September 4, 2025
New York Mets catcher
Francisco Alvarez (thumb, pinkie) will come off the 10-day injured list on Friday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. Alvarez will return after missing a little over two weeks with multiple injuries. He went on the IL on Aug. 18 with a sprained UCL in his right thumb before suffering a fractured left pinkie in his first Triple-A rehab game on Aug. 29. If Alvarez is healthy and able to swing the bat without issues, he could give the Mets a sizable upgrade at catcher over
Luis Torrens and
Hayden Senger as the team charges toward the playoffs. The 23-year-old has slashed .265/.349/.438 with seven homers, 24 RBI, and 24 runs scored in 209 plate appearances this season.
--Connor ByrneSource: Mike Puma - New York Post
September 4, 2025
New York Yankees second baseman
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (knees) exited their game against the Houston Astros on Thursday with contusions on both knees, according to the Yankees. Chisholm suffered the injuries on different plays. He appeared to injure his left knee when applying a tag to
Jose Altuve in the bottom of the third inning. The 27-year-old stayed in to hit in the top of the fourth, but after he struck out, the Yankees brought in
Jose Caballero to man the keystone in the bottom half of the inning. Chisholm missed all of May because of an oblique strain, but he has been an integral part of the Yankees' lineup when healthy. Over 108 games and 449 plate appearances, Chisholm has slashed .242/.339/.499 with a career-high 28 homers, 70 RBI, 68 runs scored, and 26 stolen bases. He's not someone the Yankees or fantasy managers can afford to lose down the stretch.
--Connor ByrneSource: Greg Joyce - New York Post
September 4, 2025
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher
Stephen Kolek was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday. Kolek made a spot start on Saturday versus the Tigers and now he's back again. He figures to stick around this time with
Seth Lugo (back) heading to the injured list. During his last start, Kolek tossed six innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out three batters. He's currently scheduled to take the ball against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. Kolek owns a 3.99 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and a 59/26 K/BB ratio across 85.2 innings with the San Diego Padres and Royals this season. He should offer some low-end streaming appeal for that game.
--Andy WebbSource: Anne Rogers
September 4, 2025
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher
Seth Lugo (back) was placed on the 15-day injured list on Thursday. At first, Lugo had his start pushed back to the weekend due to a back issue. However, Lugo didn't feel any improvements after playing catch on Thursday, so the team decided to place him on the shelf. He has been awful with the ball lately as he's allowed 10 earned runs over his last two starts. Hopefully, Lugo can get back on track in a couple of weeks. The assumption is that Lugo will be able to return by mid or late September. In the meantime,
Stephen Kolek will be recalled and take the ball for the Royals on Saturday. He'll offer some low-end streaming appeal versus the Minnesota Twins.
--Andy WebbSource: Anne Rogers
September 4, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder
Josh Lowe is out of the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. This appears to be a rare off day for Lowe who has started in each of the last 13 games. This is a good time to sit him against left-hander Logan Allen. The Rays will go the matchup route and have the switch-hitting
Jake Mangum in his place in right field and batting sixth on Thursday. Lowe figures to be back in the starting lineup following this contest.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
September 4, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher
Will Smith (hand) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Smith was removed from Wednesday's contest after getting hit in the hand by a foul tip. Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts said Smith will undergo a CT scan and is unlikely to play this weekend. It sounds like the team is trying to avoid a stint on the injured list, but that could happen depending on the results of the imaging.
Dalton Rushing figures to do a majority of the catching while Smith is out.
Ben Rortvedt has been added to the roster as a backup option. Fantasy managers should plan to be without Smith this weekend.
--Andy WebbSource: Fabian Ardaya
September 4, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar
Shohei Ohtani (illness) is scheduled to make his next start against the Colorado Rockies on Monday, according to manager Dave Roberts. Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled start versus the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday due to illness. It's worth noting that Ohtani has still been serving as the designated hitter, which he'll continue to do on Thursday. Ohtani hasn't been great on the mound with a 4.18 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a 44/7 K/BB ratio across 11 starts. Despite that, Ohtani still should be rostered and started in most fantasy formats. It's unclear if the Dodgers will stick with a six-man rotation or have
Emmet Sheehan move to the bullpen.
--Andy WebbSource: Fabian Ardaya
September 4, 2025
Los Angeles Angels outfielder
Mike Trout (body) is back in the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Kansas City Royals. Trout is back in the mix after missing each of the last two games due to a skin infection. He appears to be feeling good enough to play on Thursday, but won't play in the field. Trout will bat second and serve as the designated hitter versus left-hander
Noah Cameron. The 34-year-old has struggled with the bat recently, but still needs to be rostered in most fantasy formats.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
September 4, 2025
Minnesota Twins outfielder
Byron Buxton is resting in Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Chicago White Sox at Target Field. Josh Outman will take over in center field and will bat eighth against White Sox left-handed opener
Fraser Ellard. Buxton has been seeing the ball well at the plate, but he'll get a day off after starting each of the team's last seven games. The 31-year-old veteran has managed to mostly stay healthy in 2025 and has played in over 100 contests for just the third time in his 11 major-league-seasons while slashing .273/.333/.559 with a career-best 29 home runs, 72 RBI, 83 runs scored and 21 stolen bases in 456 plate appearances. Fantasy managers should get him back in their starting lineups for Friday's series opener on the road against the division-rival Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
September 4, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder
Oneil Cruz is on the bench to start Thursday's series finale against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers with left-hander
Blake Snell on the mound.
Alexander Canario will start in center field and will bat seventh. The Pirates continue to shield Cruz from lefties, as this will be the fifth straight game against them that he has taken a seat. In 118 plate appearances against southpaws in 2025, Cruz is hitting a pathetic .106 (11-for-104) with just one of his 19 home runs on the year and 43 strikeouts. The Dominican is barely hitting over .200 on the year but does have 19 homers, 54 RBI, 60 runs and 36 steals in his 416 at-bats, which continues to make him fantasy relevant in all leagues despite all the swing and miss. Cruz is hitting .123 (8-for-65) with two homers, 10 RBI, two steals and 23 K's in 19 games since Aug. 1.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
September 4, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers second baseman
Brice Turang and outfielder
Sal Frelick are both out of the lineup for Thursday's series finale with Philadelphia Phillies left-hander
Ranger Suarez on the mound. The Brewers are going with
Andruw Monasterio at the keystone and
Isaac Collins in right field with Turang and Frelick getting a day off. It's a rare off day for Turant, who continues to contribute across the board for fantasy managers with a .291/.359/.450 slash line, .808 OPS, 17 home runs, 70 RBI, 87 runs scored and 23 stolen bases in 505 at-bats. The 25-year-old is a major reason why Milwaukee is the best team in baseball. Monasterio has been a productive utility player for the Brew Crew in a limited role, batting .294 (30-for-102), but with only four homers. Collins is mainly useful for his speed (16 steals), but he's also hit .276 in 115 games in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
September 4, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher
Will Smith (hand) is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates after taking a pitch off his right hand in Wednesday's loss. Rookie
Dalton Rushing will do the catching for left-hander
Blake Snell and will bat ninth against Pirates right-hander
Paul Skenes. X-rays on Smith's right hand came back negative, so hopefully he'll be available to play in the series opener on Friday in Baltimore against the Orioles. Smith has been a must-start in fantasy when he's in the lineup as one of the best hitters at a weak position. Rushing, meanwhile, is hitting only .190 (22-for-116) with three home runs and 21 RBI in his first 43 big-league games this year. In the tough matchup against Skenes, we'd recommend fading Rushing as a DFS sleeper.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
September 4, 2025
New York Mets infield/outfield prospect
A.J. Ewing delivered his second consecutive three-hit performance on Wednesday for Double-A Binghamton, extending his current hit streak to 12 games for the Rumble Ponies. During that time, he's gone 25-for-53 (.472), and is now slashing .386/.424/.482 at that level with 11 steals in 19 games. After starting out the season at Single-A, he was promoted to High-A, and now he's performing at Double-A. In all, the Mets' seventh-ranked prospect owns a .322/.412/.438 slash line with 25 doubles, nine triples, three home runs, 69 steals, and a strong 12.8 percent walk rate complemented by a better-than-average 17.7 percent strikeout rate. If he can grow into more power, he's got some mult-category fantasy potential in his bat and is an under-the-radar prospect for dynasty managers to consider.
--Jarod RuppSource: MiLB.com
September 4, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates infield prospect
Yordany De Los Santos was promoted to High-A Greensboro on Wednesday after a productive 116 games at Single-A Bradenton. The Pirates' 14th-ranked prospect hit just .249 with a .699 OPS, but belted 11 home runs and stole 51 bases for the Marauders, which was second-most in the Florida State League. The 20-year-old will need to work on limiting his strikeouts at High-A if he's going to have any success, as he held a 26.8 percent K% this season at Single-A, which was combined with a slightly below-average walk rate of 7.8 percent. The 6-foot-2 Dominican is still a few years away from the majors, though.
--Jarod RuppSource: Bradenton Marauders
September 4, 2025
New York Yankees pitching prospect
Kyle Carr was promoted to Double-A Somerset on Wednesday after a strong season at High-A Hudson Valley. The Yankees' 13th-ranked prospect recorded a 1.96 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 104 strikeouts in 119 1/3 innings pitched over 22 starts for the Renegades. Things began smoothly in his Double-A debut, not allowing a hit over the first three innings, but the southpaw ended up yielding four earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out four in 3 2/3 innings of work. The former third-round draft pick will likely start at Double-A next year and has an outside chance of making his big league debut if he hits the ground running, but a low 8.05 K/9 for his minor league career dampens his potential fantasy outlook.
--Jarod RuppSource: Hudson Valley Renegades
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