July 11, 2025
Boston Red Sox third baseman
Alex Bregman (quadriceps) was officially activated from the 10-day injured list on Friday and is starting at third and batting second at Fenway Park against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander
Drew Rasmussen. Rookie
Marcelo Mayer will move over to second base and will hit seventh. Bregman is back in action for the first time since suffering a strained quad muscle in late May, and he should be returned to fantasy lineups immediately. The Red Sox will ease him back into the fold this weekend and give him the day off on Saturday before he returns on Sunday to close out the first half of the season. The 31-year-old two-time All-Star was one of the team's most consistent hitters before his injury, and he's also batting .273 with a home run and three RBI in 11 career at-bats against Rasmussen.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
July 11, 2025
MLB.com's Jordan Bastian suggests that the Chicago Cubs could look for help at third base at this year's trade deadline with rookie
Matt Shaw continuing to struggle. The Cubs gave the slumping Shaw a day off for Wednesday's series finale against the Minnesota Twins, as the 23-year-old former first-rounder is now hitting just .200 (41-for-205) with two homers, 15 RBI, 28 runs, 11 stolen bases and 45 strikeouts in 61 games in his first year in the majors. Names like Diamondbacks third baseman
Eugenio Suarez and Pirates 3B
Ke'Bryan Hayes could be available later this month. The Cubs still believe that Shaw can be the long-term answer at third, but they may be inclined to add another third base bat if they think it will improve their chances of winning the rest of this season. Shaw's average exit velocity (83.2 mph) and hard-hit rate (26.9%) are ranked near the bottom of all MLB hitters.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Jordan Bastian
July 11, 2025
Colorado Rockies infielder
Thairo Estrada (thumb) is out of the team's starting lineup on Friday against the hosting Cincinnati Reds for the third straight game while dealing with a jammed left thumb.
Kyle Farmer will get the starting nod at second base and will hit in the eight-hole in the series opener against Reds rookie right-hander
Chase Burns. The good news for Estrada is that X-rays on his injured thumb came back negative. However, it's unclear if the 29-year-old will be able to return to the Rockies lineup on Saturday or Sunday before next week's All-Star break. The Venezuelan infielder has hit a solid .284 (33-for-116) in 29 games in 2025, but he isn't going to provide fantasy managers with much power (two homers), and he's stolen only one base after putting up consecutive 20-steal seasons with the Giants in 2022 and 2023.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
July 11, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder
Lars Nootbaar (ribs) is starting in left field and will bat fifth in Friday's series opener against the visiting Atlanta Braves and right-hander
Grant Holmes at Busch Stadium. Nootbaar has been bothered by a rib injury dating back to last week, and he was forced out of Thursday's contest prematurely with soreness. However, the 27-year-old is feeling good going into the weekend and will wind up returning the very next day. The left-handed-hitting outfielder has hit just .230 on the season for the Cards with 12 home runs. Nootbaar has been slightly better so far in July, going 7-for-27 (.259) with a homer, two doubles, two RBI and five runs scored in eight games and 30 trips to the plate. Despite the fact he only has 12 homers in 86 games, he's only three homers shy of setting a new career-high. Nootbaar has gone hitless in just one at-bat against Holmes in his career.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
July 11, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers left-hander
DL Hall will serve as the opener for Friday's series opener at American Family Field against the visiting Washington Nationals, with right-hander
Quinn Priester serving as the bulk reliever, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Hall could give a bit more length than a traditional opener, as he's gone three innings in both of his opening assignments for the Brew Crew. Still, he won't be around long enough to potentially pick up a win for fantasy managers, so he's not really worth any streaming consideration against the Nats. The 26-year-old southpaw has pitched well overall in just 10 outings (two starts) in 2025, posting a 2.29 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 13 K's in 19 2/3 frames. Priester, who has a 3.59 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 65:30 K:BB this year in 82 2/3 innings, will be the much more attractive fantasy starter on Friday over Hall.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Adam McCalvy
July 11, 2025
Mass Live's Chris Cotillo expects Boston Red Sox third baseman
Alex Bregman (quadriceps) to come off the 10-day injured list to rejoin the team before Friday's game at Fenway Park against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays. Bregman should be in the starting lineup on Friday against Rays right-hander
Drew Rasmussen after missing 43 games with a strained right quad muscle that he suffered on May 23. With the team sending
David Hamilton to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday, it appears that rookie
Marcelo Mayer will now occupy second base with Bregman returning. However,
Romy Gonzalez, who has started five of the last six games at the keystone, will likely also be in the mix. The 31-year-old Bregman will be Boston's everyday third baseman again, but he'll be rested on Saturday before playing on Sunday in the final game of the first half of the season.
--Keith HernandezSource: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
July 11, 2025
Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan San Diego reports that San Diego Padres starting pitcher
Ryan Bergert (forearm) will be activated from the 15-day injured list ahead of their series opener against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. Bergert has been shelved for a few weeks with a right-forearm contusion after a comebacker hit him during his last start against the Washington Nationals, but he's progressed quickly. He'll take the mound against a Phillies squad that's scored the ninth-most runs per game thus far (4.62). The 25-year-old was solid for the Friars before his injury, posting a 2.67 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 1-0 record through five starts (nine appearances), but won't have an easy ask against a strong Philadelphia lineup.
--Alex CiullaSource: Sammy Levitt
July 11, 2025
Shannon Drayer of Sports.MyNorthwest.com reports that Seattle Mariners outfielder
Julio Rodriguez will not be able to participate in this season's All-Star game. Per the team, "He will take the break to recuperate, rest, and prepare for the second half." It's an interesting way for that statement to be worded, though the sentiment is clear. The Dominican Republic native has missed only one of Seattle's 93 games thus far, even while dealing with back and ankle ailments, so a few extra days of rest wouldn't be the worst thing for him. Despite the strange syntax, fantasy managers shouldn't worry about any underlying issues, as the organization is likely just keeping their star player fresh for the second half. He's slashing a disappointing .244/.301/.386 in his worst pre-All-Star stretch to date.
--Alex CiullaSource: Shannon Drayer
July 11, 2025
Chicago White Sox shortstop
Colson Montgomery won't be in his team's lineup for the first game of their doubleheader with the Cleveland Guardians on Friday. Teammate
Chase Meidroth will take his place in the field and bat leadoff against southpaw Logan Allen. It appears to be just a routine game off for the 23-year-old, who has started each of the past six contests since the White Sox promoted him. Montgomery is hitting a crisp .333 (6-for-18) over that span, and a .315 expected batting average shows it isn't a fluke. The quality of contact might not be there, but he certainly hasn't looked overmatched in his professional debut.
--Alex CiullaSource: MLB.com
July 11, 2025
Chicago White Sox catcher
Kyle Teel is out of the lineup for the first game of his team's home doubleheader against the visiting Cleveland Guardians. Teel will take a seat with left-handed hurler Logan Allen taking the bump -- marking the second straight outing he'll sit against a southpaw. Switch-hitting backstop
Edgar Quero will occupy behind home plate and bat cleanup for the Pale Hose. It makes sense that Chicago would prefer Quero to Teel against lefties, as the former's .435 (27-for-62) average is far superior to the latter's (.125). The White Sox's No. 2 prospect has been decent in his big-league debut, but has yet to leave the yard -- something he did eight times over 20 games earlier in the year with Triple-A Charlotte.
--Alex CiullaSource: MLB.com
July 11, 2025
Seattle Mariners shortstop prospect
Colt Emerson went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, and two RBI during their contest against High-A Tri-City. This outing extended his current hitting streak to four games. Through this four-game stretch, the top-ranked prospect in Seattle has posted two multi-hit games and tallied three extra-base hits. Over his last 22 games, Emerson has been swinging a hot bat, posting an elite .341/.424/.600 slash line with eight doubles, one triple, four home runs, two stolen bases, 13 RBI, and a 13:12 K:BB. Through 72 games at High-A this season, the No. 18-ranked prospect in baseball on MLB.com has held an overall .271/.369/.429 line. If Emerson continues to find his footing, he should be in the mix to debut at Double-A in the second half.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
July 11, 2025
Per the team's transaction log, the New York Mets have optioned right-handed pitcher
Austin Warren to Triple-A Syracuse. The 29-year-old was up with the big-league squad to serve as an extra man for their doubleheader with the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, but isn't needed beyond that role. Warren retired the only batter he faced in a third of an inning of work and will head back to Triple-A, where he holds a 3.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 38:12 K:BB ratio across 30 2/3 innings (20 appearances).
--Alex CiullaSource: New York Mets
July 11, 2025
Chicago Cubs infield prospect
Jefferson Rojas went 2-for-6 with a home run and two RBI during their contest against High-A Wisconsin. Since the start of July, Rojas has been one of the best hitters in the minor leagues. During this nine-game stretch, the No. 64-ranked prospect in the sport on MLB.com has posted an impressive .333/.385/.667 slash line with three doubles and three home runs. Before this recent surge at the plate, Rojas held a modest .176/.391/.294 line with just two extra-base hits. Rojas has spent the entire campaign with High-A South Bend and held a solid .282/.387/.483 slash line with 13 doubles and nine home runs. Even though Rojas remains several seasons away from his MLB debut, he appears to be quickly progressing in the Chicago system. If he continues to produce at this level, he could be in the mix to reach Double-A later in the second half.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
July 11, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals right-handed pitching prospect
Tekoah Roby struck out six batters across 5 2/3 innings of work against Triple-A Charlotte. In this start, Roby picked up the victory as he allowed just six hits, no runs, and one free pass. Since allowing six runs in each of his first starts at Triple-A this season, Roby has flipped the script and been very productive. Over his last 21 innings of work, the No. 10-ranked prospect in the system has posted a near-perfect 0.86 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP. During this stretch, Roby has tallied 21 strikeouts while allowing just five free passes. Earlier this season, Roby logged 47 innings with Double-A and posted a 2.49 ERA with an impressive 0.96 WHIP. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression as he could have a chance to make his MLB debut in the second half.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
July 11, 2025
Boston Red Sox left-handed pitching prospect Payton Tolle tossed five innings of one-run ball during his outing against Double-A Hartford. In this outing, Tolle allowed just four hits, one walk, and struck out five hitters. Since earning the promotion to Double-A on June 28, Tolle has been nothing short of impressive, logging 14 innings (three starts) to the tune of a 1.93 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP. During this stretch, the southpaw has struck out 22 hitters and allowed only three walks. Tolle opened the campaign with High-A Greenville, where he logged 49 2/3 innings. During this stint, Tolle posted a 3.62 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He struck out 79 hitters and allowed only 14 walks. The 22-year-old has continued to impress in his debut campaign after being drafted with the 50th pick in last year's draft. If he continues this level of production, he could earn a taste of Triple-A later in the second half.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
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