Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that right-hander Javier Assad will "likely move into the bullpen" with right-hander Jameson Taillon (groin) scheduled to come off the 15-day injured list to make the start against the Atlanta Braves in the series finale on Thursday, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Assad has had an injury-plagued 2025 season and has only made five starts (25 1/3 innings) at the big-league level for the Cubs. The former full-time reliever has been inconsistent, too, as he's sporting a career-worst 4.62 ERA (4.88 FIP) with a 1.26 WHIP and 14:7 K:BB in his fourth season in the majors. Assad will now return to the bullpen, where he's been much more effective in his career. He had a 3.05 ERA in 109 1/3 innings back in 2023, although he's never been much of a strikeout artist. Assad will lose what little fantasy appeal he had with the move to the 'pen.

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Chicago Cubs right-hander Michael Soroka (shoulder) is scheduled for a multi-inning minor-league rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. After that, barring a setback, Soroka could be ready to come off the 15-day injured list to rejoin the Cubs. Chicago acquired Soroka from the Washington Nationals in July, but the 28-year-old made just one appearance for the Cubbies before going on the shelf with a right-shoulder strain. With Jameson Taillon (groin) scheduled to return from his IL stint and start on Thursday against the Atlanta Braves, it would appear that there won't be a rotation spot waiting for Soroka when he makes it back. We'd expect Soroka to return as a long man out of the bullpen, which will make him unrosterable in pretty much all fantasy leagues.

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The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma writes that along with Chicago Cubs right-hander Brad Keller, right-hander Andrew Kittredge will "continue to get high-leverage work from the right side." Daniel Palencia (shoulder), who had been operating as the closer, blew a save on Sunday and got hurt before being put on the injured list on Monday. Kittredge has a 3.57 ERA with a 33.3% strikeout rate and 3.7% walk rate in 14 innings since joining the Cubs this year. Instead of going with a traditional closer with Palencia out, Sharma says that manager Craig Counsell will "likely go inning by inning." In addition to Keller and Kittredge from the right side, Counsell has lefties Caleb Thielbar and Drew Pomeranz, who have both been dominant. While the 35-year-old Kittredge could see some save chances down the stretch, Keller is still probably the best waiver-wire pickup for fantasy managers.

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Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (appendix) may be able to return for the final seven to 10 days of the regular season, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. Seager underwent an appendectomy on Aug. 28, but the 31-year-old has made enough progress that he could come back after sitting out for approximately three weeks. He'll hit the three-week mark when the Rangers open a series against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 19. This has been a frustrating season from a health standpoint for Seager, who has also endured two separate stints on the 10-day injured list because of right-hamstring strains. When healthy, though, the five-time All-Star has continued to produce. Over 102 games and 445 plate appearances, Seager has slashed .271/.373/.487 with 21 homers, 50 RBI, 61 runs, and three steals.

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The Los Angeles Angels transferred outfielder Jorge Soler (back) to the 60-day injured list on Monday. Soler, who went on the 10-day IL with lower-back inflammation on July 24, will not be eligible to come back until the last week of the season. While the 33-year-old recently started ramping up baseball activities, he hasn't made enough progress to return over the next two weeks and may not play again in 2025. Soler's back problems have limited him to 82 games and 315 plate appearances this year. The former All-Star slugger has struggled to a .215/.293/.387 line with 12 homers, 34 RBI, and 31 runs scored in his age-33 campaign.

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New York Mets right-hander Frankie Montas (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL on Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. He's expected to miss the entire 2026 season as a result. The Mets will end up getting little to no value from the two-year, $34 million guarantee they gave Montas in free agency last winter. Multiple injuries limited the 32-year-old to nine appearances (seven starts) and 38 2/3 innings this season, and he wasn't able to hold a rotation spot when healthy. Montas recorded a disastrous 6.28 ERA with a 1.60 WHIP, 32 strikeouts, and 14 walks in 2025. It's unlikely he'll have a chance to rebound until 2027.

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The Boston Red Sox will place right-hander Dustin May (undisclosed) on the 15-day injured list with an undisclosed issue. He had been scheduled to start Tuesday against the Athletics, but left-handed prospect Connelly Early will come up from Triple-A Worcester to toe the rubber in his place. The Red Sox acquired May from the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, but the pickup hasn't worked out. May has made six appearances (five starts) with the Red Sox and gone 1-4 with a 5.40 ERA, a 1.69 WHIP, and 26:13 K:BB over 28 1/3 innings. Between Los Angeles and Boston, May has a 7-11 record with a 4.96 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP, 123 strikeouts, and 56 walks in 132 1/3 frames. Depending on the severity of his injury, the soon-to-be free agent may have thrown his last pitch as a member of the Red Sox.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu (calf) has a "good chance" to come off the 10-day injured list next week, manager Alex Cora told reporters. Abreu has taken longer than expected to recover from a right-calf injury that has shelved him since Aug. 18. He'll end up missing around a month if the Red Sox activate him when they begin a home series against the Athletics on Sept. 16. The 26-year-old has been one of playoff-contending Boston's most productive players this season, having slashed .253/.325/.486 with 22 homers, 69 RBI, 52 runs scored, and six stolen bases over 108 games and 395 plate appearances.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Ho Lee hit one of the team's five home runs on Monday night, as they rolled to an 11-5 win over the Diamondbacks in Arizona. Lee went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI, while connecting for his eighth homer of the season. His two-run blast came in the second inning off Nabil Crismatt and helped the Giants erase an early 3-0 deficit. Lee was joined later in the game by Dominic Smith, Heliot Ramos, Matt Chapman, and Patrick Bailey, who all homered in the team's big road win. The Gaints have climbed back into the NL Wild Card hunt by winning 12 of their last 15 games, but they are still 3.0 games behind the Mets. Lee has been a big part of the recent surge, going 18-for-48 (.375) with five multi-hit games in his last 12 contests. He is still mostly a singles hitter with occasional power, but he's picked things back up after slumping mid-season. He's definitely usable in standard mixed leagues if you need help in batting average and countable stats.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Michael Helman went 2-for-3 and drove in all five runs in his team's 5-0 win on Monday night against Milwaukee. The 29-year-old rookie hit a grand slam in the fifth inning and added an RBI double in the seventh to chase starter Jose Quintana from the game. Helman was placed on waivers by the Cardinals and the Pirates in the span of a week earlier this year, but he has helped fill in for multiple injuries in the Rangers' outfield. In his 21 games with the Rangers, he's hitting .245 with four homers, three stolen bases, a .372 wOBA, and 15 RBI. The versatile utility player offers both power and speed potential, but hasn't been able to be consistent in the majors. If he keeps getting playing time for the Rangers, he brings intriguing DFS and streaming potential with big performances like this one.

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Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story continued his strong second half of the season with another two-hit game in his team's series opener in Sacramento. He hit his 24th homer of the year in the first inning to get the scoring started and added a double and another run scored later in the game to finish 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI, and six total bases. Story started the season slowly but has picked things up in his latest chapters. He's hitting .315 with 11 doubles, nine homers, and 10 stolen bases since the end of July and has a .406 wOBA and 45.2% hard-hit rate over his last 37 games. He's moved to the heart of the order for the Sox and will continue to be a key contributor down the stretch. The veteran has an opt-out of his contract after the season, which will be a fascinating factor to watch in the upcoming offseason.

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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob Latz worked 5 2/3 shutout innings against the mighty Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night to help the Rangers claim a 5-0 win in the series opener in Texas. Latz allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out four. The 29-year-old lefty improved to 2-0 in the majors with a 2.91 ERA and 3.71 FIP over his 29 games, which have mostly been out of the bullpen. He has made three straight starts for Texas, allowing only four total runs with a 2.35 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. His next start is scheduled for Sunday on the road in a tough matchup against the Mets, but that could be impacted by the return of Tyler Mahle. If he does stay in the rotation, he's worth a streaming or DFS look in the right matchup, since he has stepped up lately for the Rangers, who continue to battle for the AL Wild Card.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet was sharp on Monday night in Sacramento, carrying his team to a comfortable 7-0 win to start their series against the Athletics. The ace allowed just three hits and no walks in seven shutout innings while racking up 10 strikeouts. He improved to 15-5 with a 2.57 ERA and 2.81FIP in his 29 starts, and he has already logged a career-high 185 1/3 innings. He moved back to the top of the major league leaderboard with 228 strikeouts, although Tarik Skubal has 222 strikeouts and pitches on Friday. If Skubal moves back in front, Crochet should have a chance to re-take the lead in his next start Sunday against the Yankees. Crochet has been outstanding in his first season in Boston and is a strong candidate for the AL Cy Young. He's been one of the top arms in all of fantasy baseball this year and will look to finish his great season while helping his team back to the postseason.

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Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis went yard twice in Monday's 12-3 thumping of the Angels. Lewis finished 2-for-5 with four RBI on his pair of two-run blasts, and both his homers came off Caden Dana before the starter left in the fifth inning. Lewis is up to 12 homers on the season now, and seven of those smashes have come in his last 20 games. Over that span, Lewis is hitting .273 with a .376 wOBA and a 33.9% hard-hit rate. He's still only hitting .237 on the season, but he's been heating up enough lately to still be a clear part of the team's core going forward. Lewis has also been more aggressive on the bases lately, with six stolen bases in his last 20 games, giving him seven on the season. He's racking up good numbers at this point and can be a solid pickup for the stretch run if he's available on the waiver wire.

From RotoBaller

Boston Red Sox's SP Garrett Crochet recorded 10 strikeouts in 7 innings collecting the win in a 7-0 win over Las Vegas on Monday, Sep. 8.

Dodgers' SP Tyler Glasnow recorded 11 strikeouts in 7 innings with the win in a 3-1 win over the Rockies on Monday, Sep. 8.

Texas' CF Michael Helman had five RBIs going 2-for-3 with a home run in a 5-0 win over the Brewers on Monday, Sep. 8.

Nationals' 1B Josh Bell had six RBIs going 4-for-6 with two home runs in a 15-7 win over Miami on Monday, Sep. 8.

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Tanner Scott was not able to finish a no-hit bid but did pick up his 21st save of the season in Monday's 3-1 win over the Rockies. Scott came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two. He allowed a leadoff double to break up the no-hitter, but got a line-out, a ground-out, and another line-out to end the game. The 31-year-old has been inconsistent for the Dodgers and fantasy managers lately, converting two of his four save opportunities with a 9.82 ERA in the last 15 days. Overall, he has converted 21 of 30 save opportunities with a 4.47 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and a 9.30 K/9 rate in 50 1/3 innings of work. The Dodgers have also been scuffling as a team, so fantasy managers may consider looking for bullpen reinforcements for the final few weeks of the season.

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The Toronto Blue Jays will start right-hander Shane Bieber on Tuesday in their series opener against the Astros, per the Athletic's Mitch Bannon. Bieber's last start came last Wednesday, and the Blue Jays will deploy him on Tuesday, Jose Berrios on Wednesday, and Kevin Gausman for the finale on Thursday. The 30-year-old, who spent most of this season recovering from Tommy John surgery, has looked good overall in his three starts, going 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA, a 0.81 WHIP, and a 32.3% strikeout rate. The Astros have been a slightly above-average matchup lately, so Bieber should have a chance to keep things moving in the right direction.

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