Aroldis Chapman Bounces Back to Secure 30th Save
Aroldis Chapman recorded his 30th save of the season in a 6-4 win over the New York Yankees on Sunday. Chapman was dominant in a 1-2-3 ninth inning, inducing two groundouts before striking out Jose Caballero swinging on a 101 mph fastball to end the game. After he uncharacteristically allowed an earned run in back-to-back appearances before Sunday, the star left-hander returned to form in throwing 10 of 11 pitches for strikes to help Boston avoid a sweep. Chapman has been spectacular during his age-37 campaign, having posted a 1.26 ERA with a .68 WHIP, 82 strikeouts, and 14 walks in 57 1/3 innings.
Source: ESPN
Boston Red Sox closer Source: ESPN
Yoan Moncada Dealing With Ankle Soreness
Yoan Moncada (ankle) exited an 11-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday with soreness in his left ankle. Moncada went 0-for-2 before the Angels subbed in Oswald Peraza for him in the bottom of the fifth inning. It's unclear if Moncada will miss any more time, but with the Angels idle on Monday, he'll have at least one day to recover. The oft-injured Moncada has been on the 10-day IL twice this year - once for a sprained thumb, then for knee inflammation - which has limited him to just 77 games. Moncada hasn't played more than 104 games in a season since 2021, but he has been productive when healthy this year. The switch-hitter has put together a .240/.343/.464 line with 12 homers, 34 RBI, and 39 runs scored in 271 plate appearances.
Source: Jeff Fletcher - Orange County Register
Los Angeles Angels third baseman Source: Jeff Fletcher - Orange County Register
Michael Wacha to Start on Tuesday
Michael Wacha (head) will come off the seven-day concussion injured list to start against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, according to Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star. Wacha will end up missing just one start after an off-the-field accident forced him to the IL on Sept. 9. The 34-year-old has been a reliable part of the Royals' rotation for the second straight season, having registered a 3.45 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP, and 117:41 K:BB over 28 starts and 159 innings. Wacha turned in a rough outing against the Mariners in a June 30 loss, though, as they knocked him around for five earned runs on eight hits (including two homers) and a walk in five frames.
Source: Jaylon Thompson - The Kansas City Star
Kansas City Royals right-hander Source: Jaylon Thompson - The Kansas City Star
Cole Ragans to Return on Wednesday
Cole Ragans (shoulder) will return from the 60-day injured list to start against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday, Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star reports. It will be the first start in the bigs since June 5 for Ragans, who has missed three-plus months with a strained rotator cuff. Ragans made three minor-league rehab starts, including two with Triple-A Omaha, and threw 56 pitches over 3 2/3 innings in his final appearance on Sept. 12. Considering his pitch count in the minors, the 27-year-old may not be stretched out enough to go deep into games yet. Regardless, he'll look to improve on the surprisingly poor 5.18 ERA he has logged in 48 2/3 innings with the Royals this season. With 76:16 K:BB and a 2.47 FIP, Ragans would have been an obvious candidate for positive regression had he been healthy over the past three months.
Source: Jaylon Thompson - The Kansas City Star
Kansas City Royals left-hander Source: Jaylon Thompson - The Kansas City Star
George Kirby Strikes Out 14 in Win
George Kirby was dominant on Sunday in an 11-2 win over the Angels, allowing two runs on three hits and no walks with 14 strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings. The ace isn't typically known as a strikeout pitcher, but this is amazingly the second time this season that he has punched out 14 in a game, with the first also being against the Angels on June 8. A few bad starts have inflated the 27-year-old's ERA to 4.46 on the season, but he figures to once again be one of the more reliable pitchers in fantasy for 2026.
Source: MLB.com
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Source: MLB.com
Ryan Pepiot Expected to Start Tuesday
Ryan Pepiot (fatigue) is expected to return to the rotation to start Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays, reports Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. He was originally scheduled to start this past Wednesday before being scratched due to general fatigue. Luckily, that was not a precursor to a more serious issue, as the 28-year-old is reportedly feeling back to normal after throwing a bullpen session over the weekend. The right-hander has enjoyed a solid 2025, posting a 3.59 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 161 strikeouts in 163 innings so far.
Source: Marc Topkin
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Source: Marc Topkin
Jose Quintana Exits with Calf Injury
Jose Quintana (calf) left Sunday's start after suffering a calf injury, reports Todd Rosiak of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The injury occurred while he was running to cover first base, and he was removed after four innings and 67 pitches. He underwent an MRI after the game, but the results and the severity of the injury have not yet been disclosed. Expect an update tomorrow on the extent of the injury, but this would be a blow to a Brewers team that is already thin at pitching heading into a playoff run. They have Erick Fedde and Chad Patrick in the bullpen, who could both potentially step back into the rotation if needed.
Source: Todd Rosiak
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Source: Todd Rosiak
Sean Manaea Shifting to Bullpen
Sean Manaea is expected to move to the bullpen and work into Tuesday's game following starter Clay Holmes, reports Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic. He was available out of the pen on Sunday, but ultimately was not needed. The Mets have had a crowded rotation after calling up Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, and Nolan McLean over the past month, and they are deciding to consolidate that into a standard five-man rotation for the time being. That leaves Manaea as the odd man out, as he's allowed 28 runs over his past seven starts spanning 32 ⅔ innings. The 33-year-old has struck out an impressive 64 batters in 50 innings on the season, but he has ultimately given up too much hard contact to be effective.
Source: Will Sammon and Tim Britton
New York Mets starting pitcher Source: Will Sammon and Tim Britton
Seiya Suzuki Will Remain Out on Monday
Seiya Suzuki (illness) will travel with the team to Pittsburgh but won't play on Monday while he deals with a health issue, reports Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com. This will be the fourth straight game missed for the 31-year-old. The exact details of his illness remain unclear, but he is expected to be back soon, considering he is travelling with the team on a normal schedule for this road trip. Moises Ballesteros drew the start at designated hitter for the past three games with Suzuki out. Suzuki has enjoyed a nice 2025 so far, batting .244 with 69 runs, 27 home runs, and 91 RBI in 140 games.
Source: Bruce Levine
Chicago Cubs outfielder Source: Bruce Levine
Carlos Estevez Exits with Back Tightness
Carlos Estevez (back) left Sunday's game with mild back tightness, reports Anne Rogers of MLB.com. He walked one and recorded two outs in eight pitches in the ninth before being pulled in favor of Luinder Avila. After the game, the 32-year-old said he was fine with coming out of the game, but he's pitched with worse. That makes the move seem primarily precautionary, especially considering the Royals had a seven-run lead over the Phillies at the time. Estevez has been one of the most reliable closers in baseball this season, recording 39 saves while posting a 2.43 ERA.
Source: Anne Rogers
Kansas City Royals closer Source: Anne Rogers
Jordan Beck Absent on Sunday
Jordan Beck is out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the San Diego Padres. Beck will head to the bench for the first time since September 2. During that 10 game span, Beck is hitting .308 with one homer, seven RBI, and three steals. Beck is certainly worth a look in deep leagues at the minimum right now. On Sunday, Yanquiel Fernandez will take over in right field and bat sixth. Fantasy managers should expect Beck back in the lineup after this game.
Source: mlb.com
Colorado Rockies outfielder Source: mlb.com
Blaze Alexander Leaves with Elbow Injury
Blaze Alexander (elbow) was forced to make an early exit from Sunday's game against the Minnesota Twins. Alexander appeared to be in significant pain after being hit by a pitch in the left elbow. He was pulled out of the contest in exchange for Ildemaro Vargas who took over at second base. Before exiting, Alexander was 0-for-1 with a run scored. The assumption is that he'll undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury. For now, fantasy managers should consider Alexander as day-to-day. Alexander has been crushing the ball in the second half, so hopefully he won't miss much time.
Source: Jack Sommers
Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Source: Jack Sommers
Christopher Morel Exits with Abdominal Issue
Christopher Morel (abdomen) was forced to make an early exit during Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs. Morel suffered an abdominal contusion when being struck by a foul ball. As a precaution, Morel exited the game and Jake Mangum took over in left field. Before exiting, Morel went 1-for-3 with a single. Fantasy managers should consider Morel as day-to-day. It doesn't sound like this issue will force Morel onto the injured list.
Source: Marc Topkin
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Source: Marc Topkin
Tyler Soderstrom Missing Third Straight Game
Tyler Soderstrom (groin) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. This marks the third game in a row that Soderstrom has missed after being scratched from Friday's contest. He continues to deal with lingering groin tightness. The A's have a scheduled off day on Monday, so hopefully Soderstrom can return to the mix then. In the meantime, Max Schuemann will cover left field for the A's on Sunday. Fantasy managers should check back on Tuesday for another update on Soderstrom.
Source: mlb.com
Athletics outfielder Source: mlb.com
Max Muncy Absent on Sunday
Max Muncy (head, forearm) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the San Francisco Giants. Muncy recently missed some time due to a forearm issue. He returned on Saturday, but was hit in the head by a pitch during Saturday's game. As a result, Muncy will take a seat on Sunday to rest. For now, fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day. Enrique Hernandez will cover third base and eighth versus left-hander Robbie Ray. Fantasy managers will need to check back for another update on Muncy ahead of Monday's game.
Source: mlb.com
Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman
Source: mlb.com