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
July
17,
2025
New
York
Yankees
pitching
prospect
Carlos
Lagrange
has
tallied
the
second-most
strikeouts
in
the
minors
over
the
first
half
of
the
season
with
113.
Tallying
77
1/3
innings
pitched
and
315
total
batters
faced,
it
works
read more...
July 17, 2025
Texas Rangers pitching prospect
Mitch Bratt has turned in an impressive first half for Double-A Frisco, recording a 2.73 ERA (2.86 FIP), 1.13 WHIP, and a phenomenal 26.4 percent K-BB% in 15 starts (79 innings pitched). The Rangers' 18th-ranked prospect has always displayed better-than-average control, posting a 6.8 percent walk rate during his minor-league career from 2021-24, but he's dropped it all the way down to 4.0 percent in 2025 while registering the best strikeout rate of his minor-league career, coming in at 30.4 percent. The 6-foot-1 lefty could be on his way to Triple-A in the coming weeks and could be ticketed for an MLB debut in 2026, but he is not on the dynasty radar at the moment.
--Jarod RuppSource: MiLB.com
July 17, 2025
The Kansas City Royals expect right-handed reliever
Hunter Harvey (shoulder) to start a minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday night in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Harvey is finally going to get back into a game after being sidelined with a right teres major strain in his shoulder since the middle of April. Since he has missed so much time, the 30-year-old veteran reliever may not be able to return to the Royals until later this month or even early August, depending on how his rehab goes. When healthy, Harvey should be a key late-inning setup man in front of closer
Carlos Estevez after he ranked ninth in baseball in 2024 with 28 holds over 49 appearances with the Royals and Washington Nationals. The problem is that Harvey has rarely been healthy and dealt with a back issue last year in KC that limited him to only six appearances down the stretch.
--Keith HernandezSource: Kansas City Royals
July 17, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said on Thursday that right-hander
Manuel Rodriguez (forearm) won't be back from his elbow/forearm injury anytime soon, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin. The Rays pulled Rodriguez off his minor-league rehab assignment recently when he suffered a setback. The 28-year-old was scheduled to meet with a doctor earlier this week, but details of that meeting haven't been revealed. All we know is that Rodriguez won't be back in the big leagues for a while. The Mexican reliever has been out of action since the middle of June. Before getting hurt, he had been a valuable piece of Tampa's bullpen, recording a career-low 2.08 ERA (2.98 FIP) and 1.05 WHIP while fanning 25 and walking only six in 30 1/3 innings in relief.
--Keith HernandezSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
July 17, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said that second baseman
Brandon Lowe (oblique) is feeling good but will be re-evaluated after a workout on Thursday to determine if he'll come off the 10-day injured list for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles to kick off the second half of the season, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Lowe was put on the IL last Friday with a minor oblique injury, but he could return this weekend after not playing since July 6. The Rays will be cautious with one of their potential trade chips this summer (if they decide to sell), though. The 31-year-old veteran made his second All-Star team this year by hitting .272/.324/.487 with an .811 OPS, 19 home runs, 50 RBI, 54 runs scored and three steals in 84 games in the first half. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Friday to see if he's activated and in the starting lineup.
--Keith HernandezSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
July 17, 2025
San Francisco Giants pitching prospect
Carson Whisenhunt has underwhelmed at Triple-A this year, posting a 4.50 ERA (4.92 xFIP), a 1.33 WHIP, and 82 strikeouts in 94 innings pitched. The Giants' second-ranked prospect has greatly improved his year-over-year walk rate, from 11.1 percent to 7.1 percent, but it appears to be at the expense of his strikeout rate, going from 28.4 percent to 20.9 percent. Also, although the walk rate improved, the 6-foot-3 lefty has thrown the fifth-most wild pitches in the minors this year, totaling 10 of them thus far. An MLB debut looked like a slam dunk earlier this year, but the picture is a bit more cloudy now. It will still likely happen, but not nearly as soon as thought, and the 24-year-old no longer looks like a must-stash in advance of an eventual call-up.
--Jarod RuppSource: MiLB.com
July 17, 2025
The New York Post's Jon Heyman reports that the Texas Rangers are calling up first baseman
Rowdy Tellez from Triple-A Round Rock before Friday's series opener against the visiting Detroit Tigers. Tellez will essentially be replacing first baseman
Jake Burger (quadriceps) on the active roster after Texas placed Burger on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday due to a quad strain. Tellez, a 30-year-old left-handed slugger, hit .208/.249/.434 with 11 home runs, 27 RBI, 20 runs scored and a 49:8 K:BB in 62 games with the Seattle Mariners earlier this year before being released. At least until Burger is able to return, Tellez should see regular playing time in Texas between first base and designated hitter against right-handed pitching. Fantasy managers in deeper formats looking for a little power boost should take notice.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
July 17, 2025
New York Yankees pitching prospect Griffin Herring owns the lowest ERA of any minor-league starting pitcher (10 starts minimum) now that the first half is in the books, boasting a 1.69 ERA (2.91 FIP), a 1.02 WHIP and an 18.8 percent K-BB% through 15 starts (85 1/3 innings pitched), with eight of them coming at Single-A and the other seven coming at High-A. The Yanks' 25th-ranked prospect was drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB Draft and has quickly shown off his ability. With some additional success at High-A, the LSU product could see some time on the mound at Double-A before the season is out.
--Jarod RuppSource: MiLB.com
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