September 24, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder/designated hitter
Anthony Santander (shoulder) was activated from the injured list on Tuesday and is making his long-awaited return to the starting lineup on Wednesday against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. Santander will serve as the DH and will bat fifth against Red Sox left-hander
Garrett Crochet. It will be the 30-year-old's first game with Toronto since May 29 due to a left-shoulder injury. The Jays want to get Santander some at-bats in the final week of the regular season before the playoffs start. Their big offseason acquisition was not swinging the bat well before his injury, slashing .179/.273/.304 with six home runs, 18 RBI, and 14 runs scored. The switch-hitting Venezuelan hit 44 homers and drove in 102 last year with the Orioles, though, so if he can get going, it would be a huge boost to Toronto's offense in the postseason. He's gone hitless in eight career at-bats against Crochet.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
September 24, 2025
Detroit Tigers infielder
Javier Baez (neck) is out of the starting lineup again on Wednesday in another crucial game against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.
Trey Sweeney will start at shortstop and will bat out of the nine-hole against Guardians right-hander
Tanner Bibee. Baez was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with neck stiffness and will miss his second straight game. Consider the 32-year-old day-to-day for now. Sweeney will be a poor choice as a DFS sleeper out of the nine-hole on Wednesday. The former first-rounder is hitting just .195 (57-for-292) this year with six home runs, 32 RBI, 36 runs scored, and three stolen bases. He's also hitless in three career at-bats against Bibee. With
Colt Keith (rib cage) on the injured list, the Tigers are thin on the left side of their infield as they look to snap out of their current funk.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
September 24, 2025
Cleveland Guardians outfielder
Johnathan Rodriguez was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday to replace the injured
David Fry (face). Rodriguez spent time with Cleveland earlier this season and part of last year, but owns just a .155/.255/.258 slash line with one home run and a 32.7 percent strikeout rate in 41 major league games played (110 plate appearances). The former third-round draft pick had a great year at Triple-A, slashing .312/.397/.515 with 16 home runs, and rode a 14-game hit streak from September 4-19 (.408, six home runs). If he can keep the momentum going, he could see success this time around, but he's not expected to get regular at-bats over the final week of the season.
--Jarod RuppSource: Cleveland Guardians
September 24, 2025
Detroit Tigers pitching prospect
Troy Watson could be an option for the Tigers for their series finale against the Guardians on Thursday. The minor league season wrapped up this past Sunday, but the team has a group of players working out in Toledo, where the Triple-A affiliate plays. No starter has been announced for the Thursday game, and Watson may be the only viable option unless the team goes with a bullpen game. Watson is the only one of the six pitchers working out at Toledo who is stretched out as a starter. Some aren't even eligible to return to the big leagues soon enough because they were recently optioned back to the minors. Watson's problem is that he is not on the 40-man roster, so a space would have to be cleared for him. The 28-year-old made 10 starts for Toledo this year, where he posted a 3.12 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a 12.7 percent K-BB%. While it will be a long time coming for the former 15th-round draft pick, he won't make an appealing streaming option for managers in the fantasy playoffs.
--Jarod RuppSource: Evan Petzold
September 24, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies corner infield/outfield prospect
Felix Reyes was named the Double-A Eastern League Player of the Year for his performance at Reading this season. The 24-year-old slashed .335/.365/.572 with 15 home runs and 13 steals in 95 games for the Fightin' Phils. A free swinger with just a 4.6 percent walk rate in 2025, the Dominican was still able to hit for average and had a breakout campaign after coming into the year with a .242 career batting average in the minors. That could help explain why the 6-foot-4 slugger does not reside within the Phils' top 30 prospect ranks per MLB.com, even after multiple refreshes of the list throughout the year. The right-handed hitter could be within those ranks to start next season, and after a late-season promotion to Triple-A, he is now on the doorstep to the big leagues. If he can maintain the momentum, look for a major league debut in 2026.
--Jarod RuppSource: MiLB.com
September 24, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman
Bryce Harper (illness) remains out of the starting nine for Wednesday's contest against the division-rival Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park.
Otto Kemp is starting at first base and will hit fifth against Marlins left-hander
Ryan Weathers. Harper will miss his second straight game while being under the weather, but he could return as early as Thursday's series finale against Miami. With a playoff spot already locked up, the Phillies won't rush Harper back in the final week of the regular season, and he should have even more time to rest up with the Phillies looking good for a first-round bye in the postseason. Kemp is in his first year in the big leagues and has primarily been a backup corner infielder for the Phils. He comes into Wednesday's contest hitting .236/.299/.403 with seven homers, 26 RBI, and 24 runs in 59 games.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
September 24, 2025
Washington Nationals pitching prospect
Jake Bennett could be the next pitching prospect from the minors to be in the big leagues next year. With
Travis Sykora (elbow) and
Jarlin Susana (lat) injured, and Sykora in particular expected to miss 2026 after undergoing Tommy John late in the season, the Nationals may look to Bennett in order to plug a hole in a rotation that had the second-worst ERA in the league this year (5.17). The Nats' 10th-ranked prospect missed all of 2024 recovering from his own Tommy John surgery, but pitched well at three different levels this year, posting a 2.27 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and a 15.2 percent K-BB% in 18 starts (75 1/3 innings pitched). His 7.65 K/9 rate will have to increase in order to make him more appealing for fantasy, though, so keep an eye on him in 2026 to see if the offseason gave him time to improve that area of his game.
--Jarod RuppSource: Andrew Golden
September 24, 2025
Atlanta Braves right-hander
Charlie Morton will not make a start for the team in the final weekend of the season in what will be his last weekend before retirement, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. The Braves are going with left-hander
Joey Wentz on Friday, right-hander
Spencer Strider on Saturday, and lefty
Chris Sale in the regular-season finale on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Morton's final career appearance will come out of the bullpen for Atlanta at some point this weekend. The 41-year-old veteran was recently released by the Detroit Tigers but quickly signed a one-year deal to return to the Braves to finish off his final professional season. Morton has struggled to a 5.89 ERA with 148 strikeouts and 71 walks in 140 2/3 innings this year with the Tigers and Baltimore Orioles, but he's had a fantastic 18-year run in the big leagues that included two All-Star appearances and two World Series rings.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mark Bowman
September 24, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers right-handed reliever
Trevor Megill (elbow) threw a multi-inning bullpen session on Tuesday and has graduated from "decent" to "way more decent," according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. If Megill recovers well, he's on track to face hitters on Friday and could come off the 15-day injured list on Sunday to face the division-rival Cincinnati Reds in the regular-season finale. The Brewers want to get Megill some work in a game before the start of the postseason, although the 31-year-old will have extra time to get ready before the playoffs with Milwaukee in line for a first-round bye. He has missed all of September with a flexor strain in his right arm, but once he's back, he should slot right back in as the Brewers' primary closer. Megill was a first-time All-Star this year and currently has a 2.54 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 58:17 K:BB, and a career-high 30 saves in 46 innings in 2025. He has 51 saves in the last two seasons.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Adam McCalvy
September 24, 2025
Cincinnati Reds corner infield prospect
Sal Stewart was named the Double-A Southern League Player of the Year. The Reds' top-ranked prospect played 80 games for Double-A Chattanooga, where he slashed .306/.377/.473 with 10 home runs and 13 steals before getting a promotion to Triple-A Louisville. The 21-year-old also impressed there, slashing .315/.394/.629 with 10 home runs in just 38 games. The right-handed slugger posted better-than-average strikeout rates at every stop in the minors, and now finds himself in the majors, hitting .255 (.320 xBA) with an .832 OPS, .353 wOBA, and a 122 wRC+. Stewart should begin 2026 with the Reds, and redraft managers should get familiar, as he's got plenty of pop and bat-to-ball skills to make him very fantasy relevant, not to mention he'll call hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park home.
--Jarod RuppSource: MiLB.com
September 24, 2025
Cleveland Guardians designated hitter
David Fry (face) suffered a broken nose and facial fractures on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers when he was hit in the face by a pitch from left-hander
Tarik Skubal, according to Tom Withers of The Associated Press. "He is doing OK, he's in good spirits. He's upright, he's alert," manager
Stephen Vogt said. It was a scary situation at Progressive Field on Tuesday night, but the good news is Fry never lost consciousness and should be fine. However, the 29-year-old is going to miss some time and probably won't be available to close out the regular season, which ends on Sunday. If the Guardians make the playoffs, Fry could be fighting an uphill battle to be included on the postseason roster. Fry got a late start to the 2025 season after recovering from UCL surgery on his right arm, and he's currently hitting just .171 (25-for-146) with eight home runs, 23 RBI, and 16 runs in 66 games.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Associated Press - Tom Withers
September 24, 2025
Cincinnati Reds outfielder
Austin Hays (back) tested his injured back by running on the field on Tuesday and said it was "not great," according to MLB.com. The Reds will proceed with caution, which means there's a chance that Hays won't rejoin the lineup before the end of the regular season this Sunday. He left the game early on Sept. 20 in the fifth inning due to spasms after his back locked up on a swing. If the 30-year-old continues to sit out, the lefty-hitting
Will Benson should continue to start in left field for Cincy against right-handed pitchers. Hays has been on the injured list multiple times in 2025 with various injuries in his first year with the team and has hit .266/.316/.454 with 15 home runs, 64 RBI, 60 runs scored, and a career-high seven stolen bases in 102 games played. He's been solid in September, going 18-for-65 (.277) with three homers, eight RBI, and a steal in 17 games.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
September 24, 2025
San Diego Padres outfielder
Fernando Tatis Jr. (illness) remains out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park. Tatis will miss his third straight game this week while dealing with some combination of the flu and COVID. The Padres are hoping to get him back for the final series of the regular season, which starts on Friday in SD against the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks.
Ramon Laureano will make the start in right field again and will hit seventh, with
Gavin Sheets playing left field and batting cleanup against Brewers right-hander
Chad Patrick. The Padres would certainly like to get Tatis some at-bats this weekend before the playoffs start early next week. Tatis is currently riding a modest five-game hitting streak in which he went 8-for-21 with a homer, RBI, two steals, and six runs scored.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
September 24, 2025
Houston Astros left-hander
Brandon Walter (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. Walter is expected to miss the entire 2026 campaign while recovering from the procedure. The 29-year-old made the first nine starts of his career this season and performed well over 53 2/3 innings. Walter logged a 3.35 ERA with a .93 WHIP, 52 strikeouts, and a meager four walks before going on the injured list with elbow inflammation on July 24. While Walter began working toward a return in early August, Houston shut him down later in the month after he continued to feel discomfort in his elbow. The Astros announced on Sept. 9 that Walter would undergo surgery, though it was unclear whether it would be a Tommy John procedure. It has since been revealed that he suffered a torn UCL, which will shelve him for the foreseeable future.
--Connor ByrneSource: MLB.com
September 24, 2025
Baltimore Orioles catcher
Gary Sanchez (knee) will not return from the injured list this season, according to interim manager Tony Mansolino. Sanchez suffered a sprained right knee on July 5, and though he did play eight rehab games with Triple-A Norfolk earlier this month, the Orioles decided not to activate him from the 60-day IL. After inking a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Orioles last winter, Sanchez dealt with multiple injuries this season and only played in 29 games. The soon-to-be 33-year-old will return to the open market during the upcoming offseason after hitting .231/.297/.418 with five home runs and 24 RBI in 101 plate appearances.
--Connor ByrneSource: MLB.com
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