June 26, 2025
The Kansas City Royals could look to move veteran right-hander
Seth Lugo at this year's trade deadline with a
Nathan Eovaldi-type deal awaiting him in free agency this winter, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan. That could especially be the case if the Royals continue to struggle going into late July with lefty
Cole Ragans (shoulder) on the injured list. Despite not possessing eye-popping strikeout rates or velocity, Lugo has posted mid-3.00s or lower ERAs for five straight seasons. His ability to strand runners and limit hard contact has been impressive and has been helped by the fact that he can keep hitters off balance with nine different pitches. Lugo currently is sporting an ERA under 3.00 with a 1.04 WHIP, but with only 68 strikeouts in 83 innings and an xERA of 4.69. The Cubs, Astros, Blue Jays, Padres and Dodgers are potential landing spots if Lugo is dealt.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan
June 26, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays right-hander
Shane Baz was at the top of his game in Thursday's 4-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Field, tossing a season-high eight scoreless innings while giving up only three hits, walking one and striking out nine to lower his season ERA to 4.37 and pick up his eighth win of the year. Although this was his third straight win, the 26-year-old wasn't sharp last time out against the Detroit Tigers, allowing five earned runs while walking four in 5 1/3 frames. The former 12th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017 has had trouble limiting runs this year and has a below-average 21.9% strikeout rate and sub-optimal 9.7% walk rate, but he's been fortunate to rack up the wins for fantasy managers. The bright side is that there's room for improvement in the second half in his first full season removed from Tommy John surgery.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
June 26, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander
Kevin Gausman was extremely stingy in the team's 6-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field in Thursday's series finale. Gausman hurled eight shutout innings while allowing only two hit, walking one and striking out six to lower his season ERA to 4.21. It was a very nice bounce-back outing for the 34-year-old veteran after he gave up a season-high seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings for a loss in his last outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks. This was easily Gausman's best start in June, as he had allowed a total of 17 earned runs on 20 hits (four homers) while walking 12 and striking out 23 over 20 innings in his previous four starts. It's not going to get any easier next time out, though, as he's currently set up to toe the rubber against the division-rival New York Yankees at home next week.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
June 26, 2025
ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan put the chances of Milwaukee Brewers right-hander
Freddy Peralta being traded this summer at 20 percent. Peralta has been a steady presence in Milwaukee's starting rotation for the last eight years, averaging 140 innings pitched with a 3.49 ERA in the last four seasons. The 29-year-old Dominican hurler currently has a league-high eight wins in 17 starts with a tidy 2.90 ERA (3.90 FIP), 1.13 WHIP and 98:34 K:BB in 93 innings with a career-high 94.9 mph average velocity. He has a very cheap $8 million option for the 2026 season, but with the Brew Crew in the thick of the race in both the National League Central and the NL wild card, it would be a pretty big surprise if he were traded by July 31. Potential teams that could be looking to acquire Peralta include Boston, Houston, Toronto, St. Louis, Arizona, San Diego and Baltimore.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan
June 26, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers third base prospect
Brock Wilken (knee) is facing an eight- to 10-week recovery timeline after suffering a dislocated left patella when he was injured last week while celebrating Double-A Biloxi's first-half championship, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Todd Rosiak. Wilken and the Brewers have agreed on a non-surgical route, but he will not be back in action on the farm until late in the second half of the minor-league season. The 23-year-old former 18th overall pick in 2023 out of Wake Forest is considered the team's No. 18 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and was hitting .230 (51-for-222) with 18 home runs, 41 RBI, 42 runs and two steals in 65 games for Biloxi before his serious knee injury. With his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame, Wilken provides plenty of raw power for a corner infielder, but he's unlikely to make his MLB debut until next year, especially after this injury.
--Keith HernandezSource: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Todd Rosiak
June 26, 2025
Miami Marlins outfielder
Derek Hill (wrist) will start a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday night, according to MLB.com's Christina De Nicola. Hill will resume playing in games in the minors after missing the last month with a sprained left wrist. If the 29-year-old can avoid setbacks with the Jumbo Shrimp this weekend, it's possible he will rejoin the major-league roster for next week's series against the visiting Minnesota Twins, which begins on Tuesday. The former first-rounder in 2014 by the Detroit Tigers went 17-for-73 (.233) with two home runs, five RBI, 11 runs scored and six stolen bases in 23 games for the Fish this year before his injury. At best, Hill will be in a platoon role in the outfield for one of the worst teams in the big leagues, which limits his fantasy appeal to NL-only formats. His most attractive trait is his 95th percentile sprint speed.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Christina De Nicola
June 26, 2025
New York Mets third baseman
Mark Vientos (hamstring) said he will come off the 10-day injured list to rejoin the big-league roster on Friday before the series opener in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. Vientos should return to regular playing time for the Mets when he's back between third base and designated hitter. The 25-year-old went 5-for-28 with six RBI and four runs scored in seven minor-league rehab games with Triple-A Syracuse and will return to a .230/.298/.380 slash line with six home runs, 21 RBI and 22 runs scored at the big-league level. Vientos was a breakout star for the Mets in 2024 with 27 home runs and 71 RBI in 111 regular-season games, but he hasn't looked like that same hitter so far in 2025 with a strikeout rate in the 40th percentile and a chase rate in the 32nd percentile. He can still provide pop and RBI in a strong lineup, but the average is going to remain low.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Anthony DiComo
June 26, 2025
New York Mets left-handed starter
Sean Manaea (elbow, oblique) played catch on Thursday after being shut down earlier this week. An MRI revealed that Manaea is dealing with a loose body in his left elbow, but it appears that he has avoided a more serious injury. He is expected to complete his current minor league rehab assignment next week. Manaea has yet to pitch for the Mets this year after suffering a right oblique injury in spring training. The 33-year-old veteran is coming off a very solid 2024 in which he threw 181 2/3 innings with a 3.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 184 strikeouts. He'll have every chance to reclaim a prominent role in the Mets rotation when he does indeed make his return to the big-league mound.
--Will BradySource: Anthony DiComo - MLB.com
June 26, 2025
Baltimore Orioles left-hander
Cade Povich (hip) will make his first minor-league rehab start on Thursday with Triple-A Norfolk, according to The Baltimore Sun's Matt Weyrich. It might only take Povich one or two rehab starts before he's activated from the 15-day injured list after initially being sidelined in the middle of June due to inflammation in his left hip. The 25-year-old southpaw has continued to struggle as a starter in the big leagues for the O's in his second year in the majors in 2025, posting a 2-5 record, 5.15 ERA (4.09 FIP) and 1.50 WHIP with 23 walks in 64 2/3 innings, but he has also fanned 68 in his 13 appearances (12 starts). It's possible that Povich will rejoin the starting rotation next week against the Texas Rangers, which would make him an intriguing deep-league streamer given the Rangers' offensive struggles.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Baltimore Sun - Matt Weyrich
June 26, 2025
Athletics second baseman
Zack Gelof (ribs) went 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, three runs scored and a walk in his latest minor-league rehab game on Wednesday with Triple-A Las Vegas in a 13-2 victory over Triple-A Albuquerque. Gelof had surgery on March 24 to fix a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist before being shut down in late April with a stress reaction in his ribs. The 25-year-old is getting closer to making his 2025 season debut, but he might require another week or so of rehab games first. In nine rehab games with the Aviators, he has hit .217 (5-for-23) with two doubles, two RBI, two steals and 10 run scored in 33 plate appearances. The former second-round pick has 20-20 potential and should be the A's starting second baseman when he returns, making him plenty useful in mixed fantasy leagues. Gelof has hit .231 but with 31 homers and 39 RBI in 207 games in his first two MLB seasons.
--Keith HernandezSource: Milb.com
June 26, 2025
The Los Angeles Angels optioned middle infielder
Kyren Paris back to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday, according to the team. Paris was only up with the big-league club for three days and will now head back to the Bees, where he'll serve as middle-infield depth for the Halos. The 23-year-old is likely headed back to the farm after the Angels discovered that starting shortstop
Zach Neto (shoulder) isn't dealing with any structural damage to his surgically-repaired right shoulder after aggravating it during a slide into second base on a steal attempt earlier this week. Paris' path to regular playing time at the big-league level in the second half of 2025 got more difficult after second base prospect
Christian Moore received his first MLB call-up not long ago. It will likely take an injury to one of the team's infielders for Paris to get another shot.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
June
26,
2025
Philadelphia
Phillies
shortstop
prospect
Aidan
Miller
went
hitless
in
five
plate
appearances
for
Double-A
Reading
on
Wednesday,
but
drew
three
walks
in
the
contest,
collected
an
RBI
on
a
sacrifice
fly,
and
stole
two
bases.
The
read more...
June 26, 2025
Updating a previous report, X-rays on Toronto Blue Jays first baseman
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s right forearm came back negative after he was hit by a pitch from Cleveland Guardians right-hander
Tanner Bibee in Thursday's series finale, according to the team. Guerrero went 0-for-1 in the contest with a groundout before leaving the ballgame as a precaution. Fantasy managers should consider the 26-year-old slugger to be day-to-day. There's a good chance that he'll be ready to return to action for Friday's series opener at Fenway Park against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. The four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner has the highest xBA in baseball at .327 and is in the 96th percentile in hard-hit rate and 98th percentile in xwOBA. Guerrero is a stud and should be in starting fantasy lineups whenever he's on the field.
--Keith HernandezSource: Toronto Blue Jays
June
26,
2025
Cleveland
Guardians
third
baseman
Jose
Ramirez
(forearm)
left
Thursday's
game
early
against
the
visiting
Toronto
Blue
Jays
at
Progressive
Field
with
a
bruised
right
forearm
after
he
was
hit
by
a
pitch
from
read more...
June
26,
2025
Chicago
White
Sox
outfield
prospect
Braden
Montgomery
went
2-for-4
with
an
RBI
and
a
stolen
base
on
Wednesday
for
High-A
Winston-Salem.
It's
his
third
multi-hit
effort
in
his
last
four
contests,
and
he
is
20-for-57
(.351)
read more...
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