August 25, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder
Oneil Cruz (concussion) started a minor-league rehab assignment at Double-A Altoona on Saturday and went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI triple. General manager Ben Cherington expected Cruz to play again in Altoona on Sunday before flying to St. Louis to rejoin the Pirates for their series against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals that starts on Monday. It means that fantasy managers could have Cruz back in their starting lineups on Monday against Cardinals right-hander
Michael McGreevy. When the 26-year-old returns, he should at least be a regular starter in center field for the Bucs against right-handed pitching. The Dominican is hitting just .207 (81-for-392) on the year, but he also hass 18 homers, 51 RBI, 58 runs and 34 steals. Cruz has gone just 11-for-100 (.110) with one of his 18 homers and 42 K's against southpaws.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Colin Beazley
August 25, 2025
Chicago Cubs catcher
Miguel Amaya (ankle) has been running on a treadmill as he recovers from a left-ankle sprain, but he's "still weeks away" from a return, according to manager Craig Counsell. Amaya suffered the injury in a win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 13 and immediately went on the 10-day IL. It looked worse than a sprained ankle at the time, as Amaya had to be carted off the field after stepping on first base awkwardly on an infield single. Adding insult to injury, it happened in Amaya's first game back after he missed two and a half months with an oblique strain. The 26-year-old has played just 28 games this season and hit .281/.314/.500 with four home runs and 25 RBI in 96 plate appearances. As long as he's out, the Cubs will continue with
Carson Kelly and
Reese McGuire as their tandem behind the plate.
--Connor ByrneSource: MLB.com
August 25, 2025
Kansas City Royals right-hander
Alec Marsh (shoulder) has yet to resume throwing since he received an injection in his sore right shoulder in late July. With the clock ticking on the season, it appears unlikely that Marsh will pitch at all in 2025. The 27-year-old has battled shoulder troubles since the offseason and has experienced multiple setbacks over the past several months. It appears this will end up as a lost season for Marsh, who recorded a career-high 129 innings in 2024 and went 9-9 with a 4.53 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP, and 123:39 K:BB.
--Connor ByrneSource: MLB.com
August 25, 2025
Kansas City Royals starter
Cole Ragans (shoulder) threw an "up-down" bullpen session on Sunday, and manager Matt Quatraro said afterward that the left-hander "feels good." Ragans has now thrown five bullpens since he went on the injured list on June 8 with a strained rotator cuff. The next step will be facing live hitters as he aims for a return in September. Ragans enjoyed a career year in 2024, but thanks in part to the injury, he hasn't been able to build on it this season. The 27-year-old has made 10 starts and posted a bloated 5.18 ERA across 48 1/3 innings. However, Ragans boasts impressive strikeout and walk numbers (14.05 K/9, 2.96 BB/9), and his underlying metrics (2.44 FIP, 2.54 FIP, and 2.71 xERA) suggest he has easily outperformed his results. If he's healthy over the last few weeks of the season, Ragans should be in line for positive regression.
--Connor ByrneSource: MLB.com
August 25, 2025
New York Mets designated hitter
Jesse Winker (back) has not resumed baseball activities since he went on the 10-day injured list on July 11 with inflammation in his lower back. With time running out on the season, a return may not be in the cards, according to Tim Britton of The Athletic. Winker missed most of May and all of June with an oblique strain, and he landed on the shelf again after just two games because of his back issue. It could prove to be a season-ending injury for Winker, who has hit .229/.309/.400 with one home run and 10 RBI in 81 plate appearances.
Starling Marte and
Mark Vientos have gotten most of the work at DH in Winker's absence.
--Connor ByrneSource: Tim Britton - The Athletic
August
25,
2025
New
York
Mets
right-handers
Jonah
Tong
and
Tylor
Megill
(elbow)
are
candidates
to
start
Friday
against
the
Miami
Marlins,
according
to
Tim
Britton
of
The
Athletic.
Although
southpaw
David
Peterson
is
read more...
August 25, 2025
Atlanta Braves ace
Chris Sale (ribs) is in line to come off the 60-day injured list on Saturday to start against the Philadelphia Phillies, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. Sale hasn't pitched since he suffered a fractured left rib cage on June 18, interrupting another brilliant season for the 36-year-old southpaw. Before going on the IL, the reigning National League Cy Young winner recorded a 2.52 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP and 114:26 K:BB over 15 starts and 89 1/3 innings. While Sale won't come back to help the out-of-contention Braves push for a championship, he could still be a major asset for fantasy managers down the stretch.
--Connor ByrneSource: David O'Brien - The Athletic
August 25, 2025
Chicago Cubs right-hander
Daniel Palencia earned his 20th save on Sunday as the Cubs went on to beat the Los Angeles Angels 4-3. Palencia entered the game with a one-run lead and had to work his way around a leadoff single and a one-out walk. Palencia proceeded to strike out his final two batters and has now converted 20 out of 22 saves on the season to go along with six holds, a 1.89 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 54/15 K/BB ratio in 47 2/3 innings pitched. Palencia had a bit of a challenging stretch in early August, where he allowed an earned run in three of his four outings, but has since recorded four saves in his last four outings. He remains one of the top closers to own in fantasy baseball.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: MLB.com
August 25, 2025
San Francisco Giants right-hander
Ryan Walker notched his 11th save on Sunday as the Giants went on to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3. With
Randy Rodriguez (arm) unavailable Sunday, the Giants turned to Walker in the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead. The right-hander was able to work around
Sal Frelick's two-out single to lock down his 11th save in 16 opportunities to go along with his eight holds. Even after losing his closer role earlier this season, overall, Walker has been solid out of the bullpen with a 3.63 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP in 52 innings pitched. Should Rodriguez miss any time down the stretch, Walker would likely be the leading candidate to be in line for more save opportunities down the stretch. In the meantime, he remains a solid reliever to have in all formats that reward saves and holds.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: MLB.com
August 25, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies right-hander
Orion Kerkering notched his fourth save of the season on Sunday against the Washington Nationals as the Phillies went on to win the ballgame 3-2. Although he converted the save, he allowed one earned run on one hit and no walks with one strikeout in the ninth inning. With
Jhoan Duran unavailable after pitching on back-to-back days, Kerkering was called on in the ninth to close things out for the Phillies. The one run he allowed came on a solo homerun to Luis García. The 24-year-old now owns an impressive 2.92 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and a 51/21 K/BB to go along with 19 holds and four saves across 49.1 innings this season. Kerkering remains a strong reliever option for leagues that reward holds and ERA.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: MLB.com
August 25, 2025
The Athletics' right-handed reliever
Grant Holman (finger/shoulder) has started gripping drills and is building toward a throwing progression, MLB.com reported. Holman has been on the injured list since June 19 (retroactive to June 16), and though he's no longer shut down from activity, he remains without a clear timeline for a return. Holman was first placed on the injured list because of a shoulder injury. However, the Athletics are now classifying his injury as a strain to the middle finger on his right hand. Regardless, Holman's return is still uncertain, which means that fantasy managers will want to keep tabs on him in the coming days/weeks to see how he progresses, including when he actually throws, pitches out of the bullpen, and faces live hitters. Through the season, Holman has appeared in 22 games, covering 23 innings, and has a poor 5.09 ERA and 1.52 WHIP.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: MLB.com
August 25, 2025
The Los Angeles Angels placed right-hander
Carson Fulmer (elbow inflammation) on the 15-day injured list on Sunday with right elbow inflammation. It appeared Fulmer felt discomfort after throwing a pitch on Saturday during the Angels' 12-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs. It was a rough outing for Fulmer on the afternoon, as he allowed seven hits, six earned runs, and one walk in 1 1/3 innings of work. Fulmer saw his ERA go from 4.18 to 5.83 after the tough outing. It appears that Fulmer will undergo further testing to ensure the elbow injury is not long-term, so fantasy managers will want to keep a close eye on the results that will come in over the coming days. With Fulmer landing on the injured list, recently recalled
Chase Silseth will likely get some more opportunities out of the bullpen.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: Angels PR
August 25, 2025
Los Angeles Angels right-hander
Chase Silseth was called up to the big league club on Sunday before the Angels' game against the Chicago Cubs. Silseth ended up pitching in that game and threw one scoreless frame, allowing two hits, one walk, and one strikeout. Silseth has some history with the Angels as a starter over the past few seasons, and has since transitioned to a relief role in July of this year. Since doing so, he has been very solid. In Triple-A Salt Lake, he threw 8 2/3 scoreless frames while striking out 13 over his last nine appearances. Now with the big league club again, it's likely he will get some lower-leverage situations out of the bullpen and work his way up to earning more high-leverage situations. For now, Silseth will not get any, if any, close situations, making his fantasy value reliant on long relief outings and holds.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: Angels PR
August 25, 2025
New York Yankees right-handed pitching prospect
Carlos Lagrange tossed five innings of one-run ball during their contest against Double-A Hartford on Sunday. In this outing, Lagrange struck out five hitters and allowed only one walk. This was a much-needed bounce-back outing for Lagrange as he held a 3.91 ERA with a high 1.57 WHIP over his last 23 innings of work. However, before this brief skid, Lagrange was flashing immense upside, striking out 41 hitters over his last 25 2/3 innings. During this stretch, Lagrange posted a 2.01 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. Overall, across his first 63 2/3 innings at Double-A, Lagrange has had a 3.68 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. The 22-year-old could be in the mix to earn a brief taste of Triple-A late in the regular season.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
August 25, 2025
Chicago Cubs catching prospect
Moises Ballesteros went 2-for-3 with a home run and two walks during their contest against Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday. This performance extended his hitting streak to an impressive eight games. During this stretch, Ballesteros has held a .303/.395/.485 line with two home runs and a 6:4 K:BB. Throughout the 2025 campaign, Ballesteros has been given two brief looks in the major leagues. However, he has never been given consistent at-bats given the deep Chicago lineup. During his first six games in Chicago, the backstop has held a .222/.300/.278 line with one double. Given his impressive production at Triple-A this season, Ballesteros should be in the mix to join Chicago for a third time before the postseason.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
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