The Tampa Bay Rays acquire right-hander Forrest Whitley from the Houston Astros on Friday, a source tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The move comes after the Astros designated Whitley, the 17th overall pick in 2016, for assignment last week. Once a top prospect in Houston's system, the 27-year-old has never been able to live up to his potential due to injury setback after injury setback. He missed the first two months this year with two different knee injuries and then allowed 10 earned runs with six walks and eight strikeouts in 7 1/3 relief innings upon his return to the big-league level after debuting in 2024. The Rays have a history of getting something out of lost causes like Whitley, but it remains to be see if he'll be able to turn his career around in Tampa. In six relief outings at Triple-A Sugar Land this year, Whitley had a 4.76 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 5 2/3 innings.

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Kansas City Royals backstop Salvador Perez went 1-for-4 with a single and a strikeout in Thursday's 1-0 loss to the visiting New York Yankees. Starting pitchers Seth Lugo and Will Warren locked down both lineups in Thursday's series finale, with the first run of the matchup pushed across in the eighth inning and ten hits combined between both squads. Despite the average line, it's the fourth straight outing with a hit for the veteran. Perez had a rough April and May (.222, .202) but has started off June on the right foot, going 13-for-43 (.302) with two of his six home runs. An overall .233/.269/.366 triple slash isn't very desirable. However, things look much different under the hood, as he boasts considerably more appealing xBA (.279) and xSLG (.495) figures.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Will Warren hurled 5 2/3 shutout frames, but did not factor into his team's 1-0 road win against the Kansas City Royals. The Southeastern Louisiana alum allowed four hits and struck out four while issuing one free pass. Warren and opposing starter Seth Lugo were locked in a scoreless duel, though neither could complete the sixth inning. Just one of the four hits against him went for extra bases (triple). The 25-year-old had yielded 11 runs over his previous two starts (and walked eight), so it was nice to see him bounce back. Despite the ugly few outings bloating his ERA (4.86) and WHIP (1.37), he's striking out 28.6% of the batters he's faced and should be in store for better results, considering a 3.33 xFIP. He'll get the visiting Los Angeles Angels his next time out.

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Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly is not in his team's lineup for their Friday matchup with the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Teammate Reese McGuire will operate behind the plate and bat ninth. Kelly is amid a brutal cold stretch at the dish, notching just four hits in his previous 37 at-bats. Despite the recent slump, he's having a fine season through his first 43 appearances, slashing .250/.365/.486 with four doubles, nine home runs, 27 runs scored, and 24 RBI. He's undoubtedly taken a step forward in 2025, sporting career-highs in average exit velocity (89.8 MPH), hard-hit rate (42.7%), and BB% (15.0%), while dropping his strikeout rate to an excellent 14.4%.

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Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings, but did not factor into Thursday's 1-0 loss to the New York Yankees. The veteran yielded two hits and three walks, striking out two in the no-decision. Lugo was excellent in this one, limiting the Yanks to two singles and allowing no earned runs for the second time in 2025. The 35-year-old righty has been solid for the Royals through 12 starts, notching a 3.18 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 52:22 K:BB ratio in his first 70 2/3 innings. However, it's worth mentioning that he's outpitching his 5.35 xERA by a good margin (4.18 xFIP). He'll look to get back in the win column in his next start, a road outing with the Texas Rangers in the middle of next week.

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Philadelphia's Phillies outfield prospect Justin Crawford (quadriceps) has been held out of action since June 5 due to a quadriceps injury. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he could be placed on the injury list if this injury lingers. Before being sidelined, Crawford was riding a six-game hitting streak at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. During this stint, Crawford posted a strong .542/.577/.583 line with a double and seven stolen bases. Through 52 total games with Triple-A this season, Crawford has looked quite comfortable, holding .349/.416/.448 line with 12 doubles, three triples, one home run, and 23 stolen bases. While he does not possess high power upside, Crawford has consistently shown elite contact skills with speed upside. He should be in the mix to reach the majors during the second half of the campaign.

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Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two singles in Thursday's 4-3 win against the Chicago White Sox. The Dominican Republic native has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball in recent weeks, registering multiple hits in 11 of his last 17 outings. He's got three home runs and eight steals over that stretch with 13 runs scored and eight RBI. Pena has been quite the catalyst at the top of Houston's order, slashing a robust .429/.442/.548 in 42 June at-bats. Overall, on the season, he's up to a .324 average with nine home runs, 14 doubles, one triple, 14 steals, 33 RBI, and 38 runs scored. The 27-year-old is on pace to crush all of his personal bests in 2025.

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The Milwaukee Brewers acquired first baseman Andrew Vaughn from the Chicago White Sox on Friday in exchange for right-hander Aaron Civale, sources tell ESPN's Jesse Rogers. Vaughn, the third overall pick back in 2019 out of Cal Berkeley, never lived up to his draft stock in Chicago in his five seasons, hitting .248/.303/.407 with a .709 OPS, 77 homers, 293 RBI and 247 runs scored in 610 games. The 27-year-old was demoted to Triple-A Charlotte in May after starting the 2025 season hitting just .189 (35-for-185) with five homers, 19 RBI and 43 strikeouts in 193 trips to the plate. While the move to Milwaukee puts him with a much better team, Vaughn could remain at the Triple-A level in Nashville with his new organization as depth at first base behind Rhys Hoskins and at designated hitter behind Christian Yelich. The trade really does nothing to boost his already floundering fantasy value.

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The Chicago White Sox acquired right-hander Aaron Civale from the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday in exchange for first baseman Andrew Vaughn, sources tell ESPN's Jesse Rogers. Civale was bumped from the rotation this week in favor of pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski and immediately requested a trade to somewhere where he'd start again. The 30-year-old should immediately move into Chicago's starting rotation, possibly as soon as this weekend against the Texas Rangers on the road. He's been limited to just five starts this year due to injury and has gone 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA (5.53 FIP) and 1.36 WHIP with 19 strikeouts and seven walks in 22 innings pitched. Civale has limited fantasy upside with a career 8.1 K/9 in 658 1/3 innings, and although he'll be back in a starting role, he's moving to the worst team in the American League.

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Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon (7-3) was fantastic on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and walked away with his fifth victory over his last five outings. Taillon has been phenomenal in 2025, enjoying one of his better seasons as a big leaguer. Against the Pirates on Thursday, he went 6 1/3 innings, allowed four hits, two earned runs, two walks, and tallied seven strikeouts as the Cubs went on to win 3-2. On the season, Taillon now owns an impressive 3.48 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 7.08 K/9, and a 1.75 BB/9 over 82 2/3 innings pitched. After losing Justin Steele (elbow) for the season, and Shota Imanaga (hamstring) being out since May 4, Taillon has stepped up for the Cubs in a big way thus far in 2025. Next up, he tentatively lines up to take on the Milwaukee Brewers at home on Wednesday, June 18.

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Washington Nationals young star James Wood enjoyed a nice afternoon on Thursday, going 3-for-4 with one run scored and one strikeout in the Nationals' 4-3 loss to the New York Mets. Wood has gone 13-for-43 over the past two weeks (.302 average), but has not hit a home run since May 30 in Seattle. In addition, he has only scored two runs and knocked in two RBI since May 31 and not stolen a base during this time. Although the average has been solid, Wood has had a quiet couple of weeks in category leagues, primarily due to his lack of RBI, runs scored, stolen bases, and home runs. Next up for Wood is a three-game series back at home against the Miami Marlins, where he is projected to take on three right-handed starters.

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Detroit Tigers young right-hander Jackson Jobe (elbow) is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of the 2025 season, so the Tigers will move him to the 60-day IL to clear a 40-man spot for Matt Gage, who was selected from Triple-A Toledo on Thursday. A timeline for Jobe's return will likely arise following his procedure, though it's practically a guarantee that he won't be cleared to pitch until mid-to-late 2026 at the earliest. From a fantasy perspective, it appears Sawyer Gipson-Long has taken the fifth spot in the rotation. Jobe finished his rookie season with 49 innings pitched, a 4.22 ERA, and 1.49 WHIP.

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Baltimore Orioles catcher Gary Sanchez (wrist) now has a greater chance to return before the end of the homestand, per Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino, who said the backup catcher is progressing through rehab quicker than expected, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports. Sanchez is on a tear in Triple-A Norfolk, going 8-for-20 with three home runs in six rehab games, and seems to be coming along more quickly than expected. He injured his wrist in late April, and it appears he could return to action within the next day or two. Sanchez is expected to continue to back up Adley Rutschman and start in the lineup occasionally against left-handed pitchers. Sanchez is not a recommended waiver wire pickup in the immediate future.

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Nathan Eovaldi (triceps) recently returned to Arlington for further diagnostics. He has been playing catch over the last few days, and the club hopes he'll throw a bullpen session sometime Saturday or Sunday. Eovaldi recently began a throwing program and underwent further diagnostics in Arlington. The rehab appears to be progressing as expected for the right-hander. Eovaldi was removed from his start on May 27 with the injury, and considering the location of the injury this is positive news coming from the Rangers' clubhouse, as Eovaldi seems to be moving in the right direction, and possibly get him back on the mound in the next couple of weeks after a few bullpens. At this point, it's unclear if the Rangers will have him throw a rehab start in the minors or not. Fantasy managers will want to keep tabs on how his bullpen goes over the weekend.

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Houston Astros left-hander Josh Hader picked up his 18th save in a 4-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Hader allowed one run on two hits in his lone inning of work while striking out two in the frame. He made things interesting in the outing, coughing up a solo homer to Mike Tauchman to cut the Astros' lead to one run and then putting the tying run on second base via a Miguel Vargas double. Hader bounced back, however, striking out Austin Slater to get the final out. Hader now has a 2-0 record, 1.55 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 18 saves, and 45 strikeouts over 29 innings of work on the season. He remains an elite fantasy closer in all formats.

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Washington Nationals right-handed pitching prospect Travis Sykora tallied a season-high 10 punchouts en route to picking up the victory on Thursday against High-A Hub City. In this outing, Sykora tossed five shutout innings. He allowed just two hits and no walks. Through his first 18 innings at the High-A level, Sykora has held an impressive 1.00 ERA with a 0.50 WHIP. During this stretch, he has struck out 32 batters and allowed just two free passes. Sykora opened the campaign with Low-A, where he tossed six shutout innings with nine strikeouts. Last season, the top-ranked prospect in the system held a 2.33 ERA with a stellar 0.91 WHIP across 85 innings of work at Low-A. He struck out 129 batters while allowing only 27 free passes. Sykora will likely spend most of the season with High-A but is quickly rising up prospect boards.

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Detroit Tigers right-hander Will Vest slammed the door on the Baltimore Orioles to earn the save in a 4-1 win on Thursday. Vest tossed a scoreless ninth inning, striking out two while not allowing a hit on 19 pitches to pick up his 12th save of the season. The veteran reliever has run away with the closer's role in Detroit after they opened the year with a committee. Vest now has a 5-0 record, 1.83 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 36 strikeouts over 34 1/3 innings of work while blowing only two saves. With the Tigers leading the AL Central, Vest should continue to see plenty of save chances going forward.

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New York Mets infield prospect Jett Williams continued to swing a hot bat on Thursday. During their contest against Double-A Richmond, Williams went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, two triples, a stolen base, and two RBI. Williams has tallied at least one hit in each of his last four games and posted three multi-hit games during this stretch. Over his last seven games, Williams has only gone hitless once and held an impressive .552/.633/1.130 line with four doubles, two triples, two home runs, and a stolen base. Through 52 games with Double-A this season, the top-ranked prospect in Queens has posted a strong .298/.407/.530 slash line with 16 doubles, four triples, and six long balls. Given his steady progress, Williams will likely move up to Triple-A in the coming weeks.

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New York Yankees right-hander Devin Williams preserved a 1-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday. Williams fired a perfect ninth inning while striking out one to earn his ninth save of the season. The veteran reliever got off to a rough start this season but has improved as the year has gone on, posting a 1.98 ERA over his past 15 appearances, spanning 13 2/3 innings of work. Overall, Williams has a 2-2 record, 5.68 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings of work on the year. He should remain a top-notch fantasy closer going forward.

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Texas Rangers shortstop Josh Smith had a big day in his team's 16-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. Smith went 2-for-5 with a homer, a walk, three runs, and one RBI in the lopsided victory. The veteran infielder kicked off the scoring in the game with a leadoff homer off Twins starter Bailey Ober. Smith is now hitting .279 with six homers, 26 runs, 19 RBI, and eight stolen bases across 208 at-bats for the Rangers this season. He has been hot over the past week, batting .393 with a homer and three RBI in his past seven contests. Smith has settled in as a solid, if unspectacular, fantasy option in most leagues.

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