St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker (appendix) appears to be on track to come off the 10-day injured list on Friday before the series opener at Wrigley Field against the division-rival Chicago Cubs, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Daniel Guerrero. Walker landed on the IL last week due to appendicitis, but he didn't need surgery and has already played in two minor-league rehab games with Triple-A Memphis. The 23-year-old former first-rounder could see his playing time continue to dip upon his return since he's hit just .210/.267/.295 with a career-worst .562 OPS, three home runs, 23 RBI and 63 strikeouts in 191 plate appearances over 55 games in his third year in the big leagues. Walker is currently in the second percentile in strikeout rate and the 16th percentile in chase rate, which doesn't bode well for a rebound in the second half.

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The Athletic's Chandler Rome reports that the Houston Astros have placed shortstop Jeremy Pena (ribs) on the 10-day injured list with a fracture in his ribs. Oof. Pena was plunked by a pitch in the ribs a few days ago, and while initial X-rays returned negative for the Dominican Republic native, new findings have him facing an IL stint. It's unfortunate news for the Astros and fantasy managers, as Pena was a stud from the leadoff spot in 2025. It's unclear precisely how severe the injury is, and there's been no word on a timetable for his return. Teammate Mauricio Dubon has gotten the start at shortstop in his stead over the last two contests, and figures to do so primarily while he's out. However, it's worth noting Dubon hasn't been that effective against right-handed pitching thus far (.227).

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St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that outfielder Lars Nootbaar (intercostal) will likely be out of the lineup until at least Tuesday against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates due to a left intercostal injury that he's been dealing with of late. Nootbaar aggravated the injury during a swing on Saturday in the win over the Cleveland Guardians and did not start in the series finale on Sunday. The Cardinals open a series in Pittsburgh on Monday, but fantasy managers should expect the 27-year-old left-handed hitter to be out of the lineup for a second straight game against left-hander Andrew Heaney. If Nootbaar is unable to return by Tuesday or later this week, he could land on the 10-day injured list heading into the All-Star break. Nootbaar is a starting outfielder for St. Louis when healthy and is batting just .227 (68-for-299) with 11 home runs, 35 RBI, 44 runs and four stolen bases.

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MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports that Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jake Fraley (shoulder) recently received a cortisone shot to help him play through a torn labrum. Fraley suffered the injury attempting a diving catch a week ago against the Yankees and has since sought three opinions on his ailing shoulder. This isn't the first time that the 30-year-old has dealt with shoulder issues (subluxation), who also noted he's looking for a protective brace to aid him on tough catches at the wall, or ones similar to how he sustained the issue. With the team in Boston on a road trip, Fraley will hang back in Cincinnati to continue rehab and strengthening work. If the cortisone does its job, he should return when he's eligible in a few weeks (Jul. 18).

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Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward went 3-for-5 with three doubles in Sunday's 7-4 extra-innings loss to the Washington Nationals. He added an RBI and a run scored. Ward is just 19-for-93 in June (.204), but he's been much better over the last week-plus. The Fresno State product has an extra-base hit in seven of his last ten appearances (seven doubles, two homers) and a solid .270 average (10-for-37) over that span. He's up to 20 home runs already in 2025, collecting five fewer than his personal-best set a season ago in nearly half as many games. However, he's still batting a paltry .216 through 81 contests and raised his strikeout rate back up to an undesirable 27.0% this season.

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Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams went 2-for-6 with a triple and three RBI in Sunday's 7-4 road win against the Los Angeles Angels. He also doubled and struck out. Abrams picked up his third triple of the season -- and first in two months -- in the eleventh inning off Angels pitcher Connor Brogdon to score teammates Daylen Lile and Drew Millas and make it 7-4 Nats. He also notched another run batted in on a double in the seventh. The 24-year-old has been spectacular in June, sporting a .308/.368/.505 triple slash with four homers, eight steals, 20 runs scored, and 12 RBI. It's raised his overall average to a strong .287, which would be his best by 40 points if it holds.

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Chicago White Sox reliever Mike Vasil picked up his second save of the year in a 5-2 win over the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. Vasil entered a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the top of the eighth and got Heliot Ramos to ground into an inning-ending double play. The right-hander stayed in to begin the ninth, striking out Rafael Devers before issuing a walk to Wilmer Flores. Once again, though, Vasil induced an inning-ending double play - this time to Mike Yastrzemski. Vasil ended his day with 1 2/3 scoreless innings and 17 pitches. The 25-year-old has been an effective innings-eater for Chicago, having recorded a 2.73 ERA across 56 frames. However, he's not typically on the radar for save opportunities. Grant Taylor has recently been Chicago's top choice to close games, but he was off Sunday after getting a six-out save Saturday.

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Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager went deep for the third straight game in the team's 6-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday. Seager's two-run homer off right-hander Carlos Vargas tied the game at 3 with one out in the bottom of the 10th. The five-time All-Star drove in another run on a sacrifice fly in the 12th to conclude a 1-for-4, one-walk day. Despite his recent power surge, June has been a struggle for Seager. After spending most of May on the injured list with a strained hamstring, Seager has hit a woeful .185/.358/.358 in 23 games this month. Overall, he's slashing .244/.342/.430 with 10 HRs, 23 RBI, and 26 runs in 225 plate appearances. While those are above-average numbers, they're below Seager's standards. The good news for fantasy managers is that Seager ranks in the top 7% of the league in xSLG and xwOBA, making him a candidate for positive regression.

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Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Dennis Santana began serving a three-game suspension on Sunday. Major League Baseball issued the right-hander a four-game ban for "aggressive conduct toward a fan" in Detroit on June 20. However, the league reduced the punishment by a game after Santana's appeal. The 31-year-old will be available out of the Pirates' bullpen beginning Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Santana has been a rare bright spot for the last-place Pirates this season, having pitched to a 1.50 ERA with a 0.78 WHIP, 28:6 K:BB, nine holds, and five saves in 36 innings.

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Washington Nationals infielder Paul DeJong (face) is heading to D.C. to rejoin the team, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports. The Nationals will have to make a corresponding roster move if they activate DeJong before Tuesday's series opener against the Detroit Tigers. DeJong suffered a gruesome injury when Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller hit him in the face with a 92.7 mph fastball on April 15. As a result, he required surgery to repair his sinuses and orbital plate. Before going on the shelf, DeJong hit .204/.246/.276 with no home runs in 57 plate appearances while mostly playing third base. The Nationals haven't gotten much production from anyone this year at the hot corner. They promoted standout prospect Brady House two weeks ago, but the 22-year-old has slumped to a .231/.268/.288 line in 56 homer-less trips to the plate.

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Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick (oblique) is at the team's spring training facility in Florida to face live pitching, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. It's another positive step for McCormick in his recovery from the strained left oblique that sent him to the injured list on May 30. Before suffering the injury, McCormick hit .256/.347/.302 with no home runs and two RBI in 53 plate appearances. He also struggled last year after posting impressive numbers in his first three seasons. From 2021-23, McCormick combined to bat .259/.336/.449 with 50 homers, 164 RBI, and 27 steals over 1,184 trips to the plate.

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Cleveland Guardians infielder Gabriel Arias (ankle) was diagnosed with a left-ankle sprain after exiting in the third inning of Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Joe Noga of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Arias needed to be carted off the field when he sustained what looked to be a painful-looking ankle injury while diving for a ground ball in the third inning. X-rays on the ankle came back negative, but his sprain is likely to be significant enough to land him on the injured list, although no official report has been made yet. Fantasy managers will want to proactively plan to be without Arias in the short term. Daniel Schneemann entered the game for Arias at shortstop following the injury. Arias has been an above-average defensive shortstop for the Guardians, although he has struggled offensively, slashing .231/.293/.369 with six home runs, 31 RBI, and 28 runs scored in 255 at-bats.

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Zebby Matthews (shoulder) threw a 20-pitch bullpen session at Target Field on Sunday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Matthews was diagnosed with a moderate subscapularis strain in his right shoulder on June 8 and has been on the injured list since. Matthews, a 25-year-old right-hander, is one of the Twins' top pitching prospects, so they are likely to slow-play his recovery rather than rush him back into action. Throwing a bullpen on Sunday suggests that Matthews and the Twins are ready to start ramping up the process, and he will likely continue to throw a few additional bullpens before facing live batters or beginning a rehab stint. That much seems unclear at this point as to how the Twins want to approach it. In the meantime, David Festa has been called up in Matthew's absence and had a nice start against the Tigers on Friday night, going 5 2/3 shutout innings.

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Nolan Arenado (finger) exited Sunday's contest due to a jammed right index finger, John Denton of MLB.com reports. The removal of Arenado in this contest seems to be a precautionary measure, as the Cardinals were winning 5-0 at the time, and perhaps wanted to get their 10-time Gold Glover some additional rest. Arenado also said after the game that he doesn't believe the injury to be anything serious, suggesting he should be back in the lineup Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nonetheless, fantasy managers will want to monitor his status leading up to the first pitch. Arenado is slashing .249/.309/.399 with 10 home runs, 38 runs scored, and 41 RBI on the season with an elite 10.3 percent strikeout rate.

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Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto (shoulder) missed his fourth consecutive start on Sunday after he injured his shoulder Tuesday sliding into second base. However, the 24-year-old appeared as a pinch hitter in both of Friday's, Saturday's, and Sunday's contests, which indicates that he isn't dealing with a serious injury. More importantly, on Sunday, he pinch hit and entered the game at shortstop, Jeff Fletcher, Angels beat writer reports. Although it has been difficult for fantasy managers to see their shortstop sit half of the week, it's highly encouraging to see him play shortstop after he pinch hit in every game over the weekend, suggesting that although he missed his fourth straight game, there shouldn't be an IL stint. Additionally, the game ended up going into extra innings, and Neto stayed in the game, proceeded to get a second at-bat, and even attempted a steal, further suggesting that his return to the starting lineup is imminent. In Neto's absence, Kevin Newman has been starting at shortstop for the Angels.

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Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor (neck) was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports. Naylor was unable to play for the second consecutive day due to neck stiffness, and in his absence, Pavin Smith has been playing first base. It was a tough week for Naylor, as he had dealt with a shoulder injury earlier in the week, returned to the lineup for a few games, and then re-injured himself Friday night against the Marlins. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Naylor is "improving." Still, he is considered day-to-day, and fantasy managers will want to continue monitoring his latest injury. Naylor has had a nice season thus far, slashing .304/.359/.474 with 10 home runs, 53 RBI, 42 runs, and 10 stolen bases.

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Detroit Tigers infield prospect Kevin McGonigle went 4-for-6 with a double and two RBI during their contest against High-A Lake County on Sunday. This was McGonigle's third-straight contest tallying at least one hit and one RBI. Over his last 15 games, McGonigle has only gone hitless twice. During this impressive stretch, the No. 26-ranked prospect in the sport has posted a strong .387/.451/.758 slash line with eight doubles, five home runs, and a 6:7 K:BB. Through 31 total games with High-A West Michigan, McGonigle has been performing at an elite level, carrying a stellar .373/.452/.683 line with 18 doubles, seven home runs, and a 17:18 K:BB. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor the No. 2-ranked prospect in the Detroit system as he should be in the mix to join Double-A in the coming weeks.

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Chicago White Sox infield prospect Colson Montgomery has enjoyed an impressive week at the plate. On Sunday, Montgomery posted his fourth-straight multi-game. Facing Triple-A Toledo, the former 22nd overall pick went 2-for-4 at the plate with two long balls. This was also his second multi-home run game of the week. Over his last seven contests, Montgomery has posted a stellar .400/.438/.967 line with three doubles, a triple, and four home runs. Before this impressive surge, Montgomery posted a low .171 AVG with a .668 OPS during his last 10 games. The former first-round pick has struggled at times adjusting to Triple-A action, but appears to be turning the corner. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression as he could be in the mix and earn the call to the majors in the second half. However, given his inconsistencies, he is not worth stashing in any standard formats.

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Colorado Rockies outfield prospect Yanquiel Fernandez continued to hit for power on Sunday as he went 1-for-3 with a 475-foot long ball. This was his second-straight game going deep and third home run over his last four games. During this four-game stretch, Fernandez has tallied nine RBI, hit a double, and held a 3:3 K:BB. The 22-year-old and No. 6-ranked prospect in the system has spent the entire campaign at the Triple-A level. Through 64 games with Albuquerque, Fernandez has posted a solid .284/.347/.502 slash line with 14 doubles, 13 home runs, and a 38:22 K:BB. Last season, during his first taste of Triple-A, Fernandez struggled, holding a .211/.268/.313 line. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression this season, as he should reach Colorado later in the second half.

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Tampa Bay Rays infield prospect Carson Williams went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk during their contest against Triple-A Memphis on Sunday. Over his last nine games, Williams has been quite productive at the plate, posting a .343/.439/.714 slash line with two doubles, a triple, a home run, 13 RBI, and a 16:4 K:BB. Before this surge, the top-ranked prospect in Tampa Bay held a modest .206/.311/.429 line over his last 18 contests. The 22-year-old has spent the entire campaign at the Triple-A level. Through 73 games, Williams has struggled at times, holding an overall .211/.312/.425 line. However, he has hit for power, tallying 11 doubles and 13 home runs. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Williams' development as he should join Tampa Bay later in the second half.

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