The Chicago Cubs right-handed reliever Trent Thornton entered with two outs and runners at the corners in the ninth inning of Saturday's 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds. After Elly De La Cruz stole second, Thornton got Sal Stewart to ground out for his third save. It was a one-batter appearance, but the 32-year-old has done his job whenever called upon, carrying a 2.48 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through 29 innings. The problem is that Chicago still has no dependable ninth-inning pecking order. Jacob Webb remains the preferred option, while Caleb Thielbar and Ryan Rolison are also getting late work with Daniel Palencia (elbow) sidelined. Thornton has converted all three save chances, but his 13 strikeouts in 29 innings leave little fallback value when someone else gets the call. Rostered in 0% of Yahoo leagues, he is a speculative add in 15-team formats and deeper, not a reliable source of saves.

From RotoBaller

The Pittsburgh Pirates left-handed reliever Mason Montgomery worked around a walk to finish Saturday's 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of a doubleheader, striking out two in a hitless ninth for his first save of the season. Gregory Soto had closed Game 1, so Pittsburgh is still splitting late work. Montgomery has put himself squarely in the picture, though. He has allowed no runs with five strikeouts and one walk over his last three appearances, and his season total is up to 55 strikeouts in 37 innings. The 4.14 ERA is not pretty, but a 34.8% strikeout rate and 3.21 xERA make the profile more interesting than the surface number. RotoBaller now lists Montgomery alongside Soto atop a volatile committee and recommends him in 12-team leagues. With only a 2% Yahoo roster rate, he is one of the better speculative saves adds available, even if calling him Pittsburgh's closer would be premature.

From RotoBaller

The San Francisco Giants right-handed reliever JT Brubaker handled the final two innings of Saturday's 4-2 win over the Colorado Rockies, picking up the first save of his career. Kyle Karros homered off him in the eighth, but that was the only baserunner Brubaker allowed. He struck out two and did not walk anyone. His 2.87 ERA and 1.13 WHIP through 47 innings look useful, but the 33:20 K:BB shows why fantasy managers should be careful. Brubaker got the call after Caleb Kilian blew Friday's save and had worked on back-to-back days. Kilian still sits atop the Giants' depth chart, with Erik Miller and Dylan Smith ahead of Brubaker, and RotoBaller called Saturday's save a likely one-off. Brubaker is rostered in roughly 0% of leagues, but that does not make him an automatic deep-league add. He is worth monitoring in NL-only formats, not rostering in standard mixed leagues, unless another late chance comes his way.

From RotoBaller

Chicago Cubs right-handed pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins returned from the Triple-A injured list on July 10 after a lengthy stint for an elbow injury. However, with Wiggins now back in action at Triple-A, the top prospect in the Chicago system has quickly put himself high on the stash radar. In his return to Triple-A (first game since April 4), Wiggins allowed three runs over 2 2/3 innings against St. Paul. However, during his rehab outing across the lower levels, the right-hander was quite sharp, posting a 2.89 ERA with a 9:3 K:BB over 9 1/3 innings. While the former 68th overall pick will likely need several weeks of development at Triple-A Iowa, managers should closely monitor his stats, as he has a clear path to join a weak Cubs rotation hit by injuries to Edward Cabrera, Justin Steele and Cade Horton. If Wiggins can rebound, the right-hander can quickly establish himself as a high-end prospect to stash in all leagues after the All-Star break.

From RotoBaller

Detroit Tigers outfield prospect Max Clark has been among the hottest hitters at the Triple-A level over the past month and has quickly put himself near the top of most stash rankings. Since June 12 (his last 23 games at Toledo), the former third-overall pick from the 2023 MLB Draft has posted an elite .316/.404/.495 line with a .898 OPS, five doubles, four home runs, and eight stolen bases. This surge is worth noting, as Clark held a much lower .248/.335/.374 line with a modest .709 OPS over his first 57 games of the season. During this cold start, the outfielder only hit four home runs. Seeing him turn the corner at an impressive rate at Triple-A has pushed him into elite stash territory. With the Tigers relying on James Outman and Matt Vierling to cover center field, they may turn to their top-ranked prospect very shortly after the All-Star break, making him a worthy pickup in all 12-team leagues.

From RotoBaller

The Chicago Cubs right-handed reliever Jacob Webb worked a scoreless eighth inning in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds, allowing one walk and striking out one. Ryan Rolison opened the ninth but put runners on the corners before Trent Thornton got the final out for his third save. Webb still leads Chicago with four saves and carries a 3.10 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 48 strikeouts against 16 walks through 40 2/3 innings. The eighth-inning call does not mean Webb lost the job. There really is no clean job to lose while Daniel Palencia (elbow) is sidelined. Webb and Caleb Thielbar remain at the front of the committee, with Rolison and Thornton also capable of getting a chance. Webb had converted two conventional ninth-inning saves in the previous week, so he still has a slight edge, just not a firm grip. At 8% rostered on Yahoo, he is worth adding in 15-team leagues and deeper for short-term save upside.

From RotoBaller

Minnesota Twins infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper (hand) was recently placed back on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A St. Paul due to a hand injury. Culpepper has battled a few injuries over the past month, which has delayed his MLB debut. However, before dealing with a string of injuries, the top infielder in the Minnesota system appeared to be on the doorstep of the big leagues. From May 23 through June 12, Culpepper carried a sharp .348/.451/.623 line with a stellar 1.074 OPS, five home runs and five stolen bases. Overall on the season, Culpepper holds a .272/.376/.492 line over his first 63 contests at St Paul. Fantasy managers in deeper redraft leagues should continue to closely monitor his status, as he would re-emerge as a must-stash candidate upon his return from the injured list, given that Minnesota lacks a proven option at shortstop.

From RotoBaller

Colorado Rockies outfield prospect Zac Veen made his MLB debut in 2025 but was given only a brief stint in the majors before ultimately being sent back to the minor leagues. In this short look, Veen posted a rough .118/.189/.235 line with one home run (over 12 games). However, this season, Veen has been among the hitters at the Triple-A level and has put himself in elite stash territory. Over the last 35 games, the 24-year-old has posted a .347/.357/.760 line with 18 doubles, 12 home runs, and three stolen bases. During this noted surge, Veen has carried a dominant 1.117 OPS. On the season, Veen has posted a sharp .312/.386/.579 line over 80 games at Triple-A Albuquerque. While his teammate Charlie Condon continues to make headlines in the power department, Veen may be slightly ahead of him on the pecking order given his previous MLB experience.

From RotoBaller

New York Yankees top infield prospect George Lombard Jr. put himself near the top of the stash rankings before hitting the Triple-A injured list in mid-June. Over his last 23 games before hitting the injured list (May 22 through June 16), the top-ranked prospect in the system posted an elite .277/.398/.542 line with 10 doubles, four home runs, and four stolen bases. However, over his first 19 games at the Triple-A level this season, Lombard stumbled to a .178/.362/.205 line. While he began the season at Double-A, Lombard quickly showed that he was more than ready to join the top club. Managers should continue to keep a close eye on his status as he works his way back from a finger injury, as he recently resumed baseball activities. If he can return to the diamond shortly after the All-Star Game, he should quickly compete for at-bats at the MLB level given Anthony Volpe's inconsistencies.

From RotoBaller

Washington's 3B Curtis Mead had a slash line of .400/.478/.800 going 8-for-20 with 4 RBIs in five games this week. Mead is owned only in 26.8% of mixed leagues.

Pirates' RF Esmerlyn Valdez scored 32.0 fantasy points going 6-for-19 with four home runs and nine RBIs in five games this week. Valdez is owned in 61.1% of mixed leagues.

Reds' RF JJ Bleday scored 26.5 fantasy points going 6-for-18 with three home runs and five RBIs in five games this week. Bleday is owned only in 45.5% of mixed leagues.

Diamondbacks' C Gabriel Moreno had a slash line of .458/.519/.542 going 11-for-24 with 3 RBIs in six games this week. Moreno is owned in 59.2% of mixed leagues.

Royals' CF Tyler Tolbert scored 29.5 fantasy points going 11-for-17 with two home runs and four RBIs in four games this week. Tolbert is owned only in 0.0% of mixed leagues.

New York Mets' CF A.J. Ewing scored 26.5 fantasy points going 9-for-26 with two home runs and four RBIs in six games this week. Ewing is owned only in 29.0% of mixed leagues.

Arizona Diamondbacks' SP Brandon Pfaadt had an ERA of 1.72 and a WHIP of 0.89 in 15.2 innings over his last three games. Pfaadt is owned only in 12.0% of mixed leagues.

Mets' CF Carson Benge scored 35.5 fantasy points going 9-for-20 with a home run and three RBIs in six games this week. Benge is owned in 60.5% of mixed leagues.

Kansas City Royals' LF Nick Loftin scored 26.0 fantasy points going 9-for-23 with a home run and four RBIs in six games this week. Loftin is owned only in 0.0% of mixed leagues.

Athletics' SS Joshua Kuroda-Grauer had a slash line of .474/.474/.579 going 9-for-19 in five games this week. Kuroda-Grauer is owned only in 0% of mixed leagues.

Philadelphia Phillies' CF Derek Hill had three stolen bases and a .467 average with 3 RBIs in five games this week. Hill is owned only in 0.0% of mixed leagues.