Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (hamstring) ran the bases before Thursday's series finale against the visiting Seattle Mariners at Target Field and is scheduled to start a minor-league rehab assignment with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints on Friday, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale. It's unclear how long the 26-year-old's rehab assignment will last, but considering his history with hamstring injuries, it might be more than just a few games. Still, barring a setback for the oft-injured third baseman, Lewis should be back with the Twins as their starting third baseman before the mid-July All-Star break. Injuries continue to slow the former first overall pick, but there's no debating his high-end power plays when he's right. He's been a disappointment through 99 at-bats in 2025, hitting just .202 with two homers and nine RBI.

From RotoBaller

The Los Angeles Dodgers activated reliever Luis Garcia (adductor) from the injured list on Thursday. Right-hander Will Klein was optioned as the corresponding move. Garcia has missed almost exactly one month since being placed on the IL with a right adductor strain. He's pitched to a 4.50 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP in 26 innings pitched so far this year. His peripherals aren't impressive either, as he's posted a modest 19.8% strikeout rate and a 4.85 xERA. Garcia is not a threat to compete for saves and does not need to be rostered in most leagues.

From RotoBaller

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (foot) did some fielding practice on Thursday and it "went well," according to manager Joe Espada. If McCullers feels good on Friday, he'll be an "option" to start against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. The 31-year-old will apparently skip a minor-league rehab assignment after recovering from a sprained right foot. The former first-rounder in 2012 made his return to the big leagues this year for the first time since 2022 due to various right-forearm injuries. McCullers has been up and down with a 4.91 ERA (4.23 FIP) and 1.43 WHIP in his seven starts over 29 1/3 innings pitched, but he's also struck out 39 and walked 16 as he works his way back into a full-time starter for Houston. With that said, fantasy managers would be wise to avoid him if his first start off the IL is this weekend against the Cubs.

From RotoBaller

Washington Nationals pitching prospect Travis Sykora is being promoted to Double-A Harrisburg after breezing through his first eight starts of the season (two at Single-A, six at High-A). The 21-year-old got a late start after having offseason hip surgery, but has posted a 1.01 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, and an astounding 36.2 percent K-BB% with 56 strikeouts in only 35.2 innings pitched (14.13 K/9) since May 14. The Nats' top-ranked prospect posted similarly striking numbers last year at Single-A, tallying 129 Ks in 85 IP (13.66 K/9) with a 2.33 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP in 20 starts. If he can impress at Double-A, he couldbe on pace for a couple of starts at Triple-A beforethe season is out and would be knocking on the door to the majors in 2026. That being the case, fantasy managers in dynasty leagues should be looking to stash the 6-foot-6 hurler because he has the look of a frontline starter in the bigs.

From RotoBaller

The Seattle Mariners placed first baseman Rowdy Tellez on unconditional release waivers on Thursday. Tellez was designated for assignment last week when the team activated first baseman/outfielder Luke Raley from the injured list. Tellez had been a decent source of power this season with 11 home runs in 221 plate appearances. However, he's also hitting .208 with one stolen base. Statcast suggests that Tellez was a little unlucky in Seattle. His barrel rate (15.9%) and hard-hit percentage (48.4%) were both career bests, and his xBA was .256. If Tellez finds a new home, he could be an under-the-radar waiver claim for deep-league fantasy managers needing power.

From RotoBaller

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (wrist) had another good day on Thursday and took 75 swings off a high-velocity machine, according to manager Rob Thomson. Harper will hit outside on Friday at Truist Park before the series opener against the division-rival Atlanta Braves and could face a live pitcher. If the 32-year-old two-time MVP comes out of that well, he could come off the 10-day injured list for Monday's series opener against the San Diego Padres without going on a minor-league rehab assignment. Harper will return to his role as Philly's starting first baseman, which will push Alec Bohm back across the diamond to third base and rookie Otto Kemp either to the bench or back to the minors. Harper will be returning to a .258/.368/.446 slash line with an .814 OPS, nine home runs, 34 RBI, 32 runs scored and eight steals in his 213 at-bats.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco Giants infielder Casey Schmitt (wrist) is out of the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale at Oracle Park against the visiting Miami Marlins. Christian Koss is making the start at the hot corner and will bat seventh, while Brett Wisely starts at second base and hits in the eight-hole against Marlins right-hander Janson Junk. Schmitt took a pitch off his left wrist in the ninth inning of Wednesday's loss to the Fish and looked to be in a lot of pain. X-rays on the 26-year-old came back negative, though, so he could be ready for Friday's series finale in Chicago against the White Sox if the swelling in his hand goes down. The Giants have an off day on Thursday. Schmitt has become the regular at third in San Fran with Matt Chapman (hand) sidelined and has taken advantage, going 10-for-20 with a homer, double, RBI and seven runs scored in the last six games since June 19.

From RotoBaller

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker (appendix) was placed on the 10-day injured list this week due to appendicitis, but the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold reports that he didn't require surgery. It's good news for Walker, but he probably still won't rejoin the big-league roster until after the All-Star break in mid-July. And when Walker does return from the IL, it remains to be seen if he'll see regular playing time after continuing to struggle at the major-league level at the plate. The 23-year-old former top prospect is hitting just .210 (37-for-176) with three home runs, 23 RBI, 21 runs, three steals, 12 walks and 63 strikeouts in 55 games played in 2025. The former first-rounder ranks in the 72nd percentile in hard-hit rate but is in the second percentile in strikeout rate and the 16th percentile in chase rate.

From RotoBaller

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto will take a seat for Thursday's series finale in Houston against the Astros at Daikin Park. Rafael Marchan is behind the plate and will catch left-hander Cristopher Sanchez while hitting eighth against Astros right-hander Hunter Brown. The 34-year-old Realmuto will get a breather after playing in each of the team's last five games. Realmuto has gone hitless in his last three games but is hitting .288 (19-for-66) with three doubles, six RBI and a steal in 18 games in the month of June after a very slow start to the 2025 season for his standards. He's no longer one of the best catchers in fantasy, and his counting stats are way down with only five homers and 27 RBI in 66 games. Marchan doesn't really move the DFS fantasy needle. The 26-year-old switch-hitting backstop has gone 8-for-49 (.163) with one homer in limited playing time.

From RotoBaller

Updating a previous report, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (intercostal) received a pain-relieving shot in his intercostal on Tuesday night, according to manager Oliver Marmol. It requires 48 hours of inactivity, which is why he was unavailable to play on Wednesday and Thursday. The Cardinals think they got ahead of any potential side injury and expect Nootbaar to play in Cleveland this weekend in a series against the Guardians, according to Jeff Jones. It's something to keep an eye on for the 27-year-old, who is currently in the midst of a modest six-game hitting streak in which he's gone 7-for-22 with three home runs, a double, seven RBI and three runs scored. Nootbaar is in the 93rd percentile in hard-hit rate this year and is right in the middle (50th percentile) in strikeout rate, so he should improve on his current .230 average as a starting outfielder with 20-plus-homer power.

From RotoBaller

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is not in the team's starting lineup for the series finale on Thursday against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Freddy Fermin will do the catching for right-hander Michael Lorenzen and will hit eighth against Rays right-hander Shane Baz. Perez gets a much-needed day of rest for the first time in over a month. The 35-year-old nine-time All-Star probably isn't going to hit for much of an average at this point in his career, but he can still provide elsewhere for fantasy managers and has nine home runs and 41 RBI in 76 games so far in 2025. He's hitting .265 (22-for-83) with five long balls, four doubles and 15 RBI in 21 games in the month of June. Fermin has limited power (two homers in 132 at-bats) and will be a low-upside DFS sleeper at catcher at the bottom of KC's batting order on Thursday.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy is out of their lineup for the team's series finale with the hosting Colorado Rockies. The veteran will sit for the second time against a southpaw over the last week as he's batting just .118 (6-for-51) against them. Teammate Miguel Rojas will man the hot corner and bat ninth while he's on the bench. Muncy has picked it up over the last few months after an abysmal start to the season and has been particularly productive in June. In 67 at-bats on the month (22 hits), he's slashing a robust .328/.459/.642 with six home runs, 20 RBI, and 19 runs scored. Since the start of May, the 34-year-old has registered 11 long balls, 46 RBI, and more walks (33) than strikeouts (30).

From RotoBaller

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar is sitting for the final contest of a four-game series with the visiting Chicago Cubs. Nootbaar will be out of the team's lineup for the second straight day as they face another southpaw in Shota Imanaga. Teammate Brendan Donovan is occupying left field and batting leadoff. The former eighth-round pick was productive over his first 30 games this season, but has seen his average drop 40 points to .230 since Apr. 30. Despite how bad he's been in June (.174), Nootbaar's average exit velocity (92.2 MPH) and hard-hit rate (53.4%) are sitting at career-highs, and his xBA is a more palatable .247.

From RotoBaller

Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman is out of the lineup for Thursday's home series finale with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The hard-hitting 25-year-old will hit the bench again with lefty Clayton Kershaw on the mound. Teammate Braxton Fulford will get the start behind the plate and bat eighth in his stead. Goodman sat out a few days ago as well, but that was against a right-handed hurler, so it appears to be just another day of rest, as there's been no mention of injury. He's been exceptional in June, slashing .342/.373/.734 with six doubles, two triples, seven homers, 17 RBI, and 15 runs scored.

From RotoBaller

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler won't be in his team's lineup for their series finale with the hosting Detroit Tigers on Thursday. Manager Mark Kotsay shuffled the lineup quite a bit today. With Butler getting a routine day off, Brent Rooker will be in right field, with Nick Kurtz DH'ing and Gio Urshela manning first base. The 24-year-old has cooled a bit from a hot stretch that bridged May and June, batting just .172 (10-for-58) across his last 14 appearances. Still, it's worth noting he's on pace to set career-highs in home runs (22) and steals (18). Maybe another day off will be enough to break him out of his funk.

From RotoBaller

MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports that New York Yankees pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga (illness) was unavailable for Wednesday's 7-1 win against the Cincinnati Reds due to an illness. The 30-year-old yielded three earned runs to Cincinnati on Tuesday and retired a lone batter before exiting with a trainer. It was easy to assume the worst at that point, but fortunately, he isn't dealing with an injury and could rejoin the Yankees as early as Friday after their scheduled day off on Thursday. Loaisiga has a 4.32 ERA and 1.26 WHIP through 16 appearances, though his underlying metrics are far more appealing and point to some positive regression if he can keep it up (3.27 xERA).

From RotoBaller

New York Yankees catcher J.C. Escarra will go on the paternity list after being forced to leave the team's series in Cincinnati when his wife went into labor. The team already has Austin Wells and Ben Rice on the roster, although they have tried not to use Rice behind the plate if possible. The team hasn't announced if they will call up a catcher to fill Escarra's spot on the roster, but if they do, Alex Jackson, Ronaldo Hernandez, and Jesus Rodriguez would be candidates to fill the role, with Rodriguez the most likely option since he is already on the 40-man roster. The team could also opt to just stick with Wells and Rice short term since Escarra will likely return soon.

From RotoBaller

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga (hamstring) is ready to return to the mound for the Cubs on Thursday after being officially reinstated from the 15-day IL. Imanaga has been sidelined since May 4 when he strained his hamstring while going to cover first base. In his eight starts, he went 3-2 with a 2.82 ERA, 4.53 FIP, and 34 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. He had a pair of starts in which he allowed five runs, but in each of his other six outings, he allowed two runs or fewer. He threw 72 pitches and went 4 1/3 innings in his last rehab outing, so he will likely have a restricted workload in his return on Thursday in St. Louis.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Michael Conforto blasted his sixth homer of the season as part of the team's 8-1 victory on Wednesday night. Conforto went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI on his solo blast in the eighth inning off Anthony Molina. It was his second straight game with a home run and two hits in Colorado, but he is still only hitting .176 with a .282 wOBA on the season. Conforto will continue to be part of the outfield mix for the Dodgers, and he could be worth watching on the waiver wire if he can build on his big series at Coors Field and turn around his disappointing season.

From RotoBaller

The Cincinnati Reds announced that they have placed infielder/outfielder Connor Joe on the 10-day injured list with hand, foot, and mouth disease (retroactive to June 22). The team recalled infielder/outfielder Ryan Vilade from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move. Joe has played sparingly for the Reds since they acquired him in a minor trade with the Padres in May. Overall, the 32-year-old journeyman is hitting .207/.273/.276 with four RBI and two stolen bases in 66 plate appearances.

From RotoBaller