July 5, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals closer
Ryan Helsley finished off an 8-6 win over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday for his 17th save. Helsley made quick work of the Cubs in the bottom of the ninth, retiring the side in order on 11 pitches and striking out
Michael Busch to end it. Helsley, who hadn't pitched in a week, has logged five straight scoreless appearances after yielding a run in each of his previous four outings. The 30-year-old owns a solid 3.30 ERA with 35:12 K:BB in 30 innings, though he has blown five saves and posted a mediocre 1.37 WHIP.
--Connor ByrneSource: ESPN
July 5, 2025
Houston Astros closer
Josh Hader has now converted 25 straight saves to begin the 2025 season. Hader held the Dodgers scoreless over 1 1/3 innings and 24 pitches on Saturday to close out a 6-4 win. He entered with two outs in the bottom of the eighth and runners on first and second, and struck out
Esteury Ruiz to end the threat. Hader gave up a leadoff single to
Shohei Ohtani in the ninth, but he retired the next three batters and notched his second strikeout along the way. The 31-year-old left-hander owns spectacular numbers across the board, having pitched to a 1.80 ERA with 61:7 K:BB and a 0.73 WHIP in 40 innings.
--Connor ByrneSource: ESPN
July 5, 2025
Detroit Tigers reliever
Tommy Kahnle put the finishing touches on a 1-0 shutout over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. With
Will Vest getting the day off, Kahnle threw a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his ninth save of the year. The right-hander struck out one, walked one, and threw 17 pitches. Kahnle, the Tigers' top choice for saves after Vest, allowed five earned runs while failing to retire a batter in a loss to Washington on Wednesday. For the most part, though, he has been steady in high-leverage situations. The 35-year-old has registered a 2.97 ERA with 32:12 K:BB, a 0.96 WHIP, and 12 holds over 37 1/3 innings.
--Connor ByrneSource: ESPN
July 5, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander
Tyler Glasnow (shoulder) is expected to come off the 15-day injured list to start against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports. Glasnow has been out for over two months because of shoulder inflammation. He hasn't pitched for the Dodgers since April 27, a one-inning start against the Pirates. The 6-foot-8, 225-pounder struggled to a 4.50 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 11 walks in 18 innings during his first five starts this season. However, when Glasnow is on his game, he's electric. The Dodgers and fantasy managers will happily welcome him back for what they hope will be a healthy second half of the season. That's far from a guarantee, though, considering Glasnow has dealt with a laundry list of injuries during his career.
--Connor ByrneSource: Bill Plunkett - Orange County Register
July 5, 2025
Atlanta Braves first baseman
Matt Olson was a triple shy of the cycle in Saturday's 9-6 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, reaching base five times in a dominant performance. Olson went 3-for-3 with a double, home run, and two walks. The big day comes on the heels of a 0-for-4 outing on Friday. The 31-year-old is now slashing .271/.372/.495 on the season, and continues to be a consistent force in an otherwise underwhelming Braves campaign. With
Ronald Acuna Jr. back in the lineup, Olson should see more RBI opportunities. He remains an elite option across all formats, offering top-tier production in every category except stolen bases.
--Shaun AlbinSource: MLB.com
July
5,
2025
The
San
Francisco
Giants
have
placed
reliever
Erik
Miller
(elbow)
on
the
15-day
injured
list
with
a
strained
left
elbow,
Susan
Slusser
of
the
San
Francisco
Chronicle
reports.
The
team
selected
fellow
southpaw
read more...
July 5, 2025
New York Yankees right-hander
Luis Gil (lat) has begun throwing live batting practice, with a minor-league rehab assignment scheduled for next week. The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year has been sidelined since March 24 with a high-grade right lat strain and is eyeing a return shortly after the All-Star break. Gil played a pivotal role in the Yankees' World Series run last season. In 2024, he posted a 3.50 ERA with 171 strikeouts across 151 2/3 innings. His arsenal is headlined by a 96.6 mph fastball that sets up a sharp 87 mph slider. With
Clarke Schmidt (elbow) expected to undergo Tommy John surgery, Gil is poised to slot back into the rotation. Fantasy managers should stash Gil now as he has league-winning upside in the second half.
--Shaun AlbinSource: New York Yankees
July 5, 2025
New York Yankees left-hander
Ryan Yarbrough (oblique) has yet to resume throwing as he works his way back from the injured list. Out since June 20, there is still no clear timetable for his return. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Saturday that Yarbrough is "getting over the hump" and could begin a throwing program soon. It's another blow to a Yankees rotation already hit hard by injuries. Yarbrough owns a 3.90 ERA this season, along with a solid 21.7% strikeout rate and a 7.5% walk rate. Once healthy, Yarbrough is expected to return in a bullpen role with the possibility of spot starts. The impending return of
Luis Gil (lat) further limits Yarbrough's fantasy upside in the short term.
--Shaun AlbinSource: New York Yankees
July 5, 2025
Miami Marlins relief pitcher
Lake Bachar was called upon with a two-run lead in the ninth inning versus the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. Normally, Bachar isn't used as the closer, but
Ronny Henriquez and
Calvin Faucher had already pitched in this game. Bachar didn't have any problems as he retired the first three batters he faced to earn his first save of the season. It seems like a closer by committee type of situation in Miami right now, which makes it a headache for fantasy managers. Henriquez seems like the favorite for saves, so he's going to be the pitcher to roster out of anyone in this bullpen.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
July 5, 2025
New York Mets outfielder
Brandon Nimmo came up with a clutch hit during Saturday's game against the New York Yankees. Nimmo didn't wait around to do the damage as he blasted a grand slam in the first inning off left-hander
Carlos Rodon. He didn't do much else after that, going 1-for-4 with one homer, four RBI, and a stolen base in the blowout win. Nimmo has been on another level at the plate over the last month or so. He's hitting over .300 with 10 home runs and 25 RBI with eight steals since May 29. If available, Nimmo needs to be rostered in any fantasy formats right now.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
July 5, 2025
New York Mets first baseman
Pete Alonso had a big game at the plate during Saturday's contest against the New York Yankees. Alonso blasted a two-run home run off
Carlos Rodon in the fifth inning. He wasn't done as he smacked a three-run shot off
Jayvien Sandridge in the seventh inning. Alonso finished this game 2-for-4 with two homers, five RBI, and one walk in the blowout win. The right-handed slugger has a four-game hitting streak and is currently third in the league with 73 RBI right now. Alonso looks like he's single handedly going to get the Mets out of this slump.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
July 5, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander
Max Scherzer (thumb) allowed just two earned runs on five hits and three walks over four innings in Saturday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Los Angeles Angels. He did not factor into the decision. However, Saturday's start came with a caveat. The eight-time All-Star admitted he was dealing with "a lot of inflammation" in his thumb during the outing. Scherzer, who owns a 4.76 ERA and 23.5% strikeout rate, is yet to factor into a decision through four starts this season. While the 40-year-old has flashed glimpses of his former dominance, his .274 batting average against and career-worst 89.8 mph average exit velocity are concerning signs heading into the second half. The three-time Cy Young winner is in the twilight of his career and should only be rostered in deeper format, 14-team leagues or larger. Scherzer will look to shake off the thumb issue and is tentatively scheduled to start Friday against the Athletics.
--Shaun AlbinSource: Keegan Matheson
July 5, 2025
Washington Nationals starting pitcher
Shinnosuke Ogasawara was called up by the organization on Saturday. The 27-year-old is set to make his MLB debut against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Ogasawara was signed to a two-year, $3.5 million deal by the Nats over the offseason. He posted a 4.80 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 12/4 K/BB ratio across three starts at Triple-A. Those aren't great numbers, but apparently the Nats feel that Ogasawara is ready for the MLB. There's some low-end streaming value here, but Ogasawara doesn't offer a ton of upside against a tough Red Sox lineup.
--Andy WebbSource: MLB Pipeline
July 5, 2025
Detroit Tigers infielder
Gleyber Torres (neck) was forced to make an early exit from Saturday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. Torres was removed from the game after getting elbowed in the neck while sliding into second base. The Tigers are calling it a neck contusion, but Torres might get evaluated for a concussion. For now, Torres is considered day-to-day, which means he might miss a game or two. Before exiting Saturday's game, Torres was hitless and walked in his lone at-bat.
Trey Sweeney took over for Baez and figures to see more playing time if Baez misses any time.
--Andy WebbSource: Cody Stavenhagen
July 5, 2025
San Francisco Giants third baseman
Matt Chapman (hand) has been activated off the 10-day injured list ahead of Saturday's game against the Athletics. Chapman has been sidelined since early June due to a strained right hand. Before going down, Chapman was on fire with the bat over the last few weeks, so hopefully he won't lose that momentum. He'll head over to third base and bat cleanup versus right-hander
Luis Severino on Saturday. Fantasy managers should make sure to double check their lineups and get Chapman in there ahead of first pitch.
--Andy WebbSource: San Francisco Giants
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