Pro Publica's Gus Garcia-Roberts reports that Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz rear-ended a motorcycle six years ago, killing all three of its passengers and jeopardizing his major-league baseball career. Cruz's parents brought in a fixer to pay off the victims' families so they would not sue and would not demand that prosecutors pursue the case. The fixer, Santo Caraballo, essentially saved Cruz's career and launched his own as one of the most powerful figures in Dominican baseball. Caraballo had also become business partners with Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz. A judge released Cruz on a bond of $34,000 after the incident. In court, a lawyer emphasized that Cruz was one of baseball's "five highest-ranked prospects internationally" and that the accident "hurts the whole town, Oneil above all, who for this will have to go to professional therapy so that he can cope with the trauma." Caraballo ultimately negotiated payments to the three victims' families that totaled nearly $70,000 in exchange for getting them to withdraw their claims against Cruz. The document filed in court states that the families sought to "withdraw" all legal claims against Cruz and that they had not received any "pecuniary interest" for withdrawing the claims. A Pro Publica review of the documents signed shows key differences between paperwork filed with the court and the document NOT filed with the court. It is unclear if Major League Baseball will look further into the matter or if Cruz will be subject to any kind of discipline.

From RotoBaller

Las Vegas' CF Henry Bolte scored 29.0 fantasy points going 6-for-17 with two home runs and two RBIs in five games this week. Bolte is owned only in 37.6% of mixed leagues.

Yankees' CF Spencer Jones had a slash line of .471/.550/.529 going 8-for-17 with 3 RBIs in five games this week. Jones is owned only in 47.6% of mixed leagues.

Houston's RF Cam Smith had a slash line of .333/.400/.833 going 6-for-18 with 4 RBIs in five games this week. Smith is owned only in 10.0% of mixed leagues.

Miami's CF Jakob Marsee had a slash line of .450/.500/.500 going 9-for-20 with 4 RBIs in five games this week. Marsee is owned only in 16.8% of mixed leagues.

Houston's C Yainer Diaz had a slash line of .500/.526/.556 going 9-for-18 with 3 RBIs in five games this week. Diaz is owned only in 38.4% of mixed leagues.

Kansas City's CF John Rave had three stolen bases and a .214 average with 2 RBIs in five games this week. Rave is owned only in 0.0% of mixed leagues.

Orioles' 1B Coby Mayo scored 27.0 fantasy points going 5-for-20 with four home runs and five RBIs in five games this week. Mayo is owned only in 14.3% of mixed leagues.

Rays' CF Victor Mesa Jr scored 32.5 fantasy points going 7-for-13 with three home runs and four RBIs in five games this week. Mesa Jr is owned only in 0.6% of mixed leagues.

Mets' CF A.J. Ewing scored 25.5 fantasy points going 9-for-20 with a home run and seven RBIs in five games this week. Ewing is owned only in 26.9% of mixed leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays' LF Richie Palacios had three stolen bases and a .364 average with 4 RBIs in four games this week. Palacios is owned only in 0.3% of mixed leagues.

Mets' SS Francisco Lindor had five RBIs going 3-for-5 with two home runs in a 12-2 win over the Yankees on Saturday, Sep. 12.

Rays' SP Ian Seymour recorded 10 strikeouts in 6 innings in a 3-2 win over the Astros on Saturday, Sep. 12.

Seattle's 2B Cole Young had five RBIs going 3-for-6 with a home run in a 19-1 win over Las Vegas on Saturday, Sep. 12.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo (shoulder) was scratched ahead of his scheduled start against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday. An MRI came back negative for any structural damage, and Luzardo is hopeful to get back on the mound next week, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. The southpaw is dealing with some shoulder stiffness after throwing a complete game during Monday's outing. The Phillies will give him rest and hope that Luzardo can return to the mound at some point next week. The expectation is that Luzardo will return at some point during the four-game series against the New York Mets next weekend. Fantasy managers will need to continue checking back for updates throughout the week.

From RotoBaller

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (elbow) was activated off the 10-day Injured List on Saturday. Eovaldi is back in the mix after going down on August 10 due to right elbow inflammation. The Rangers will have Eovaldi return to the pitching staff as a reliever. There's a chance that he'll build up towards a starter workload again, but for now, Eovaldi will be used out of the bullpen. The 36-year-old figures to be used in a multi-inning role, which likely won't result in a ton of fantasy value. The right-hander could become a cut candidate, with him unlikely to return to the starting rotation in time to help fantasy managers in the playoffs.

From RotoBaller

According to Chandler Rome, Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said the team is hopeful that Alvarez will be back in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Alvarez missed his second straight game on Saturday after sustaining an ankle injury during Thursday's contest. It sounds like a minor issue that isn't going to require Alvarez to land on the Injured List. Fantasy managers will need to check back ahead of the first pitch for another update on Alvarez. Yainer Diaz served as the designated hitter during Saturday's loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. The expectation is that Diaz would remain there if Alvarez is unable to play.

From RotoBaller

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Houston Astros are considering moving third baseman Carlos Correa (ankle) over to second base. Correa has been sidelined since undergoing left ankle surgery in mid-May. The organization is hopeful that Correa will be able to return for the final week of the regular season. He has been playing third base in Houston, but the Astros would like to shift him over to second base. If Correa plays second base, Jose Altuve can serve as the designated hitter. Most fantasy leagues might end before Correa gets back to the field. If not, Correa could be worth stashing in deep leagues for the final stretch of the season.

From RotoBaller

Minnesota Twins shortstop Kaelen Culpepper (shoulder) was removed from Saturday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. He was pulled from the contest after getting hit by a pitch in the upper back. The X-rays came back negative, so the team is considering Culpepper day-to-day with a shoulder contusion, according to Aaron Gleeman. Ryan Kreidler took over for Culpepper at shortstop for the rest of Saturday's game. The expectation is that Kreidler will see the bulk of the playing time there until the rookie shortstop is back in the mix. Fantasy managers should check back ahead of Sunday's contest for another update on his status.

From RotoBaller

The Athletics announced that they activated catcher Shea Langeliers (knee) from the 10-day injured list and optioned infielder Darell Hernaiz to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move. Langeliers will serve as the team's designated hitter and bat cleanup in his return on Saturday in Sacramento against the division-rival Seattle Mariners and right-hander Bryan Woo. It is a bit of a surprise that Langeliers is back with the A's before the end of the 2026 season after he had surgery on the meniscus in his right knee in late July. But now that he is back, fantasy managers should check to see if he is available on the waiver wire, as he could still make an impact at the plate for those still playing for a championship late in the season. The 28-year-old right-handed slugger returns to an eight-game hitting streak and a .263/.332/.497 slash line with an .829 OPS, 23 home runs, 51 RBI, 55 runs scored, and two stolen bases in his 376 at-bats this year. The first-time All-Star in 2026 is one of the best power-hitting backstops in baseball, and he is only rostered in 69% of Yahoo leagues. Langeliers has hit just .083 with a .166 OPS in 12 career at-bats against Woo.

From RotoBaller