Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Chris Bassitt was solid on Thursday, tossing 5 innings of three-run ball and picking up his eighth win of the season in a 8-5 victory over the New York Yankees. Bassitt did allow eight hits and three walks, but was able to escape with limited damage, partially due to his nine punchouts. The 36-year-old veteran has been decent this year, going 8-4 with a 4.32 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and 102 strikeouts in 100 IP. The numbers are a little inflated by his last start, an eight-run disaster against the Boston Red Sox, but other than that he has been his usual reliable self. He should still be rostered in most formats, but is pretty matchup dependent and is prone to bad outings once in a while. Bassitt will look for good results next Tuesday in Chicago against the White Sox, a matchup in which he should be started in all fantasy leagues.

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Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano was electric on Thursday, tossing seven scoreless frames against the Atlanta Braves and earning his sixth win of the season. Soriano scattered three hits and two walks while punching out seven in this one. Even more impressively, the Braves didn't even get a runner into scoring position against him. It was a much-needed bounce-back start for the 26-year-old, who had a tough outing against Washington last time out. Other than that, though, Soriano has been brilliant lately. He has quality starts in four of his last five outings and has struck out 39 in 31 IP over that stretch. On the season, he has a 6-5 record with a 3.72 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 91 strikeouts over 104 IP. He will look to keep the good times rolling against the Texas Rangers at home next Tuesday. Soriano should be rostered in standard-size leagues at this point, and can be started next week with a favorable matchup on tap.

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Colorado Rockies second baseman Thairo Estrada had a big game on Thursday, going 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI in a 7-6 win over the Houston Astros. Estrada hit a two-run shot in the first inning, had an RBI-groundout in the third, and capped his day with an RBI-single in the seventh. Estrada is now hitting .317 with eight runs, two homers, 18 RBI, and a stolen base in 101 at-bats. He will need to hit for a bit more power and steal more bases if he's going to be valuable in fantasy like he was in his earlier years, but he is on an upward trend right now. Estrada doesn't need to be rostered, but he is someone to keep an eye on.

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Toronto Blue Jays third baseman/outfielder Addison Barger continued his breakout campaign on Thursday, going 3-for-4 with a homer and two doubles in a 8-5 win over the New York Yankees. Barger hit an RBI double in the first, doubled again in the third, and then hit a solo shot in the fifth. He is now up to a .272 AVG with 34 runs, 11 homers, 32 RBI, and two steals in 213 at-bats. The 25-year-old has been a revelation for the Jays, and he is actually underperforming his statcast data. There may be something special here, and Barger is certainly worth picking up in case this breakout is for real. He is still out there in plenty of leagues, and he should be rostered in all but the shallowest of leagues at this point.

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Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto led the charge on Thursday, going 3-for-5 with a homer, a double, a stolen base, and three runs scored in a 5-1 win over the Atlanta Braves. Neto was all over the scoresheet in this one, which was sorely needed after an 0-for-13 slump that dated back to when he jammed his shoulder on June 24. He hasn't looked quite right since then, but tonight he was back to his usual self. The 24-year-old is hitting .270 with 49 runs, 13 homers, 30 RBI, and 14 stolen bases while hitting at the top of a decent Angels lineup. His power/speed combo is perfect for fantasy, and it makes him a top-12 option at shortstop. He should be owned and started in virtually all fantasy formats.

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray was at his best on Thursday, shutting down the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 7-2 win. Ray went the distance, allowing just two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out seven. Both runs came on solo homers, so he was able to minimize the damage. It was Ray's first complete game since 2017, as he usually isn't as efficient as he was tonight (102 pitches). Ray is now 9-3 with a 2.68 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 117 strikeouts over 107 IP. It has been a great start to his Giants tenure, and he will look to keep it going next Tuesday when he takes on the Philadelphia Phillies in San Fran. He is a must-start pitcher regardless of matchup, so he should be in fantasy lineups even against a tough Phillies offense.

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Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Owen Caissie went 2-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI, and an additional run scored in a 12-3 win against Triple-A Omaha. The slugging outfielder is coming off a scorching month of June, where he hit .316/.435/.605 with five homers in 76 at-bats. The 22-year-old's strikeout rate still sits north of 30 percent for the season, but he consistently hits the ball hard with the ability to lift it for power. He's displayed a disciplined approach for his age as well, and is only behind Roman Anthony and Harry Ford for the highest walk rate among hitters age 22 or younger at Triple-A this season. Caissie is currently ranked as the number one prospect in the Cubs system according to MLB.com.

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Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Andrew Painter allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts across five innings against Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 6'7" right-hander racked up 16 whiffs on 52 swings for the night, but ran into some trouble in the fourth inning when he gave up all four runs. He filled up the strike zone, however, with 65 of his 95 pitches going for strikes. Painter hasn't been quite as dominant at Triple-A compared to some of the lower levels he mowed through, as he holds a 4.57 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and a 52:19 K:BB in 45.1 innings in 2025. The 22-year-old has great stuff while still developing his command. The Phillies' top pitching prospect could be called up to help reinforce the bullpen with the big league club later on in the season.

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According to sources briefed on their thinking, the Kansas City Royals are interested in acquiring Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds. However, talks between the two teams haven't commenced in earnest. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal points out that the Royals are last in the league in runs per game. If the 30-year-old Reynolds is still the above-average offensive player he was from 2021-24, then he's underpaid relative to the free-agent market. But if he continues to struggle like he has in the first half of this year, the $74 million he's owed from 2026-30 could become a problem. Reynolds' OPS has slowly improved with the weather heating up, but his defensive metrics are poor, and it's unclear exactly how much the Pirates would ask for him. His advanced metrics paint an optimistic picture, as his xBA (.283) is well above his actual average (.237), and he's in the 82nd percentile in hard-hit rate.

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Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer's red-hot run continued in an 8-5 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday. Springer belted a pair of two-run homers, his 14th and 15th of the season, in a 3-for-4 night. He also drew a walk and scored an additional run as Toronto finished off a four-game sweep of New York. Springer had a dream series against the Yankees, going 8-for-14 with four HRs, 11 RBI, seven runs, and four walks. After a down 2024, the 35-year-old has returned to his past star-caliber form during the first half of this season. He's hitting an outstanding .281/.378/.513 with 51 RBI, 49 runs, 10 steals, and a career-high 13.1% walk rate in 321 trips to the plate.

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Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood delivered a spectacular performance Thursday to help lead the Nats to an 11-7 victory over the Detroit Tigers. The budding superstar went 5-for-5 with a solo homer, two RBI, and three runs scored in one of the best games of his young career. Wood, named as a Home Run Derby participant on Thursday, has clubbed 23 HRs and slashed .294/.395/.563 with 67 RBI, 58 runs, and 12 steals in 387 plate appearances. Along with those superb numbers, Wood ranks in the top 4% of hitters in xwOBA, xSLG, and average exit velocity, among other batted-ball metrics. He already looks like an elite offensive player at the age of 22.

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Houston Astros outfielder Cam Smith posted another productive performance in a 7-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Thursday. The 22-year-old rookie finished a home run short of the cycle in a 3-for-5, three-RBI game. He now has three straight multi-hit games and six in his past seven contests. Smith understandably got off to a slow start over the first few weeks of the season as he adjusted to the bigs. Now, just one year removed from going in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft, Smith has established himself as a quality regular. He's slashing .291/.359/.445 with seven homers, 38 RBI, 34 runs scored, and four steals in 281 trips to the plate. Smith ranks in the top 25 percent of hitters in xwOBA and xBA, making his output all the more impressive.

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Miami Marlins reliever Ronny Henriquez earned his fifth save of the year in a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. Henriquez threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning on 15 pitches and struck out one. The 23-year-old right-hander has emerged as the favorite for saves in Miami, which had mostly used Calvin Faucher in the closer role until the past couple of weeks. Faucher threw a scoreless eighth inning on Thursday for his fifth hold. Henriquez, meanwhile, has converted all four of his save opportunities since June 22. He now owns a 2.79 ERA with 58 strikeouts, 16 walks, and a 1.19 WHIP in 42 innings.

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Colorado Rockies reliever Seth Halvorsen got four outs to log his seventh save in the team's 7-6 win over the Houston Astros on Thursday. Halvorsen inherited runners on the corners in a 7-5 game in the top of the eighth, but he retired Isaac Paredes to escape the trouble. The ninth was trickier for Halvorsen, who gave up three hits (including a leadoff triple to Jake Meyers) and a run before getting Cooper Hummel to fly out to end the game. Halvorsen threw 26 pitches and struck out one in the outing. The 25-year-old right-hander has recorded a 4.15 ERA with 32 strikeouts, 15 walks, and a 1.44 WHIP in 34 2/3 innings. Between those unspectacular numbers and the lack of save opportunities that come with pitching for the last-place Rockies, Halvorsen is not much of a fantasy asset.

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Toronto Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman recorded his 21st save of the year in an 8-5 victory against the New York Yankees on Thursday. Hoffman allowed a one-out double to Jasson Dominguez, but he retired the other three hitters (one via strikeout) in a 16-pitch ninth inning. Like many of his teammates, Hoffman had a great series in a four-game sweep of the Yankees. He saved three of those victories and has now gone eight appearances without allowing an earned run. The 32-year-old has converted 84% of save chances this season while registering a 4.58 ERA with 50:10 K:BB and a 1.07 WHIP in 36 1/3 frames. Hoffman has pitched four times in the past five days, meaning the Jays will likely rest him against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday.

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New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz threw a scoreless ninth inning to finish off a 3-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. Diaz allowed a one-out single to Christian Yelich, who was then thrown out trying to steal second. The 31-year-old right-hander struck out the other two hitters he faced en route to his 18th save in 19 tries. Diaz has earned saves in back-to-back nights on a total of 37 pitches. The two-time All-Star boasts a 1.85 ERA with a 0.91 WHIP, 51 strikeouts, and 12 walks in 34 innings.

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Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow (shoulder) made his third rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday. Glasnow tossed 78 pitches over 4 1/3 innings and yielded three earned runs on six hits. The 31-year-old struck out eight, walked one, and threw 51 pitches for strikes. That may go down as the final rehab start for Glasnow, who has been out for two-plus months with shoulder inflammation. He last pitched April 27 and hit the shelf with a 4.50 ERA, 23:11 K:BB, and a 1.28 WHIP over 18 innings. When he does come back, Glasnow has the potential to serve as an electrifying addition for the Dodgers and fantasy managers down the stretch. However, injuries have been a consistent problem throughout his career.

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New York Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt (forearm) will undergo an MRI on his right forearm on Friday, manager Aaron Boone told reporters. The injury forced Schmidt to leave the team's 8-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday after throwing three innings of three-run ball. Boone acknowledged that a trip to the 10-day injured list is a possibility for Schmidt. The Yankees would have trouble replacing Schmidt from within if he lands on the shelf for an extended period. The 29-year-old has made 14 starts and gone 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and 75:30 K:BB over 78 2/3 innings.

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The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal writes that Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia could be an interesting trade candidate with the Rangers' odds of making the playoffs at under 25%. Garcia is under club control through next season, is a two-time All-Star and has been better since being benched so he could make mechanical adjustments in late May, but if he continues to falter in the second half of the season, he could be a non-tender candidate. Rosenthal adds that Garcia is strong on defense, so if he continues to produce with the bat, he'll have higher trade value this summer than in the offseason or at next year's trade deadline. The 32-year-old Cuban slugger hit 39 homers and drove in 107 in 2023, but he's now produced two straight seasons with a sub-.700 OPS. The good news is there's time for a rebound, and Garcia is in the 85th percentile in hard-hit rate and has a higher xBA (.248) than actual average (.232).

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The Cleveland Guardians recalled left-hander Doug Nikhazy on Thursday as Luis L. Ortiz was placed on the restricted list. Kolby Allard was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Nikhazy was hit hard in his MLB debut on April 26, allowing six earned runs in three innings. He's posted a 10.5% walk rate at Triple-A and continues to struggle with control, despite a solid 24.1% strikeout rate. The 25-year-old owned a 4.56 ERA and 1.46 WHIP across 49 1/3 innings with Triple-A Columbus. With a fastball averaging just 89.6 mph, Nikhazy offers little upside and should only be monitored in deep AL-only leagues.

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