Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (knee) is not in the team's starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the visiting Chicago White Sox. Fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised after Muncy had a scary-looking injury to his left knee in Wednesday's victory over the White Sox when outfielder Michael Taylor collided with his knee during a stolen-base attempt at third base. The 34-year-old veteran was undergoing an MRI exam on Thursday, but the way the injury looked, we'd be surprised if he avoids a trip to the injured list to close out the first half of the season. Regardless of how much time Muncy misses, he should be retained in all fantasy formats for his power and run production in an elite Dodgers lineup. Miguel Rojas is starting at third and batting ninth on Thursday against White Sox righty Aaron Civale, but Enrique Hernandez figures to play at third as well if Muncy misses extended time.

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Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will take the day off against the Chicago White Sox in Thursday's series finale at Dodger Stadium. Rookie Dalton Rushing is behind the plate to catch right-hander Dustin May and will bat eighth against White Sox right-hander Aaron Civale. It's an odd day to give Smith the day off after he went 3-for-5 with a home run in the first two games of the series against the Pale Hose, and he's also 2-for-2 in his career against Civale with two solo home runs. But the Dodgers will keep the 30-year-old fresh for the stretch run as he remains one of the best offensive-minded backstops in the league. Smith, a former first-rounder, is slashing a strong .324/.425/.547 on the year with a .972 OPS, 11 homers, 44 RBI, 43 runs and two steals in 225 at-bats. Rushing isn't the worst DFS sleeper at catcher but has gone 11-for-52 (.212) with only one homer in his first 18 MLB games.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers placed third baseman Max Muncy (knee) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with a left-knee bone bruise and recalled outfielder Esteury Ruiz from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move. This was the expectation after Muncy injured his knee on Wednesday night in a win over Chicago when White Sox outfielder Michael Taylor collided with him at third base on a stolen-base attempt. All in all, it's good news after how bad the injury looked. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect the 34-year-old veteran back until the start of the second half of the season on July 18. In the meantime, Muncy should be stashed in all formats as the starting third baseman and middle-of-the-order hitter for one of the best teams in baseball. Miguel Rojas is making the start at the hot corner on Thursday, but Enrique Hernandez should also fill in there until Muncy is activated.

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Kansas City Royals rookie first baseman/outfielder Jac Caglianone will start Thursday's game against the hosting Seattle Mariners on the bench. John Rave draws into the starting lineup and will bat sixth for the Royals against Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo. Caglianone has elite power from the left side as one of the best power-hitting prospects in the game, but so far he hasn't been able to figure out big-league pitching, going 14-for-97 (.144) with two home runs, three doubles, four RBI, four runs and a 24:5 K:BB in 103 trips to the plate in 26 games played. The 22-year-old former sixth overall pick last year out of Florida crushed minor-league pitching to the tune of a .322/.389/.593 slash line with 15 homers an 56 RBI in 50 games with Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha. Perhaps Cags can get settled in after the All-Star break in his first year in the Show.

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Milwaukee Brewers infielder Brice Turang is out of the starting lineup on Wednesday against the hosting New York Mets at Citi Field with a left-hander on the mound. Andruw Monasterio is starting at second base and will bat ninth against Mets southpaw David Peterson. Turang is getting a well-deserved breather after he snapped a 14-game hitting streak with an 0-for-4 performance with three strikeouts in the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday in New York. The 25-year-old slashed a ridiculous .421/.452/.579 with 10 RBI and 11 runs scored during the streak. He'll get a chance to start a new streak when he returns for Friday's series opener in Miami against the Marlins. The former first-rounder doesn't have much power (five homers), but he's a great source of average (.288), runs scored (55) and speed (17 steal) in fantasy as a must-start asset when he's on the field.

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Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (oblique) will join Triple-A Albuquerque for a rehab assignment on Friday. This was expected with Tovar ramping up his activities lately. He has been sidelined since early June due to a strained left oblique. He figures to need a handful of rehab games before being cleared to return to the Rockies lineup. Tovar should be back with the Rockies shortly after the All-Star break. Before going down, Tovar was slashing .258/.301/.406 with three home runs and 10 RBI across 32 games this season.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich will take a seat for Thursday's series finale against the New York Mets at Citi Field with left-hander David Peterson starting on the mound. Eric Haase is serving as the designated hitter and is batting seventh versus Peterson. Yelich snapped a 12-game hitting streak in the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader in Queens but then hit a homer in the nightcap. The 33-year-old former MVP and three-time All-Star has been relevant in all fantasy formats this year with the Brew Crew, entering Thursday's action with a .259/.337/.460 slash line, .797 OPS, 17 long balls, 61 RBI, 43 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. The former first-rounder can do it all and is a must-start in fantasy everytime he's in the starting lineup. Haase is hitting .167 (3-for-18) with one of his two homers on the year against lefties.

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Washington Nationals relief pitcher Andrew Chafin (hamstring) was activated off the injured list ahead of Thursday's game against the Detroit Tigers. Chafin has been sidelined since early June due to a right hamstring strain. He threw a simulated game earlier in the week and was able to avoid doing a rehab assignment. Chafin will be back in the mix as a middle reliever ahead of Thursday's contest. He holds a 3.18 ERA, 2.02 WHIP, and 14/11 K/BB ratio across 16 appearances with the Nationals this season. Chafin doesn't pitch in enough high leverage situations to warrant rostering in fantasy formats

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Baltimore Orioles outfielder Dylan Carlson has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday. The former first-round pick has been unable to find much success in the MLB since his 2022 season with the St. Louis Cardinals. Carlson is slashing .234/.271/.378 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 41 games with the O's this season. This move was expected to come with Tyler O'Neill (shoulder) likely to be activated off the injured list ahead of Friday's game. It's unclear if Carlson will be back with the O's again this season, so for now he's not worth holding in any fantasy formats.

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Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood has accepted the invite to participate in the upcoming Home Run Derby at Truist Park in Atlanta. Wood is well deserving of this honor after slashing .283/.387/.547 with 22 home runs and 65 RBI, with 12 stolen bases so far this season. The rookie outfielder will join Cal Raleigh and Ronald Acuna Jr. so far on Monday, July 14 in Atlanta. Wood was one of the key pieces brought back in the Juan Soto trade with the San Diego Padres in 2022. The 22-year-old figures to be an important player in Washington for years to come.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Joc Pederson (hand) is reportedly three weeks away from returning to the lineup, according to team's manager Bruce Bochy. Pederson has been sidelined since late May due to a fractured right hand. The original timetable had Pederson returning before the All-Star break, but that doesn't seem like it's going to happen. Pederson figures to still need a rehab assignment as well before getting back into the mix. Pederson was struggling with a .131 batting average, two home runs, and six RBI before going on the injured list. He figures to get playing time at designated hitter against right-handed pitching once he's cleared to play. Given his struggles, Pederson isn't someone that needs to be stashed in fantasy formats right now.

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Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Evans has been recalled and will take the ball versus the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. The Mariners could use some help in the rotation with Bryce Miller (elbow) still sidelined and Emerson Hancock being optioned to the minors. Evans has been decent this season, posting a 3.38 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and a 30/12 K/BB ratio across seven starts with the Mariners. This is a favorable spot for Evans against a Royals lineup that has struggled to produce this season. Evans is worth a look as a low-end streaming option for Thursday. In a corresponding move, left-hander Joe Jacques has been optioned to the minors.

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Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that all systems are go for right-hander Max Scherzer (forearm, thumb) to start on Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels after he threw a bullpen session on Thursday afternoon at the Rogers Centre. A right-thumb issue has been bothering Scherzer all year and is the reason he's only made three starts for Toronto, and he also dealt with right-forearm fatigue in his start against the New York Yankees on Monday. Despite not feeling 100%, the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer only allowed two earned runs on three hits while walking none and fanning a season-high seven in five innings for a no-decision. Scherzer is certainly past his prime and now very injury-prone, but he proved on Monday he can still be useful in fantasy. However, he threw only 71 pitches earlier this week and could be on a short leash against the Halos this weekend.

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Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andres Gimenez (ankle) is sitting out of Thursday's series finale against the New York Yankees after injuring his ankle in the win on Wednesday. Leo Jimenez will start at second base and will bat in the nine-hole versus Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt. The Athletic's Mitch Bannon reports that Gimenez should be available for Thursday's game off the bench, if needed. It means that Gimenez should return for this weekend's series against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. The 26-year-old was pulled from Wednesday's game in the ninth inning after injuring his ankle on a play at second base, but it's not an injury that should force him to the injured list. Fantasy managers should look for better DFS sleepers than Jimenez, who is hitting .227 (41-for-181) with four homers in his 65 big-league games, dating back to last year.

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The Athletic's Mitch Bannon writes that Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho (hamstring) should start a minor-league rehab assignment in the next few days. Varsho resumed running last Wednesday and has now apparently been cleared to play in rehab games, which means he'll be a candidate to return to the big-league roster next week, barring a setback this weekend. The 29-year-old starting center field got a late start in 2025 while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, but when he returned, his power stroke was on point with eight home runs in his first 92 at-bats over 24 games. Varsho has never hit over .246 in his five major-league seasons and probably isn't going to provide a useful batting average for fantasy managers, but he could return to the 20-homer mark in 2025 if he can stay healthy the rest of the way.

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The New York Post's Jon Heyman writes that the New York Yankees are fielding trade calls for a first baseman with the July 31 trade deadline approaching, and they have expressed interest in Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon. Their current third baseman, Jazz Chisholm Jr., has arguably been their second-best offensive player this year behind Aaron Judge and has 14 home runs, 36 RBI, 33 runs scored and 10 stolen bases despite missing time with an injury. However, Heyman says that the Yankees know Chisholm belongs at the keystone, where he's Gold Glove-caliber. DJ LeMahieu prefers second base over third base, but he's not the same player that won multiple batting titles. The 36-year-old veteran is hitting .254 with only two home runs and 12 RBI in 118 at-bats. McMahon is hitting just .216 on the year but has 12 homers and would be an upgrade over LeMahieu in the lineup.

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New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton are both out of the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays. Ben Rice is starting at first base and batting second, while Aaron Judge is serving as the DH and hitting third against Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt. Cody Bellinger is in right field and batting cleanup. Goldy started strong with the Yankees but has hit a rough pate of late. He does have four hits in his last two games, but he's hit .152 (5-for-33) with three doubles, no homers, no RBI and four strikeouts in nine games since June 20. It's very possible that Rice moves into a platoon at first in the second half with Goldschmidt. Stanton didn't make his season debut until June 16 and is hitting .244 (11-for-45), but with only one home run and seven RBI.

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The New York Mets announced on Thursday that they placed right-handed reliever Dedniel Nunez (elbow) on the 15-day injured list with a right-elbow sprain and recalled right-hander Justin Hagenman from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move. There's no exact timetable for Nunez's return, but it's possible he won't be ready to go for the start of the second half of the season on July 18. It's definitely a blow to the back end of New York's bullpen to close out the first half, as the 29-year-old Dominican hurler had allowed just two runs in six innings with eight strikeouts and two holds since returning from the minors last month. Nunez posted a 2.31 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with his first career save, 48 strikeouts and only eight walks in 35 innings in his first year in the big leagues in Queens in 2024.

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New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that the goal is for right-hander Kodai Senga (hamstring) to pitch in a minor-league rehab game for Double-A Binghamton this weekend. The skipper also said that Senga could be "in play" to come off the injured list before the All-Star break. The Mets' starting rotation should be getting reinforcements soon, with left-hander Sean Manaea (elbow, oblique) also potentially returning to the fold before the All-Star break. Senga has been out since the middle of June with a strained right hamstring, but if all goes well with his rehab start this weekend, the 32-year-old veteran could return to action for the Mets by July 12 against the Kansas City Royals. Senga should be rostered in all fantasy leagues and will be a must-start as soon as he returns after going 7-3 with a 1.47 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 70 strikeouts in his 73 2/3 innings over 13 starts.

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New York Mets left-hander Sean Manaea (elbow, oblique) is expected to make one more minor-league rehab start on Tuesday before coming off the 60-day injured list, according to NJ Advance Media's Manny Gomez. The Mets would like to get Manaea one start in the big leagues before the All-Star break, but they're taking it "one step at a time." If the veteran southpaw does return before the break, it will be next Sunday, July 13, against the Kansas City Royals. The 33-year-old was initially shut down in spring training with an oblique strain before recently dealing with loose bodies in his left elbow. He was able to throw 60 pitches over three innings for Binghamton on Wednesday and should only need one more rehab start, assuming it goes well. Manaea had a late-career resurgence in 2024 with the Mets thanks to a lowered arm slot. Can he do it again? Fantasy managers stashing him all this time certainly hope so.

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