August 22, 2025
The Chicago Cubs recalled right-hander
Javier Assad from Triple-A Iowa on Friday, and he will make the start in the series opener in Anaheim against the hosting Los Angeles Angels, according to Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times. In a corresponding move, the Cubs put right-handed reliever
Ryan Brasier (groin) on the 15-day injured list with a strained left groin. Depending on how Assad fares in his outing on Friday night, the 28-year-old could stick around in Chicago's starting rotation with right-hander Michael Sorka (shoulder) on the IL. This will be only Assad's third start of the year for the Cubs due to injuries in 2025. He allowed five earned runs on 13 hits (one homer) while walking two and fanning five in eight innings in his two starts versus Toronto and Pittsburgh. The former reliever has limited strikeout upside and won't be a very popular fantasy streamer on Friday evening.
--Keith HernandezSource: Chicago Sun-Times - Maddie Lee
August 22, 2025
Miami Marlins shortstop
Otto Lopez (illness) was scratched from Friday's starting lineup against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays due to a stomach illness, according to Kevin Barral of Fish on First. With Lopez under the weather,
Maximo Acosta will make the start at the 6 in Miami and will bat ninth against Blue Jays right-hander
Shane Bieber, who will be making his first start of the season and his team debut with Toronto. There's a good chance that the Marlins will have Lopez back in action for the second game of th weekend series on Saturday. The 26-year-old Dominican infielder has become Miami's starting shortstop in his second year with the team. Lopez is currently slashing .240/.309/.361 with a weak .670 OPS and modest contributions in homers (11) and steals (11) with 58 RBI and 52 runs in 110 games played. Acosta will be playing in just his fourth major-league game.
--Keith HernandezSource: Fish On First - Kevin Barral
August 22, 2025
The St. Louis Cardinals' newly acquired infield prospect
Jesus Baez smacked his first home run with his new ballclub on Thursday and went 1-for-4 on the evening with two strikeouts. Baez is the Cardinals' seventh-ranked prospect in the organization, according to MLB.com, and was recently acquired from the New York Mets in the trade that sent
Ryan Helsley to the Mets. Baez profiles as an explosive athlete who generates a lot of power and makes some web gems in the field. In the season in Single-A and High-A, he has slashed .239/.332/.373 with 11 home runs, 50 runs scored, 44 RBI, and seven stolen bases. Although he is a bit of a project for the Cardinals at this time, he has the potential to be an exciting ballplayer if he continues to develop.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: Minor League Baseball
August 22, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect
Carson Williams is making his major-league debut on Friday night against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander
Miles Mikolas, starting at shortstop and batting seventh for the Rays. Fantasy managers might want to temper expectations for the 22-year-old infielder in his first taste of big-league pitching given his struggles at the plate in the minors, but he should at least play regularly for Tampa while
Ha-Seong Kim is on the 10-day injured list with a back injury. The Rays' top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, had 23 home runs, 22 stolen bases and 55 RBI in 451 plate appearances at Triple-A Durham, but he was also hitting just .213. The upside is evident, though, and Williams should already be rostered in all dynasty/keeper leagues for his power/speed skills. If he can continue to improve, he has the ability to be a future All-Star.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
August 22, 2025
Minnesota Twins second overall prospect and MLB's 54th overall prospect,
Eduardo Tait, has found his stride in High-A for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. The Twins acquired Tait in exchange for right-hander
Jhoan Duran at the trade deadline, and he is currently on a four-game hitting streak, going 5-for-16 (.312) and is slashing .252/.313/.429 with 14 homeruns, 51 runs scored, and 66 RBI across 431 plate appearances on the season. While he is still currently in High-A, should he continue to impress, he could spend most of 2026 and 2027 in Double-A and Triple-A before being promoted to the majors sometime in 2028. Tait is a power-hitting catcher with good athleticism and is viewed as one of the organization's top prospects.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: Cedar Rapids Kernels
August 22, 2025
Los Angeles Angels shortstop
Zach Neto (wrist) is starting at shortstop and hitting in his customary leadoff spot for Friday's series opener at the Big A in Anaheim against the visiting Chicago Cubs and right-hander
Javier Assad. Neto had to leave Wednesday's contest early against the Cincinnati Reds after he was hit by a pitch on his left wrist, but thankfully X-rays came back negative and he' ready to go for the weekend. The 24-year-old has never faced Assad in his career, but fantasy managers should be putting him back in their starting lineups. The former 13th overall pick in 2022 out of Campbell Univerity is having another strong season for his fantasy managers, slashing .267/.325/.479 with a career-high .804 OPS, 21 long balls, 55 RBI, 74 runs and 22 steals in 108 games. Neto has hit a cool .300 (12-for-40) with four homers, nine RBI and a steal in his last 10 contests.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
August 22, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays first baseman/designated hitter
Yandy Diaz (hamstring) is not in the team's starting lineup for Friday's contest againt the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Second baseman
Brandon Lowe is moving to the DH spot and will hit third, while
Tristan Gray draws into the lineup at second and will bat out of the nine-hole against Cardinals right-hander
Miles Mikolas. Diaz suffered a low-grade hamstring injury in the series opener against the Red Birds on Thursday and is also expected to sit out on Saturday. Fantasy managers will want to check back to see if he's available for the series finale on Sunday. Even though it's a low-grade injury, the 34-year-old veteran is still a candidate to go on the injured list. Lowe will be a decent DFS play on Friday evening despite the fact that he is hitless in three career at-bats versus Mikolas.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
August
22,
2025
Texas
Rangers
second
baseman
Marcus
Semien
(foot)
is
not
in
the
team's
starting
lineup
for
Friday
night's
contest
versus
the
Cleveland
Guardians.
Jeff
Wilson
of
DLLS
Sports
reports
that
Semien
could
miss
the
entire
weekend
series
read more...
August 22, 2025
The Minnesota Twins' top prospect and MLB's 14th overall prospect,
Walker Jenkins, smacked his eighth home run of the season on Thursday. On the season, Jenkins is slashing an excellent .308/.424/.481 eight homeruns, 24 RBI, 42 runs, and 12 stolen bases in 255 plate appearances across the CPX League, Single-A, and Double-A. Jenkins was the fifth overall pick by the Twins back in 2023, and with the Twins moving on from a handful of their players at the deadline, Jenkins' path to the big league club only got faster. At this time, he will likely finish the season in Triple-A and have a chance to make the big league club out of Spring Training in 2026. He remains a high-end outfield stash in dynasty formats.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: MLB Pipeline
August 22, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder
Alec Burleson (wrist) has been scratched from the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Lars Nootbaar is now starting in left field and will bat leadoff, with
Nathan Church re-entering the lineup in center field and in the nine-hole against Rays right-hander
Adrian Houser. It's unclear exactly how serious Burleson's wrist injury is, so we'll consider him day-to-day for now. The 26-year-old has been an everyday player for St. Louis for the third straight year and is having a strong campaign at the plate with a .285/.337/.449 slash line, a career-high .786 OPS, 15 home runs, 59 RBI, 43 runs and five stolen bases in 117 games played. Nootbaar has 14 career at-bats against Houser but has hit only .214 against him with a .553 OPS.
--Keith HernandezSource: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Derrick Goold
August 22, 2025
The Athletics right-handed flamethrower
Eduarniel Nunez will rejoin the big league roster after being optioned on August 6. The 26-year-old will fill
Ben Bowden's (lat) spot in the bullpen. Nunez was acquired at the trade deadline from the San Diego Padres and has put together a nice season in MiLB (across Double-A and Triple-A), with a 2.48 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and a 14.85 K/9. However, during his first stint in the Majors earlier this season, he struggled to the tune of a 9.00 ERA and 2.57 WHIP in six appearances. He will now get another chance to showcase his high upside this time around. For Nunez, it's all about his control. He features a 109 Stuff+ and averages 97.9 mph four-seamer, but has a poor 65 Location+ and a 21.6 percent walk rate. At this time, Nunez can remain on the waiver wire in all formats.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: A's Communications
August 22, 2025
The Milwaukee Brewers reinstated first baseman/outfielder
Jake Bauers (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and placed shortstop
Joey Ortiz (hamstring) on the 10-day IL in a corresponding move, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Bauers will begin on the bench in Friday's series opener against the visiting San Francisco Giants at American Family Field. The 29-year-old will return to the big leagues after dealing with a left-shoulder impingement that has kept him out since just after the All-Star break. He clubbed three home runs in his five minor-league rehab games and looks to be in midseason form at the plate, but Bauers won't have fantasy value in mixed leagues as a bench player for the first-place Brewers. In his second year with the team, he is hitting under .200 with five home runs, 18 RBI, five steals and 45 K's in 151 plate appearances.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
August 22, 2025
The Milwaukee Brewers are placing shortstop
Joey Ortiz (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list on Friday with a left-hamstring strain, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB. com. In a corresponding move, the team activated first baseman/outfielder
Jake Bauers (shoulder) from the injured list. Ortiz will need to miss at least the next 10 days after straining his hamstring running out a ground ball in Thursday's series finale against the Chicago Cubs. In the 27-year-old's absence,
Andruw Monasterio and
Brice Turang will be the primary options to handle the 6 for the Brew Crew. Monasteerio is starting at short in Friday's series opener versus the visiting San Francisco Giants. Ortiz has been money on defense for the first-place Brewers, but outside of some modest speed (11 steals), he's not much to look at in fantasy. He's slashed .233/.284/.328 with a weak .612 OPS, seven homers and 43 RBI in 125 games.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Adam McCalvy
August
22,
2025
The
Baltimore
Orioles
are
placing
infielder
Jordan
Westburg
(ankle)
on
the
10-day
injured
list
on
Friday
with
a
sprained
right
ankle
and
will
add
infielder
Vimael
Machin
to
the
active
roster
read more...
August 22, 2025
MLB.com's Thomas Harding says to expect Colorado Rockies right-handed pitching prospect
McCade Brown to be called up from the minors to start on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The former third-round pick in 2021 has proven that he's fully healthy after having Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2023. The 25-year-old has a combined 4-2 record with a 2.67 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 105:30 K:BB in 76 2/3 innings pitched over 20 starts on the farm this year between High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford. While Brown has handled himself well in Colorado's farm system this year and would have a nice matchup on Sunday against the last-place Bucs, fantasy managers should be wary of rolling with Brown in what would be his MLB debut due to the fact that he has yet to pitch at Triple-A. Brown is not on MLB Pipeline's list of the Rockies' top-30 prospects, either.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Thomas Harding
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