August 20, 2025
The plan is for Minnesota Twins right-hander
Pablo Lopez (shoulder) to start a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday night against Triple-A Round Rock, according to Darren Wolfson. Lopez is working his way back from a Grade 2 teres major muscle strain and was able to throw live batting practice last week. The 29-year-old Venezuelan hurler is on the 60-day injured list and has been out since June 5, so he is going to need at least a couple rehab starts before the Twins consider returning him to their starting rotation in the majors. Lopez won't have many starts to make an impact down the stretch for fantasy managers, but he's worth rostering in most leagues if he's able to recapture his pre-injury form. In his 11 starts in 2025, Lopez had a sharp 2.82 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 61 strikeouts over 60 2/3 innings pitched.
--Keith HernandezSource: Darren Wolfson
August
20,
2025
Houston
Astros
outfielder
Taylor
Trammell
(undisclosed)
was
carted
off
the
field
during
Wednesday's
contest
against
the
Detroit
Tigers
at
Comerica
Park
after
hitting
the
wall
hard
while
pursuing
a
triple
by
Dillon
Dingler,
read more...
August 20, 2025
Texas Rangers right-hander
Caleb Boushley will make his first start in the big leagues on Wednesday againt the hosting Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, according to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. All 20 of Boushley's appearances in the big leagues this year for the Rangers have come out of the bullpen, and he's sporting a 4.91 ERA (3.61 FIP), a 1.31 WHIP, his first career save, 35 strikeouts and 10 walks in 36 2/3 innings pitched. The 31-year-old has made five starts on the farm at Triple-A Round Rock and is typically a multi-inning reliever, so he won't be your typical opener that goes just one inning. Still, fantasy managers will want to avoid him as a deep DFS streamer against a Royals squad that is looking for their seventh straight victory.
--Keith HernandezSource: Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
August 20, 2025
Kansas City Royals catcher
Salvador Perez (illness) is back behind the plate and will hit fifth for Wednesday's contest against the visiting Texas Rangers and right-hander
Caleb Boushley. Perez was under the weather to begin the week and missed the first two games of the series against Texas on Monday and Tuesday, but he's feeling better now. The 35-year-old veteran will be hoping to get back on track offensively, as he's gone just 11-for-62 (.177) in 15 games in the month of August. However, despite the cold stick this month, the nine-time All-Star has still managed four home runs, two doubles, six RBI and nine runs scored for a hot Royals team. Perez is hitless in just one at-bat against Boushley, who will be making the first start of his career.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
August 20, 2025
Washington Nationals shortstop prospect Eli Willits is expected to make his professional debut at Single-A Fredericksburg on Thursday. The top selection in this year's Draft has been working out at the team's spring training facility in Florida up to this point, and will get a chance to get some at-bats against Single-A pitchers before getting a full season of work next year. The 6-foot-1 switch-hitter was slotted in at No. 18 overall in MLB.com's latest refresh of their Top 100 Prospects list this month, and is expected to show off plus hit and speed tools when he gets into game action. Fantasy managers participating in first-year player drafts should already be contemplating Willits with their top selection.
--Jarod RuppSource: Sam Dykstra - MLB.com
August 20, 2025
Detroit Tigers outfield prospect
Max Clark (hand) exited Tuesday's game for Double-A Erie after a swing-and-miss on a pitch during his at-bat in the third inning. The Tigers' second-ranked prospect left with the trainer after having his hand examined. No official word has been given on the specifics of the injury, however, he is absent from Erie's lineup for Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader against Harrisburg. Hopefully the injury is not serious, but thankfully, the former third overall draft pick is just 20 years old and has plenty of time to continue his march toward the majors. For now, consider the left-handed slugger day-to-day, but the situation is one to monitor.
--Jarod RuppSource: Tigers ML Report
August 20, 2025
Detroit Tigers infield prospect
Kevin McGonigle continued to show why he's shot up the prospect ranks over the last two seasons, going 2-for-4 at Double-A Erie on Tuesday, including a double, a solo home run, and two runs scored. It was his fifth home run in his last six games and, impressively, it came off of Nationals prospect
Jarlin Susana, who struck out 13 batters in the game and was touching 103 mph on his fastball. McGonigle is slashing .294/.393/.618 with seven home runs, four steals, and is walking (18) more than he is striking out (13) in 27 games since being promoted to Double-A. The Tigers' top-ranked prospect's arrow is pointing way up, and is on track for an MLB debut next year. With one of the top hit tools in the minors, he should not be available in any dynasty leagues.
--Jarod RuppSource: MLB Pipeline
August
20,
2025
Baltimore
Orioles
right-handed
reliever
Felix
Bautista
(shoulder)
had
successful
surgery
on
Tuesday
with
Dr.
Neal
ElAttrache
in
Los
Angeles
to
fix
a
torn
rotator
cuff
and
torn
labrum
in
his
right
arm,
according
to
Roch
Kubatko
read more...
August 20, 2025
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher
Ty Madden (shoulder) is said to be completing a return-to-play throwing progression, however, the right-hander is not expected to return to the mound this season, even inclusive of any potential minor league rehab assignment, per manager A.J. Hinch. The 25-year-old strained his throwing shoulder in the spring and is now expected to miss the entire season. The 6-foot-3 hurler debuted with the Tigers in 2024, pitching to a 4.30 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and an 8.9 percent K-BB% in six appearances (one start, 23 innings pitched). He was unable to replicate the strikeout stuff he maintained in the minors, owning a career 28.2 percent strikeout rate below the big leagues. The Tigers are looking for him to have a "productive offseason," so it sounds like he is in the team's plans for 2026, although it is unclear whether it will be as a starter or a reliever.
--Jarod RuppSource: Evan Woodbery
August 20, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays left-hander
Eric Lauer will be available out of the bullpen this weekend in the series against the Miami Marlins, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. "This is not a [permanent] move to the bullpen," manager John Schneider reiterated. It's unclear when Lauer will make another start, but it sounds like the Blue Jays are going to be flexible with his role down the stretch. The 30-year-old southpaw is essentially being bumped from the starting rotation for now with right-hander
Shane Bieber (elbow) set to make his team debut in Friday's series opener in Miami. Lauer has been great for the first-place Jays this year, going 8-2 with a career-best 2.76 ERA (3.54 FIP), 1.08 WHIP and 87:25 K:BB in 88 innings over 20 apparances (14 start). He's been a bit lucky to have an ERA under 3.00, though, and may one make a start or two the rest of the way.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Keegan Matheson
August 20, 2025
Cincinnati Reds catching prospect
Will Banfield has been called up from Triple-A Louisville for his big league debut as
Tyler Stephenson (thumb) heads to the injured list with a broken thumb. The 25-year-old is spending his first season in the Reds' organization this year after spending the first part of his career with Miami ever since being drafted in 2018. The 6-foot backstop is a .236 hitter during his time at Triple-A over the last two seasons, although he was hitting well recently, riding a four-game hit streak during which he was 8-for-16 (.500), including a pair of doubles. He did hit 23 home runs at Double-A in 2023, so there is some pop in his bat, but he's got just two long balls this year in 73 games and will settle in as the backup to
Jose Trevino. As such, he does not hold any fantasy value and can remain on the waiver wire in all leagues.
--Jarod RuppSource: Louisville Bats
August 20, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander
Jared Jones (elbow) could begin a throwing program in September if his meeting with surgeon Dr. Keith Meister goes well early in the month, according to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Jones is almost four months removed from having surgery to fix a torn UCL in his right elbow, which he had on May 21. The 24-year-old so far has not had any setbacks in his rehab, and if that continues once he resumes throwing, there's an outside chance that he'll be ready early in the 2026 season. The Pirates will most likely be extra cautious with one of their best young arms, though, so it might be more realistic to expect Jones to return next year around midseason. Jones' ascent to the big leagues in 2024 was overshadowed by
Paul Skenes, but he did show plenty of upside with 132 strikouts in 121 2/3 innings over his first 22 MLB starts.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Colin Beazley
August 20, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder
Oneil Cruz (concussion) has been ramping up his activities of late, according to senior director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. However, Cruz still isn't ready to come off the seven-day concussion list. "He's making progress and he's improving and he's feeling a lot better," Tomczyk said. The 26-year-old went on the seven-day IL last Wednesday. While he's not ready to return when eligible, it sounds like he might not be far off from a return to the big leagues. Until Cruz comes back,
Jack Suwinski should continue to see most of the starts in center field in Pittsburgh. The Dominican outfielder is batting a lowly .207 (81-for-392), but he has still managed to stay fantasy relevant because of his power/speed contributions. Cruz has clubbed 18 home runs, driven in 51, scored 58 runs and stolen a league-high 34 bases in 108 games.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Colin Beazley
August 20, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar
Shohei Ohtani will be off for Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, according to manager Dave Roberts. Catcher
Will Smith will likely serve as the designated hitter, which means
Dalton Rushing should be behind the plate. It will be Ohtani's first true day off of 2025 after he missed two games in April while on the paternity list. The 31-year-old Japanese legend will be taking the mound in Colorado on Wednesday, so that also probably has something to do with Ohtani getting his first true day off on Thursday. The three-time MVP continues to be one of the best hitters in baseball this year, slashing .285/.392/.621 with a 1.014 OPS, 43 home runs, 81 RBI, 118 runs and 17 steals in 478 at-bats. He's slashing .381/.506/.746 with six homers, 10 RBI, 20 runs and four steals since the All-Star break.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
August 20, 2025
The Cincinnati Reds announced on Wednesday that they placed catcher
Tyler Stephenson (thumb) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 17) with a left-thumb fracture and selected the contract of catcher
Will Banfield from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move. If Stephenson requires surgery on his thumb, it's possible he won't be back again during the 2025 regular season. In the meantime, the Reds will move forward with
Jose Trevino as their starting catcher, with Banfield backing him up. It's been a disappointing and injury-plagued year for the 29-year-old Stephenson, who has hit .226/.313/.393 with a .705 OPS, nine home runs, 36 RBI and 32 runs scored in 252 at-bats. The 32-year-old Trevino won't be an option in single-catcher leagues, as he's hitting .256 (56-for-219) with four homres and 19 RBI in his first year in Cincy.
--Keith HernandezSource: Cincinnati Reds
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