Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya (oblique) has resumed normal batting practice, catching bullpen sessions and throwing but is "not close" to game action yet, according to manager Craig Counsell. Amaya is recovering from a strained left oblique and will not come off the 10-day injured list before the All-Star break. However, if the 26-year-old continues to make progress and is able to go on a minor-league rehab assignment sooner than later, he could be ready to rejoin the Cubs as their primary backstop early in the second half of the season, which begins on July 18. In the meantime, Carson Kelly will draw the majority of starts behind the plate in Chicago. Kelly is having a fine first season on the North Side, hitting .267 (46-for-172) with nine homers and 29 RBI. He enters Wednesday's action riding a modest four-game hitting streak in which he's gone 6-for-13 with three doubles, three RBI and two runs scored.

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The Houston Astros transferred outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) to the 60-day injured list on Wednesday, according to the Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara. In an additional moves, the Astros placed infielder Luis Guillorme (hamstring) on the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain and recalled infielder Zack Short from Triple-A Sugar Land. Houston was hoping that Alvarez could rejoin the club before the All-Star break, but that is unlikely to happen now after the 28-year-old All-Star suffered a setback this week. It's turned into a lost season for the left-handed slugger, as he's been out since early May and has hit just .210/.306/.340 with three home runs, 18 RBI and seven runs scored. Fantasy managers must continue to stash Alvarez and keep their fingers cross that he can return for the start of the second half on July 18.

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San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish (elbow) threw a four-inning, 64-pitch simulated game against Single-A hitters in Lake Elsinore on Monday, which was his third sim game, according to MLB.com. Darvish is nearing a return to the big-league starting rotation, but it's unclear what his next step will be at this time. The 38-year-old Japanese hurler is currently on the 60-day injured list and has been out all season with right-elbow inflammation, but he could be back in early July, depending on whether the Friars want to send him on an official minor-league rehab assignment. The Padres certainly could use the help in the rotation with Michael King (shoulder) still sidelined, but they also don't want to rush the veteran hurler. Darvish can be useful as back-end rotation depth in mixed fantasy leagues, but he's no longer the dominant strikeout artist he was earlier in his career and will likely be eased back in from a pitch-count perspective when he does make his 2025 debut.

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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez is receiving the night off on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium against the visiting Chicago White Sox. Andy Pages is starting in right field and is batting fifth, while Tommy Edman makes the start in center field and hits eighth against White Sox left-hander Brandon Eisert. Hernandez went 2-for-4 in Tuesday's win over Chicago with an RBI and a run scored to break a stretch of three straight hitless games. While the 32-year-old veteran right-handed slugger hasn't been quite as good as he was in 2024 in his first year in L.A., the Dominican outfielder is still providing plenty across the board for fantasy managers with 14 long balls, 54 RBI and 41 runs scored in 270 at-bats in one of the best lineups in baseball. Pages is in the midst of a career year in just his second MLB season and has contributed 16 homers, 57 RBI and six steals in 82 games.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos will take the day off on Wednesday in the tilt versus the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Luis Matos will draw into the lineup in left field and will hit sixth against Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly. It's a good time for a breather for Ramos, who has gone 2-for-24 with eight strikeouts in his last six games played. The former first-rounder out of Puerto Rico is hitting a respectable .272 (88-for-323) on the year as an everyday player for the Giants and has added 13 homers, 44 RBI and five steals after being a first-time All-Star in 2024. Under the hood, though, he's sporting an xBA of .255 and xwOBA of .344. He's in the 55th percentile in hard-hit rate and 70th percentile in average exit velocity. Matos has a homer and two RBI while hitting .222 in nine career at-bats against Kelly.

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Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor (neck) is serving as the designated hitter and will bat cleanup on Wednesday against the division-rival San Francisco Giants and right-hander Landen Roupp. Pavin Smith will make another start at first base and bat third for Arizona. Naylor was in the original lineup on Tuesday before being scratched and missing his fourth straight game due to lingering soreness in his neck. The 28-year-old left-handed slugger will give it another go on Wednesday, though. Naylor's 10 homers for a first baseman leave plenty to be desired, but he hit .311/.366/.486 with three homers, 16 RBI and 12 runs in the month of June and is hitting .304 (89-for-293) on the year with 53 RBI, 42 runs and 10 steals in his first year with the Snakes. Nine of his 10 homers on the year have come against righties. Get him back into your starting lineups.

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Baltimore Orioles catcher Gary Sanchez (finger) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting fifth on Wednesday against the hosting Texas Rangers and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. Jacob Stallings will do the catching and will hit out of the nine-hole. Sanchez was forced from Tuesday's 10-2 loss to Texas early after taking a foul tip off his finger behind the plate. Luckily, X-rays came back negative on the 32-year-old veteran, and he'll remain in the lineup on Wednesday as the DH. The Orioles can't afford any more injuries to their catchers with Adley Rutschman, Maverick Handley and Chadwick Tromp all currently on the injured list. Sanchez has added fantasy value in two-catcher leagues while he sees regular playing time and can still run into a ball with plenty of power. Since June 14, Sanchez is batting .353 (18-for-51) with five homers, two doubles and 20 RBI in 14 games for the O's.

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Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's contest against the visiting Kansas City Royals. Mitch Garver is behind the plate and will catch right-hander Logan Gilbert while hitting sixth against Royals left-hander Noah Cameron. Raleigh is receiving just his third day off of the season. In all fairness, it's been hard for the M's to sit him down with how dominant he's been on offense in 2025. The 28-year-old switch-hitting catcher has been one of the best players in all of baseball this year and comes into Wednesday's action leading the league with 33 home runs and 71 RBI in 84 games. He's also added a superb .272/.383/.641 slash line, 1.024 OPS, 60 runs scored and nine stolen bases in 371 plate appearances. Even with some regression due in the second half, Raleigh is going to easily finish with a career year in 2025.

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Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer (hand) has been scratched ahead of Wednesday's game against the Boston Red Sox. Steer was hit in the hand by a pitch during the first game of the doubleheader earlier in the day. He was originally cleared to play in this game, but now they've decided to take the cautious approach. In his absence, Christian Encarnacion-Strand will take over the cold corner and bat eighth on Wednesday. It's worth noting that Encarnacion-Strand fouled a ball off his foot earlier on Wednesday and was out of the original lineup. He'll battle through the injury and play in the nightcap.

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Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe will start on the bench for Wednesday's contest in Atlanta against the Braves at Truist Park. Travis d'Arnaud is behind the plate to catch left-hander Yusei Kikuchi and will hit seventh against Braves right-handed rookie Didier Fuentes. O'Hoppe will take the day off after starting in each of the last four games behind the plate for the Halos while going 3-for-19 with a double. The 25-year-old starting backstop is one of the better offensive backstops in baseball and enters Wednesday's action with 17 home runs and 37 RBI despite hitting only .237 (57-for-250). O'Hoppe has gone 8-for-34 (.235) with three long balls, a double, six RBI and three runs in nine games over the last 14 days. d'Arnaud will be looking to make some noise against his former team, but he'll be a low-upside DFS play that has just four homers in his 124 at-bats in 2025.

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Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg (finger) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Texas Rangers. Westburg is set to miss his fifth game in a row due to a left finger sprain. It doesn't sound like the O's plan to place Westburg on the injured list despite him missing eight of the last 10 games. This is obviously a frustrating situation for fantasy managers, but they will have to remain patient. Ramon Urias will cover third base and bat seventh versus right-hander Nathan Eovaldi on Wednesday.

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Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Brennan Bernardino will serve as the opener ahead of Wednesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. The Red Sox have decided to go bullpen-game after having Brayan Bello pitch during the resumption of Tuesday's suspended contest. Bernardino figures to throw an inning before handing the ball off to Cooper Criswell who will pitch the bulk of the innings. Criswell doesn't offer enough upside to warrant streaming on Wednesday.

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Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer (hand) is in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Boston Red Sox. This is basically a doubleheader for the two teams who resumed play of a suspended game earlier in the day. During that game, Steer was hit in the hand by a pitch in the seventh inning. Despite that, Steer is in the lineup for the nightcap. He did experience swelling in his hand, but will play again just hours after getting hit. Steer finished the first game 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI in the loss. He'll bat fifth and cover first base versus left-hander Brennan Bernardino for Game 2.

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Cincinnati Reds corner infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand (foot) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Boston Red Sox. This is basically a doubleheader for the two teams who resumed play of a suspended game earlier in the day. During that game, Encarnacion-Strand fouled a ball off his foot which resulted in him exiting the contest. As a result, the Reds are going to play it safe and hold him out of the second game. It's unclear if Encarnacion-Strand will require additional testing, but for now fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day. Spencer Steer and Santiago Espinal will cover the corner infield spot on Wednesday night.

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New York Mets relief pitcher Huascar Brazoban has been named the opener for Wednesday's Game 2 of the doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers. Brazoban figures to throw an inning or two before handing the ball off to Blade Tidwell for the bulk of the innings. This is the third time that the Mets have used Brazoban as an opener this season. He won't be a recommended streaming option, especially considering he was tagged for four earned runs during his most recent outing. Tidwell has been hit around quite a bit as well, so fantasy managers should avoid this situation.

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The Detroit Tigers recalled outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy from Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday and optioned right-hander Dylan Smith to Toledo after Game 1 of their doubleheader against the Washington Nationals. Malloy will serve as the designated hitter and will bat leadoff in Game 2 of the doubleheader on Wednesday against Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore. The Tigers sent Malloy down to the farm earlier this year after he was hitting .215 with a homer, 16 RBI, 13 runs and 31 strikeouts in 115 plate appearances. The 25-year-old responded by slashing .321/.491/.444 with two home runs, 17 RBI, 18 runs scored and three steals for the Mud Hens in 24 games played. The former sixth-rounder by the Atlanta Braves in 2021 has barely hit over .200 in 116 big-league games the last two years, but he could see some playing time against lefties in Detroit now that he's rejoined the team.

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Detroit Tigers outfielders Riley Greene and Parker Meadows will both take a seat for Game 2 of their doubleheader on Wednesday in D.C. against the hosting Washington Nationals. Jahmai Jones is starting in left field and batting third, while Wenceel Perez is making the start in right field and is hitting sixth against Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore. Justyn-Henry Mallow, who was called up from Triple-A Toledo, is serving as the designated hitter and is batting leadoff. Detroit will give Greene and Meadows the second game off against a tough lefty after he did plenty of damage in the Game 1 victory with two home runs and six RBI. Greene is in the midst of a breakout in 2025 for the first-place Tigers and is now up to 21 home runs in 84 games. Meadows is still trying to find his groove at the plate after a late start to the year and went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts in Game 1.

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New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham (hamstring) and catcher Austin Wells(finger) remain out of the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays. Cody Bellinger is patrolling center field and is batting third, while Ben Rice will do the catching and hit leadoff versus Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios. Grisham is missing a second straight game with a left-hamstring injury, but he's hopeful to avoid a trip to the injured list before the All-Star break. He's just two homers away from tying his career-high but has slowed down considerably since earlier this season at the plate. Wells is dealing with arterial damage to his left index finger and will miss his fourth straight game. It's entirely possible that both Grisham and Wells will land on the IL if they don't improve soon and get back into the lineup. Both Rice and Bellinger are fine DFS plays on Wednesday against Berrios.

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Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper and catcher J.T. Realmuto are both on the bench for Game 2 of the team's doubleheader on Wednesday against the visiting San Diego Padres. Rookie Otto Kemp will start at first base and bat sixth, while Rafael Marchan will do the catching and hit eighth against Padres right-hander Dylan Cease. Harper made his return from the injured list from right-wrist inflammation for the series-opening win on Monday against SD and went 0-for-2 with a walk. He went 1-for-4 with two walks in a 6-4 loss in Game 1 on Wednesday. The Phillies won't overwhelm the two-time MVP right after his return, but he should be back for Friday's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds. Realmuto went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in the Game 1 loss. Realmuto came into the day with just five hits in his last 27 at-bats in seven games since June 22.

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Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that shortstop Bo Bichette (knee) is "feeling better today than he did yesterday," but he remains out of the starting lineup on Wednesday against the division-rival New York Yankees. "He's going through a little bit more of a regular day and the hope would be that he'd be available today (off the bench) if we need him," Schneider said. Ernie Clement will start at the 6 and will hit sixth versus Yankees right-hander Will Warren. Bichette tweaked his right knee stepping on a ball during pre-game batting practice on Monday and will miss his third straight start, but it sounds like the 27-year-old could play in Thursday's series finale against the Bombers. The former second-rounder had an injury-plagued and disappointing 2024 campaign but has bounced back nicely in 2025 and is once again a must-start in fantasy when he's active.

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