Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia went two-for-five with a home run, an additional run scored, and three RBI in his team's 11-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night. Garcia has had a subpar season overall, slashing .231/.276/.389 with 11 home runs, 53 RBI, 32 runs scored, and nine stolen bases in 359 plate appearances. However, there may be reason to believe he's a candidate to bounce back in the second half. Garcia has cut his strikeout rate to a career-best 24.5%, and his .254 xBA and .470 xSLG both point to some poor luck. The 32-year-old veteran still earns everyday playing time in Texas and could be an overlooked source of power and speed down the stretch.

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Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Mick Abel spun a gem against Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday, allowing just one hit and one walk across six scoreless innings. He struck out four. Abel made his first start at Triple-A since being optioned on July 4, and it was a beauty. The right-hander wasn't as effective over his last five starts with the Phillies, posting a 6.63 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and just a 3.5 percent strikeout-minus-walk rate in 19 innings. He wasn't missing any bats, and his command had escaped him a bit. Abel still has a wide arsenal with multiple pitches grading out above average by Stuff+, and there will likely be an opportunity for him to rejoin the Phillies later this season. That could come in a starter or relief role, with the latter limiting his fantasy appeal.

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Cincinnati Reds starter Nick Lodolo earned his sixth win of the season in his team's 6-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday. Lodolo threw six scoreless innings, striking out four while allowing three hits and zero walks. In 106 2/3 innings (19 starts), Lodolo has posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 97 strikeouts. His 5% walk rate is a career-best, but his 21.9% strikeout rate is the lowest of his career as well. Lodolo entered the night with a 4.14 xERA, which points to some likely regression in his profile. Even still, he's a solid mid-tier option in fantasy with room for upside if he can re-discover some of the strikeout potential he flashed at earlier points in his career.

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San Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez worked a perfect ninth inning in his team's 4-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday to record his MLB-best 27th save of the season. The veteran right-hander struggled to a 7.84 ERA in 10 1/3 innings in June, but he's bounced back to convert all four of his save chances so far in July. For the season, Suarez has thrown 39 2/3 innings with a 3.63 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 42 strikeouts. The Padres have a deep bullpen, but manager Mike Shildt has shown a preference for sticking with Suarez even when occasional struggles arise.

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Baltimore Orioles closer Felix Bautista notched his 18th save of the season in his team's 3-1 win over the New York Mets on Thursday, working a scoreless ninth inning without allowing a baserunner. The 30-year-old right-hander got off to a relatively slow start to the season, but he's been dominant of late. In his last 16 appearances dating back to May 31, Bautista has allowed just three hits and one earned run, striking out 27 in 16 innings pitched. For the season, Bautista has a 2.41 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 48 strikeouts and 18 saves in 33 2/3 innings. He looks to be fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire 2024 season, and as such is a high-level closer option for fantasy.

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Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Owen Caissie provided the lone source of offense for Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, as he went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in a 2-1 loss against Triple-A St. Paul. The 22-year-old slugged his seventh homer so far in July, two ahead of the next closest hitter. He's had an excellent 2025 season, hitting .278/.386/.575 with 19 homers and three stolen bases. The quality of contact is among the best among Triple-A hitters, as his 19.8 percent barrel rate only trails Red Sox Roman Anthony and top catcher prospect Samuel Basallo. The strikeout rate sits at 30 percent, but he's combated it with a 14.3 percent walk rate. He could be one to watch as we approach the trade deadline, as a trade could open up an avenue for an opportunity at the big league level.

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Atlanta Braves pitching prospect Hurston Waldrep pitched well in a loss against Triple-A Indianapolis, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks to go with six strikeouts in six innings. Waldrep suffered his eighth loss of the season, which is tied for the most in Triple-A this season. The right-hander struggled in June, posting a 6.26 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, and a 17:14 K:BB in 23 innings. He has had consistent issues with his control, as his 13 percent walk rate is also the second highest among qualified starters at Triple-A this season. The former first-rounder does well to induce plenty of ground balls, but it's been a struggle overall in 2025. With the flurry of injuries in the Braves' rotation, Waldrep has had an opportunity to seize a rotation spot, but he can't find consistency at the moment.

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Boston Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman worked a scoreless ninth inning for his 16th save of the season in his team's 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday. Chapman allowed a hit but walked none and struck out two batters. The veteran lefty has been brilliant this season for Boston, posting a 1.22 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 55 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched. He hasn't allowed an earned run since May 27th and has posted a 27:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio since that date. Coming into 2025 Chapman had recorded four consecutive seasons with walk rates north of 14%, but he's dropped that number to a far more manageable 7.4% this season. As long as he keeps the free passes in check, Chapman has more than enough left in the tank to be a dominant closer for Boston the rest of the way.

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Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Bubba Chandler was dominant in a 3-0 win Thursday against Triple-A Gwinnett, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out seven over six scoreless innings. The right-hander has now rattled off 12 straight scoreless innings to begin July. He maxed out at 100.2 MPH on his fastball and generated 15 whiffs on 47 swings. After not exceeding four innings, Chandler was stretched out more in this one as he finished with exactly 100 pitches. The 22-year-old has electric stuff, and the Pirates could be gearing him up to be promoted shortly after the All-Star Break. He'd be a priority add in all formats wherever available.

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Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong continued his monster 2025 in his team's 8-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. Crow-Armstrong went three-for-four with two home runs, three RBI, and three runs scored. The 23-year-old has emerged as a superstar this season, slashing .271/.309/.560 with 25 home runs, 70 RBI, 27 stolen bases, and 67 runs scored in 384 plate appearances. His power breakout might be the most surprising aspect of his profile, as he hit just 10 homers in 410 plate appearances in 2024. Compared to last season, Crow-Armstrong has improved his max exit velocity (107.2 to 111.8), barrel rate (7.4% to 13.5%), and hard-hit rate (36.8% to 41.6%).

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell (shoulder) threw two scoreless innings in a Single-A rehab start on Thursday, reports Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register. He allowed one hit and struck out four while throwing 31 pitches. This was the 32-year-old's first rehab start since going on the injured list with shoulder inflammation after making only two starts at the beginning of the season. The former Cy Young will likely need at least three rehab starts if not more, which would put him on track for a late July or early August return. The two-start sample early in the year wasn't the best, as he struck out four and walked eight in nine innings.

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Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Andres Munoz blew his sixth save of the season in Thursday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Yankees. He entered the game with a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, but allowed three singles and a walk that ultimately tied the game. These were his first allowed earned runs since June 1st, although he did get saddled with one blown save and one relief loss in back-to-back nights on June 27 and June 28 due to ghost runners scoring in extras. The 26-year-old is still locked in as Seattle's closer, and already has three saves in July.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (ribs) was pinch-hit for in the seventh inning of Thursday's contest due to soreness in his rib cage, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Cardinals manager Oli Marmol said that the move was precautionary, and he is expected to be back in the lineup tomorrow. That's good news for the outfielder, although this has been a recurring issue for at least a couple of weeks. He recently missed the last two games of June with soreness in the same area. Hopefully the 27-year-old can put the injury behind him and continue his solid 2025 season where he is slashing .229/.334/.384 with 12 home runs.

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Boston Red Sox second baseman David Hamilton was optioned to Triple-A Worcester after Thursday's game, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. There hasn't been an official corresponding transaction by the Red Sox yet, but it is almost certainly to make room for Alex Bergman's return from the injured list. Hamilton has been very disappointing in 2025, particularly offensively, posting a .179 batting average and .229 on-base percentage. The 27-year-old did steal 15 bases, which is the extent of his fantasy value. He was already losing significant playing time as of late, serving more as a backup utility option.

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San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King (shoulder) completed his first full bullpen session in nearly two months, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The bullpen session was 25 pitches in length, in what was originally just supposed to be a "touch and feel" session, but King said he wanted to speed up the process. He last pitched on May 18 before going on the injured list with a nerve issue in his shoulder. There's been no official timeline for when the 30-year-old is aiming to return, but mid-August seems the most likely. The ace posted a 2.59 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 55 innings before the injury.

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Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson (hand) is still two to three weeks away from taking batting practice, reports Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News. Pederson was initially expected to return shortly after the All-Star break, but now it seems he won't even be swinging a bat by then. He has been on the injured list since late May after suffering a broken hand when he was hit by a pitch. The injury and the slugger's delayed return don't have much of an impact for fantasy purposes, as he was batting just .131 with two home runs in 46 games before the injury. The 33-year-old will have to significantly turn his season around to make it back onto fantasy radars.

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Texas Rangers right-hander Tyler Mahle (shoulder) will start throwing next week, manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday. Mahle hasn't pitched since June 10 because of a strained rotator cuff, which caused the Rangers to transfer him to the 60-day injured list on July 1. As a result, he won't be eligible to rejoin the Rangers until mid-August. Mahle was a key part of the Rangers' rotation before the injury interrupted his season, as he went 6-3 with a stingy 2.34 ERA and 56:27 K:BB in 77 innings. Unfortunately, staying healthy has been a problem for the 30-year-old, who has combined for just 22 starts since 2023.

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Texas Rangers right-hander Jon Gray (wrist) will make another rehab start with Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday, manager Bruce Bochy announced. Gray made his first start Wednesday and threw two innings of one-run ball over 32 pitches. He'll build on that total next time out as he continues working back from the fractured wrist that he suffered in spring training. From 2022-24, his first three years with the Rangers, Gray amassed 72 starts in 76 appearances and pitched to a 4.16 ERA with 8.41 K/9 and 2.81 BB/9 across 387 1/3 innings. He'll be an option for the Rangers' rotation in the second half of the season.

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Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews (oblique) is ramping up activities as he works back from a strained right oblique, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports. Crews threw for the first time in seven weeks on Wednesday, and he participated in defensive drills before the Nationals' game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. While Crews isn't quite ready to take on-field batting practice, interim manager Miguel Cairo is confident that the 23-year-old will start a rehab assignment in the minors either a bit before or a little after the All-Star break. Crews, who last played May 20, got off to a slow start with the bat before landing on the injured list. He has hit .196/.266/.354 with seven homers, 15 RBI, 24 runs scored, and 11 steals in 173 plate appearances this season.

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Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Chayce McDermott (elbow) left his start with Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday with right-elbow discomfort, according to Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun. McDermott exited after throwing 5 1/3 innings of one-run, three-hit ball with six strikeouts and one walk. The 26-year-old entered Thursday with an ugly 7.65 ERA, 35 strikeouts, and 32 walks in 37 2/3 Triple-A innings this season. He made two appearances with the Orioles back in May and endured similar struggles, as he surrendered seven earned runs on eight hits (three homers) with eight walks and seven strikeouts over 7 2/3 frames. Nevertheless, McDermott ranks as the Orioles' third-best prospect at MLB Pipeline. The O's should have an update on his status soon.

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