Minnesota Twins right-hander Pablo Lopez (shoulder) is expected to return to the mound on Friday for a start against the Kansas City Royals, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Lopez suffered a teres major strain in his right shoulder and has not pitched in the big leagues since June 3. Before the injury, he was 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 61 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings (11 starts). Lopez worked 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his final rehab appearance with Triple-A St. Paul on August 31, so he could be close to full-go on Friday.

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Pittsburgh Pirates ace right-hander Paul Skenes (10-9) stymied the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 5-3 victory on Thursday to pick up his 10th win of the season. Skenes held the Dodgers scoreless over six innings of two-hit ball and registered eight strikeouts against two walks on 94 pitches (65 strikes). It was the 19th quality start this year for Skenes, who has limited the opposition to one earned run or fewer an incredible 18 times in 29 tries. The NL Cy Young front-runner now boasts a 1.98 ERA with a .94 WHIP, 195 strikeouts, and 39 walks in 173 innings. Skenes is scheduled to make his next start against the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 11.

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Houston Astros closer Josh Hader (shoulder) underwent imaging this week that showed his injured left shoulder "is healing," according to manager Joe Espada. However, Hader is not ready to resume throwing. The star southpaw has been on the 15-day injured list with a capsule strain retroactive to Aug. 11. The Astros announced back then that they'd shut Hader down from throwing for roughly three weeks beginning Aug. 15. While they're just about at the end of that period, it's unclear when Hader will resume throwing. The 31-year-old has been considered a long shot to return during the regular season since he went on the IL, but he and the Astros have held out hope for a return in the playoffs. The Astros have a four-game lead in the AL West thanks in part to Hader's brilliant work. Before landing on the shelf, he posted a 2.05 ERA with a .85 WHIP, 76:16 K:BB, and 28 saves in 29 changes over 52 2/3 innings. Bryan Abreu has recorded four of the Astros' six saves in Hader's absence.

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Houston Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (elbow) is unlikely to return during the regular season, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. The Astros are awaiting the results of an MRI after placing Arrighetti on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation on Wednesday. Manager Joe Espada revealed Thursday that the team is "going to have to shut (him) down for a bit," which means Arrighetti won't have enough time to return this month. It'll go down as an injury-ravaged regular season for Arrighetti, who was out from early April through early August with a fractured right thumb. He made seven starts this year and went 1-5 with a 5.35 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP, 31 strikeouts, and 20 walks in 35 1/3 innings. The Astros have yet to announce who will start in Arrighetti's place on Friday against the Texas Rangers.

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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (groin) will undergo season-ending core muscle surgery. Walls has been on the 10-day injured list with a strained left groin since Aug. 12, and after visiting a specialist on Wednesday, the 29-year-old will shut it down for 2025. He should be ready for spring training next year. The slick-fielding Walls played in 101 games this season and hit .220/.280/.319 with four homers, 38 RBI, 36 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases in 317 plate appearances. Walls totaled a team-leading 94 appearances at shortstop, but prospect Carson Williams has taken over as the starter since his debut on Aug. 22.

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New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb, pinkie) will come off the 10-day injured list on Friday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. Alvarez will return after missing a little over two weeks with multiple injuries. He went on the IL on Aug. 18 with a sprained UCL in his right thumb before suffering a fractured left pinkie in his first Triple-A rehab game on Aug. 29. If Alvarez is healthy and able to swing the bat without issues, he could give the Mets a sizable upgrade at catcher over Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger as the team charges toward the playoffs. The 23-year-old has slashed .265/.349/.438 with seven homers, 24 RBI, and 24 runs scored in 209 plate appearances this season.

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Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Megill (elbow) threw a successful bullpen session on Thursday and is on track to come off the 15-day injured list by Sept. 16, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. Megill has been on the IL retroactive to Aug. 25 with a Grade 1 flexor strain in his right elbow, leaving Abner Uribe as the Brewers' primary choice for saves. A first-time All-Star this season, Megill has converted 30 of 36 save chances and pitched to a 2.54 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP, 58 strikeouts, and 17 walks in 46 innings.

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New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (knees) exited their game against the Houston Astros on Thursday with contusions on both knees, according to the Yankees. Chisholm suffered the injuries on different plays. He appeared to injure his left knee when applying a tag to Jose Altuve in the bottom of the third inning. The 27-year-old stayed in to hit in the top of the fourth, but after he struck out, the Yankees brought in Jose Caballero to man the keystone in the bottom half of the inning. Chisholm missed all of May because of an oblique strain, but he has been an integral part of the Yankees' lineup when healthy. Over 108 games and 449 plate appearances, Chisholm has slashed .242/.339/.499 with a career-high 28 homers, 70 RBI, 68 runs scored, and 26 stolen bases. He's not someone the Yankees or fantasy managers can afford to lose down the stretch.

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Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Stephen Kolek was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday. Kolek made a spot start on Saturday versus the Tigers and now he's back again. He figures to stick around this time with Seth Lugo (back) heading to the injured list. During his last start, Kolek tossed six innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out three batters. He's currently scheduled to take the ball against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. Kolek owns a 3.99 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and a 59/26 K/BB ratio across 85.2 innings with the San Diego Padres and Royals this season. He should offer some low-end streaming appeal for that game.

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Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo (back) was placed on the 15-day injured list on Thursday. At first, Lugo had his start pushed back to the weekend due to a back issue. However, Lugo didn't feel any improvements after playing catch on Thursday, so the team decided to place him on the shelf. He has been awful with the ball lately as he's allowed 10 earned runs over his last two starts. Hopefully, Lugo can get back on track in a couple of weeks. The assumption is that Lugo will be able to return by mid or late September. In the meantime, Stephen Kolek will be recalled and take the ball for the Royals on Saturday. He'll offer some low-end streaming appeal versus the Minnesota Twins.

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Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (hand) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Smith was removed from Wednesday's contest after getting hit in the hand by a foul tip. Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts said Smith will undergo a CT scan and is unlikely to play this weekend. It sounds like the team is trying to avoid a stint on the injured list, but that could happen depending on the results of the imaging. Dalton Rushing figures to do a majority of the catching while Smith is out. Ben Rortvedt has been added to the roster as a backup option. Fantasy managers should plan to be without Smith this weekend.

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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe is out of the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. This appears to be a rare off day for Lowe who has started in each of the last 13 games. This is a good time to sit him against left-hander Logan Allen. The Rays will go the matchup route and have the switch-hitting Jake Mangum in his place in right field and batting sixth on Thursday. Lowe figures to be back in the starting lineup following this contest.

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Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani (illness) is scheduled to make his next start against the Colorado Rockies on Monday, according to manager Dave Roberts. Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled start versus the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday due to illness. It's worth noting that Ohtani has still been serving as the designated hitter, which he'll continue to do on Thursday. Ohtani hasn't been great on the mound with a 4.18 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a 44/7 K/BB ratio across 11 starts. Despite that, Ohtani still should be rostered and started in most fantasy formats. It's unclear if the Dodgers will stick with a six-man rotation or have Emmet Sheehan move to the bullpen.

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Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (body) is back in the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Kansas City Royals. Trout is back in the mix after missing each of the last two games due to a skin infection. He appears to be feeling good enough to play on Thursday, but won't play in the field. Trout will bat second and serve as the designated hitter versus left-hander Noah Cameron. The 34-year-old has struggled with the bat recently, but still needs to be rostered in most fantasy formats.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is resting in Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Chicago White Sox at Target Field. Josh Outman will take over in center field and will bat eighth against White Sox left-handed opener Fraser Ellard. Buxton has been seeing the ball well at the plate, but he'll get a day off after starting each of the team's last seven games. The 31-year-old veteran has managed to mostly stay healthy in 2025 and has played in over 100 contests for just the third time in his 11 major-league-seasons while slashing .273/.333/.559 with a career-best 29 home runs, 72 RBI, 83 runs scored and 21 stolen bases in 456 plate appearances. Fantasy managers should get him back in their starting lineups for Friday's series opener on the road against the division-rival Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

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Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz is on the bench to start Thursday's series finale against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers with left-hander Blake Snell on the mound. Alexander Canario will start in center field and will bat seventh. The Pirates continue to shield Cruz from lefties, as this will be the fifth straight game against them that he has taken a seat. In 118 plate appearances against southpaws in 2025, Cruz is hitting a pathetic .106 (11-for-104) with just one of his 19 home runs on the year and 43 strikeouts. The Dominican is barely hitting over .200 on the year but does have 19 homers, 54 RBI, 60 runs and 36 steals in his 416 at-bats, which continues to make him fantasy relevant in all leagues despite all the swing and miss. Cruz is hitting .123 (8-for-65) with two homers, 10 RBI, two steals and 23 K's in 19 games since Aug. 1.

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Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang and outfielder Sal Frelick are both out of the lineup for Thursday's series finale with Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez on the mound. The Brewers are going with Andruw Monasterio at the keystone and Isaac Collins in right field with Turang and Frelick getting a day off. It's a rare off day for Turant, who continues to contribute across the board for fantasy managers with a .291/.359/.450 slash line, .808 OPS, 17 home runs, 70 RBI, 87 runs scored and 23 stolen bases in 505 at-bats. The 25-year-old is a major reason why Milwaukee is the best team in baseball. Monasterio has been a productive utility player for the Brew Crew in a limited role, batting .294 (30-for-102), but with only four homers. Collins is mainly useful for his speed (16 steals), but he's also hit .276 in 115 games in 2025.

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Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (hand) is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale at PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates after taking a pitch off his right hand in Wednesday's loss. Rookie Dalton Rushing will do the catching for left-hander Blake Snell and will bat ninth against Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes. X-rays on Smith's right hand came back negative, so hopefully he'll be available to play in the series opener on Friday in Baltimore against the Orioles. Smith has been a must-start in fantasy when he's in the lineup as one of the best hitters at a weak position. Rushing, meanwhile, is hitting only .190 (22-for-116) with three home runs and 21 RBI in his first 43 big-league games this year. In the tough matchup against Skenes, we'd recommend fading Rushing as a DFS sleeper.

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The St. Louis Cardinals are hoping that right-handed reliever Riley O'Brien (shoulder) will be available out of their bullpen this weekend during their series against the visiting San Francisco Giants, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. O'Brien has been dealing with a right-shoulder injury and hasn't pitched for the Cardinals in over a week, but he was cleared to resume throwing earlier this week and it looks like he will avoid a trip to the injured list. How effective the 30-year-old will be in his return is another question, but he should continue to be in the mix for saves for St. Louis the rest of the way if he can stay healthy. O'Brien has been fantastic in his second season for the team in 2025 with a 1.69 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, his first two career saves, 35 strikeouts and 17 walks in 37 1/3 innings of relief. He also had three holds last month.

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Toronto Blue Jays infield prospect Orelvis Martinez (undisclosed) was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday, retroactive to September 2. The nature of the injury is not known, but at his point in the season, it will all but end his 2025 campaign. The Blue Jays' 12th-ranked prospect has had a rough go of it in 2025 and even worse up until the injury, going hitless in 14 of his last 18 games, during which time he went 4-for-54 (.074). The 23-year-old owns a .176/.288/.348 slash line with 13 home runs in 99 games for the Bisons and will look to make another attempt to get back to the majors in 2026 after making a one-game debut there in 2024, but right now, his arrow is pointing down.

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