August 18, 2025
The Boston Red Sox are finalizing a deal with first baseman
Nathaniel Lowe. Earlier this week, the Nationals opted to designate Low for assignment. However, the 30-year-old first baseman was able to find a new home rather quickly. He will now join a Boston lineup that has had a revolving door at first base, including Romy Gonzalaez and
Abraham Toro. With Washington, Lowe held a .216/.292/.373 line with 16 home runs and a stolen base. He has tallied an impressive 68 RBI and scored 50 runs. However, under the hood, he carries a .309 xwOBA, .235 xBA, and a .386 xSLG, all of which are well below the average marks of qualified hitters. Fantasy managers should expect Lowe to likely be deployed on the strong side of a platoon lineup at first base, which should give him value in most deeper leagues batting in a deep lineup.
--Andy SmithSource: Jeff Passan
August 18, 2025
The Arizona Diamondbacks could look for a trade partner for second baseman
Ketel Marte in the offseason. According to Mike Rodriguez, teammates of Marte have expressed "dissatisfaction regarding his behavior and attendance." Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted that the team is considering accepting trade offers for him during the offseason. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on his status. Before the trade deadline, the Diamondbacks opted to trade
Eugenio Suarez and
Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners in hopes of rebuilding their prospect system. Despite the Diamondbacks falling short of expectations this season, Marte has remained an elite producer, posting a .297/.397/.55 line with 23 home runs. Even if he were to find a new club in 2026, Marte would likely be viewed as the consensus No. 1 2B in all leagues next season.
--Andy SmithSource: Mike Rodriguez
August 17, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder
Lars Nootbaar (cramping) was pulled from the game after seven innings in Sunday's 8-4 loss to the Yankees. While it was initially concerning, it turned out that he was just experiencing muscle cramping, reports Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was 3-for-4 in the game before being replaced by
Garrett Hampson. There was no specific muscle region mentioned by team officials, so this seems to just be a minor inconvenience that isn't expected to be an ongoing issue. The 27-year-old is slashing .233/.326/.386 with 13 home runs on the year and will hope to recover enough to return to the lineup on Monday.
--Jeremy HeistSource: Derrick Goold
August 17, 2025
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher
Wade Miley (forearm) was pulled from his rehab assignment after experiencing soreness during his first outing with Double-A Chattanooga on Friday, reports Pat Brennan of The Cincinnati Enquirer. The soreness was presumably in his throwing forearm, which is what has kept him sidelined since June 15. There are no updates on the severity of the soreness or what the next plan of action will be, but any significant setback would likely keep the 38-year-old out for the rest of the season. The veteran only appeared in three games in 2025, in which he allowed nine runs in 12 innings of work.
--Jeremy HeistSource: Pat Brennan
August 17, 2025
San Francisco Giants relief pitcher
Erik Miller (elbow) felt something in his elbow during a rehab outing on Friday and is headed for an MRI, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports. This isn't good news at all for the lefty, who has been on the injured list since the beginning of July due to an elbow sprain. It seems that the injury wasn't fully healed or he re-injured it in the early going of his rehab assignment, and a setback at this stage could jeopardize his ability to return this season. The 27-year-old was solid when healthy, posting a 1.50 ERA through 30 innings this season.
--Jeremy HeistSource: Justice delos Santos
August 17, 2025
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher
German Marquez (biceps) is set to begin a rehab assignment on Tuesday, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com. He'll be making the start at Triple-A Albuquerque with the plan to make a follow-up start on Sunday before returning to the major league rotation. The 30-year-old has been out since July 20 with right biceps tendinitis, so if everything goes well, he will end up missing a little over a month with the injury. In 20 starts this season, the right-hander has posted an unsightly 5.68 ERA and 1.64 WHIP, but there's not much competition in Colorado to challenge for his spot in the rotation.
--Jeremy HeistSource: Thomas Harding
August 17, 2025
San Diego Padres outfielder
Jackson Merrill (ankle) left Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Dodgers in the fourth inning due to a sore ankle, reports Bob Scanlan of Bally Sports San Diego. He twisted his left ankle while running out of the box during Saturday's game, and it ultimately didn't heal to a point where the 22-year-old could finish Sunday's contest. Right now the youngster should be considered day-to-day, as there's nothing yet that suggests a trip to the injured list would be necessary. Merrill is having a down year after breaking out as a rookie in 2024, slashing just .261/.317/.413 with nine home runs and one steal in 91 games.
UPDATE: Merrill said he's hopeful to play in Monday's series opener against the division-rival San Francisco Giants.--Jeremy HeistSource: Bob Scanlan
August 17, 2025
Baltimore Orioles catcher/first baseman
Samuel Basallo made his MLB debut against the Houston Astros on Sunday. It was a fairly quiet day for Basallo, but he was able to make some noise late in the game. Basallo smacked a two-RBI single in the eighth inning for his first career hit. He would finish this game 1-for-4 with two RBI and was also hit by a pitch. This was the first of many hits for the young prospect. Basallo figures to get regular playing time down the stretch in Baltimore. The 21-year-old should be rostered in most fantasy formats, assuming he gets regular at-bats.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
August 17, 2025
Colorado Rockies relief pitcher
Juan Mejia was asked to close down Sunday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It wasn't a pretty outing as Mejia allowed three straight hits to load up the bases. He gave up an earned run on a sacrifice fly, but was able to earn his first career save. Mejia normally doesn't pitch in the ninth inning, but
Victor Vodnik was unavailable after pitching in four of the last five games. Mejia holds a 4.20 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 49/15 K/BB ratio this season with Colorado. He could be in the mix for saves, but probably isn't someone worth rostering in fantasy formats right now.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
August 17, 2025
Baltimore Orioles infielder
Jordan Westburg continued his hot stretch of play during Sunday's game against the Houston Astros. His biggest hit of the day came in the form of a three-run home run off right-hander
Shawn Dubin in the fifth inning. Westburg would finish his day 4-for-5 with a homer, five RBI, and two runs scored in the blowout win. It wasn't a pretty start to the season for Westburg, but he has been unbelievable with the bat lately. He's hitting over .300 with eight homers and 20 RBI in his last 36 games. Westburg deserves to be rostered and started in most fantasy formats at the moment.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
August 17, 2025
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher
Javier Assad bounced back nicely during his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. The right-hander was hit around for four runs on eight hits during his first start of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays. Assad looked much better on the mound this time around. He tossed four innings, allowing one earned run on five hits while striking out three batters. Assad was limited to 65 pitches as the Cubs want to give him a chance to build up his stamina. It's unclear if Assad will remain in the starting rotation once
Jameson Taillon (calf) returns. Fantasy managers might want to wait and see what happens before adding Assad.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
August 17, 2025
Chicago Cubs relief pitcher
Andrew Kittredge was tasked with holding a one-run lead against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. On Saturday, manager Craig Counsell said
Daniel Palencia was unavailable because he was feeling under the weather. That was likely the case again as Kittredge was asked to close out this game. He tossed a perfect ninth inning to earn himself his first save of the season. Since joining the Cubs, Kittredge has thrown a scoreless outing in six of his seven appearances. If Palencia misses an extended period of time, Kittredge and
Brad Keller figure to be the favorites to record saves in Chicago.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
August 17, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop
Konnor Griffin has earned himself a promotion to Double-A Altoona on Sunday. This shouldn't come as a shock given how well Griffin was hitting in Single-A. Griffin was slashing .331/.414/.525 with 16 home runs, 71 RBI, and 59 stolen bases in Single-A this season. The 19-year-old is looking fantastic in his first professional season. He's currently the top prospect in all of baseball, but probably won't be making an impact in Pittsburgh until 2026.
--Andy WebbSource: Alex Stumpf
August 17, 2025
The Minnesota Twins announced that they have transferred outfielder
Alan Roden (thumb) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL. With Roden having landed on the shelf with a sprained left thumb on Friday, the move to the 60-day IL brings his season to an end. Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at the July 31 trade deadline, Roden went 6-for-38 with one home run, one RBI, 13 strikeouts, and no walks in 10 games with the Twins before they put him on the IL. Between Toronto and Minnesota, the 25-year-old rookie slumped to a .191/.261/.294 line with two homers, nine RBI, and 17 runs scored over 153 plate appearances this season.
--Connor ByrneSource: Minnesota Twins
August 17, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies right-hander
Aaron Nola came off the 60-day injured list on Sunday to make his first start since May 14. It didn't go well for the 32-year-old. The Phillies escaped with an 11-9 win over the Washington Nationals, but Nola lasted just 2 1/3 innings and surrendered six earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts against one walk. The Phillies pulled Nola after 53 pitches (35 strikes), which wasn't the outcome they wanted in his comeback from a three-month stay on the IL with injuries to his ankle and ribs. Sunday's start continued a miserable season for Nola, who's 1-7 with a 6.92 ERA, a 1.60 ERA, and 56:17 K:BB in 52 innings. With ace
Zack Wheeler (shoulder) now on the 15-day IL with a blood clot near his shoulder and facing an uncertain timeline to return, the Phillies are going to need a lot more from Nola. The former All-Star is scheduled to face the Nationals again on Saturday.
--Connor ByrneSource: ESPN
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