Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (foot) has resumed playing catch and was able to throw off the mound on Monday. It looks like McCullers is progressing well from a right foot sprain that landed him on the injured list. It's unclear if McCullers is going to require a rehab assignment or not. The Astros are likely going to wait and see how his foot responds to throwing off the mound. If everything goes well, McCullers could be back on the mound by early July.

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Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) was able to hit off a tee on Sunday. Now, Alvarez is set to do it again on Tuesday as he continues to work his way back from a fractured hand. Alvarez has been sidelined since early May, but is hopeful to get back in the lineup soon. The expectation is that Alvarez is going to need a rehab assignment before being cleared to return to Houston. That being said, Alvarez is probably going to be sidelined for at least another week or two. The fact he's swinging the bat again is a good sign in his recovery.

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The Chicago Cubs optioned right-hander Ben Brown to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday and reinstated right-hander Porter Hodge (hip) from the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. Brown surrendered eight runs in his five innings of work in Monday's loss to the St. Louis Cardinals and will now head to the minors to make room for the pending return of left-hander Shota Imanaga (hamstring) in Chicago's starting rotation. The 25-year-old former 33rd-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017 has intriguing strikeout upside (90 K's in 79 1/3 innings over his 16 outings this year), but he has been extremely inconsistent and hittable at times. Brown heads to the farm with a 4-6 record, 6.13 ERA (4.08 FIP) and 1.52 WHIP in his second big-league season. Hodge should eventually return to high-leverage setup role in front of closer Daniel Palencia, making him worth a look in holds leagues.

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Chicago White Sox outfielder Mike Tauchman (groin) is serving as the designated hitter and batting leadoff for the team on Tuesday against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks and right-hander Ryne Nelson. A groin injury kept Tauchman sidelined for the last four games, but he's back in there now and will hit atop the batting order for the Pale Hose. Due to injuries in 2025, the 34-year-old veteran left-handed slugger has just 97 at-bats on the season, and he's hitting .258 with four home runs, 14 RBI and 17 runs scored to barely move the needle in deep fantasy formats. Tauchman hasn't been nearly as good in the month of June, going 11-for-58 (.190) with three home runs, two doubles, a triple, nine RBI and 17 strikeouts in 67 plate appearances over 17 games. He hasn't had a multi-hit game since June 1. In three career at-bats against Nelson, Tauchman has a hit and one RBI.

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Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg (finger) remains out of the starting lineup for Tuesday's contest at Camden Yards against the visiting Texas Rangers. Ramon Urias will make another start at third base and bat fifth against Rangers left-hander Jacob Latz. While the Orioles expect Westburg to avoid another trip to the injured list, this will now be his third straight missed game after spraining his left index finger last Saturday. Interim manager Tony Mansolino expects the 26-year-old to return to the starting lineup by Friday's series opener against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays. Urias brings limited power and speed upside at the plate and has gone just 2-for-22 with a home runs, two RBI and six strikeouts in 25 trips to the plate over his last seven games, dating back to June 16.

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Baltimore Orioles right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano will have his next start skipped on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers because the team is trying to give him as much rest as possible after he was in a six-man rotation during his career in Japan, according to interim manager Tony Mansolino. Instead, rookie right-hander Brandon Young will come up and make just his third major-league start against the offensively-challenged Rangers. The 35-year-old Sugano will get a couple of extra days off and is expected to make his next start in Friday's series opener against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays, which will be a much tougher matchup for Sugano for fantasy purposes. He hasn't gone five innings in any of his last three starts and has only 50 punchouts in 83 2/3 innings over his first 15 big-league starts for the O's.

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New York Mets left-hander Sean Manaea (elbow, oblique) has been shut down from throwing for 48 to 72 hours due to discomfort stemming from a loose body in his left elbow, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. Manaea was making progress and getting close to making his 2025 season debut after suffering an oblique injury back in spring training, but he's now suffered a setback with his elbow and was given a cortisone shot to ease the pain. The Mets are hoping the 33-year-old can resume throwing after a few days, but this will no doubt push back his estimated return date and he'll probably need another minor-league rehab start or two before being activated from the 60-day injured list. Manaea had a career resurgence with a lowered arm angle in 2024 with the Mets, but it might be hard for the veteran lefty to recapture that magic after missing essentially the first half of 2025 due to injury.

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The New York Mets announced on Tuesday that they reinstated right-hander Frankie Montas (lat) from the 60-day injured list and optioned right-hander Chris Devenski to Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move. Montas will make his 2025 debut on Tuesday and make the start against the division-rival Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. The 32-year-old veteran has been out all season until this point with a strained right lat that he suffered at the start of spring training. While he could serve as useful pitching depth in deeper fantasy leagues in the second half of the season, we wouldn't recommend rolling with Montas as a streamer right away against Atlanta. In his six minor-league rehab starts, Montas posted a 12.05 ERA with 12 strikeouts and 10 walks in 18 2/3 innings. Don't expect his strikeout rate to suddenly bounce back after all the injuries he's endured in recent seasons.

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Detroit Tigers first baseman/designated hitter Spencer Torkelson and shortstop/outfielder Javier Baez are both out of the lineup for Tuesday's contest against the visiting Athletics. Colt Keith is at first base and is batting leadoff, while Trey Sweeney starts at the 6 and is hitting ninth against A's right-hander Luis Severino. Torkelson has had a strong 2025 season with 16 home runs and 49 RBI in 264 at-bats, but he's now been absent for two of the last three games and is in the midst of a 4-for-32 slump at the plate in his last nine games to lower his season slash line to .223/.330/.470. In more of a part-time utility role for Baez in 2025, he has come back from the dead to hit .290/.328/.473 with an .801 OPS, nine homers, 36 RBI and 37 runs scored for the first-place Tigers. Neither Keith nor Sweeney have faced Severino in their careers.

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Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler has been dropped from the leadoff spot to the six-hole for Tuesday's contest in Detroit against the Tigers and left-hander Tarik Skubal. It's not as if Butler has been struggling in June -- he's hit .265 (22-for-83) with three homers, seven doubles, eight RBI and two steals in 20 games during the month -- but he'll have a difficult matchup against last year's American League Cy Young winner. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter has two hits in three career at-bats versus Skubal, but he's also struggled to a .206 average (14-for-68) with three of his 11 home runs and 26 strikeouts in 73 plate appearances against lefties this year. Rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson will occupy the top spot in the A's lineup on Tuesday in Motown. Fantasy managers setting DFS lineups should look to fade Butler.

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Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop prospect Jordan Lawlar (hamstring) is dealing with a sore hamstring, which is why he hasn't been in Triple-A Reno's starting lineup the last three games. The team's top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, hasn't gone on the seven-day injured list, though, so he's just day-to-day and could be returning to action any day now. The problem is that the D-backs could use infield reinforcements with third baseman Eugenio Suarez (hand) potentially missing extended time after being hit by a pitch on his hand in Monday's win over the Chicago White Sox. The 22-year-old Lawlar has posted an impressive .997 OPS with 10 home runs and 18 steals with the Aces in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, but he went hitless in 19 at-bats with Arizona earlier this year and hasn't homered in his first 22 big-league games, dating back to his debut in 2023.

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Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) is playing catch with manager Joe Espada in right field at Daikin Park on Tuesday before the team's contest against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, according to The Athletic's Chandler Rome. It's good to see Alvarez doing some baseball activities, but the fact that he has yet to resume swinging a bat is a big concern and likely means that the 27-year-old All-Star slugger won't be back in the big leagues until after the mid-July All-Star break. Alvarez has been sidelined since May 3 with a fractured right hand and has dealt with lingering discomfort. So far, it's turning into a lost season for the Cuban outfielder, especially since he hit just .210 (21-for-100) with three homers and 18 RBI before going on the shelf. All fantasy managers can do is remain patient and hope he can find his pre-injury form when he returns in the second half.

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Texas Rangers left-hander Cody Bradford (elbow) will have season-ending surgery to fix the UCL in his left elbow, according to general manager Chris Young. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday. It's unclear yet if Bradford will be having Tommy John surgery or an internal-brace procedure, or both, but we should know after his surgery on Wednesday. In any event, the 27-year-old southpaw will miss the rest of the 2025 season and at least half of next year as well. Fantasy managers shouldn't plan on putting him back on their radar until 2027, depending on how he bounces back. Bradford made Texas' Opening Day rotation in 2024 and was looking great early on before missing 16 weeks with a stress reaction in his rib cage. He doesn't feature overpowering stuff and relies on control, so Bradford could really struggled to return to his pre-injury form late next season.

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The Arizona Diamondbacks officially announced on Tuesday that they placed outfielder Corbin Carroll (wrist) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to June 21) with a fractured left wrist and recalled outfielder Jake McCarthy from Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move. The D-backs thought Carroll would initially avoid the IL after he was hit by a pitch on his wrist last Wednesday, but additional tests showed a fracture. There is no timetable for a return for the former National League Rookie of the Year, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect to see him back in Arizona's starting lineup until after the All-Star break in mid-July. In the meantime, fantasy managers must keep the former first-rounder stashed in an IL spot everywhere. Veteran Randal Grichuk and McCarthy figure to form a platoon in right field in the desert with Carroll sidelined.

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Kansas City Royals catching prospect Blake Mitchell (wrist) restarted his rehab assignment on Monday with the team's Arizona Complex League affiliate. The Royals' second-ranked prospect suffered a broken hamate bone in the spring and began a rehab assignment in early May, however, the 6-foot-1 backstop experienced lingering soreness, so he was shut down after just four rehab games. The left-handed hitter went 0-for-1 with a pair of walks and was caught stealing on Monday. If all goes well, the 20-year-old should join High-A at the end of the assignment, but with only five games under his belt at High-A and a 30.7 percent strikeout rate in 2024, the former first-rounder may spend the remainder of the year at that level. Fellow catching prospect Carter Jensen (Royals No. 3 prospect) was recently promoted to Double-A Arkansas and appears to have a leg up on Mitchell for now, but it looks like Kansas City has some options behind aging Salvador Perez.

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The New York Mets announced on Tuesday that they transferred outfielder Jesse Winker (oblique) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list to make room on the active roster for right-hander Frankie Montas (lat), who is returning from the 60-day IL to make his season debut on Tuesday against the division-rival Atlanta Braves. Winker has progressed very slowly from a strained right oblique and is at least several weeks away from a return, which means he probably won't be ready until after the All-Star break in mid-July. Before his injury, the 31-year-old veteran had gone 16-for-67 (.239) with one home run, 10 RBI, eight runs scored and one stolen base. When he returns, he's expected to fill a platoon role for the Mets in the outfield and potentially at designated hitter, leaving him limited fantasy value in deep-mixed and NL-only formats.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran broke out in 2024 and had the seventh-best WAR in the league at 6.7, but ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan point out that he overperformed his underlying metrics and was a bit fortunate. In 2025, his metrics have regressed and he's now underperforming them, suggesting he's better than the roughly 2 WAR that he's on pace for this season. It also makes him a decent trade candidate -- they peg him at a 25 percent of being traded this summer -- if the Red Sox fall further out of contention in the American League as the July 31 trade deadline nears. If Duran is traded, his best potential fits are the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies. Duran has 15 steals in 79 games, but his power has been way down, as he only has five homers after posting a career-high 21 in 2024.

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ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan put Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara's chances of being traded this summer at 60 percent. Alcantara was the National League Cy Young winner in 2022 and then missed all of last year after having Tommy John surgery. He did not look like himself upon his initial return this year, but he's been tinkering with his pitch mix and locations and is slowly rounding back into form with a 2.74 ERA in his four June starts. Miami could wait to trade Alcantara until this winter, but if they do so earlier, teams like the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles could all be in the market. The 29-year-old has two years left on his current deal and could be a difference-maker for a rotation down the stretch.

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Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman (quadriceps) has a $40 million salary and the chance to opt into two more years at $40 million annually, which significantly shortens the list of teams that would be willing to trade for him this summer and take on his deal, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan. Bregman has leaned more into his power in his first year in Boston, with his barrel rate, maximum exit velocity, average launch angle and hard-hit rate all at career-highs. The 31-year-old two-time All-Star and former Silver Slugger winner is currently on the 10-day injured list with a quad injury, but before that, he was hitting .299 (59-for-197) with 11 home runs and 35 RBI as one of the team's most consistent hitters. The Red Sox and fantasy managers can only hope he'll be able to pick up where he left off when he returns from the IL.

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ESPN's Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan list Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks with a 60 percent chance of being traded this summer. Fairbanks raised his arm slot this year and now his more cutting action on his 97.1 mph fastball and more depth to his slurvy slider. It has led to a stingy 2.15 ERA (2.73 FIP), 13 saves, a 1.16 WHIP, 26 strikeouts and 14 walks in 29 1/3 relief innings in his sixth full season in Tampa. The 31-year-old veteran reliever has a team option for 2026 that should wind up in the $10 million range. McDaniel and Passan list the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers as the best potential fits for Fairbanks if he is traded this year. If Fairbanks were dealt by the July 31 deadline, Edwin Uceta would most likely become the Rays' primary closer the rest of the season.

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