Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (ribs) is taking a seat for the team's game against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Pena left early in the Astros' 7-4 win over the Cubs on Friday after taking a pitch off the left side of his ribs. He's day-to-day for now and will look to continue a career year when he returns. Pena is slashing .322/.378/.489 with 11 homers, 40 RBI, 48 runs scored, and 15 steals in 350 plate appearances. Mauricio Dubon will take Pena's place at short on Saturday and bat ninth against Cubs right-hander Colin Rea.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell (shoulder) will undergo surgery on his ailing left shoulder on Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. His timeline to return is unclear, but Brewers manager Pat Murphy is hopeful that Mitchell will be able to play again this season. The 26-year-old originally landed on the 10-day injured list on April 26 with a strained left oblique. He was on his way back from that before suffering the shoulder injury on a minor league rehab assignment last week. Mitchell is now set for his second left shoulder procedure after previously going under the knife in April 2023. This has been a lost season to this point for Mitchell, who hit .206/.286/.394 in 78 homer-less plate appearances before going on the IL. He won't have a chance to improve on those numbers for the foreseeable future.

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The Tampa Bay Rays announced that they have designated right-hander Forrest Whitley for assignment and recalled lefty Joe Rock from Triple-A Durham. This is the second DFA of the year for Whitley, formerly a standout prospect with the Houston Astros. After almost nine years in their organization, the Astros jettisoned Whitley from their 40-man roster three weeks ago and then traded him to the Rays for cash considerations on June 13. Whitley logged three straight scoreless appearances to begin his Rays tenure, but the wheels came off in his two most recent outings. He combined to allow a whopping eight earned runs on nine hits and two walks over just one frame in those appearances. Another team could take a chance on Whitley via waivers or a trade in the coming days, but it doesn't help that the unproven 27-year-old is out of minor league options.

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The Toronto Blue Jays have recalled infielder Will Wagner from Triple-A Buffalo and optioned outfielder Alan Roden, the team announced. The 26-year-old Wagner is returning to the majors after spending two months in the minors. The Blue Jays demoted him April 29 after he batted a non-threatening .186/.284/.220 with no home runs in 68 plate appearances. Wagner hit a much better .271/.347/.447 with three homers in 95 Triple-A plate appearances to earn another chance in the bigs. He'll provide depth at third base behind Ernie Clement, who has put together a productive season. Roden, 25, is headed back to the minors after hitting just .206/.279/.309 with one HR in 111 trips to the plate with the Jays. He has raked in 83 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this year, having slashed .361/.446/.583 with three long balls.

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San Francisco Giants third baseman Casey Schmitt (wrist) was a late scratch from Saturday's lineup against the Chicago White Sox. The Giants initially had Schmitt penciled in to start at third and bat fifth, but they'll instead use Christian Koss at the hot corner and lead him off against White Sox starter Adrian Houser. Schmitt hasn't played since he took a 95 mph sinker from Miami Marlins reliever Calvin Faucher off the left wrist on Wednesday. X-rays came back negative, but with Schmitt scratched Saturday, it's an injury that's still worth monitoring. Schmitt has hit a highly productive 20-for-60 with four home runs and 12 RBI this month, so hopefully he'll be able to return soon. The Giants are already without injured starting third baseman Matt Chapman (hand), which has opened the door for Schmitt.

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Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (forearm) is in Saturday's lineup and hitting third against St. Louis Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas. Ramirez left the Guardians' 6-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays early on Thursday after taking a Kevin Gausman fastball off the right forearm. After sitting out Friday's 5-0 loss to the Cardinals, he's ready to return to a slumping lineup. Ramirez is in the midst of another great year, having hit .317/.378/.514 with 13 homers, 38 RBI, 21 steals, and 43 runs scored over 325 plate appearances.

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Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (hamstring) is not in Saturday's lineup against San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray. Robert hasn't played since leaving early in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks with tightness in his hamstring. It's unknown whether he'll require a trip to the injured list. For now, the White Sox will go with Michael A. Taylor in center. He's batting seventh against Ray, who has been one of the NL's top starters this year.

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Colorado Rockies catcher/designated hitter Hunter Goodman (hamstring) will miss his third straight game on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Goodman hasn't played since Wednesday because of hamstring tightness. The hope is that it won't require a stint on the injured list, as Goodman has emerged as a terrific option for both the Rockies and fantasy managers. The 25-year-old is slashing .287/.332/.512 with 14 home runs, 48 RBI, and 40 runs scored in 310 plate appearances. Braxton Fulford will take his place and bat seventh Saturday against Brewers right-hander Quinn Priester. Fulford has gone an impressive 8-for-24 with 10 RBI this month.

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Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco and third baseman Ben Williamson are resting for Saturday's divisional tilt on the road against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Cole Young will start at third base and hit ninth, while Miles Mastrobuoni is at the keystone and batting eighth against Rangers right-hander Kumar Rocker. Polanco has managed to stay healthy so far this year and is currently slashing a modest .248/.302/.434 with a .736 OPS, 11 home runs, 38 RBI, 26 runs scored and three stolen bases in 67 games played. The switch-hitting Dominican infielder has really struggled of late, though, going 5-for-35 (.143) with a double, three RBI, one steal, three runs and a 7:4 K:BB in 10 games since June 15. Those setting DFS lineups shouldn't be getting excited at all about using either Mastrobuoni or Young as deep sleepers near the bottom of Seattle's lineup.

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Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that the team is talking about going the non-surgical route with outfielder Jake Fraley's shoulder. Fraley was diagnosed with a partial tear in the labrum of his shoulder and was placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday. It's good news for the 30-year-old veteran, but he's still likely going to miss significant time going into the second half of the season. Fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues shouldn't be obligated to hold onto the left-handed-hitting outfielder who only plays against righty pitchers. It's not as if he was producing big numbers before his injury, hitting .224/.331/.376 with a .707 OPS, five home runs, 17 RBI, 24 runs and four steals in 125 at-bats. Will Benson and Rece Hinds will most likely form a platoon in right field for the Reds with Fraley sidelined indefinitely.

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Cincinnati Reds corner infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand is absent from the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the visiting San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park. Santiago Espinal is starting at the hot corner and will bat ninth against Padres right-hander Randy Vasquez. Since returning from the injured list on June 6 due to a back injury, Encarnacion-Strand has gone 13-for-54 (.241) with three home runs, two doubles, 10 RBI and six runs scored. The 25-year-old former fourth-rounder by the Minnesota Twins in 2021 out of Oklahoma State has plenty of power as a corner infielder in deep-mixed leagues, but he's hitting just .198 (22-for-111) with five home runs, 15 RBI and 10 runs scored in 2025. Espinal is still searching for his first long ball on the year and has never faced Vasquez in his career. DFS managers should avoid him in the nine-hole on Saturday.

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Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg (finger) is not starting in Saturday's contest against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays at Camden Yards. Ramon Urias is at third base and will occupy the two-hole in the batting order versus Rays right-hander Zack Littell. Westburg aggravated his left index finger injury during Friday's blowout victory over Tampa and will miss at least one more game. Depending on how the 26-year-old recovers, it's possible he'll be forced to head back to the injured list to close out the first half of the season. But for now, fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day. Westburg was a first-time All-Star in 2024 with 18 homers and 63 RBI for the O's, but it's been an injury-riddled 2025 so far, and he's hit just .228 (31-for-136) with seven homers and 14 RBI in 36 games. Urias has two hits in 10 career at-bats against Littell.

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Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman (quadriceps) did some running at Fenway Park on Saturday before the game against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays, according to MLB.com's Ian Browne. Bregman did some hitting on Friday and is also scheduled to take ground balls on Saturday as he begins baseball activities and nears a return from the 10-day injured list. While the 31-year-old veteran two-time All-Star is making good progress, the BoSox are expected to continue to play it cautious with Bregman, and he's not expected to return to the big leagues until after the mid-July All-Star break. Although rookie Marcelo Mayer is on the bereavement list this weekend, he's expected to continue to be Boston's primary third baseman until Bregman returns. Bregman has leaned more into his power in 2025 and was one of the team's best hitters before his quad injury.

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The Detroit Tigers have optioned infielder Trey Sweeney to Triple-A Toledo. In a corresponding move, the Tigers have activated Matt Vierling (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list. Sweeney has seen close to an everyday role in the Detroit starting lineup through the first half of the season. Sweeney has appeared in 70 games and held a .221/.280/.314 line with five doubles, one triple, four home runs, and two stolen bases. Under the hood, he has generated a low .265 xwOBA, .213 xBA, and a .321 xSLG, all of which are well below the average marks of qualified hitters. Additionally, over the past two weeks, Sweeney has begun to spend most of his time on the bench. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on his production at Toledo, as he should be in the mix to return to Detroit in the second half. He is not worth stashing in any fantasy formats.

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The Baltimore Orioles have recalled third baseman Emmanuel Rivera from Triple-A Norfolk prior to Saturday's contest against the Tampa Bay Rays. In a corresponding move, the Orioles have optioned outfielder Dylan Carlson to Triple-A. Rivera will provide some depth in the infield as third baseman Jordan Westburg (hand) was lifted from Friday's contest with an injury. Through 26 games this season, Rivera has posted a modest .232/.303/.275 line with three doubles, three home runs, and a stolen base. Carlson was swinging a hot bat through the end of May, posting a .333/.370/.551 from May 20 through June 17, but has recently hit a skid at the plate. Over his last six games, he has gone 2-for-17. If Westburg were to miss time, Ramon Urias or Rivera will likely see most of the opportunities at the hot corner.

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The Tampa Bay Rays are promoting left-handed pitching prospect Joe Rock to the major leagues. In a corresponding move, the Rays are designating right-handed pitcher Forrest Whitley for assignment. Rock is considered the No. 21-ranked prospect in the system on MLB.com. The left-hander has yet to earn the call to the majors since being selected in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Ohio State. This season, Rock has appeared in 15 games for Triple-A Durham (14 starts) and posted a modest 4.81 ERA with a 1.49 WHIP. During this stretch, Rock has struck out 63 batters and allowed a high 30 walks. With the Tampa Bay rotation full, fantasy managers should expect Rock to be deployed out of the bullpen. Given that he will likely have a low-leverage role, he is best to leave on the waiver wire.

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Baltimore Orioles left-handed pitcher Cade Povich (hip) tossed 75 pitches in his rehab outing on Thursday against Triple-A Gwinnett. In this outing, the lefthander struggled as he logged just 4 1/3 innings of work and allowed seven hits and five runs (three earned). He struck out just three batters and allowed one walk. Povich hit the 15-day IL with left hip inflammation earlier in June. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he could be in the mix to return to Baltimore next week, given that he was already able to take on a sizeable workload in his first rehab outing. Before his injury, the southpaw struggled, posting a high 5.15 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP through 64 2/3 innings of work. Given his inconsistencies in the majors, he is only worth targeting in deep AL-only formats.

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Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Robert Gasser (elbow) has been throwing live batting practice and could be in line for a rehab assignment "soon," according to Brewers manager Pat Murphy. Gasser underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2024, so he'll likely need many rehab appearances to ramp up for big-league action. Gasser made his major league debut with Milwaukee in 2024 and had pitched to a 2.57 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across 28 innings (five starts) before getting injured. Gasser's small-sample strikeout rate of 14% was underwhelming, but he showed significantly better strikeout stuff (28% K rate) across 135 1/3 innings of work at Triple-A in 2023. Milwaukee's #11 ranked prospect per MLB.com, Gasser, could be a valuable late-season addition for fantasy managers if all goes well in his rehab.

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The New York Mets are moving reliever Brooks Raley's (elbow) rehab assignment from Single-A St. Lucie to Double-A Binghamton, per Newsday's Laura Albanese. Raley was sharp in three outings with St. Lucie, striking out six and walking none in three innings. The veteran left-hander has been out of action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2024. Before the injury, Raley was a key piece in the Mets' bullpen. In 61 2/3 innings pitched for the team across 2023 and 2024, he recorded a 2.48 ERA with 70 strikeouts. He won't threaten Mets closer Edwin Diaz for saves, but Raley could be in line for high-leverage work against left-handed batters when he returns.

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Cincinnati Reds right-handed pitching prospect Chase Burns is slated to make his second career MLB start on Monday when the Reds travel to Boston to face the Red Sox. Burns made his MLB debut on Tuesday evening, facing the New York Yankees and striking out eight batters across five innings of three-run ball. The Reds selected Burns with the second overall pick in last year's MLB draft out of Wake Forest. Burns made his professional debut at the start of the 2025 campaign and was dominant before earning the call to the majors. Across 66 total innings split between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, the hard-throwing right-hander struck out 89 batters while holding a 1.77 ERA. He should be viewed as a must-start option in all formats going forward.

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