June 25, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher
Will Smith will grab some pine to start Wednesday's contest at Coors Field against the division-rival Colorado Rockies. Rookie
Dalton Rushing will be the battery mate for right-hander
Yoshinobu Yamamoto and will hit ninth against Rockies rookie right-hander
Chase Dollander. Smith is just receiving a regular day off. The two-time All-Star is hitting a cool .330 (69-for-209) on the year with nine home runs, 42 RBI, 39 runs scored and two stolen bases. The former first-rounder continues to be a must-start catcher in fantasy when he's on the field in one of the best lineups in baseball. Rushing has held his own as the backup to Smith in his first taste of big-league pitching, batting .244 (11-for-45) with a homer, nine RBI and eight runs scored in 16 games. His DFS upside is limited in the nine-hole, but it's still Coors Field against a struggling rookie hurler.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
June 25, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman
Bryce Harper (hand) was able to take part in batting practice ahead of Wednesday's game against the Houston Astros. This is a good sign in Harper's recovery after he was able to go through his pre-game routine on Tuesday. The hope is that Harper keeps making progress and can return to the lineup by the end of the week. Harper has been sidelined since early June due to wrist inflammation. Fantasy managers should stay tuned for more updates as Harper appears to be on the verge of returning.
--Andy WebbSource: Corey Seidman
June 25, 2025
Chicago White Sox outfielder
Luis Robert Jr. (hamstring) was forced to make an early exit from Wednesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Robert was taken out of the contest in the first inning due to left hamstring tightness. Luckily, Robert appears to have avoided serious injury and is currently considered day-to-day. The 27-year-old has been struggling with the bat, so maybe a few days off might be helpful. The expectation is that
Michael A. Taylor and
Austin Slater will see increased playing time while Robert is sidelined.
--Andy WebbSource: Scott Merkin
June 25, 2025
Colorado Rockies outfielder
Brenton Doyle is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This comes after Doyle went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts during Tuesday's loss. That being said, it looks like Doyle could use a day off to rest and recover. Doyle has struggled in the month of June with six hitless performances over his last 10 games.
Sam Hilliard will take over in center field and bat ninth against right-hander
Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
June 25, 2025
New York Yankees starting pitcher
Clarke Schmidt will have his next start pushed back to Saturday, according to manager Aaron Boone. The Yankees have decided to be cautious with Schmidt and give him an extra day of rest. This move will mean
Will Warren takes the mound on Friday and Schmidt starts against the Athletics. Schmidt has looked sharp on the mound lately with three straight scoreless outings. The right-hander has only allowed three earned runs over his last five starts. Hopefully everything is fine with Schmidt because he's pitching extremely well right now.
--Andy WebbSource: Bryan Hoch
June 25, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder
Lars Nootbaar is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Chicago Cubs. This appears to be a routine rest day for Nootbaar versus a left-handed starting pitcher. Nootbaar has been swinging a hot bat lately with seven hits, three homers, and seven RBI over his last five games. In his absence,
Brendan Donovan will shift to left field while
Thomas Saggese covers second base versus left-hander
Matthew Boyd on Wednesday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups with Nootbaar on the bench for this one.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
June 25, 2025
Updating a previous report, Texas Rangers outfielder
Wyatt Langford (side) is out of Wednesday's starting lineup against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards due to left-side tightness. Langford will go for testing when the Rangers return home from Baltimore, but there seems to be less concern than with first baseman
Jake Burger, who went on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a strained left oblique. The Rangers have a day off for travel on Thursday, but fantasy managers should automatically assume that Langford will return for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Seattle Mariners. Remember, the 23-year-old former first-rounder dealt with a mild oblique injury that kept him out for a while back in spring training, so the Rangers won't rush him back with the All-Star break looming.
Alejandro Osuna and
Sam Haggerty could pick up starts in left if Langford misses additional time.
--Keith HernandezSource: DLLS Sports - Jeff Wilson
June 25, 2025
New York Mets third baseman
Mark Vientos (hamstring) could be activated from the 10-day injured list on Thursday, according to manager
Carlos Mendoza. The Mets will decide on whether to activate Vientos for the series finale against the division-rival Atlanta Braves on Thursday or give him an extra day off after playing in the minor leagues on Tuesday and Wednesday. If Vientos doesn't return on Thursday, he should be back for Friday's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 25-year-old has been out since early June with a strained right hamstring, but he's on the cusp of a return to the big leagues and should return to regular starting duties at the hot corner in Queens despite his slow start to the 2025 season. Vientos broke out in 2024 with a career-high 27 homers and 71 RBI, but so far he's hit just .230 (43-for-187) with six homers and 21 RBI in 53 games in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jorge Castillo
June 25, 2025
The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Wednesday that they optioned right-hander
Michael McGreevy to Triple-A Memphis and recalled right-hander
Matt Svanson from Memphis in a corresponding move. McGreevy, the team's No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has been used as a spot starter for the Cardinals in recent weeks. The 24-year-old had his worst start of the year in Tuesday's win over the Chicago Cubs, allowing five earned runs on seven hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out only one in a no-decision in 4 2/3 innings of work. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder will go back to the farm to continue his development, but he figures to be back in the big leagues in the second half of 2025 for more spot starts or to enter the rotation permanently if injuries occur. McGreevy doesn't have overpowering stuff and relies on control and location to succeed, limiting his fantasy upside.
--Keith HernandezSource: St. Louis Cardinals
June 25, 2025
The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Wednesday that they placed outfielder
Jordan Walker (appendix) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to June 23) with appendicitis and recalled infielder
Jose Fermin from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Walker will most likely require an appendectomy, which will probably keep him out of action through the mid-July All-Star break. It's more bad news for the 23-year-old former top prospect, who just hasn't been able to break through at the big-league level. Walker also missed time this season with a wrist injury, and when he returned recently, he hasn't been playing as much for the Cardinals. Overall, he's batting a disappointing .210/.267/.295 with a .562 OPS, three home runs, 23 RBI, 21 runs and three steals in 176 at-bats. Walker is running out of chances in St. Louis.
--Keith HernandezSource: St. Louis Cardinals
June 25, 2025
Atlanta Braves outfielder
Michael Harris II (elbow) is back in center field and is hitting eighth in the batting order for Wednesday's contest at Citi Field against the division-rival New York Mets and right-hander
Clay Holmes. Harris departed Tuesday's win over the Mets early after being hit by a pitch in the right elbow, but X-rays came back negative and he's good to go a day later. The 24-year-old former third-rounder in 2019 already has 11 stolen bases and 43 RBI in 78 games in his fourth year in the big leagues, but otherwise he's been a disappointment for fantasy managers, slashing .220/.246/.331 with six home runs and 18 runs scored in 316 plate appearances. Half of his homers have come in June, but otherwise he's gone 13-for-78 (.167) with 22 strikeouts and no walks in 21 games during the month. Harris is hitless in three career at-bats against Holmes.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
June 25, 2025
New York Yankees outfielder
Cody Bellinger will take a seat for Wednesday's series finale in Cincinnati against the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Trent Grisham will start in center field and bat leadoff for the Yanks against Reds right-hander
Brady Singer. Bellinger continues to play regularly for New York despite the recent return of slugger
Giancarlo Stanton, and he's hitting a solid .278 (22-for-79) with two home runs, five doubles, a triple, six RBI, three stolen bases and eight runs scored in 20 games in the month of June. The 29-year-old former MVP and two-time All-Star isn't an elite fantasy asset, but he's been productive across the board in pinstripes with 10 homers, 38 RBI, 37 runs and seven steals in 273 at-bats. Grisham surprisingly has 15 long balls on the year, but he's hit only two in June while batting .206 (14-for-68). He's hitless in three career at-bats against Singer.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
June 25, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays infielder/outfielder
Richie Palacios (knee) was pulled off his minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday while he continues to deal with right-knee soreness, according to The Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin. It's been an injury-plagued 2025 season for Palacios, who began the regular season on the injured list due to a fractured finger. The 28-year-old has only played in one game for the Rays, going 3-for-4 with a double, stolen base and a run scored and spraining his knee. He has hit just .125/.243/.156 in eight games in the rookie-level Florida Complex League and at Triple-A Durham during his rehab assignment, but he'll now take some time off to let his knee rest. In a best-case scenario, Palacios won't return to the Rays as a utility player until some point in the second half after the mid-July All-Star break.
--Keith HernandezSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
June 25, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays left-hander
Shane McClanahan (triceps) posted a video on his Instagram account of him throwing off a mound, according to Bally Sports' Ryan Bass. McClanahan was shut down briefly earlier this month due to a setback with the nerve-related issue in his left triceps, and this is the first time that he's thrown off a mound since then. It's good to see the 28-year-old two-time All-Star throwing again, but there remains no timetable for him to make his 2025 season debut, and that definitely won't happen until sometime in the second half. The former first-rounder in 2018 out of South Florida is absolutely deserving of being stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy leagues, even though we don't know exactly he'll be back for the Rays. In his three major-league seasons with the Rays, McClanahan has been a fantasy ace with a 28% strikeout rate and a 3.02 ERA in 74 starts.
--Keith HernandezSource: Bally Sports Florida - Ryan Bass
June 25, 2025
Minnesota Twins utility man
Willi Castro (wrist) is back in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the visiting Seattle Mariners and right-hander
George Kirby, playing third base and batting third in the order at Target Field. Castro is back in the lineup after a sore right wrist kept him sidelined for the previous three contests. The 28-year-old entered Tuesday's game as a defensive replacement at second base and went 0-for-2 at the plate, so it's not a surprise that he's back in the starting lineup. The Puerto Rican utility man is in a nice lineup spot for DFS sleeper appeal, and he's hit .333 with a home run and three RBI in a small sample size of nine career at-bats against Kirby. Between third and second base, Castro should be a lineup regular for Minnesota moving forward with
Royce Lewis (hamstring) on the injured list.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
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