July 17, 2025
Texas Rangers right-hander
Jon Gray (forearm) is expected to make one more rehab start with Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday before returning to the majors late next week. It's not yet clear whether the Rangers will use Gray as a starter or reliever when he comes back. The 33-year-old has missed the entire season to this point after suffering a fractured forearm in spring training. Gray made 19 starts in 23 appearances last season and pitched to a 4.47 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP and 86:28 K:BB in 102 2/3 innings. While Gray has totaled just five career relief appearances out of 228, the Rangers could stick with their current rotation and ease him back into the mix via the bullpen. Gray has only combined for five frames in two rehab outings, so he may not be ready for a traditional starter's workload yet.
--Connor ByrneSource: Jeff Wilson - Star Telegram
July 17, 2025
Free-agent starting pitcher
Kyle Gibson has announced that he is retiring from professional baseball on Thursday. Most recently, Gibson pitched in Triple-A with the Tampa Bay Rays before opting out of his deal in mid-June. Gibson pitched well during his stint with the Rays, but he wasn't able to draw any interest from other organizations. Now, Gibson has decided to retire after 13 seasons in the big leagues. He won 112 games with a 4.60 ERA, 1.39 WHIP over 334 appearances with five different organizations. Most notably, Gibson earned an All-Star nod during the 2021 season with the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers. He posted a 3.71 ERA that season across 31 appearances. It was a good career for Gibson and best of luck to him on whatever is next in his life.
--Andy WebbSource: Jim Hayes
July 17, 2025
Texas Rangers infielder
Justin Foscue was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday. Foscue is back on the big league roster after being sent down on July 5 due to a lack of playing time. The assumption is that Foscue will be a platoon option at first base with
Jake Burger (quad) still sidelined. Foscue is slashing .252/.344/.453 with 10 home runs and 37 RBI across 55 games in Triple-A this season. The former first-round pick hasn't been given much of a chance at the big league level. Hopefully, Foscue will get a chance to prove himself this time around.
--Andy WebbSource: Adam Morris
July 17, 2025
According to Chris Cotillo, the Boston Red Sox have signed catcher
Ronaldo Hernandez to a minor-league deal. This looks like a depth move for Boston after they recently traded
Blake Sabol to the Chicago White Sox. Hernandez is slashing .221/.287/.351 with two home runs and 13 RBI across 25 games in Triple-A with the New York Yankees. Hernandez has shown good flashes as he hit over .300 across 63 games in the minors with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season. He figures to spend most of his time at Triple-A and possibly head to Boston as emergency depth.
--Andy WebbSource: Chris Cotillo
July 17, 2025
Boston Red Sox relief pitcher
Josh Winckowski (elbow) is currently in the early stages of a throwing program, according to Chris Cotillo. Winckowski suffered a right flexor strain in Triple-A during mid-May. He has been sidelined since then, but is eligible to return from the injured list in early August. Winckowski has only pitched in six games for the Red Sox this season. However, Winckowski has been a solid swingman option for Boston over the last few seasons. The right-hander could be an option for Boston down the stretch of the season.
--Andy WebbSource: Chris Cotillo
July 17, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher
Andre Pallante is scheduled to take the ball versus the Arizona Diamondbacks for the beginning of the second half on Friday. This is an interesting decision to give Pallante the start to kick off the second half of the season. Pallante most recently gave up seven earned runs in a start against the Washington Nationals on July 9. He holds a 4.49 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 64/32 K/BB ratio across 18 starts this season. He won't be a recommended streaming option for this game. Following Pallante,
Sonny Gray will get the ball on Saturday while
Miles Mikolas is set to pitch on Sunday.
--Andy WebbSource: Derrick Goold
July 17, 2025
MLB.com's Jason Beck speculates that the Detroit Tigers could call up right-handed pitching prospect
Troy Melton down the stretch this year, much like they did in their aggressive promotion of
Jackson Jobe late last year. Melton, who is considered Detroit's No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has lots of swing-and-miss stuff and has posted a 3.15 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 93 punchouts and 19 walks in 71 1/3 innings over 17 appearances (16 starts) between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo in 2025. It's purely speculation from Beck right now, but a high-octane arm like Melton's could make noise late in the regular season or the postseason. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder has impressive raw stuff on the mound and gets most of his swings and misses with a fastball-changeup combination. Because of the Tigers' starting depth, Melton might not get an extended run as a starter in the big leagues until sometime next year.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Jason Beck
July 17, 2025
The St. Louis Cardinals placed right-handed pitching prospect Chen-Wei Lin (undisclosed) on the seven-day minor-league injured list at High-A Peoria on Thursday with an undisclosed injury. Lin has struggled in 2025 at Peoria and Single-A Palm Beach, but he was especially bad in his last five starts for Peoria, posting a 7.27 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 18 walks in 17 1/3 innings pitched. In all, the 23-year-old Taiwanese hurler has gone 0-2 with a 4.59 ERA and 1.44 WHIP with 42 strikeouts and 24 walks in 33 1/3 innings over 10 starts at the two minor-league levels. It's unclear how long Lin might be sidelined. Per MLB Pipeline, he's St. Louis' No. 13-ranked prospect. Lin hit 100 mph or over 12 times last year and also features a pretty nasty changeup that induces lots of swings and misses, but he's going to need to improve his control to move up the ladder in the minors.
--Keith HernandezSource: Cardinals Player Development
July 17, 2025
Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect
Enrique Bradfield Jr. (hamstring) has been placed on the seven-day injured list with Double-A Chesapeake with a right-hamstring strain, according to The Baltimore Banner's Andy Kostka. Bradfield aggravated his hamstring during the All-Star Futures game last weekend. The 23-year-old has dealt with injuries to both of his hamstrings this year and also missed a month-plus with a left-hamstring injury. It's not great for an outfielder that primarily relies on his speed. In 36 games this year for Chesapeake, Bradfield has hit .257/.396/.372 with a homer, eight RBI, 21 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. He's ranked as the team's No. 2 prospect by MLB Pipeline, but given his hamstring troubles in 2025, he almost certainly won't make his MLB debut until 2026. Bradfield, a former first-rounder, has game-changing speed.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Baltimore Banner - Andy Kostka
July 17, 2025
Pittsburgh PG's Noah Hiles doesn't believe that the Pittsburgh Pirates will skip any of right-hander
Paul Skenes' starts in the second half, but he does expect more low-volume outings and a fw start days being pushed back later in the week as the team looks to preserve him for the future. Hiles still believes that the 23-year-old phenom will finish around 200 innings, a number that only four pitchers surpassed in 2024. Skenes threw 160 1/3 innings between the majors and minors a year ago. While this news isn't great for Skenes' overall fantasy upside in the second half of the 2025 season, it also shouldn't be a reason for fantasy managers to panic at all. To close out the first half of the year, Skenes threw fewer than 80 pitches in three of his last four starts, so it might have already started happening. Regardless, he's still a must-start every time he toes the rubber.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pittsburgh PG - Noah Hiles
July 17, 2025
Pittsburgh PG's Noah Hiles writes that the Chicago Cubs seem to have a decent amount of interest in trading for Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman
Ke'Bryan Hayes. Hiles doesn't think Hayes is Chicago's top choice, but multiple sources have said that he's on the Cubs' radar with the trade deadline approaching. The first-place Cubs are very clearly going to be buyers this summer, although their top priorities on the trade market will be starting and relief pitching. Still, they are definitely looking for an upgrade over rookie
Matt Shaw at third base after he's gotten off to a slow start to his big-league career with a .198/.276/.280 slash line, only two home runs, 15 RBI, 28 runs and 11 steals in 207 at-bats. Hayes hasn't all that much better, hitting .238 (78-for-328) with two homers and 10 steals, but the 28-year-old is also strong defensively.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pittsburgh PG - Noah Hiles
July 17, 2025
MLB.com's Jordan Bastian writes that the Chicago Cubs will have to weigh dealing one of the hottest hitters in professional baseball in outfield prospect
Owen Caissie over the coming weeks as the team looks to add at the July 31 trade deadline. Caissie is now Chicago's top-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and is sporting a .961 OPS in 73 games for Triple-A Iowa. Before this week's All-Star break, the 23-year-old hit .400 with eight home runs, 10 RBI, 10 walks and a 1.676 OPS in nine games. Caissie is currently blocked at the big-league level, but if the Cubs don't trade him this summer, he figures to make his MLB debut next year, especially if the Cubs cannot retain star outfielder
Kyle Tucker in free agency. Caissie should already be stashed in all dynasty/keeper leagues. His ETA to the big leagues figures to be fast-tracked if he's traded.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Jordan Bastian
July
17,
2025
SI.com's
Jason
Burke
suggests
that
Athletics
right-handed
pitching
prospect
Jack
Perkins,
who
is
ranked
as
the
team's
No.
7
prospect
by
MLB
Pipeline,
is
a
candidate
to
take
right-hander
Mitch
Spence's
read more...
July
17,
2025
New
York
Mets
left-hander
Sean
Manaea
will
get
the
second
half
of
the
season
kicked
off
and
start
in
the
series
opener
versus
the
visiting
Cincinnati
Reds
at
Citi
Field
on
Friday,
according
to
the
New
read more...
July 17, 2025
The New York Yankees announced on Thursday that they optioned right-handed pitching prospect
Clayton Beeter to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and added right-hander
Rico Garcia to the active roster in a corresponding move. Garcia was claimed off waivers earlier in the week. Beeter, the team's No. 20 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will head back to the farm after allowing six earned runs on five hits (two home runs) while walking four and striking out only one in 3 2/3 innings over his two relief appearances in the Bronx. The 26-year-old former second-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 out of Texas Tech has a sharp 2.14 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, two saves, 35 strikeouts and 17 walks in 21 relief innings at Single-A Tampa, Double-A Somerset and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the minors this year. He's no longer as attractive in fantasy in dynasty leagues now that he's become a full-time reliever.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Yankees
RADIO
