Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly powered his team to a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday, going two-for-three with a walk, home run and two RBI. Kelly's been one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball so far this season, slashing .272/.374/.518 with 12 home runs, 33 RBI, and 36 runs scored in 230 plate appearances. The 30-year-old is walking at a 13.9% rate while striking out in just 16.1% of his plate appearances. Kelly's 109.7 mph max exit velocity, 10.1% barrel rate, and 44.3% hard-hit rate are all career highs. The veteran is a must-start catcher in all fantasy formats as we head into the second half of the season.

From RotoBaller

Athletics closer Mason Miller picked up his 18th save of the season on Saturday in his team's 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Miller pitched a scoreless ninth inning, striking out two and allowing a walk. The 26-year-old right-hander has allowed just one earned run in his last 10 1/3 innings pitched, converting five of six save chances in that stretch. For the season, Miller is 18/21 on save opportunities with a 4.15 ERA, 10.8 WHIP, and 56 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings. His 4.15 ERA is a bit inflated due to an abnormally low 64.8% strand rate, but Miller's 2.77 xERA and 28.1% K-BB rate point to how dominant he's truly been.

From RotoBaller

Athletics designated hitter/outfielder Brent Rooker went two-for-two with a walk, home run, and three RBI in his team's 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. The 30-year-old has been excellent this season, slashing .278/.352/.505 with 20 homers, 54 RBI, and 60 runs in 422 plate appearances. Rooker's 22% strikeout rate is over 6% lower than his career norm, and his .293 xBA and .546 xSLG suggest that he's underperformed his underlying metrics to this point. Rooker has established himself over the past two seasons as a legitimate late-blooming breakout bat, and he looks like one of the better power and run producers in baseball.

From RotoBaller

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez peppered the box score in a 6-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. Ramirez finished 1-for-3 with two walks and a run scored, and he was a force on the bases, swiping three bags. The seven-time All-Star has now stolen three bases in a game twice this year. Already with eight steals in 12 contests this month, he's up to 29 on the season and on pace to surpass the career-high 41 he amassed a year ago. Along with that, the switch-hitting 32-year-old is once again posting outstanding numbers at the dish. He's slashing .297/.367/.510 with 18 homers, 48 RBI, and 53 runs scored in 387 plate appearances.

From RotoBaller

Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias recorded his second save in as many games in a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. After the Braves called on him for the third straight day, Iglesias retired the Cardinals on 11 pitches (nine strikes) and struck out one in a perfect bottom of the ninth inning. The 35-year-old has now piled up 14 straight scoreless appearances. Thanks to his struggles earlier in the season, Iglesias still has a disappointing 4.42 ERA in 36 2/3 innings. To his credit, though, Iglesias has continued to amass strikeouts (42) while limiting walks (seven).

From RotoBaller

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season Saturday in a 7-6 game against the Atlanta Braves. Helsley came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning in a 6-6 game and surrendered a leadoff single to Nacho Alvarez Jr., who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Alvarez moved to third on a Drake Baldwin single before scoring on a Jurickson Profar groundout. Helsley didn't record any strikeouts or walks during an 11-pitch inning that snapped a modest streak of six straight scoreless appearances. The 30-year-old right-hander is having a decent season, but he hasn't been the lights-out option he was from 2022-24. Across 32 innings, Helsley has pitched to a 3.38 ERA with a mediocre 1.41 WHIP, 35:13 K:BB, and 18 saves in 23 opportunities.

From RotoBaller

Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena had a huge game at the plate in a 15-7 beatdown of the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. Arozarena finished 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBI, four runs scored, and a stolen base to continue a power-packed July. In his first 11 games of the month, Arozarena has gone deep six times while knocking in nine runs and scoring 10 times. Arozarena got off to a slow start through the first couple of months this season, but he has been much better since early June and is on track for another prolific campaign. The 30-year-old is slashing .249/.356/.452 with 16 homers, 46 RBI, 52 runs, and 16 stolen bases in 407 plate appearances. At minimum, Arozarena looks like a shoo-in for his fifth consecutive 20/20 season.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Tanner Scott picked up his 19th save in a 2-1 nail-biter against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday. Scott pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning and struck out both Jung Hoo Lee and Casey Schmitt to help the Dodgers snap a seven-game losing streak. It was a much-needed rebound for the left-hander, who combined to surrender three earned runs on six hits over two frames in his previous two outings. Scott's 3.77 ERA through 43 innings is about two runs higher than his pristine 1.75 mark from last year, but he has logged a strong 1.09 WHIP with excellent strikeout and walk numbers (49:7 K:BB).

From RotoBaller

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Noelvi Marte continued his recent power surge on Saturday, homering for the third time in four games in a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. Marte blasted a seventh-inning solo shot off right-hander Tyler Kinley for his lone hit in a 1-for-4 day. The 23-year-old missed most of May and all of June with an oblique strain, but he has made up for lost time since the Reds activated him July 4. In his first eight games back, Marte has gone 7-for-24 with three homers, five RBI, four runs scored, and 3:2 K:BB. The former top prospect has taken 100 trips to the plate this year and hit a highly productive .293/.340/.565 with six HRs, 22 RBI, 14 runs, and four steals. Marte has significantly cut his strikeout rate since last season, going from 31% to 15%, and the results have been encouraging.

From RotoBaller

New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz secured his 19th save of the year in a 3-1 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. The 31-year-old right-hander had to work harder than usual for this one, as the Mets called on him to pitch two innings. Diaz issued a one-out walk to Bobby Witt Jr. in the eighth inning, but he retired the other six hitters he faced and struck out one over 22 pitches. The three-time All-Star has now gone 12 straight appearances without allowing a run and has given up just one since the beginning of May. Diaz, who has only blown one save, owns a sparkling 1.66 ERA with a 0.87 WHIP and 55:13 K:BB.

From RotoBaller

Washington Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan (1-3) blew his sixth save of the year and ended up with his third loss in a 6-5 game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. The Nationals called on Finnegan to pitch the bottom of the ninth and preserve a 5-3 lead, but he wasn't up to the challenge. Finnegan retired just one batter while allowing three hits, two walks (one intentional), and three earned runs. Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin walked it off with an RBI single. It was the worst outing for Finnegan since he gave up three earned runs in a loss to the Colorado Rockies on June 16. He had totaled eight straight scoreless appearances since then to lower his ERA to 2.36. That number is now up to a still-solid 3.12 through 34 2/3 innings after Saturday's meltdown. Finnegan also has a 1.18 WHIP with 18 saves and 27:12 K:BB.

From RotoBaller

According to Jon Morosi, free-agent infielder DJ LeMahieu is reportedly drawing interest from multiple organizations. LeMahieu was released by the New York Yankees on Thursday. Despite still being owed $22 million, LeMahieu was let go by the organization. Now, LeMahieu can decide where he wants to play for the rest of the season. LeMahieu hasn't been terrible at the plate this season. He's slashing .266/.338/.336 with two home runs and 12 RBI across 45 games. He's able to play multiple positions and his postseason experience could be helpful for a contending team. His fantasy value is dependent on where he lands. However, LeMahieu probably won't be anything more than a deep league option, but is someone to keep an eye on right now.

From RotoBaller

Washington Nationals third baseman Brady House made some noise with the bat during Saturday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Coming into this game, House had zero home runs over his first 21 games. He blasted his first career home run off right-hander Brandon Woodruff in the fourth inning. The fun didn't stop there as House went deep again in the eighth inning. He finished this game 3-for-4 with two homers and three RBI in the loss. House is 13-for-42 at the plate over his last 10 games. He's worth a look in deep leagues at the very least right now.

From RotoBaller

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (ribs) was forced to make an early exit from Saturday's game against the San Diego Padres. Bohm was hit in the rib cage by a pitch from Yu Darvish in the second inning. He remained in the game for a few more innings until being replaced by Edmundo Sosa in the bottom of the fourth inning. Bohm is reportedly dealing with a bruised left rib cage, so he figures to sit out on Sunday. The expectation is that it's a day-to-day issue and Bohm should be ready to go following the All-Star break. Fantasy managers should check back on Sunday just in case he is available to play.

From RotoBaller

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff made his second start since returning from shoulder surgery on Saturday. Woodruff only gave up one earned run on two hits during his season debut last Sunday. The veteran right-hander wasn't quite as good in this one, but still delivered a solid performance. Woodruff allowed two earned runs on five hits while striking out 10 batters across 4.1 innings of work against the Washington Nationals on Saturday. This was only an 81-pitch outing from Woodruff as the Brewers didn't want to push him too hard. He has pitched well enough through the first two outings that he deserves to be rostered in most fantasy formats. It's unclear where he'll line up to pitch following the All-Star break.

From RotoBaller

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn has come alive with the bat since joining his new team. His success at the plate continued during Saturday's game against the Washington Nationals. Vaughn went 2-for-4 with two doubles and four RBI in the 6-5 win over the Nats on Saturday. The right-handed slugger is 6-for-14 with 10 RBI since joining the Brewers on Monday. Vaughn figures to continue getting regular playing time while Rhys Hoskins (thumb) is out. Fantasy managers looking for a boost in their lineup right now should consider adding Vaughn while he's hot at the plate.

From RotoBaller

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara has been optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday. The rookie left-hander will head to the minors following his lackluster outing on Saturday. Ogasawara allowed three earned runs on four hits while striking out only one batter over four innings of work against the Milwaukee Brewers. This isn't a shocking move given Ogasawara has allowed seven runs over 6.2 innings of work so far in the big leagues. The assumption is that Ogasawara will be back after the All-Star break. This could be a procedural move in order to get an extra bullpen arm ahead of the break. The Nats haven't announced who will take the spot on the active roster or that Ogasawara would return following the break. Regardless, the rookie southpaw isn't someone that needs to be rostered in fantasy formats.

From RotoBaller

Boston Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet (10-4) delivered his finest outing of an already stellar season on Saturday. The 26-year-old southpaw tossed a complete game shutout against the Rays, striking out nine and allowing just three baserunners in a 1-0 victory. Crochet needed only 100 pitches to go the distance and didn't allow an extra-base hit all afternoon. He enters the second half firmly in the American League Cy Young conversation, with a 2.23 ERA and 160 strikeouts over 129 1/3 innings.

From RotoBaller

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton continues to shine in what is shaping up to be the best season of his professional career. Buxton hit for the cycle on Saturday, leading the Twins to a 12-4 win over the Pirates. He went a perfect 5-for-5, capping off the afternoon by taking Andrew Heaney deep in the seventh inning. The 31-year-old now has 21 home runs and 17 stolen bases on the year, delivering the elite five-tool production that injuries have often kept out of reach. With his value peaking, Buxton managers might consider selling high heading into the second half.

From RotoBaller

Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (hand) returns to the lineup Saturday, batting second against the Toronto Blue Jays. Wilson had been sidelined since Tuesday's 10-1 win over the Braves after taking a pitch off his left hand. The Rookie of the Year candidate missed three games but brings his steady presence back to the top of the A's lineup. Wilson has been excellent in his debut season, slashing .335/.379/.468, though his lack of power and speed caps his fantasy ceiling. Fantasy managers should continue to start Wilson for batting average and runs, especially as the A's offense continues to trend upward.

From RotoBaller