San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Justin Verlander allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits over 4 2/3 innings in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. The veteran walked one and struck out six, falling to 0-4 in his return from a pectoral injury. Verlander gave up a run in the first frame on two consecutive one-out hits, but would quickly end the inning thereafter, limiting the damage. However, Cleveland got to him again in the fourth when a fielding error and a Lane Thomas single preceded a Daniel Schneemann three-run blast that'd prove all the Guardians needed to suss out a win on the day. It wasn't the 42-year-old's best, but it could have gone far worse. He'll look for better results when he next toes the slab, which projects to come next week against the Miami Marlins at home.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Jordan Beck went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 3-1 road win against the Washington Nationals. The Tennessee alum also doubled and struck out. Beck delivered a solo insurance bomb off a hanging Jose A. Ferrer changeup in the eighth inning to extend his team's lead to 3-1 -- his ninth long ball of the season. Most of his underlying metrics have improved from his first stint in the big leagues last season, and he's particularly squaring the ball up well. The 24-year-old boasts LA SwSp% (37.4%) and barrel-rates (12.9%) in the 76th and 78th percentiles, respectively, with modest increases in average exit velocity (88.1 MPH) and hard-hit rate (40.0%). Furthermore, he's hitting both lefties (.288) and righties (.256) well.

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Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run in his team's 6-3 win against the Texas Rangers. He also singled, scored twice, and knocked in another RBI with a triple. The 25-year-old mashed his eighth home run of the season in the top of the third inning to give Kansas City a 4-2 lead, and one they'd hold the rest of the contest. Garcia nearly had a fourth hit, but flew out on a ball with a .630 xBA off the bat. It's been a stellar few months for him, slashing a strong .318/.377/.500 through 72 contests. The Venezuelan native has dropped his strikeout percentage to a personal best 13.8% and is impacting the ball at some of the best rates in his career with an 85th percentile xBA (.285).

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Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero went 4-for-5 with two RBI in Wednesday's 12-8 win against the visiting Baltimore Orioles. He added two runs scored and struck out. Baltimore jumped on the Rays early, notching eight runs in the second inning. However, Caminero and his teammates would chip away at and eventually take the lead while clubbing a lone home run across the lineup. All four of the 21-year-old's hits were singles, marking his second four-hit game since May 31. After closing out last month with a homer binge, he's heating up again, collecting a hit in five straight outings and multi-hit efforts in his previous three. Caminero holds a robust 1.082 OPS through his last 25 appearances.

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Chicago Cubs catcher prospect Moises Ballesteros went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI in Wednesday's 5-4 win against Triple-A Nashville. Ballesteros racked up three hard-hit balls on Wednesday night and continues to see the ball well at Triple-A. He's hitting .315/.371/.537 with two homers and a 6:9 BB:K in 54 at-bats in June. During his brief stint with the Cubs earlier this season, the 21-year-old only played DH and didn't have much production. His defensive value appears limited, which will impact the amount of playing time he may get with the big league club. Barring injury, he likely won't be on fantasy radars until more down the road.

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St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Quinn Mathews allowed one hit and two walks over five scoreless innings as he picked up the win against Triple-A Norfolk. Mathews was efficient in this outing, needing only 72 pitches. He generated 13 swings and misses on 31 swings for an excellent 42 percent whiff rate. The left-hander has been good through three starts in June, holding a 1.38 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 17:6 K:BB in 13 innings. His WHIP for the season still sits at a poor 1.55 as he's dealt with inconsistent control. He has walked at least three batters in five of nine starts this season. Mathews is trending in the right direction and should see time at the major-league level at some point this summer. His strikeout upside isn't huge, though, which limits his fantasy relevance to deeper formats.

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MLB.com's Mark Feinsand speculates that the Arizona Diamondbacks could look to move first baseman Josh Naylor at this year's July 31 trade deadline with the 27-year-old set to reach free agency after this season. Third baseman Eugenio Suarez could be another trade candidate. A number of teams could use a big corner-infield bat this summer, and Feinsand mentions the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox as potential fits for Naylor. However, the D-backs have climbed back into the playoff race with a good start to June and are within striking distance of a wild-card spot in the National League. How the next month plays out could drastically affect whether they seriously consider moving Naylor, who entered Wednesday hitting a strong .302/.356/.474 with an .830 OPS, nine homers, 49 RBI, 37 runs and nine stolen bases in 268 at-bats.

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The New York Mets are considering an injured list stint for infielder Brett Baty (groin), who missed his second straight game in Wednesday's loss to the Atlanta Braves with a groin injury, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. Baty is making progress, but slower than the Mets had hoped. They are likely to make a decision before Thursday's series finale in Atlanta. Regular third baseman Mark Vientos (hamstring) is already on the IL, so if Baty heads there, too, young infielder Ronny Mauricio would continue to see the majority of the starts at the hot corner in Queens. Baty hasn't played since Sunday and has gone just 6-for-44 (.136) with two homers, four RBI, a steal and 14 strikeouts in 14 games in the month of June after having his best month offensively in May. Mauricio has intriguing long-term upside but lacks plate discipline and came into Wednesday's game hitting just .184 in 11 games in 2025.

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Cincinnati Reds pitching prospect Chase Burns allowed one run on three hits and no walks with seven strikeouts across seven innings as he picked up the win against Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre. The right-hander consistently touched 100 MPH with his fastball and overpowered the opposing hitters with a total of 17 whiffs on 52 swings. Burns hasn't lost any steam as he's transitioned to the next level of the minor leagues, and it won't be long before he is up in the majors with his electric fastball and slider combination. The top prospect owns the second-best strikeout minus walk rate in all of the minor leagues and should be viewed as a priority stash in standard formats for his eventual debut.

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Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Taj Bradley logged his worst start of the season in a no-decision against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. The Rays staged an improbable comeback in a 12-8 win, but Bradley yielded seven runs (six earned) on six hits with two strikeouts and a walk in 1 1/3 innings to put them in a big hole early. He allowed a pair of three-run homers - one to Colton Cowser and the other to Ramon Laureano - during the disastrous showing. This has been an inconsistent season for the 24-year-old, who has mixed several quality starts with a handful of awful performances. Having surrendered five or more earned runs four times, Bradley owns an unimpressive 4.95 ERA over 80 innings. Bradley will attempt to lower that number Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals. He limited the Royals to two earned runs across seven innings in a 3-1 loss on April 29.

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Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette swatted his 10th home run of the season in the team's 8-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. Bichette got the Blue Jays off to a fast start with a 418-foot leadoff shot against Diamondbacks left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. It was the first of three hits for Bichette, who also singled twice and scored an additional run during a 3-for-5 night. The 27-year-old has homered in back-to-back games as he continues distancing himself from a rough 2024 campaign. Healthy again after missing half of last season, Bichette has bounced back to slash .275/.317/.437 with 44 RBI, 36 runs, four steals, and a career-best 16.0% strikeout rate over 331 plate appearances.

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Los Angeles Angels closer Kenley Jansen nailed down his 15th save of the year in a 3-2 win over the New York Yankees on Wednesday. The Yankees' Paul Goldschmidt reached first on an error by third baseman Luis Rengifo to begin the bottom of the ninth inning. Unfazed, Jansen then retired three in a row - including a game-ending strikeout of Anthony Volpe - to secure the victory. The 37-year-old right-hander has converted all of his save opportunities this season and now has 462 in his career. Jansen has been perfect this year in spite of an underwhelming 4.56 ERA and a career-low 8.77 K/9 through 25 2/3 innings.

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Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez turned in another marvelous performance in a 4-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. Suarez allowed just one run on four hits over seven innings to improve to 6-1. He struck out eight and walked two in his eighth straight quality start. The 29-year-old missed the first month of the season with a back injury, but he has been among the majors' premier starters since returning. Suarez has registered a 2.20 ERA with 52 strikeouts, 14 walks, and a 54% ground-ball rate across 57 1/3 innings. He's slated to face the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. smashed his eighth home run of the season in a 5-0 win over the New York Mets on Wednesday. Acuna set the tone in the bottom of the first inning with a 419-foot leadoff blast to center field against Mets starter Paul Blackburn. He finished the game 1-for-3 with a walk. After missing a year with a torn left ACL, Acuna has returned to slash an absurd .390/.495/.720 with 14 RBI and 21 runs over 99 trips to the plate since the Braves activated him May 23. The former NL MVP is hitting a sizzling .404 (21-of-52) with five HRs, eight RBI, 15 runs, and 13:13 K:BB in June.

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Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale (5-4) delivered a spectacular performance against the New York Mets on Wednesday to rack up his fifth win of the season. The reigning National League Cy Young winner fell just one out short of a complete-game shutout, firing 8 2/3 scoreless, five-hit innings with seven strikeouts and one walk. The 36-year-old lefty exited a 116-pitch outing after allowing an infield single to Brandon Nimmo. Sale has now tallied six straight quality starts, and he hasn't given up more than two earned runs in a game since April 13. Overall, Sale has pitched to a stellar 2.52 ERA with 114 strikeouts and 26 walks in 89 1/3 innings. He's scheduled to get the ball Monday in a rematch against the Mets.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer (thumb) was outstanding in a rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday. Scherzer, making his second start for the Bisons, held Worcester scoreless over 4 1/3 innings of one-hit ball, striking out eight and walking two. The three-time Cy Young winner amassed 75 pitches and averaged 92.5 mph on his fastball in what could go down as his final tuneup before returning to the Blue Jays' rotation. Scherzer made one start with Toronto this year, a three-inning season debut on March 29, before landing on the injured list with inflammation in his right thumb. If all goes well in the next few days, he could start for the Jays on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com.

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Arizona Diamondbacks star outfielder Corbin Carroll (hand) was pulled from Wednesday's game early against the Toronto Blue Jays after being hit on the right hand by a pitch in the eighth inning, but MLB.com's Steve Gilbert report that X-rays came back negative. Before departing the eventual 8-1 loss at the Rogers Centre, Carroll went 1-for-3 with a triple, a run scored and a strikeout. Rookie Tim Tawa shifted from center field to left field and Alex Thomas entered the game to play center. Fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if Carroll sits out Thursday's series finale in Toronto, but it looks like he has avoided a serious injury and should be considered day-to-day for now. The 24-year-old former NL Rookie of the Year regressed in 2024 but is back to being one of the best all-around fantasy players in 2025. Carroll already has 20 homers, 44 RBI and 10 steals in 72 games.

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Boston Red Sox right-hander Jordan Hicks (toe), who is currently on the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his right big toe, is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session on Thursday. "I'm not sure what's next for him. If anything a rehab assignment and then hopefully he'll be with us," manager Alex Cora said. The 28-year-old has been out since early this month and will need a minor-league rehab assignment before he makes his Red Sox debut, but he should be back before the end of the month, barring a setback. Before being acquired in a trade from the Giants, Hicks had been demoted to a relief role in San Francisco after posting a 6.55 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 45 1/3 innings in nine starts. There have been no indications that he'll be moved back to a starting role in Beantown, meaning he'll likely remain on the waiver wire in mixed fantasy leagues.

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Athletics second baseman Zack Gelof (hand, ribs) went 0-for-1 with two walks, two stolen bases and two runs scored in his first minor-league rehab game on Tuesday night with Triple-A Las Vegas as the designated hitter and leadoff man for the Aviators in a 7-0 shutout win over Triple-A Sugar Land. Gelof is getting closer to making his 2025 debut after suffering a fractured hamate bone in his right hand back in spring training in mid-March. The 25-year-old would have already returned by now, but then he suffered a stress reaction in his ribs last month. When the former second-rounder is cleared to return to the big leagues, he's expected to take over starting second base duties from Luis Urias. The Virginia product led the league with 188 strikeouts in 2024 but also hit 17 bombs and stole 25 bags in 138 games. Gelof's power/speed combo at least makes him valuable as a middle infielder in deep mixed leagues.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar recorded two hits for the second straight day in his second minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday while serving as the designated hitter and leadoff man for the Stripers in a 9-3 loss to Triple-A Charlotte. Profar went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in his first game on Tuesday and finished Wednesday's loss going 2-for-4 with a walk. The 32-year-old veteran played in just four games with the Braves before being hit with an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. When he's reinstated on July 2, Atlanta plans to hit Profar in the two-hole, where he'll have plenty of chances to score runs for fantasy managers. While his breakout year in San Diego in 2024 will likely end up being an outlier, Profar should be rostered in all fantasy leagues the rest of 2025.

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