July 25, 2025
Chicago Cubs outfielder
Kyle Tucker (knee) is starting in right field and batting second in Friday's series opener against the Chicago White Sox and right-hander
Adrian Houser at Guaranteed Rate Field. Tucker injured his right knee on Tuesday when he fouled a ball off his leg, but he had Wednesday's game off and a scheduled travel day on Thursday to rest up. The 28-year-old left-handed slugger is feeling good enough to return to the field on Friday against the crosstown-rival White Sox. Fantasy managers will want to get the All-Star back into their lineups immediately. Tucker has a hit in just two career at-bats against Houser. He's been one of the best all-around fantasy players in his first year with Chicago, slashing .275/.383/.493 with an .876 OPS, 18 home runs, 57 RBI, 71 runs scored and 23 stolen bases. Tucker contributes across the board in a strong offense.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
July 25, 2025
New York Yankees outfield prospect
Spencer Jones (back) is not in Friday's starting lineup as he is dealing with back spasms. However, Jack Curry of the YES Network noted that his absence is not related to a potential trade. Jones has been one of the most productive power hitters in the minors this season and is knocking on the MLB door. Jones opened the season with Double-A but needed just 49 games to prove he was ready to move up to the top level as he launched 16 long balls with a .983 OPS. Through his first 19 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Jones has hit an incredible 13 home runs and swiped six bags. Even though the Yankee outfield is quite crowded, Jones' elite power upside could still warrant a promotion. For now, he is worth stashing in all 12+ team five-outfielder leagues.
--Andy SmithSource: Jack Curry
July 25, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop
Ha-Seong Kim (back) remains out of action for Friday's series opener against the hosting Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, per Ryan Bass of Bally Sports.
Taylor Walls is starting at shortstop and will hit eighth against Reds right-hander
Nick Martinez. Kim injured his back on Monday and will miss his third straight game. The 29-year-old South Korean native didn't make his Rays debut until July 4 after having offseason surgery, and he's been in and out of the lineup with nagging injuries pretty much ever since. The 29-year-old's aggressive playing style doesn't help matters, especially on the basepaths. He offers some modest stolen base appeal when healthy and has gone 7-for-31 (.226) with a homer, three RBI and four steals in his 10 games. Walls has never faced Martinez in his career and will be a low-upside DFS sleeper.
--Keith HernandezSource: Bally Sports Florida - Ryan Bass
July
25,
2025
Los
Angeles
Dodgers
shortstop
Mookie
Betts
(personal)
is
out
of
the
starting
lineup
for
Friday's
series
opener
on
the
road
at
Fenway
Park
in
Boston
against
his
former
team,
the
Red
Sox,
and
right-hander
read more...
July
25,
2025
Boston
Red
Sox
first
baseman
Triston
Casas
(knee)
is
moving
around
well
(without
crutches)
in
the
team's
clubhouse
while
wearing
flip-flops
on
Friday,
according
to
Ian
Brown
of
MLB.com.
Casas
has
already
been
ruled
out
for
read more...
July
25,
2025
The
Houston
Astros
announced
on
Friday
that
they
placed
left-hander
Brandon
Walter
(elbow)
on
the
15-day
injured
list
(retroactive
to
July
24)
with
left-elbow
inflammation
and
recalled
right-hander
Nick
Hernandez
from
read more...
July
25,
2025
The
expectation
is
that
Tampa
Bay
Rays
right-hander
Joe
Boyle
will
join
the
team's
starting
rotation
after
the
club
optioned
right-hander
Taj
Bradley
to
Triple-A
Durham
this
week,
according
to
Marc
read more...
July 25, 2025
The Colorado Rockies reinstated infielder
Thairo Estrada (thumb) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and optioned infielder
Adael Amador to Triple-A Albuquerque in a corresponding move. Estrada will immediately start at second base for Friday's series opener against the hosting Baltimore Orioles while hitting sixth versus right-hander
Dean Kremer at Camden Yards. The 29-year-old second baseman will return to action for the first time since spraining his thumb on July 7. He will return to starting duties at the keystone in Colorado, but although Estrada has hit .284 (33-for-116) on the year, he has limited fantasy upside as a light-hitting infielder on the worst team in baseball. The Venezuelan has added only two home runs, 18 RBI, 11 runs and one stolen base in 2025 after getting a late start to the year due to injury.
--Keith HernandezSource: Rockies Club Information
July
25,
2025
Chicago
White
Sox
outfielder
Luis
Robert
Jr.
(groin),
who
is
firmly
on
the
trade
block
with
the
July
31
deadline
approaching,
is
out
of
the
starting
lineup
for
Friday's
series
opener
against
the
Chicago
Cubs
read more...
July 25, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder
Sal Frelick (hamstring) did not return from the injured list on Friday for the series opener against the visiting Miami Marlins, according to Sophia Minnaert of Bally Sports. Frelick will go through a full pre-game workout as a final step, so it sounds like he could be back on Saturday for Game 2 of the series. The 25-year-old has been out recently with a left-hamstring strain. When Frelick returns, he'll be coming back to a strong .294/.354/.404 slash line with a .758 OPS, seven home runs, 39 RBI, 46 runs scored and 17 stolen bases in 344 at-bats this year. When he's ready to return, Frelick figures to see most of the playing time in right field for the Brew Crew, which could push
Blake Perkins back to more of a bench role. Outside of his speed, Frelick doesn't offer a whole lot for fantasy managers.
--Keith HernandezSource: Bally Sports Wisconsin - Sophia Minnaert
July 25, 2025
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Friday that they placed outfielder
Alek Thomas on the bereavement list and recalled outfielder
Jorge Barrosa from Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move. Thomas will most likely miss the entire weekend series in Pittsburgh at PNC Park against the Pirates.
Jake McCarthy is making the start in center field and will hit seventh in Friday's series opener against Pirates right-hander
Mike Burrows. The 25-year-old Thomas is most useful for his range and glove on defense in center field. In his fourth year with the D-backs, he's hit a middling .246/.294/.366 with a career-best .660 OPS, five home runs, 26 RBI, 33 runs scored and five stolen bases in 292 trips to the plate over 90 games. Although McCarthy has gone just 13-for-93 (.140) on the year, he has more offensive upside in fantasy than Thomas.
--Keith HernandezSource: Arizona Diamondbacks
July 25, 2025
Detroit Tigers right-handed reliever
Alex Lange (lat) allowed a run and two hits while walking none and striking out one with Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday as part of his minor-league rehab assignment, according to MLB.com. Lange threw a hitless inning with a walk and a strikeout for the Mud Hens on July 20, but he will need to throw on back-to-back days in the minors before the Tigers activate him from the 60-day injured list. The 29-year-old had surgery in June of last year to fix a right-lat avulsion, but he's nearing his return and could be ready to return to the majors in early August. The former first-rounder by the Chicago Cubs had a career-high 26 saves in 2023 with Detroit before getting injured in 2024. Lange has proven himself in high-leverage situations before, but expect the Tigers to ease him into their bullpen to close out the 2025 season.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
July 25, 2025
Detroit Tigers right-hander
Alex Cobb (hip) received injections in his left hip during the All-Star break to treat remaining inflammation in his hip, per MLB.com. Cobb then completed a bullpen session on Tuesday. The veteran has dealt with pain in both of his hips, but manager A.J. Hinch said that the team remains hopeful that Cobb will be able to return later in the season. The 37-year-old has been out all season, and fantasy managers should not be holding out the same hope that the Tigers are. Cobb has already had surgery on his left hip, and the fact that he's still dealing with issues isn't a good sign at all. We wouldn't be surprised at all if Cobb doesn't make it back to pitch for the Tigers this year. Even if Cobb does return to the Tigers this year, he could be relegated to a bullpen role. There's virtually zero upside here.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
July 25, 2025
Chicago Cubs right-hander
Javier Assad (oblique) had a nice showing in his first minor-league rehab start on Thursday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, tossing three shutout innings with one hit allowed, no walks and six strikeouts. It wasn't a bad showing at all, even if it wasn't against great competition, for Assad's first outing since April. The 27-year-old has been out all season, so he has a ways to go in his rehab assignment and won't be an option for the big-league club until at least mid-August, if not later. It's unclear if Assad will have a rotation spot waiting for him when he comes off the injured list, but he could have an opportunity based on the fact that lefty
Justin Steele (elbow) is out for the year and
Jameson Taillon (calf) is also on the IL. Still, Assad offers limited fantasy upside with a career 7.6 K/9 in 294 innings.
--Keith HernandezSource: Milb.com
July 25, 2025
The New York Yankees are acquiring third baseman
Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies on Friday in exchange for pitching prospects Griffin Herring and
Josh Grosz, a source tells MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. McMahon will join the Bronx Bombers as their starting third baseman as the Yankees look to get back to the World Series this fall. The 30-year-old McMahon is leaving one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball in Coors Field for Yankee Stadium's short porch in right field, but he'll be leaving the worst team in baseball for one of the better ones. McMahon was an All-Star for the first time last year but has hit just .217/.314/.403 with 16 home runs, 35 RBI, 42 runs and a league-leading 127 strikeouts in 100 games in 2025. A change of scenery and a better lineup around him could certainly help McMahon finish the year much stronger.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mark Feinsand
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