August 24, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays first baseman/designated hitter
Yandy Diaz (hamstring) is playing first base and batting third in Sunday's contest against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and left-hander
Matthew Liberatore. Diaz did not play on Friday after suffering a low-grade hamstring strain in the series opener against St. Louis on Thursday, but he's back in for the series finale after a rare team off day on Saturday. The 34-year-old veteran has been seeing the ball well of late with hits in eight of his last 10 games, so fantasy managers certainly will want him back in their starting lineups now that he's back on the field. Diaz has gone hitless in three career at-bats against Liberatore and is hitting .266 (34-for-128) with nine of his 21 home runs on the year against southpaws. The Cuban slugger is quietly hitting .281 on the year and is jut two home runs away from setting a new career high.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
August 24, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder
Alec Burleson (wrist) is starting in left field and batting third in Sunday's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander
Ryan Pepiot at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Burleson did not play on Friday against Tampa but is feeling better after the day off on Saturday, so he'll return to the starting nine. The 26-year-old left-handed swinger has never faced Pepiot in his career but has been hot at the plate of late, hitting .333/.364/.476 with a home run, double and eight RBI in his last 10 games. Fantasy managers will want to get him back in their starting lineups. In his fourth big-league season in 2025, Burleson is slashing a strong .285/.337/.449 with a career-best .786 OPS, 15 home runs, 59 RBI, 43 runs scored and five stolen bases in 451 plate appearances over 117 games played.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
August 24, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals shortstop
Masyn Winn (knee) is out of the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays due to knee pain, according to John Denton of MLB.com. Winn received an injection in his knee over the All-Star break in mid-July and has been playing in pain for weeks. While he's day-to-day for now, this is totally something that could land the 23-year-old starting shortstop on the 10-day injured list, so fantasy managers need to plan for the worst. With Winn out on Sunday,
Thomas Saggese will draw into the lineup at the 6 and will hit sixth against Rays right-hander
Ryan Pepiot. Winn also had a day off on Saturday, but he's still in pain and needs more time off his feet. Since the All-Star break, Winn has hit .267 (32-for-120) with two homers, seven doubles, 14 RBI, four steals and a 23:4 K:BB in 31 games.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - John Denton
August 24, 2025
The Colorado Rockies selected the contract of rookie right-hander
McCade Brown from Double-A Hartford on Sunday and optioned left-hander
Lucas Gilbreath to Triple-A Albuquerque in a corresponding move. The team also moved right-hander
Dugan Darnell (hip) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL. Brown will make his major-league debut and start Sunday's series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The 25-year-old has a good matchup in the Bucs and has posted a solid 2.47 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 105 strikeouts and 30 walks in 76 2/3 innings with Hartford and High-A Spokane this year after returning from Tommy John surgery that he had in 2023. Fantasy manager in deep NL-only leagues may want to take a flier on him, but he's not guaranteed to stick in the rotation, and his lack of experience makes him an extremely risky fantasy streamer.
--Keith HernandezSource: Rockies Club Information
August 24, 2025
Cincinnati Reds infield prospect
Sal Stewart continued his assault on Triple-A pitching on Saturday, drawing two walks and going 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs for Louisville. He also tallied four RBI and three runs scored in the contest. The Reds' top prospect has now reached base safely via hit or walk in 17 straight games for the Bats, and is now hitting .317 with a 1.046 OPS in 32 games at that level. Right now, there is no room for him on the major league roster, but with rosters expanding in September, it would be surprising if he were not with the big league club at some point this year.
--Jarod RuppSource: MiLB.com
August 24, 2025
New York Mets pitching prospect Jonah Tong continued his stellar run on Saturday, notching his second straight scoreless outing since his promotion to Triple-A just over a week ago. The Mets' fourth-ranked prospect allowed five hits and one walk while striking out eight in five shutout innings for Syracuse, now with a 0.00 ERA and a 17:3 K:BB in 11 2/3 innings at Triple-A. Prior to his promotion, the 22-year-old owned a 1.59 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and an elite 29.7 percent K-BB% in 20 starts at Double-A. His 179 strikeouts lead all minor leaguers, and by a wide margin, with 147 strikeouts coming in at second-most (
Trey Gibson, BAL). At this rate, don't be surprised to see him in Queens before the season is over.
--Jarod RuppSource: MiLB.com
August 24, 2025
Texas Rangers shortstop prospect Gavin Fien has been assigned to Single-A Hickory. The Rangers' top pick in this year's Draft (12th overall) played in his first game there on Saturday, belting a triple in his first at-bat, and finishing the day 2-for-5 with three RBI, one run scored, and was the only hitter in Hickory's lineup who did not strike out at least once. Fien was drafted as a shortstop but has the arm strength to play third if needed, however, he was the team's designated hitter in his first contest with the Crawdads. With MLB.com recently updating its prospect lists for each team, Fien slides in as the Rangers' second-ranked prospect, but given that he's just 18 years old, his projected MLB ETA is set at 2029.
--Jarod RuppSource: MiLB.com
August 24, 2025
Washington Nationals outfield prospect
Elijah Green (hamstring) was placed on the 7-day injured list at Single-A Fredericksburg on Saturday with what appeared to be a hamstring injury that occurred when he was running to first base on Friday. The 21-year-old was having a rough season, having begun at High-A, where he hit .171 with a 45.7 percent strikeout rate. He was then sent to Single-A, where he was hitting .233 with a 34.5 percent strikeout rate. Despite the overall underperformance, the former fifth-overall draft pick from 2022 was riding an 11-game hit streak coming into Friday's game, going 15-for-45 (.333) with five doubles and three steals during that stretch. Green finished 2024 as Washington's sixth-ranked prospect but has fallen all the way out of the top 30. Hopefully the recent hot stretch was the beginning of a turnaround for the 6-foot-3 slugger.
--Jarod RuppSource: Bobby Blanco
August 24, 2025
Chicago Cubs catcher
Reese McGuire came up clutch at the plate during Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. McGuire put the game basically out of reach with a grand slam in the fourth inning of Saturday's contest. It was only a 389-foot shot, but it was enough to get over the wall. McGuire would finish this game 1-for-2 with a homer, five RBI, and a walk in the blowout win. The left-handed slugger is slashing .223/.250/.457 with seven homers and 21 RBI this season. He continues to split up playing time with
Carson Kelly behind the plate. That being said, there isn't much fantasy value for McGuire right now.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
August 24, 2025
Washington Nationals outfield prospect
Cristhian Vaquero (undisclosed) was placed on the 7-day injured list at Single-A Fredericksburg on Saturday. The nature of the injury is not clear, but if it is anything more than a minimum stay, then this could end his season. The Nats' 26th-ranked prospect was spending his third straight season at Single-A, but had shown marked improvement over last season. In 2024, the switch-hitter batted .190 with five home runs and a sky-high 34.2 percent strikeout rate, however, in 2025, he improved that to a .256 average, a more palatable 24.7 percent strikeout rate, and was up to eight home runs. Since June 21, a period of 41 games, the 6-foot-3 Cuban was slashing .299/.367/.481, so he looked to be on the precipice of a promotion to High-A. Still only 20 years old, he should see High-A next year, and with continuous improvement combined with his plus speed (27 steals in 2025), he could start to climb the ladder quickly.
--Jarod RuppSource: MiLB.com
August 24, 2025
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher
Cade Horton was sharp on the mound during Saturday's outing against the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander was lifted during his previous start due to a blister on his finger. However, Horton didn't appear to be bothered by it at all during this outing. Horton tossed six shutout innings, allowing three hits while striking out seven batters in the win. The 24-year-old has an unbelievable 0.49 ERA across his last seven starts. His next start will come at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies. That's not a fun ballpark for pitchers, but Horton must be started right now.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
August 24, 2025
Chicago Cubs outfielder
Kyle Tucker remained hot at the plate during Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. Tucker homered in the series opener and continued the fun on Saturday. Tucker went 3-for-5 with two homers and five RBI in the blowout win. This power surge comes after Tucker got a break due to a long slump at the plate. It's worth noting that Tucker was dealing with a hairline fracture in his right hand, which likely contributed to his struggles. He appears to be fully healthy now, so fantasy managers should make sure Tucker is in their lineups. A 30-30 season isn't out of reach for Tucker if he stays hot at the plate.
--Andy WebbSource: mlb.com
August 24, 2025
Los Angeles Angels first baseman
Nolan Schanuel (wrist) was forced to make an early exit from Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs. Schanuel appeared to have injured his wrist while making a diving play during the second inning of Saturday's contest. He stayed in the game and went 0-for-2 at the plate before exiting the contest. Angels' manager Ray Montgomery said Schanuel will be re-evaluated on Sunday. That being said, fantasy managers should consider Schanuel day-to-day until more information is revealed. In the meantime,
Niko Kavadas figures to see increased time over at first base.
--Andy WebbSource: Jeff Fletcher
August 24, 2025
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher
Chris Sale (ribs) appears to be on the verge of returning to the big-league mound. Sale tossed 4.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out five strikeouts in his latest rehab start on Saturday. For now, the plan is for Sale to start for the Braves next weekend against the Philadelphia Phillies. Sale has been out since the middle of June due to a fractured left ribcage. The veteran southpaw needs to be rostered in all fantasy formats with his return on the horizon.
--Andy WebbSource: Mark Bowman
August 24, 2025
Miami Marlins starting pitcher
Janson Junk (forearm) was forced to make an early exit from Saturday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Junk was lifted after going 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out three batters. The expectation is that Junk will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury. If he goes to the injured list,
Robby Snelling and
Adam Mazur seem like the favorites to take over the spot in the rotation. Fantasy managers will need to check back for another update on his status.
--Andy WebbSource: Craig Mish
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