Minnesota Twins second baseman Kody Clemens and outfielder Trevor Larnach are taking a seat on Thursday for their team's series finale with the visiting Texas Rangers. With a matinee the day after a night game, it's just a normal day off for them. Teammate Royce Lewis will be the DH and bat fifth, with Willi Castro manning right field (sixth), and Brooks Lee occupying the keystone (seventh). Neither player has really stood out with their bat this season, though it's worth noting that Clemens' underlying metrics are at least intriguing. Despite a .221 average in 2025, the 29-year-old has significantly improved his quality of contact and is vastly underperforming his xBA (.288) and xSLG (.576).

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Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim won't be in the team's lineup on Thursday for their road series finale with the Minnesota Twins. It's just a routine day off for him with a day game coming after a night game. Fellow backstop Kyle Higashioka is behind the plate and batting ninth in his absence. Heim is amid a brutal slump, but picked up multiple hits in an outing for the first time since May 20 in Wednesday's loss. The 29-year-old has taken a slight step back this season regarding his plate discipline -- sporting a near-six-point increase in his strikeout rate (24.2%) and a slight drop in walk percentage (4.9%).

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Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland left the game with the lead after six innings of solid work against the Giants, but the bullpen couldn't hold on to earn him a victory. The lefty allowed three runs on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts, but he only gave up one run over his last five innings of work after giving up a two-run homer to Willy Adames in the first. Freeland lowered his ERA to 5.13 on the season, but his 3.64 FIP and 3.99 SIERA show he has pitched a little better than his ERA indicates. He has four quality starts in his last six starts, but is only 1-3 due to a lack of run support. He'll hope for a better outcome next Monday, when he is scheduled to take the mound in Washington against the Nationals.

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Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic has been putting together a strong season in his return to the Royals' rotation, but Wednesday wasn't one of his best days. He gave up six hits and five runs to the visiting Yankees while issuing four free passes and striking out a season-low three batters. He had only allowed a total of three runs in his previous six starts combined, posting a 0.69 ERA and 2.04 FIP in 39 1/3 innings during that run. He has struggled in each of his two starts against the Bronx Bombers, who have scored almost half the earned runs he has allowed all season. Despite his rough outing, he still has a 1.92 ERA and 2.56 FIP on the year, and he'll look to shake off Wednesday's disappointing result in his next start, which is currently scheduled to be next Tuesday in Texas in a much more favorable situation.

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray only lasted four innings in his road start against the Rockies on Wednesday night. He threw 93 pitches to get 12 outs while giving up six hits, two walks, and four runs (two earned). He did have five strikeouts, but left with a deficit before the Giants rallied late to get him off the hook. Ray still has a strong 2.55 ERA and 2.99 FIP on the season despite this uninspiring outing. He'll look to bounce back and be more efficient when he faces the Guardians next Tuesday in San Francisco. He has been especially sharp at home, so he should be in a good spot to bounce back and put Wednesday's forgettable start behind him.

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Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman closed out his team's 4-3 win in Boston on Wednesday, working a perfect ninth inning against the Rays, including two strikeouts. After getting Christopher Morel to ground out, he struck out Taylor Walls and Josh Lowe to end the game. Chapman has 12 saves on the season and is just two away from matching his total from last season. He has been very strong in his first year in Boston, posting a 1.59 ERA, 2.20 FIP, and 12.4 K/9. He has converted 12 of his 13 save chances and has at least one strikeout in each of his last 10 games while allowing just a single earned run. He and the Red Sox have Thursday off before taking on the Yankees this weekend.

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New York Yankees Relief Pitcher Devin Williams only had to get two outs to get the save on Wednesday night, as his team held on to win 6-3 in Kansas City. The Yankees started the ninth with a 6-0 lead, but Mark Leiter Jr. gave up four hits and three runs while only recording one out. Williams came into the save situation and struck out Mark Canha before getting Jonathan India to ground out to first base to end the game. Williams still has a 5.92 ERA on the year with a 2.91 FIP and 11.5 K/9, but he has been better over his last 14 games with a 2.13 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings. He has converted a save in each of his last three appearances and has eight saves and just one blown save this year. He and the Yankees finish their series in Kansas City Thursday before heading to Boston for a weekend set at Fenway.

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Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Alex Vesia earned his third save of the season in impressive fashion on Wednesday night. He entered the game with a three-run lead and struck out the side in order on just 14 pitches. Tanner Scott pitched the eighth inning against the heart of the Padres' order before Vesia struck out Jake Cronenworth, Tyler Wade, and Elias Diaz to close out the 5-2 win that also secured the Dodgers the series win in their first set against their division rivals this season. Vesia is 2-0 with three saves and 10 holds in his 33 games this season, compiling a 2.79 ERA, 4.42 FIP, and 12.7 K/9. He is a solid source of holds and can get a save opportunity every once in a while, although he is not the primary closer for the Dodgers at this point.

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New York Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run during the first game of their doubleheader against Double-A Portland on Wednesday. In the second game of the doubleheader, Jones was quiet as he went 0-for-3 with a run and a walk. Over his last 11 contests, Jones has enjoyed a power surge, posting a .500 SLG and .810 OPS with four doubles and two home runs. Last summer, the No. 2-ranked prospect in the New York system spent the entire season with Double-A but struggled as he held a .259/.336/.452 line with 17 home runs and a 200:54 K:BB. However, this season, Jones has begun to take the next step, posting a .231/.355/.538 line with seven doubles, 11 home runs, and a 56:24 K:BB. The 24-year-old should be in the mix to reach Triple-A later this season.

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Los Angeles Angels infield prospect Christian Moore went 2-for-4 with a home run and a walk during Wednesday's contest against Triple-A Las Vegas. This was Moore's second-straight contest going deep. Over his last six contests, Moore has tallied a hit in all but one game and launched three long balls over this stretch. Since joining Triple-A Salt Lake, the former eighth overall pick from last year's MLB draft has been one of the most productive hitters at the level. During this stretch, he has held a stellar .350/.424/.575 slash line with four doubles, a triple, four round-trippers, three stolen bases, and a 25:10 K:BB. Across 57 career games with Double-A, Moore held a .271/.357/.411 line. Given his fast progression through the minor leagues, Moore could get the call to Los Angeles in the coming weeks.

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Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander David Bednar tossed a scoreless ninth inning to preserve a 5-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. Bednar did not allow a hit while striking out two to pick up his ninth save in as many opportunities for Pittsburgh this season. The veteran hurler now has a 1-4 record, 3.57 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 33 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings of work on the year. Bednar got off to a bit of a shaky start this season, but he has now logged eight straight scoreless appearances for the Pirates. He continues to have a firm grip on the closer's role in Pittsburgh.

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New York Mets infield prospect Jett Williams went 2-for-3 with two home runs and a walk during their contest against Double-A Richmond on Wednesday evening. This was Williams' third-straight contest tallying at least one hit and third-straight game tallying at least one extra-base hit. Over his last 14 games, Williams has been very productive in the batter's box, posting a stellar .326/.475/.543 slash line with four doubles, two home runs, eight stolen bases, and an 11:11 K:BB. Through 51 total games at Double-A this season, Williams has looked quite strong, holding a .288/.397/.497 slash line. Given his steady production, fantasy managers should expect him to be in the mix to get the call to Triple-A later this season. The top-ranked prospect in the Mets' organization could reach the majors late in the second half.

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Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Shelby Miller fired a scoreless ninth inning to preserve a 5-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. Miller allowed one hit while striking out two to earn the save, his seventh of the season. The veteran hurler appears to have taken over as the team's closer following Justin Martinez landing on the injured list with an elbow injury earlier in the week, making him a priority waiver add for any fantasy managers in need of saves. Miller now has a 3-1 record, 1.63 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts over 27 2/3 innings of work this season, while working on a seven-game scoreless streak.

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Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner had a productive game in a 7-2 win over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. Turner went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, two runs, and a stolen base to help overtake Chicago in the contest. The veteran infielder is putting together another strong season hitting atop the Philadelphia lineup, batting .303 with 14 doubles, seven homers, 47 runs, 30 RBI, and 19 stolen bases across 271 at-bats. With his 19th stolen base on Wednesday, he already matched his total from the 2024 season, which was the fewest of his career outside of the 2020 shortened season. Turner remains an elite fantasy shortstop in all formats.

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Tampa Bay Rays DH Yandy Diaz had an excellent game in his team's 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. Diaz went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer but it wasn't quite enough to down the Red Sox. The veteran tied the game at 3-3 with his fifth-inning homer, a shot that traveled 386 feet with an exit velocity of 103.4 MPH. Diaz is now hitting .256 with 10 homers, 28 runs, 39 RBI, and three stolen bases across 254 at-bats this season. He has been on a tear at the plate lately, batting .370 with two homers and five RBI over his past seven games. Diaz remains a solid fantasy option in all leagues.

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Baltimore Orioles third baseman Ramon Urias turned in a productive game in his team's 10-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. Urias went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a stolen base in the win. The veteran infielder ripped a two-run homer off Detroit starter Casey Mize to give the Orioles a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Urias is now hitting .278 with three homers, 16 runs, 21 RBI, and one steal across 151 at-bats this season. He is not a very strong fantasy option outside of AL-only leagues.

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Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes had a productive day in his team's 10- 2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. Paredes went 3-for-5 with two doubles, one run, and two RBI to help power his team to the win. The veteran infielder drove in his first run with an RBI double in the fourth inning and later came back to add an RBI single in the eighth. Paredes is putting together a solid season, hitting .254 with nine doubles, 14 homers, 35 runs, and 41 RBI across 248 at-bats. He has two homers and seven RBI to go along with a .269 batting average over his past seven contests. Paredes remains a solid source of power numbers in all fantasy leagues.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Willi Castro turned in a solid game in his team's 6-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday. Castro went 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, a run, and two RBI to help lead Minnesota to the win. The veteran did most of his damage with his two-run triple in the fifth inning, pushing the Twins' lead to 5-2. Castro is now hitting .275 with one triple, six homers, 28 runs, 15 RBI, and three stolen bases across 160 at-bats this season. He has been red-hot at the plate of late, hitting .353 with four homers and eight RBI over his past 15 contests. Castro should be a consideration for starting lineups in fantasy while he's on his hot streak.

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Cleveland Guardians first baseman Carlos Santana had an excellent afternoon in an 11-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Santana went 1-for-4 with a grand slam to help down Cleveland's intrastate rivals. On the 15-year anniversary of his MLB debut, the veteran gave Cleveland a 5-0 lead with the sixth grand slam of his career. Santana is now hitting .251 with eight homers, 32 runs, 34 RBI, and two stolen bases across 219 at-bats this season. He has been fighting through a slow stretch at the plate of late, hitting just .167 over his past seven contests. A solid corner infielder in deeper fantasy leagues, Santana will hope his Wednesday slam gets his bat going again.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee had a productive evening in a 10-7 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. Lee went 1-for-3 with a triple, two walks, and three runs scored to help lead the Giants to victory. The leadoff hitter is now hitting .275 with 17 doubles, four triples, six homers, 40 runs, 32 RBI, and six stolen bases across 251 at-bats. While he hasn't been hitting for much power, Lee should continue to score plenty of runs hitting at the top of the San Francisco batting order. He is in play as a solid reserve outfielder in deeper fantasy leagues going forward.

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