackburn went 0-3 with a 7.71 ERA, a 1.98 WHIP, and 15:7 K:BB over 18 2/3 innings. The Mets estimate that Blackburn will return later this month. However, he'll face an uphill battle in getting his rotation spot back, especially if the team upgrades around the July 31 trade deadline.
--Connor ByrneSource: MiLB.com
July 18, 2025
Los Angeles Angels infielder/outfielder
Chris Taylor (hand) began a rehab assignment in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Thursday. Taylor had a big night, going 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI, and a run scored. The 34-year-old hasn't appeared in the majors since suffering a fractured left hand on a hit by pitch on June 9. That continued a brutal start to the season for Taylor, who has combined to hit .200/.246/.323 with one home run in 69 plate appearances between the Dodgers and Angels. He wasn't much better over a larger sample size of 246 plate appearances last year, when he batted .202/.298/.300 in 246 trips to the plate.
--Connor ByrneSource: AngelsMiLB
July 18, 2025
Seattle Mariners right-hander
Luis Castillo has been given the nod to start the first game after the All-Star break against their division opponent, the Houston Astros. This is a big series for the Mariners, as they find themselves five games behind the Astros in the AL West race. Castillo has been solid for the Mariners with a 3.41 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a 93/42 K/BB in 19 starts. Castillo will continue to be a strong option for fantasy managers to deploy in the second half, and although his 7.73 K/9 is something that leaves a lot to be desired, he provides a lot of quality innings. Following Castillo,
Logan Evans will get the ball on Saturday, while Sunday's starter is to be determined.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: Adam Jude
RADIO
