The Cleveland Guardians are promoting former first overall pick second baseman Travis Bazzana to Triple-A Columbus. Bazzana was the top pick in last year's MLB Draft out of Oregon State and is now just one stop away from the major leagues. After earning a brief taste of High-A following the draft last summer, Cleveland opted for Bazzana to open the 2025 campaign at Double-A. However, the 22-year-old missed time with injuries which halted his development. Since returning from the injured list, Bazzana has looked quite impressive at Double-A, which has resulted in his promotion. Through his last 18 games, he has held a .265/.367/.412 line with a .799 OPS. In 51 total games with Akron, Bazzana has carried a .256/.364/.426 line. He is worth monitoring as the Guardians could give him a brief taste of the majors before the end of the season.

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The New York Mets have promoted first base prospect Ryan Clifford to Triple-A Syracuse, according to MiLB Central. Clifford was considered their No. 7-ranked prospect in their system prior to the promotion. The corner infielder has spent the entire season at Double-A. Through 105 games with Binghamton, Clifford posted a .243/.355/494 line with an .848 OPS. He tallied 18 doubles and launched an impressive 24 long balls while holding a 113:63 K:BB. During his first extended look at Double-A in 2024, Clifford held a lower .231/.359/.456 slash line with a .815 OPS. Fantasy managers should monitor his status at Triple-A, but it does not appear Clifford will be in the mix to join the MLB roster for the stretch run, as Pete Alonso is no danger to lose at-bats in the major leagues.

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New York Mets infield prospect Jett Williams is set to be promoted to Triple-A Syracuse. Williams is considered their top-ranked prospect in the system on MLB Pipeline. The former 14th overall pick from the 2022 MLB Draft has spent the entire campaign at Double-A. Through 96 total games, Williams has enjoyed a very productive season, posting a .281/.390/.477 slash line with 29 doubles, 10 home runs, and 32 stolen bases. This was a much-needed bounce-back season for Williams as she struggled across the minor leagues last summer. Through 33 games split between Low-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, Williams held a much-lower .215/.358/.298 line with a low .656 OPS. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on Williams as he could be in the mix to join the Mets for their playoff push if he can find his footing early at Triple-A.

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Toronto Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman couldn't find the plate on Sunday, but he somehow picked up the win in a 5-4 defeat of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hoffman entered in the bottom of the eighth with a 4-3 lead, two outs, and runners on first and second. He walked Will Smith to load the bases and issued another free pass to Freddie Freeman to tie the game. Hoffman then got Michael Conforto to foul out to escape the jam with minimal damage. After the Jays regained a one-run lead on a ninth-inning Ernie Clement homer, they trotted Hoffman back out to finish the game. While he did get an out on a sacrifice bunt, Hoffman walked the other three hitters he faced to load the bases again. That was enough for manager John Schneider to replace Hoffman with Mason Fluharty, who earned his first save by striking out Shohei Ohtani and inducing a Mookie Betts groundout. Thanks to Fluharty's heroics, Hoffman improved to 7-4 despite walking five hitters, throwing a mere 10 strikes on 33 pitches, and collecting his fifth blown save in 31 opportunities. He recorded two outs and didn't allow an earned run, but his BB/9 skyrocketed from 2.04 to 3.00. The Jays and fantasy managers can only hope Hoffman's sudden loss of control on Sunday was a fluke.

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Washington Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore (5-12) dominated the San Francisco Giants in an 8-0 blowout on Sunday to lock down his fifth win of the season. Gore threw six shutout innings and allowed three hits with 10 strikeouts against one walk in a much-needed return to form. After earning a place on the NL All-Star team in the first half of the season, Gore has allowed six-plus earned runs in three of five second-half outings. In his previous start, a 16-7 loss to the Athletics on Aug. 5, Gore was lit up for eight earned runs on 12 hits with no strikeouts and a walk across three innings. After rebounding on Sunday, he'll head into his next start Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies with a 4.09 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP, and 158:47 K:BB in 132 frames. Gore has excelled in two meetings this year with the Phillies, who have combined for just three earned runs and six hits with 19 strikeouts and no walks over 12 innings.

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New York Yankees ace Max Fried's recent slide continued in a 7-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Sunday. Fried fell to 12-5 after surrendering four earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and one walk in five innings. The All-Star southpaw has only recorded one quality start in seven tries since July 1. Over that 36-inning span, Fried has given up 24 earned runs and 41 hits with 31:15 K:BB. Fried still owns a stingy 2.94 ERA with a 1.10 WHIP and 135:36 K:BB across 144 innings, but the Yankees and fantasy managers need him to get back on track with time running out in the regular season. He's scheduled to face the St. Louis Cardinals on the road on Saturday.

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St. Louis Cardinals reliever JoJo Romero recorded four outs on Sunday to close out a 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs and collect his third save of the year. The left-hander had to work around three singles and a walk in his 1 1/3 innings, but he managed his 13th scoreless appearance in 14 tries since the beginning of July. Romero now has a microscopic 1.98 ERA with 38:18 K:BB and a 52.3% groundball rate over 41 innings. He should continue to receive save opportunities thanks to the departure of former Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, whom they sent to the New York Mets at the July 31 trade deadline.

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Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Keegan Akin blew a save and received the loss in Sunday's 3-2 defeat to the Athletics. He entered the ninth with a one-run lead but ultimately gave up a two-run double to Willie MacIver. His final line was two runs on two hits and one walk with two strikeouts in one inning. This is the second loss he's taken in his last four appearances, but he did lock down a successful save on Friday. The 30-year-old became the favorite for the ninth inning after a Felix Bautista injury and Seranthony Dominguez trade, and figures to remain there despite the poor performances. The Orioles have nothing to play for in 2025, and Akin's 3.56 ERA still represents one of the better marks in their bullpen.

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Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Albert Suarez (shoulder) is expected to start a rehab assignment on Tuesday or Wednesday, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. The 35-year-old made just one appearance this year, on March 28, before suffering a right subscapularis strain in his throwing shoulder. While it's good to finally see him throwing again, his rehab stint is likely to be a lengthy one if the plan is to use him as a starting pitcher. With less than two months left in the season, time is running out for Suarez to make an impact in 2025. The other option would be to use him in some type of relief role, but either way, he is an afterthought for fantasy purposes.

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Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tyler Wells (elbow) tossed four shutout innings for Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday in his third appearance of his rehab stint. He allowed one hit and one walk while striking out five. The 30-year-old hasn't allowed a run in any of his 8 rehab innings, and he built up to 52 pitches in this one. He hasn't pitched all season while recovering from a UCL surgery that sidelined him for most of 2024, too. Wells' last significant workload came in 2023, when he posted a 3.64 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 118 innings. He'll likely need at least one more rehab start if the Orioles plan to make him a starting pitcher for the remainder of the season.

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Landen Roupp (elbow) started for Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, allowing two earned runs on three hits and no walks while striking out four over three innings. This was his first rehab start as he works his way back from elbow inflammation, and he threw 50 pitches in this outing. The 26-year-old's velocity was back to where it was before the injury, so this was a successful step in his recovery overall. He'll likely need at least one more start before he's ready to rejoin the major league rotation, where he'll look to build on his 3.11 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 101 innings.

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Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon (calf) allowed one run on three hits and no walks while striking out six over 4 innings on Friday for Triple-A Iowa. It was his second rehab start as he works his way back from a right calf strain. He threw 78 pitches in the outing, which was much more successful than his first rehab appearance, where he got hit hard for seven earned runs. The Cubs had a spot in the rotation open back up with Michael Soroka landing on the injured list, and Taillon could be ready to step back into that spot when the turn comes around. The 33-year-old was 7-6 with a 4.44 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 95 innings before the injury, which has kept him out since June 29.

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New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz experienced a tough time on the mound during Sunday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Ryan Helsley gave up the lead in the eighth inning by allowing one run. Diaz came in and escaped the jam to end the eighth inning. However, Diaz came back out for the ninth inning in a tied game and allowed a walk-off home run to Isaac Collins. This is not a good look for the new Mets bullpen as they get swept by the Brewers over the weekend.

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Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras gave his team a big lift during Sunday's game against the New York Mets. He got his team's scoring started with a solo home run off left-hander Sean Manaea in the fourth inning. Contreras continued the fun with a two-run shot off relief pitcher Reed Garrett in the following inning. He finished this game 3-for-4 at the plate with a single, two homers, and three RBI in the win. After that game, Contreras is slashing .255/.354/.389 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI on the season.

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Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller (elbow) is scheduled to make a third rehab start with Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday. Miller is expected to throw around 80-to-85 pitches during this outing. The assumption is that this will be Miller's final rehab start before rejoining the Mariners rotation. The right-hander has been sidelined since early June due to elbow inflammation. Barring any setbacks, Miller should be back in Seattle following this outing. If available, Miller is well worth a stash for fantasy managers looking for pitching help.

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According to Thomas Harding, Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chase Dollander is expected to be recalled to start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday. Dollander was optioned to the minors after a few brutal starts in Colorado. He currently holds a 6.68 ERA across 15 starts with the Rockies this season. The Rockies season is obviously a loss at this point, so they might as well give their 23-year-old prospect a chance to pitch. He's not worth a look in fantasy leagues until he can put together a few decent outings in the MLB.

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Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Martin Perez (elbow) appears to be nearing his return from the 60-day injured list. On Sunday, manager Will Venable told reporters that Perez will throw a bullpen session before they decide the next steps. The veteran southpaw tossed four innings during a rehab start with Triple-A Charlotte on Friday. It's unclear if Perez will need another rehab outing or if he'll return after throwing this next bullpen session. Regardless, it sounds like Perez is close to getting back on the mound for the White Sox. Perez has been sidelined since late April due to a left flexor strain. It's unclear how much the rebuilding White Sox plan to use Perez down the stretch of the season. The 34-year-old probably isn't worth stashing in fantasy formats right now.

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Houston Astros right-hander Cristian Javier (elbow) will come off the 60-day injured list to start against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. It'll be Javier's first appearance in the majors since May 21, 2024. Javier missed most of last season and has been out all of this year as a result of Tommy John surgery. Before going under the knife, he posted a solid 3.59 ERA in 116 appearances (82 starts) and 501 innings with the Astros in parts of five seasons. The 28-year-old made five rehab starts in the minors this season and put up a 5.14 ERA with a 1.79 WHIP, 15 strikeouts, and 15 walks over 14 frames. With Javier having thrown 77 pitches in his final rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Aug. 5, the Astros believe he's ready to return to the bigs. He'll face a formidable opponent in the Red Sox, who rank fourth in the majors in runs.

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Injured Los Angeles Dodgers relievers Michael Kopech (knee) and Kirby Yates (back) will throw live batting practice during the upcoming week, manager Dave Roberts announced. Kopech will face hitters on Monday, and Yates will follow him on Wednesday. The Dodgers have gone without Kopech since late June as a result of right-knee surgery. Yates, on the 15-day IL with pain in his lower back since July 29, seems closer to returning than Kopech. While Kopech will likely need to throw batting practice multiple times, Yates could go on a rehab assignment immediately if he gets through Wednesday without any issues. The reigning World Series champion Dodgers are hoping to get Kopech and Yates back later this month as they head toward another playoff berth.

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Los Angeles Dodgers utility player Enrique Hernandez (elbow) is pain-free in his left elbow and ready to ramp up baseball activities, manager Dave Roberts told reporters. Roberts added that Hernandez could return in early September. The 33-year-old has already missed just over a month since elbow inflammation forced him to the 10-day injured list on July 7. Hernandez didn't make much of an impact with the bat in 72 games before then, as he hit .195/.259/.367 with eight homers, 22 RBI, and 23 runs scored over 186 plate appearances. He has continued to provide defensive versatility this season, however, with double-digit starts at four positions (first, second, third, and left field).

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