Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman (quadriceps) will play twice this weekend at Fenway Park against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays, although manager Alex Cora wouldn't specify if it will be Friday and Sunday or Saturday and Sunday. The timing is a bit off with the All-Star break starting next Monday, but the Red Sox feel that Bregman is ready to go and want to get him back just before the end of the first half of the season. The 31-year-old will be eased back into action this weekend, but when the second half starts on July 18, he will be Boston's primary third baseman, which could push rookie Marcelo Mayer to a full-time role at second base. Fantasy managers need to be on the lookout for Bregman re-entering the starting lineup on either Friday or Saturday, and they'll also be hoping he can pick up where he left off offensively before his quad injury.

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MLB.com's Anthony DiComo writes that it sounds like New York Mets outfielder Jesse Winker (back) could be headed to the injured list after his back "locked up" on him during Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. Winker will head to New York for an MRI exam. Determining on the results of the testing, the 31-year-old could head back to the IL just before next week's All-Star break after just coming off the 60-day IL on Tuesday for an oblique strain. It's been that kind of season for Winker, who came into Thursday's action with a .232 average (16-for-69) with a homer and 10 RBI in just 25 games played. It sounds as though we won't see him until sometime in the second half. In the meantime, Mark Vientos could see more opportunities as the team's designated hitter.

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The Atlanta Braves have not discussed left-hander Chris Sale (ribs) in trade talks and will not consider moving him or any other player under control beyond the 2025 season at this year's trade deadline, major-league-sources told FanSided's Robert Murray. Although Sale is currently on the 60-day injured list with a rib-cage fracture, he's been excellent for the Braves when he's been healthy since they acquired the veteran southpaw from the Boston Red Sox. The 36-year-old lefty had a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 2024 to win the National League Cy Young award. This year, he's been nearly as good, posting a 2.52 ERA with 114 punchouts in his 15 starts. The Braves expect Sale to return later this year, but since he's now on the 60-day IL, he cannot return until at least Aug. 20. Fantasy managers must remain patient and keep him stashed until then.

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New York Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt (elbow) will have season-ending elbow surgery on Friday, according to manager Aaron Boone. We already knew that Schmidt was likely to go under the knife, but now it's official. He will miss the rest of the 2025 season, and there's also a good chance he'll miss all of 2026, too, depending on how his rehab goes and what type of procedure he has on his elbow on Friday. In the meantime, rookie Cam Schlittler will make at least one more start in place of Schmidt after picking up a win in his MLB debut on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners, when he allowed three earned runs while walking two and striking out seven in 5 1/3 frames. Fantasy managers that still have Schmidt on their roster can safely drop him to the waiver wire in redraft leagues.

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Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (side) remains out of action on Thursday at Fenway Park for the series opener against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. Taylor Walls will make another start at the keystone and will bat ninth against Red Sox right-hander Walker Buehler. Lowe will miss a fourth straight game after injuring his left side on Sunday. The Rays are hoping that the 31-year-old veteran won't have to go on the 10-day injured list, especially with the end of the first half of the season coming on Sunday. Walls is hitting .400 against Buehler in his career, but only in five career at-bats. Fantasy managers setting DFS lineups should avoid the glove-first player, especially since he's hitting at the bottom of the batting order. The 29-year-old utility infielder is hitting just .211/.281/.296 on the year with three home runs, 29 RBI, 29 runs and 11 steals.

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New York Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton are both out of the lineup on Thursday against the visiting Seattle Mariners in the Bronx. Ben Rice is playing first base and batting sixth, while Aaron Judge will serve as the DH and bat third against Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo. Cody Bellinger is in right field and will hit cleanup. It's been a bounce-back year for Goldy, as he's hitting .290 (93-for-321), although he has just eight homers in his first year in pinstripes. The 37-year-old has also been hot lately, going 6-for-13 with two RBI and four runs in his last three games. Stanton didn't make his season debut until June 16 and hasn't been much of a power threat yet, although he has gone 4-for-14 with a homer, four RBI and three runs in his last three outings. Judge has hit .375 with four RBI in eight career at-bats versus Woo.

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Miami Marlins pitching prospect Robby Snelling is moving up to Triple-A Jacksonville. The Marlins' third-ranked prospect began the year at Double-A, and although he posted a 3.61 ERA and 1.22 WHIP overall (14 starts), the lefty has been much better as of late. Over his last three starts, Snelling has allowed two earned runs in 18 innings (1.00 ERA) with a 0.89 WHIP and a 22:3 K:BB. The 6-foot-3 hurler has tallied 318 strikeouts in 291 1/3 minor league innings pitched (9.82 K/9), and the Marlins could use all the rotation help they can get, but at 21 years old and with Miami beginning to fade from the playoff race, there's no need to rush him to the majors. As a result, fantasy managers may not see him debut until 2026, but he could be a worthwhile add in very deep and NL-only leagues were he to get the call.

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Kansas City Royals catching prospect Carter Jensen is on a roll, going 3-for-5 with a double, five RBI, and a run scored at Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday. That makes five multi-hit efforts in his last seven games, during which time he's gone 12-for-25 (.480) with four doubles, five home runs, 16 RBI, nine runs scored, a stolen base, and a 6:9 BB:K. The Royals' third-ranked prospect's hot hitting is what earned him a promotion to Triple-A in late June, but aftersome initial adversity (1-for-22 (.045), the 22-year-old has settled in nicely. At this rate, it's looking like a 2025 MLB debut is a high probability, and offensively proficient backstops are always intriguing in fantasy, so keep an eye out for any rumblings of a promotion.

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The Houston Astros announced on Thursday that they reinstated infielder Christian Walker from the paternity list and optioned infielder/outfielder Shay Whitcomb to Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move. The Astros have a scheduled day off on Thursday before beginning a series on Friday against the division-rival Texas Rangers, so fantasy managers should expect Walker back this weekend to close out the first half of the season. Even though the 34-year-old veteran right-handed slugger hasn't lived up to expectations as Houston's starting first baseman in 2025 in his first year with the team, he should be returned to starting fantasy lineups on Friday. Walker has picked things up of late, going 16-for-43 (.372) with two home runs and eight RBI in his last 10 games. Hopefully he'll continue to swing the bat well going into next week's All-Star break.

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Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is out of the starting lineup for Thursday's contest against the visiting Miami Marlins at Great American Ball Park. Jose Trevino is doing the catching for left-hander Nick Lodolo and will bat seventh against Marlins right-hander Cal Quantrill. Stephenson has been struggling offensively of late, going 6-for-33 (.182) with a double, three RBI, seven walks and 14 strikeouts in 42 plate appearances over 12 games since June 24. The 28-year-old is still Cincy's primary backstop, but fantasy managers may want to stay away until he shows some signs of breaking out of his current funk at the plate. Trevino has been solid in 2025 for the Reds while hitting .283 (47-for-166), but he has only four home runs and 14 RBI. The 32-year-old has a solo home run in just three career at-bats against Lodolo.

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Per MLB.com's Anthony DiComo, New York Mets outfielder Jesse Winker (back) exited the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the hosting Baltimore Orioles with back tightness. Oof. Winker returned from a lengthy stay on the injured list due to an oblique injury just two days ago, but was pinch-hit for in the fourth inning by teammate Mark Vientos as he's now apparently dealing with a back issue. Presumably, the injury occurred during the contest, and he's almost certainly scheduled for further testing. He can be considered day-to-day for now, but back ailments aren't the most straightforward of injuries. Fantasy managers should closely monitor the situation.

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According to the team, the Baltimore Orioles have selected the contract of catcher David Banuelos from Triple-A Norfolk. Baltimore currently has four of their options at backstop on the injured list, so the 28-year-old will serve as a potential fill-in if necessary, with the team playing a doubleheader with the New York Mets on Thursday. Banuelos has spent time in Triple-A and High-A in 2025, compiling an abysmally low .088/.188/.193 triple slash through 21 appearances. There's no reason to believe he'll make an impact in fantasy, and can be ignored for what will likely be a short stint with the big-league squad.

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Per the team, the Tampa Bay Rays have transferred outfielder Richie Palacios (knee) to the 60-day injured list. It's nothing more than a procedural move for Tampa Bay, which clears a spot on the 40-man roster for newly acquired right-handed pitcher Bryan Baker. Palacios was recently pulled off his minor-league rehab assignment while dealing with intermittent soreness in his sprained right knee, but has since resumed baseball activities and will hopefully be ready to start another rehab stint following the All-Star break. The 28-year-old has taken just four at-bats for the Rays in 2025 since picking up the injury in mid-April, and is currently still set for a Jul. 24 return.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hand) won't be in the team's lineup for their series finale against the visiting Chicago Cubs. The veteran was plunked by a pitch in Wednesday's 4-2 victory over Chicago and forced from the contest early. Initial X-rays returned negative, but it appears he'll still need some time to recover from the contusion. Teammate Harrison Bader will patrol center field in his stead with Willi Castro moving up to the leadoff spot as Minnesota goes for the sweep. After a slow beginning to the season, Buxton was red-hot through May and June, boasting a .312 average with 13 home runs, eight steals, 34 RBI, and 30 runs scored. He's cooled quite a bit in July (.172) but is still on pace to set career-highs in homers and steals, and record his first 20/20 season in the majors.

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Per the team, the New York Yankees have released infielder DJ LeMahieu. Wow. The veteran was designated for assignment by New York on Wednesday, and after clearing waivers, unclaimed, was let go by the organization. LeMahieu had an incredible first two seasons with the Yankees from 2019 to 2020, but has declined in recent years and posted an unappealing .266/.338/.336 triple slash with five extra-base hits (two homers, three doubles) across 45 appearances in 2025. That, along with Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s ability at the keystone, was enough to split ways with the 36-year-old. LeMahieu will now look for more work with another MLB squad, but doesn't project to be a hot commodity on the open market.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Cam Schlittler yielded four hits and three earned runs over 5 1/3 innings of work in Wednesday's 9-6 win over the visiting Seattle Mariners. He issued two free passes and struck out seven to notch his first MLB win. The 24-year-old fired 52 of 72 pitches for strikes and picked up ten whiffs for a strong 33% CSW, while recording the seven fastest pitch velocities in the outing. Schlittler fell victim to the long ball -- allowing two solo homers -- but was mainly solid in his big-league debut. He'll get a chance to stick in the rotation with teammate Clarke Schmidt (elbow) likely to require Tommy John surgery, and should get his next start in a road series against the Atlanta Braves following the All-Star break. Schlittler is worth a speculative add until he proves otherwise.

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According to the team, Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Javier Assad (oblique) has continued to remain in the bullpen sessions phase of his throwing program as he steadily works toward live batting practice the next step in his rehabilitation. The 27-year-old is still battling back from a nagging oblique injury that's plagued him since spring training. Assad appeared to be nearing a return in April, but a setback has robbed him of even more time. Currently, Chicago believes he'll still be able to contribute in 2025 and has tentatively scheduled him for a return in mid-August. Depending on how the remainder of his rehab goes, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Cubs be stingy with his workload when he rejoins the major league roster.

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The New York Post's Mike Puma reports that the New York Mets have designated outfielder Travis Jankowski for assignment. Second baseman Luisangel Acuna was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move. The 34-year-old joined the team a few weeks ago, but earned just one at-bat -- a sacrifice hit -- and was already the veteran's third stop this season (White Sox, Rays). Overall, in 2025, Jankowski is batting .244 (11-for-45) with two doubles, two steals, eight runs scored, and two RBI in 26 appearances. He'll be on the lookout for more work if he goes unclaimed.

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Per MLB Insider Robert Murray, the Baltimore Orioles are trading right-handed reliever Bryan Baker to the Tampa Bay Rays. The complete trade details have not been disclosed yet. Baker has been solid for Baltimore in 2025, pitching to the tune of a 3.52 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 49:9 K:BB ratio over 42 appearances (38 1/3 innings). He projects to provide the Rays with another middle-relief arm out of the bullpen, and could be used in high-leverage situations if necessary, as he'd earned ten holds with the Orioles. The Florida native can be avoided for fantasy purposes.

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MLB Network's Jon Heyman reports that the New York Mets are recalling second baseman Luisangel Acuna to the big-league squad. Acuna was demoted a few weeks back as he wasn't garnering frequent at-bats for New York, but he'll be up with the team on Thursday at least for their scheduled doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles. The 23-year-old has had trouble consistently impacting the game with his bat, but has been a critical piece for the Amazins' in late-game base-running and defensive situations due to his athleticism. In 12 appearances for Triple-A Syracuse in 2025, he's slashing a solid .289/.346/.378. It's unclear how long he'll stay in the majors, but he doesn't project to make a difference in fantasy lineups as of now.

From RotoBaller