Minnesota Twins rookie infielder Luke Keaschall (forearm) is hitting off a pitching machine and close to taking live batting practice. Keaschall will eventually need to go on a rehab assignment before returning from a right-forearm fracture that has sidelined him for over two months. The 22-year-old entered the season as a consensus top 100 prospect and looked the part during his first seven games in the majors, as he went 7-for-19 with three doubles and five walks in 26 plate appearances. He has been out since a hit by pitch forced him to the IL on April 25.

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Outfielder Seth Brown has signed a minor-league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Brown spent a short time on the free-agent market after the Athletics released him on June 26. The 32-year-old opened the season batting .185/.303/.262 with one home run in 76 plate appearances and dealt with a minor elbow injury before the A's moved on from him. He was much better over the previous four seasons, during which he swatted double-digit home runs in each campaign and belted 20 or more on two occasions. Brown is a lifetime .226/.292/.419 hitter with 74 homers, 233 RBI, and 24 steals across 1,804 plate appearances. The Diamondbacks are the second organization for the former 19th-round pick. He'll begin his D-backs tenure with their Triple-A affiliate in Reno.

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Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andres Gimenez will undergo an MRI on his ankle after reaggravating an injury that originally occurred on Wednesday. He reaggravated it running the bases in Friday's 4-3 extra-innings win over the Angels. For now he's considered day-to-day, but depending the results of the MRI, a trip to the injured list is possible. The 26-year-old already missed a month earlier this season due to a quad injury, so hopefully this new injury won't keep him out long. The left-handed hitter is having a rough year, slashing .218/.300/.322, but had been hitting well recently, going 10-for-21 (.476) over his last six games, including a home run, nine RBI, four runs scored, and a stolen base.

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Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki (shoulder) has experienced an increase in velocity while throwing from flat ground, according to Dodgers Tailgate. However, Sasaki is not ready to resume throwing from a mound. The star prospect from Japan landed on the 10-day injured list May 13 with a shoulder impingement. The Dodgers later transferred him to the 60-day IL because of a lack of progress in his rehab. They shut down Sasaki from throwing three weeks ago, but team brass noted at the time that he was pain-free. Sasaki struggled to a 4.72 ERA with 24:22 K:BB over 34 1/3 innings in his first eight major league starts. It remains unclear when he'll be ready to return and attempt to improve on those numbers.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah (elbow) is expected to throw one more bullpen session before going on a rehab assignment. Manoah underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2024 and has been working back from the procedure since then. He has stated on multiple occasions that he's aiming for an August comeback, which appears realistic. The 27-year-old made just five starts in 2024 and hasn't pitched a full season since 2022. With that in mind, fantasy managers should temper their expectations as he returns after a long layoff from major elbow surgery.

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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (calf) left his season debut on Friday with cramping in his right calf. The Rays downplayed the severity of the issue after their 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins, but they'll reevaluate Kim on Saturday, Pat Donnelly of MLB.com reports. "Let's just see tomorrow," said Kim, who had missed the entire season with shoulder and hamstring problems. The hope is that the 29-year-old will avoid another trip to the injured list. The Rays haven't released their lineup for Saturday yet, so stay tuned for updates on Kim's status.

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San Francisco Giants infielder Casey Schmitt (hand) was able to swing the bat pain-free on Friday. The 26-year-old is now ready to take batting practice as he works back from a left-hand injury that has shelved him for over a week. Schmitt is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list on Monday, though it's unclear if that will happen. Across 112 plate appearances this year, Schmitt has slashed .276/.360/.439 with four homers, 15 RBI, and 13 runs scored while mostly dividing his time between the corner infield positions.

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Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (foot) left Friday's 2-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers with mild plantar fasciitis symptoms in his right foot. He exited in the sixth inning after going 0-for-2. The Guardians replaced Thomas in center field with Nolan Jones and brought in Johnathan Rodriguez to play right. Thomas has already spent time on the 10-day injured list twice this year, including once for plantar fasciitis in his right foot. However, manager Stephen Vogt downplayed the severity of the injury after the game. "We think he's good," Vogt told The Associated Press. "The plantar fasciitis flared up a little bit again and I just didn't like the way he looked running around the outfield. So rather than take a chance, I got him out of there." After averaging 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases per year from 2022-24, Thomas has fallen off during his injury-plagued campaign this season. He's hitting .160/.246/.272 with four homers and four steals in 142 trips to the plate.

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Bailey Ober (hip) continues to throw in order to maintain arm strength as he works his way back from a left-hip impingement that put him on the shelf on June 29. He dealt with the issue for most of the season, which could help explain some of the ineffectiveness that pushed him to a 5.28 ERA, 1.41 ERA, and a 12.8 percent K-BB% -- all career worsts. The 29-year-old is expected to ramp up his activity next week and could make a return to the rotation in late July. With fellow pitchers Pablo Lopez and Zebby Matthews on the shelf as well, the Twins will welcome his return, although fantasy managers might want to take a more cautious approach and see him have some success before throwing the righty back into their lineups.

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Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen (forearm) will throw one inning against live hitters on Saturday. If he gets through that without any problems, Treinen will embark on a rehab assignment. The 37-year-old right-hander hasn't pitched since April 13 because of a sprained forearm. The Dodgers were using Treinen in a high-leverage role before he suffered the injury. He threw eight innings of three-run ball with 10:3 K:BB, three holds, and two saves over his first eight appearances.

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Zebby Matthews (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a third bullpen session on Sunday as he works his way back from a shoulder strain that has kept him out since June 5. After that, the righty is expected to face live hitters next week so long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks. The 25-year-old pitched well at Triple-A this season before being recalled, but recorded a 5.21 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in four starts for Minnesota, although the 20.5 percent K-BB% was strong. Nevertheless, with Pablo Lopez and Bailey Ober also dealing with injuries, the Twins could surely use Matthews back in the rotation. Expect him to begin a rehab assignment in the coming weeks and the 6-foot-5 hurler to return to action after the All-Star break. With the strikeout potential, if he can clean up the ERA and WHIP when he returns, Matthews could be worthy of a roster spot in most 12-team leagues down the stretch.

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San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish (elbow) is not expected to be activated this weekend. The Padres do not have a starter named for Sunday's matchup with the Rangers, but manager Mike Shildt stated that Darvish likely would not be the one to fill the void. The veteran hurler has been dealing with elbow inflammation, however, he's been working his way back, now having thrown three simulated games with his last one going four innings and 64 pitches. Although Shildt expressed that Darvish would not be Sunday's option, he also did not make it clear what the next step would be for the Japanese righty, however, it's looking like he could be activated sometime in the coming weeks, perhaps even without completing an official minor-league rehab assignment. Whatever the case, fantasy managers in need of pitching help could stash Darvish where available, as he can still be a viable back-end rotation piece in 12-team leagues and deeper.

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San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman (hand) is expected to return to the lineup on Saturday according to manager Bob Melvin. The veteran has been out since early June with a sprained right hand, but completed only a one-game rehab assignment with the Giants in need of offensive and defensive infield help. The 32-year-old went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in his rehab game with Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, and was slashing .243/.360/.452 with 12 home runs, 30 RBI, 35 runs scored, and seven steals in 65 games for San Francisco before the injury. Fantasy managers will likely slide him right back into their lineups, but DFS users might want to avoid. Chapman is just 2-for-19 (.105) against Saturday's opposing pitcher, Luis Severino.

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell (shoulder) is set to face live hitters again on Saturday and is expected to throw two innings. As long as the lefty doesn't suffer any setbacks, he could be in line to begin a rehab assignment afterward. While any progress is welcomed, that still means he probably won't return until August, assuming he'll need a few rehab starts to fully prepare. The 2x Cy Young winner will then hopefully provide fantasy managers a handful of starts that resemble his former Cy Young form after posting a couple of uninspiring performances earlier this year in which the southpaw allowed 10 hits and eight walks in just nine innings pitched, while striking out only four batters.

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Minnesota Twins outfield prospect Walker Jenkins was busy during their contest against Double-A Tulsa on Friday afternoon. In this contest, Jenkins reached safely five times. He tallied two hits, including a home run, and drew three walks. He scored two runs and brought in four. Over his last 10 games, Jenkins has posted a strong .324/.488/.568 slash line with three doubles, two home runs, three stolen bases, and 10 RBI. The top-ranked prospect in the Minnesota system has battled injuries throughout his minor league career, but has been very productive when on the field. Through 16 total games with Double-A this summer, the No. 6-ranked prospect in the sport has held a .271/.419/.424 line with a 15:14 K:BB. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he could earn a taste of Triple-A later in the second half.

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Cleveland Guardians outfield prospect Chase DeLauter has continued to look quite comfortable during his first extended stint at Triple-A. On Friday, DeLauter reached base in his 30th consecutive game at Triple-A. In this contest, the No. 52-ranked prospect in the sport went 1-for-4 with a single. Through his 30 games at Triple-A Columbus, DeLauter has posted a .288/.394/.477 slash line with seven doubles, one triple, four home runs, and an impressive 20:20 K:BB. DeLauter has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his minor league career, but appears to be quickly approaching his MLB debut. Fantasy managers should continue to closely monitor his production, as he could receive a call to Cleveland very soon. He is worth stashing in all 12+ team and five-outfielder formats.

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Chicago White Sox catching prospect Edgar Quero went 1-for-4 with a long ball during their victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday evening. Quero hit a solo shot in the sixth inning off Colorado starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela. Quero has begun to take the back seat to fellow catching prospect Kyle Teel behind the dish. Over his last 11 games, Quero has posted a modest .219/.306/.344 slash line with one double and a home run. During that stretch, Quero has posted a 25.0% K rate but drawn walks at a strong 11.0% rate. Through 56 total games in the majors, the 22-year-old has held a .273/.347/.331 slash line. Fantasy managers should continue to expect Teel and Quero to split time behind the dish and occasionally see time as the designated hitter. As a result, Quero is only worth targeting in deeper two-catcher leagues and AL-only formats.

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Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitching prospect Bubba Chandler tossed six shutout frames en route to earning the victory over Triple-A Louisville on Friday evening. In this outing, the top pitching prospect in the game struck out six batters and allowed five hits. He walked just two batters. This was a much-needed bounce-back outing for Chandler, who has posted a high 8.83 ERA with a 2.29 WHIP across his last 12 2/3 innings (five starts). However, before that rough skid, Chandler appeared to be on the fast track to the major leagues, holding a stellar 2.03 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP through his first 48 2/3 innings of work this season. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Chandler's status at Triple-A, as he should be in the mix to join Pittsburgh in the coming weeks.

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Cubs' 1B Michael Busch had five RBIs going 4-for-4 with three home runs in a 11-3 win over the Cardinals on Friday, Jul. 4.

Kansas City Royals' 1B Vinnie Pasquantino had six RBIs going 3-for-5 with two home runs in a 9-3 win over Arizona on Friday, Jul. 4.