July 19, 2025
New York Yankees reliever
Fernando Cruz (oblique) is recovering well from his left oblique strain and could resume playing catch over the weekend, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Cruz has been on the 15-day injured list since late June with what was diagnosed as a "high-grade" strain, and he's not expected to return until August. He's a valuable high-leverage reliever for the Yankees. Before getting hurt, Cruz had pitched to a 3.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 54 strikeouts and two saves in 33 innings. As long as
Devin Williams and
Luke Weaver are healthy, Cruz should not be expected to earn more than the occasional save chance for the Yankees.
--Will BradySource: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch
July 19, 2025
Seattle Mariners outfielder
Victor Robles (shoulder) was spotted playing catch in the outfield before his team's game against the Houston Astros on Friday. Robles was placed on the 60-day injured list in early April after dislocating his right shoulder. The initial timeline provided by the team indicated that Robles would be sidelined for "at least" 12 weeks, and more recent reporting suggests that he is not expected to return before September. The 28-year-old had an excellent 77-game stretch with Seattle in 2024, slashing .328/.393/.467 with four home runs and 30 stolen bases. Unfortunately, it appears that 2025 will likely be a lost season for Robles. If he is able return in September, he could be a valuable late-season pickup for fantasy managers in need of stolen bases.
--Will BradySource: Seattle Sports - Shannon Drayer
July 19, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher
Blake Treinen (forearm) made his fourth rehab appearance at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday. The right-hander faced three batters and threw eight pitches, all of which were strikes, and he struck one batter out while not allowing a hit or a walk. He's now allowed one earned run on just one hit (a home run) and a walk while striking out five in four innings pitched. The 37-year-old has been out since mid-April with a strained right forearm, but posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and a 19.4 percent K-BB% before going down with the injury. The 6-foot-5 hurler should be able to return within a week, and could be in a position to pick up some saves down the stretch with
Tanner Scott having a tenuous hold on the closer role.
--Jarod RuppSource: Bill Plunkett
July 19, 2025
Veteran pitcher
Daniel Bard has decided to retire after debuting back in 2009. The 40-year-old had recently signed on with the Mariners, but was placed on the 7-day injured list on July 8, according to the MiLB.com transactions page, retiring a little over a week later. After dealing with "the yips" for years and other ailments, Bard had not been in the major leagues from 2014 through 2019, but when he made a return in 2020, the former first-round draft pick won NL Comeback Player of the Year. The 6-foot-4 right-hander also saved 54 games for the Rockies between 2021 and 2022. He'll finish with a career 3.74 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 475 strikeouts in 457 1/3 innings pitched.
--Jarod RuppSource: Patrick Lyons
July 19, 2025
Houston Astros outfielder
Jake Meyers (calf) will continue to rehab in Houston, but is still expected to be out until sometime in early-to-mid August. The 29-year-old suffered a calf strain that's kept him out since July 9, which has put his career year on hold for now. The right-handed slugger was slashing .308/.369/.405 with three home runs and 14 stolen bases prior to the injury, good for a .342 wOBA and 120 wRC+. Hitting so well, he was batting in the two-hole for the Astros and saw his run-scoring production tick up while he was there, so if he can get rolling when he returns, Meyers could be a viable fantasy bench option who can help with batting average, runs, and stolen bases.
--Jarod RuppSource: Brian McTaggart
July 19, 2025
Texas Rangers starting pitcher
Tyler Mahle (shoulder) played catch for the first time on Friday, a small but positive step in the right direction as he works his way back from a strained rotator cuff. The veteran righty is not eligible to return until mid-August, but with the Rangers just 3.5 games behind in the Wild Card race, they'll welcome him back with open arms. The 30-year-old was in the midst of a career year before he succumbed to injury yet again, going 6-3 while posting a 2.34 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. The low strikeout totals (6.55 K/9) are a bummer for fantasy, but he's only rostered in 48 percent of Yahoo! leagues and can contribute in three categories, so he could still help fantasy managers get to the playoffs.
--Jarod RuppSource: Jeff Wilson
July 19, 2025
Houston Astros shortstop
Jeremy Pena (ribs), who is in the midst of working his way back from a small rib fracture and recently began light baseball activities, has traveled to the team's facility in Florida to continue a hitting, running, and throwing progression. The 27-year-old has been on the shelf since June 28, but was having a phenomenal season before suffering the rib fracture. The right-handed slugger boasted a .322/.378/.489 slash line with 11 home runs, 15 steals, a .376 wOBA, and a 144 wRC+ through 82 games. The expectation is that he'll return later this month, and fantasy managers will be happy to have the multi-category producer back in their lineups.
--Jarod RuppSource: Brian McTaggart
July 19, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher
Roki Sasaki (shoulder) has been working his way back from a shoulder impingement, currently in the bullpen session phase of the progression, and was throwing up to 90 mph in recent sessions. The next step will be to face live hitters, and he still appears to be on track for a return in late August. The Dodgers' rotation needs aren't as dire as they were earlier this season when they were without
Tyler Glasnow,
Clayton Kershaw, and
Shohei Ohtani, but that can always change in an instant. Hopefully when Sasaki returns, the 23-year-old will be able to post better numbers than he was able to log during his time on the mound before the injury. The Japanese righty registered a 4.72 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, and an ugly 1.3 percent K-BB% through eight starts (34 1/3 innings pitched).
--Jarod RuppSource: Fabian Ardaya
July 19, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitching prospect
Bubba Chandler took a step back in his most recent outing on Friday evening against Triple-A Nashville. In this outing, the top pitching prospect in the sport on MLB.com allowed eight hits and five earned runs across 3 2/3 innings. He served up two walks and allowed two home runs. He struck out four hitters. This was a rough showing for Chandler, who had recently begun to turn the corner after a disastrous June. In his first two starts of July, the right-hander tossed 12 shutout innings with a 1.17 WHIP and a 13:4 K:BB. However, in June, Chandler posted an 8.53 ERA with a 2.29 WHIP through 12 2/3 innings. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his development as he could contend for a second-half MLB debut if he can find his footing at Triple-A.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
July 19, 2025
Chicago Cubs infield prospect
Jefferson Rojas made his Double-A debut on Friday evening against Birmingham. In this game, Rojas went 1-for-4 with a double. The Cubs officially promoted Rojas to Double-A Knoxville prior to Friday's game. The No. 63-ranked prospect in baseball spent the entire first half with High-A South Bend. Through 67 games, the infielder held a strong .278/.379/.492 slash line with 13 doubles, 11 home runs, and 14 stolen bases. During this stretch, Rojas held a 47:38 K:BB. Last summer, the 20-year-old posted a .245/.310/.366 line through 96 games with High-A. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression, as Rojas is quickly progressing through the Chicago system at a young age. He remains on track to contend for his MLB debut next season.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
July 19, 2025
New York Mets right-handed pitching prospect Jonah Tong enjoyed another dominant outing on Friday evening against Double-A New Hampshire. In this outing, the right-hander tossed 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball with two hits and two walks. He struck out seven. Since the start of June (40 innings), Tong has been one of the best pitchers in the minor leagues, holding a stellar 1.12 ERA with a 0.75 WHIP. During this stretch, Tong has struck out 60 batters while allowing just 13 free passes. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Tong's status closely. Given his impressive first half, he should be in the mix to join Triple-A in the near future. If he can carry this success into Triple-A, he could push for a late-season taste of the majors.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
July 19, 2025
Houston Astros outfielder
Chas McCormick (oblique) was activated from the 10-day injured list on Friday. In a corresponding move, the Astros optioned outfielder
Kenedy Corona to Triple-A Sugar Land. McCormick was held out of action since late May. He made six appearances in the minor leagues during his rehab stint and held a .174/.240/.435 line with two long balls. Before his injury, McCormick held a modest .256/.347/.302 slash line with two doubles and two RBI through 36 games in Houston. The 30-year-old also struggled during the 2024 campaign, posting a .577 OPS with just five home runs. However, he did show some upside in 2023, with a .273/.353/.489 line, 22 home runs, and 19 stolen bases. Fantasy managers should expect McCormick to operate as a depth piece in the outfield and carry minimal fantasy value.
--Andy SmithSource: Brian McTaggart
July 19, 2025
New York Yankees right-handed pitcher
Luis Gil (lat) completed 57 pitches in his latest rehab outing with Double-A Somerset on Friday evening. In this outing, Gil was able to log 3 1/3 innings of two-run ball. He allowed two hits, two walks, and struck out seven. In his first rehab outing, Gil also tossed 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball with six punchouts. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he appears to be nearing the end of his rehab stint. He will likely need to make one appearance with Triple-A and increase his pitch count once again before being activated off the 60-day IL. The 27-year-old has been sidelined with a high-grade lat strain through the entire first half. Last season, Gil was effective on the bump, holding a 3.50 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP. He is worth stashing ahead of his activation in all standard leagues.
--Andy SmithSource: Bryan Hoch
July 19, 2025
Minnesota Twins right-handed pitcher
Zebby Matthews (shoulder) is slated to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list and start Saturday's contest against the Colorado Rockies. The right-hander has been held out of action since June due to a right shoulder strain. However, Matthews needed just one rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul to prove he was ready to return to the big leagues. In this outing, the Western Carolina product struck out an impressive nine hitters across four shutout innings against the potent Iowa Cubs. Earlier in the season, Matthews flashed high strikeout upside in Minnesota (30.1% K rate) but held a modest 5.21 ERA. Given his high strikeout potential, he is worth adding in all standard leagues ahead of his start on Saturday. He is also a top streaming option facing the Rockies.
--Andy SmithSource: Dan Hayes
July 18, 2025
The Houston Astros have made a notable change to their rotation for Sunday's game against the Seattle Mariners. They'll start All-Star right-hander
Hunter Brown instead of lefty
Framber Valdez for the series finale, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. Valdez was listed as the starter for Sunday when pitching probables came out Thursday. However, Astros manager Joe Espada said the team was always planning on starting Brown to give Valdez extra rest. The 31-year-old standout will toe the rubber early next week in a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
--Connor ByrneSource: Brian McTaggart - MLB.com
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