Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker (knee) is starting in right field and batting second in Friday's series opener against the Chicago White Sox and right-hander Adrian Houser at Guaranteed Rate Field. Tucker injured his right knee on Tuesday when he fouled a ball off his leg, but he had Wednesday's game off and a scheduled travel day on Thursday to rest up. The 28-year-old left-handed slugger is feeling good enough to return to the field on Friday against the crosstown-rival White Sox. Fantasy managers will want to get the All-Star back into their lineups immediately. Tucker has a hit in just two career at-bats against Houser. He's been one of the best all-around fantasy players in his first year with Chicago, slashing .275/.383/.493 with an .876 OPS, 18 home runs, 57 RBI, 71 runs scored and 23 stolen bases. Tucker contributes across the board in a strong offense.

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The Cincinnati Reds have recalled right-handed pitching prospect Luis Mey from Triple-A Louisville prior to their contest on Friday evening against the Tampa Bay Rays. In a corresponding move, the Reds placed right-handed pitcher Scott Barlow on the paternity list. Mey made his MLB debut earlier this season and posted a 4.40 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP across 14 1/3 innings of work. During this brief stint, the 24-year-old was deployed entirely out of the bullpen. He posted a 24.2% K rate but showed weak command of his pitches, posting a hefty 16.1% walk rate. At Triple-A, Mey has seen time as a high-leverage relief option, tallying four saves across 25 1/3 innings while posting a 2.84 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP. Given his struggles during his first stint, fantasy managers should expect Mey to have a low-leverage role in the Cincinnati bullpen.

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New York Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones (back) is not in Friday's starting lineup as he is dealing with back spasms. However, Jack Curry of the YES Network noted that his absence is not related to a potential trade. Jones has been one of the most productive power hitters in the minors this season and is knocking on the MLB door. Jones opened the season with Double-A but needed just 49 games to prove he was ready to move up to the top level as he launched 16 long balls with a .983 OPS. Through his first 19 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Jones has hit an incredible 13 home runs and swiped six bags. Even though the Yankee outfield is quite crowded, Jones' elite power upside could still warrant a promotion. For now, he is worth stashing in all 12+ team five-outfielder leagues.

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Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (personal) is out of the starting lineup for Friday's series opener on the road at Fenway Park in Boston against his former team, the Red Sox, and right-hander Brayan Bello. Veteran Miguel Rojas will take over at the 6 and hit ninth against Bello. The 32-year-old former MVP is tending to a personal matter right now, but he's expected to rejoin the team on Saturday. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Saturday to see if he's back in the Dodgers' lineup. The Dodgers are still one of the best teams in the big leagues and could easily win back-to-back World Series titles, but Betts hasn't been himself in 2025. He's slashing just .238/.309/.370 with a .679 OPS, 11 homers 45 RBI, 59 runs and six steals in 370 at-bats. Betts has been worse in July, going 12-for-65 (.185) with two homers and four RBI in 16 games. Hopefully, a little time away will help his cause.

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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (back) remains out of action for Friday's series opener against the hosting Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, per Ryan Bass of Bally Sports. Taylor Walls is starting at shortstop and will hit eighth against Reds right-hander Nick Martinez. Kim injured his back on Monday and will miss his third straight game. The 29-year-old South Korean native didn't make his Rays debut until July 4 after having offseason surgery, and he's been in and out of the lineup with nagging injuries pretty much ever since. The 29-year-old's aggressive playing style doesn't help matters, especially on the basepaths. He offers some modest stolen base appeal when healthy and has gone 7-for-31 (.226) with a homer, three RBI and four steals in his 10 games. Walls has never faced Martinez in his career and will be a low-upside DFS sleeper.

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Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas (knee) is moving around well (without crutches) in the team's clubhouse while wearing flip-flops on Friday, according to Ian Brown of MLB.com. Casas has already been ruled out for the remainder of the year after having surgery last month to fix a ruptured patellar tendon in his left knee. The 25-year-old will continue to rehab his knee for the rest of the year, and he expects to be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign. It's good to see Casas walking around on his own, but it's still way too early to tell for sure if he'll indeed be 100 percent good to go by Opening Day in 2026. Boston is moving forward as of now with Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez in a platoon at the cold corner. Casas still has intriguing power from the left side and is only 25, but he's played only one of four MLB seasons over 100 games and still needs to prove himself.

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The Houston Astros announced on Friday that they placed left-hander Brandon Walter (elbow) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to July 24) with left-elbow inflammation and recalled right-hander Nick Hernandez from the minors in a corresponding move. The Astros' starting rotation has been decimated by injuries this year, as Walter will join Spencer Arrighetti, Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier, J.P. France and Lance McCullers Jr. as starters who are currently on the IL. The 28-year-old Walter has held his own in just his second year in the big leagues with Houston, going 1-3 with a 3.35 ERA (3.97 FIP) and 0.93 WHIP with 52 strikeouts and only four walks in 53 2/3 innings over his nine starts. It's unclear who will take the southpaw's spot in Houston's rotation, and despite how well he's pitched, he won't be guaranteed a starting spot when he comes back from his injury.

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The expectation is that Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Joe Boyle will join the team's starting rotation after the club optioned right-hander Taj Bradley to Triple-A Durham this week, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Boyle has looked strong in his first year with the Rays in 2025, but he's only appeared in five games (one start), allowing six runs (three earned) on six hits (one homer) while walking six and striking out 18 in 19 innings pitched. The 25-year-old's lone start came in his first big-league outing of the year on April 13 against the Braves, when he threw five shutout innings with two walks and seven K's for the win. Boyle has the stuff (100 mph fastball and nasty slider) to be effective in the big leagues, but his walk rate has been an issue in the past. Now that he's getting a shot at a rotation spot, he's certainly worth a waiver-wire pickup for those looking for starting depth in deeper formats.

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Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (groin), who is firmly on the trade block with the July 31 deadline approaching, is out of the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs with groin tightness, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Michael Taylor is playing center field for the Pale Hose and will hit eighth against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga. The 27-year-old Cuban outfielder is still hitting barely over the Mendoza Line this year in 286 at-bats, but he's in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak, which certainly helps his trade value. It makes his latest lower-body ailment even more frustrating for the White Sox and fantasy managers. As long as his hamstring injury doesn't land him on the injured list, there's still a pretty good chance he'll be deal. If Robert can keep swinging the bat well and lands with a contender, his fantasy stock could go up considerably the rest of the season.

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The Colorado Rockies reinstated infielder Thairo Estrada (thumb) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and optioned infielder Adael Amador to Triple-A Albuquerque in a corresponding move. Estrada will immediately start at second base for Friday's series opener against the hosting Baltimore Orioles while hitting sixth versus right-hander Dean Kremer at Camden Yards. The 29-year-old second baseman will return to action for the first time since spraining his thumb on July 7. He will return to starting duties at the keystone in Colorado, but although Estrada has hit .284 (33-for-116) on the year, he has limited fantasy upside as a light-hitting infielder on the worst team in baseball. The Venezuelan has added only two home runs, 18 RBI, 11 runs and one stolen base in 2025 after getting a late start to the year due to injury.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick (hamstring) did not return from the injured list on Friday for the series opener against the visiting Miami Marlins, according to Sophia Minnaert of Bally Sports. Frelick will go through a full pre-game workout as a final step, so it sounds like he could be back on Saturday for Game 2 of the series. The 25-year-old has been out recently with a left-hamstring strain. When Frelick returns, he'll be coming back to a strong .294/.354/.404 slash line with a .758 OPS, seven home runs, 39 RBI, 46 runs scored and 17 stolen bases in 344 at-bats this year. When he's ready to return, Frelick figures to see most of the playing time in right field for the Brew Crew, which could push Blake Perkins back to more of a bench role. Outside of his speed, Frelick doesn't offer a whole lot for fantasy managers.

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Detroit Tigers right-handed reliever Alex Lange (lat) allowed a run and two hits while walking none and striking out one with Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday as part of his minor-league rehab assignment, according to MLB.com. Lange threw a hitless inning with a walk and a strikeout for the Mud Hens on July 20, but he will need to throw on back-to-back days in the minors before the Tigers activate him from the 60-day injured list. The 29-year-old had surgery in June of last year to fix a right-lat avulsion, but he's nearing his return and could be ready to return to the majors in early August. The former first-rounder by the Chicago Cubs had a career-high 26 saves in 2023 with Detroit before getting injured in 2024. Lange has proven himself in high-leverage situations before, but expect the Tigers to ease him into their bullpen to close out the 2025 season.

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The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Friday that they placed outfielder Alek Thomas on the bereavement list and recalled outfielder Jorge Barrosa from Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move. Thomas will most likely miss the entire weekend series in Pittsburgh at PNC Park against the Pirates. Jake McCarthy is making the start in center field and will hit seventh in Friday's series opener against Pirates right-hander Mike Burrows. The 25-year-old Thomas is most useful for his range and glove on defense in center field. In his fourth year with the D-backs, he's hit a middling .246/.294/.366 with a career-best .660 OPS, five home runs, 26 RBI, 33 runs scored and five stolen bases in 292 trips to the plate over 90 games. Although McCarthy has gone just 13-for-93 (.140) on the year, he has more offensive upside in fantasy than Thomas.

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Chicago Cubs right-hander Javier Assad (oblique) had a nice showing in his first minor-league rehab start on Thursday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, tossing three shutout innings with one hit allowed, no walks and six strikeouts. It wasn't a bad showing at all, even if it wasn't against great competition, for Assad's first outing since April. The 27-year-old has been out all season, so he has a ways to go in his rehab assignment and won't be an option for the big-league club until at least mid-August, if not later. It's unclear if Assad will have a rotation spot waiting for him when he comes off the injured list, but he could have an opportunity based on the fact that lefty Justin Steele (elbow) is out for the year and Jameson Taillon (calf) is also on the IL. Still, Assad offers limited fantasy upside with a career 7.6 K/9 in 294 innings.

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Detroit Tigers right-hander Alex Cobb (hip) received injections in his left hip during the All-Star break to treat remaining inflammation in his hip, per MLB.com. Cobb then completed a bullpen session on Tuesday. The veteran has dealt with pain in both of his hips, but manager A.J. Hinch said that the team remains hopeful that Cobb will be able to return later in the season. The 37-year-old has been out all season, and fantasy managers should not be holding out the same hope that the Tigers are. Cobb has already had surgery on his left hip, and the fact that he's still dealing with issues isn't a good sign at all. We wouldn't be surprised at all if Cobb doesn't make it back to pitch for the Tigers this year. Even if Cobb does return to the Tigers this year, he could be relegated to a bullpen role. There's virtually zero upside here.

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The New York Yankees are acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies on Friday in exchange for pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz, a source tells MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. McMahon will join the Bronx Bombers as their starting third baseman as the Yankees look to get back to the World Series this fall. The 30-year-old McMahon is leaving one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball in Coors Field for Yankee Stadium's short porch in right field, but he'll be leaving the worst team in baseball for one of the better ones. McMahon was an All-Star for the first time last year but has hit just .217/.314/.403 with 16 home runs, 35 RBI, 42 runs and a league-leading 127 strikeouts in 100 games in 2025. A change of scenery and a better lineup around him could certainly help McMahon finish the year much stronger.

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Washington Nationals outfield prospect Robert Hassell III continued to swing a hot bat as he went deep for the second-straight contest on Thursday evening. Facing Triple-A Scranton, the No. 11-ranked prospect in D.C. went 3-for-5 with a long ball and a stolen base. This outing also extended his current hitting streak to seven games. During this impressive stretch, the 23-year-old has posted a .464/.545/.714 slash line with eight RBI, two home runs, and two stolen bases. Earlier this season, Hassell made his MLB debut but struggled, holding a modest .218/.228/.269 slash line with a .497 OPS across a 21-game stint. Given his impressive production at Triple-A, Hassell should be in the mix to return to the majors in the near future.

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Toronto Blue Jays left-handed pitching prospect Adam Macko tossed five shutout innings en route to picking up the victory over Triple-A Columbus on Thursday evening. In this outing, the left-hander allowed just one hit with two walks. He struck out five. This was a much-needed bounce-back outing for the southpaw as he entered this game holding a hefty 10.93 ERA with a 2.64 WHIP across his last 14 innings (four starts). Through 30 innings with Triple-A Buffalo this season, Mack has struggled to find consistency, sitting with a 6.90 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP across 30 innings. Earlier in the season, the Blue Jays noted that Macko could be in the mix for a promotion later in the season. For now, fantasy managers should leave him on the waiver wire. However, if he were to continue to turn the corner, he could be worth a look in deeper AL-only formats.

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The St. Louis Cardinals are hopeful that outfilder Lars Nootbaar (ribs) can start a rehab assignment as early as next week, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Nootbaar has been dealing with a ribcage/intercostal injury over the past month and has been on the injured list since July 13. Nootbar is currently slashing .227/.332/.381 on the season with 12 home runs, 37 RBI, 50 runs scored, and four stolen bases. While he has been on the shelf, Alec Burleson and Jordan Walker have been seeing more consistent playing time in the outfield, while Ivan Herrera has been occupying the designated hitter spot. The Cardinals currently sit two and a half games back in the NL wild-card race, so they will be looking to get Nootbar healthy as soon as possible. Fantasy managers will want to keep tabs on how he progresses next week and if he begins a rehab assignment or not. Once he is back in the lineup, Nootbaar is a decent outfield option in leagues that have five outfield spots.

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The New York Mets acquired left-handed reliever Gregory Soto from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday in exchange for minor-league pitchers Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster, league sources tell SNY's Andy Martino. The move comes after Soto picked up his first save of the season on Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians in the first game after the O's placed closer Felix Bautista (shoulder) on the injured list. The 30-year-old southpaw mostly served as a lefty specialist out of the bullpen for Baltimore this year and will likely do the same with his move to the National League East. It's bad news for fantasy managers that just picked Soto up off the waiver wire in hopes that he'd see more save chances with the O's. With Soto now gone, Seranthony Dominguez is the overwhelming favorite for saves in Baltimore until Bautista is able to return.

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