Chicago Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins says it's "reasonable" to expect right-hander Javier Assad (oblique) to contribute in the second half of the season and referenced August/September as a tentative timetable. It's been an injury-plagued season for Assad, who initially strained his left oblique during spring training and then aggravated the injury in late April while rehabbing. The 27-year-old resumed a throwing program in late May, but he obviously has a ways to go before he'll be able to contribute to the Cubs' pitching staff in the second half. When Assad does return from the injured list, fantasy managers should probably expect him to be in a relief role, which will limit his already minimal fantasy impact down the stretch. In a full-time starting role in 2024, Assad went 7-6 with a 3.73 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 124:63 K:BB in 147 frames.

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Boston Red Sox rookie right-hander Hunter Dobbins (elbow) is scheduled to make a minor-league rehab start with Double-A Portland this weekend against Double-A New Hampshire, according to a source. Dobbins has been on the 15-day injured list since June 21 with a right-elbow strain, but he could rejoin Boston's starting rotation next week if his rehab outing goes off without any hitches this weekend. The 25-year-old has handled himself well in his first 12 MLB outings (10 starts) in 2025, going 4-1 with a 4.10 ERA (3.86 FIP) and 1.26 WHIP with 43 strikeouts and 16 walks in 59 1/3 innings pitched. Even though Dobbins is in the 16th percentile in strikeout rate, he has an xERA of under 4.00 and a walk rate that's in the 76th percentile. He's also in the 68th percentile in barrel rate, so he's managed to avoid enough hard contact to get by without high-end swing-and-miss stuff.

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Athletics second baseman Zack Gelof (ribs) is expected to play back-to-back full nine-inning games for Triple-A Las Vegas this week and could be activated from the 60-day injured list to make his 2025 season debut soon after that, according to MLB.com. If Gelof avoids a setback, there's a good chance he'll be available for the team's series in Sacramento that starts on Friday versus the San Francisco Giants. The 25-year-old has yet to play this year after initially fracturing the hamate bone in his right wrist in spring training that eventually required surgery. Then he suffered a stress reaction in his ribs in early May. Gelof is nearing his return, though, and should be scooped up in deep-mixed fantasy leagues by anyone that's looking for more power and speed from the second base position. The former second-rounder hit 17 homers and stole 25 bags in 138 games in 2024.

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SI.com's Jack Sommers writes that Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson has been dealing with more soreness than usual after his outings, which prompted manager Torey Lovullo to give him a quick hook in the team's win over the San Francisco Giants on Monday. Nelson was also hit by a comebacker on his leg recently and is recovering from that. The 27-year-old looked good in a no-decision in the series opener, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking one in 6 2/3 frames. In addition to recent soreness, Nelson has been on a pitch count limit as he gets stretched out. Remember, he began the year in the bullpen and was thrust into a starting role when Corbin Burnes (elbow) was lost for the season. The 88 pitches Nelson threw on Monday were a season-high. Nelson should be able to make his next start next week against the Kansas City Royals.

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MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports that New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham (hamstring) is likely heading for a stint on the injured list. Hoch also notes that outfielder Bryan De La Cruz is in Toronto with the team. Grisham was forced from Monday's loss to the Blue Jays early when he felt tightness in his left hamstring. It's unfortunate timing with the looming All-Star break, but New York has plenty of outfield options to slot into the lineup in his stead. Teammate Cody Bellinger will get the nod in center field on Tuesday and bat second with Jasson Dominguez covering left-field duties and operating from the six-hole. Grisham has cooled significantly since a hot April (.284) to hit .227 over the previous two months.

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Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette (knee) will miss a second straight game on Tuesday against the division-rival New York Yankees on Canada Day after tweaking his right knee during batting practice before Monday's series-opening win. Leo Jimenez will make the start at shortstop and will hit ninth against Yankees left-hander Max Fried. The good news is that Bichette, who is in the midst of a bounce-back 2025 campaign, didn't need testing on his knee and is considered day-to-day. The 27-year-old could be back in the starting lineup as early as Wednesday. Jimenez, who was called up from Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday, will be a low-upside deep DFS sleeper. The 24-year-old native of Panama will be making his season debut in the big leagues after hitting .229/.329/.358 with four home runs and 19 RBI in 63 games with Toronto a year ago.

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The Toronto Blue Jays announced on Tuesday that they optioned outfielder Jonatan Clase to Triple-A Buffalo and recalled infielder Leo Jimenez from Buffalo in a corresponding move. Since being recalled from Buffalo back on May 7, Clase had seen some decent run in Toronto's outfield, but the 23-year-old Dominican didn't exactly take advantage of the opportunities and hit just .219/.299/.313 with two home runs and three steals in 34 games. The switch-hitter will head back to the farm, where he'll serve as outfield depth for the big club in the second half of the season. Jimenez will serve as depth at shortstop for the time being after Bo Bichette tweaked his right knee before Monday's series opener against the New York Yankees. Jimenez is starting at the 6 and batting ninth on Tuesday against Yankees left-hander Max Fried.

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New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice will take a seat for Game 2 of the series in Toronto against the division-rival Blue Jays on Canada Day at Rogers Centre. Giancarlo Stanton is serving as the designated hitter and batting fifth, while Paul Goldschmidt will man first base and bat leadoff against Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman. It will be Rice's first day off after starting in each of the last seven games. Manager Aaron Boone has had to get more creative to keep Rice's lefty bat in the lineup with Stanton back in the fold, but perhaps Rice will see more time behind the plate, especially with Austin Wells dealing with a finger injury. The 26-year-old Rice has been excellent against righties this season, and although he's hitting just .229 (55-for-240), he holds a strong .295 xBA and has contributed 14 home runs in what is becoming a breakout season for him.

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The Athletic's Aaron Gleeman reports that the Minnesota Twins have activated third baseman Royce Lewis (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list. The 26-year-old went down with a mild hamstring strain a few weeks back, but he's all set now after going 0-for-8 in three minor-league rehab appearances in Triple-A. The Twins designated infielder Jonah Bride for assignment in a corresponding move. Lewis has been on the injured list twice already with a hamstring ailment, though he hit well for the short time between them. In ten June contests, he slashed .367/.457/.533 with as many walks as strikeouts (five). The former first-overall pick is immensely talented, but injuries have been a bugaboo for him. If he can stay healthy, he figures to be a productive bat for the Twins and fantasy managers alike.

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Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll (wrist) told Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports he's aiming to rejoin the team before the All-Star break, which starts on July 14. "We'll see, I gotta listen to my body on this one, but I would like to be back. I'm operating under all intents of that being the case. If the hand doesn't respond as well as I want, then gotta listen to that and make new plans." The former first-round pick took a pitch to the hand/wrist area two weeks ago that caused a chip fracture, but he reports the only thing he can't do at this point is swing a bat. That should change Tuesday, as he's scheduled to take dry swings. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect to have the superstar back before he's due, but it's good news that he's tried to keep in a groove while he's shelved. It shouldn't take him too long to get back in the swing of things once he's activated.

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Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown reports that outfielder Yordan Alvarez (hand) could return during the team's next homestand. "If things go well, it could be next homestand. I haven't ruled out potentially flying him to L.A....I don't think he needs much (more) time." The fantasy stalwart has been out since early May when he fractured his hand, though he's getting close to a return. If Brown decides against flying him out to Los Angeles for their weekend meeting with the Dodgers, his next chance at action will be a three-game series against the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Monday. Alvarez scuffled through his first 100 at-bats (.210), but he'll be a welcome sight for the Astros and fantasy managers upon his return.

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MLive Media Group's Evan Woodbery reports that the Detroit Tigers have placed outfielder Kerry Carpenter (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday. Infielder Trey Sweeney was recalled from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move. The Virginia Tech product was pulled early from the team's matchup with the Minnesota Twins a few days ago after he appeared to tweak his hamstring leaving the batter's box. Initially, he was deemed day-to-day, but an MRI revealed more damage than expected. Carpenter will be eligible to return before the All-Star break, but it wouldn't be surprising for him to do so afterward. Teammate Zach McKinstry should benefit from increased playing time in the outfield in the meantime.

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Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz went 2-for-4 on Monday night in a 7-0 win over the Cardinals. He homered on the second pitch of the game from Erick Fedde, giving him two long balls on the season. Over his 36 games, the 27-year-old lefty is hitting .258 with a .310 wOBA. Monday was his first game all season in the leadoff spot after bouncing around the middle of the order in most matchups lately. He has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games, going 18-for-55 (.327) with six doubles and Monday's home run. With another right-handed pitcher on the mound on Tuesday, it will be interesting to see if the Pirates stick with Horwitz in the leadoff spot or go in a different direction. Especially if he's at the top of the lineup, Horwitz is starting to work his way onto some deep-league radar with his recent stretch of production.

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Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien hit his eighth home run of the year on Monday night, but the Rangers couldn't quite complete their comeback, falling 10-6 in extra innings. Semien went 3-for-3 out of the No. 3 spot in the batting order with two walks, two runs scored, and two RBI. He is still only hitting .237 on the season with eight homers and a .298 wOBA, but he has shown some signs of turning things around lately. This 3-for-3 night extends his hitting streak to six games, and during that stretch, he is 11-for-29 (.379) with two doubles, a homer, and a 47.8% hard-hit rate. It's a vast improvement on his season-long stats, but it still remains to be seen if Semien is back to a fantasy-relevant level or just going through a decent stretch. He's worth a look as a streaming or DFS value play in favorable matchups in the short term to find out.

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Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson had back-to-back big innings to help the Orioles emerge 10-6 winners in 11 innings over the Rangers on Monday night. He finished the day 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, two runs scored, a walk, and four RBI. Almost all of that production came after the game went to extra innings, tied 3-3. In the 10th, he hit a two-run homer off Robert Garcia, and in the 11th, he had a two-run double off Holby Milner that extended the lead to 10-6. Henderson is up to 29 RBI in 77 games this season with 10 homers and a .346 wOBA. While he still has a ways to go to catch up with last year's numbers, he's hitting .314 with a .388 wOBA over his last 20 games and is trending in the right direction after a slow start to the season. He will continue to be a strong shortstop play in standard formats with big games like this always a possibility if he's swinging it well.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia blasted home run No. 10 on the season as part of the Rangers' three-run 10th inning on Monday night that extended the game to the 11th, where they ultimately lost, 10-6. Garcia finished the game 2-for-5 with a run scored and three RBI in addition to a pair of strikeouts. His blast came off Orioles lefty relief pitcher Keegan Akin, who ultimately ended up with the win despite the blown save. Garcia has only hit two homers this season off of lefties with just a 71 wRC+ on that side of the splits. He had gone eight games without a home run before Monday, going just 3-for-31 (.097) over that stretch. Garcia and his fantasy managers will home his big game Monday helps jumpstart his sluggish bat this season.

From RotoBaller

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Hunter Dobbins (elbow) threw a successful bullpen session on Monday at Fenway Park, and the Red Sox are hopeful to get him on a rehab assignment over the weekend and potentially back in the rotation before or right after the All-Star break. Dobbins will likely need just one rehab outing since he has only been sidelined since June 20 with his right elbow strain. The 25-year-old went 4-1 in his 12 games (10 starts) before landing on the IL, with a 4.10 ERA, 3.86 FIP, and 1.26 WHIP. The Red Sox have multiple starting pitchers dealing with injuries, so Dobbins' return would be a nice boost to the team's rotation. While Dobbins doesn't have a high enough strikeout rate to be a regular fantasy option, he has proven that he can be a streaming or DFS value play in the right matchups when he's healthy.

From RotoBaller

Miami Marlins outfielder Derek Hill (wrist) will be able to return to the team before Tuesday's matchup with the Twins after missing just over a month with a left wrist sprain. Hill went 3-for-11 with a walk, a double, and two strikeouts in three rehab contests for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Before the injury, Hill hit .233 with two homers, six stolen bases, and a .298 wOBA in 23 games for the Fish. He will likely share center field duties with Dane Myers, who has been playing well in Hill's absence. Both players are 29 years old and neither is part of the Marlins' young core, but they should continue to get enough playing time to be on the radar for NL-only leagues and DFS bargain plays. Both players can be decent sources of cheap speed if they are aggressive on the basepaths.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck (forearm) was knocked around on Sunday in his second rehab appearance for the Worcester Red Sox. He gave up four runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings and continued to struggle with his control even though the Red Sox moved him to the bullpen for this outing to try a "change of scenery." In addition to his command issues, his velocity has dipped on both his sinker and his fastball. He gave up 39 earned runs in 43 2/3 innings in the majors before landing on the injured list and has not done much better in his two rehab starts. He has shown that he has a very high ceiling but has not been able to reach it lately while dealing with a right flexor pronator strain. He doesn't look like he'll be ready to contribute meaningful innings soon.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco Giants infielder Christian Koss (hamstring) was forced to leave Monday's loss to the Diamondbacks with a hamstring injury that he sustained running down the first base line in his third at-bat. He remained in the game and hit a double (after video review) in the eighth inning before being replaced by pinch runner Brett Wisely. Wisely remained in the game at third base and could get more playing time depending on how long Koss is sidelined. The team will know more after further evaluation on Tuesday, but he will at least miss Tuesday's game against Arizona and could end up landing on the injured list. The Giants have lost multiple third basemen to injury, so the position is getting pretty thin.

From RotoBaller