MLB Player News

He drove in all three of Boston’s runs. He also had the only extra-base hits by either team in the contest. The double down the right-field line in the sixth, which knocked in two runs, would have been a homer in 11 parks. Story is batting .308/.328/.477 with three homers and six steals in 17 games. He’s striking out too much to keep hitting for average, but he’s quite the fantasy asset while he’s stealing bases like this.

Stroman had a 4.55 ERA in six starts since coming off the injured list at the end of June, but his last two outings against the Phillies (4 ER in 3 2/3 IP) and Rays (4 ER in 5 IP) were both pretty rough. This move might have led to some sort of grievance had Stroman had a shot at reaching 140 innings, which would have given him an $18 million player option for 2026, but since he was at just 39, there was no way he was getting there. This means that Cam Schlitter should stay in the rotation, but it does leave the Yankees lacking pitching depth with no potential for trades going forward. If someone gets hurt, Allan Winans is probably next in line for the rotation.

The Tigers will be putting Troy Melton in the bullpen after adding Morton and Chris Paddack this week. Morton might offer some mixed-league value in a better situation for pitchers in Detroit, but a road start against the Phillies seems like a bad matchup for him.

Keaschall, out since April with a fractured forearm, is still working to find his stroke, having gone 9-for-40 with no extra-base hits so far during his rehab assignment. It makes sense to wait for him to heat up before bringing him back, but he could have some mixed-league value over the final six or seven weeks.

We’ll see if Oliver Marmol follows suit. Romero has a nice 2.04 ERA this season, but he’s considerably more effective against lefties than righties and a good team should be playing matchups with him. Kyle Leahy and Riley O’Brien are the right-handed alternatives to Romero.

Nolan Gorman is coming back from the injured list, so it’s a good time for Arenado to shut things down for a spell and see if he can come back stronger. He’s hit just .175/.230/.211 in 61 plate appearances this month.

Happ didn’t start Wednesday because of a bruised shin, but he did homer off the bench against the Brewers. Seiya Suzuki is back at DH with Happ returning to the outfield.

Willi Castro has been activated for today’s game, but he’s not in the lineup. It’ll be interesting to see how the Cubs approach third base now that they have a viable alternative. Shaw was a great disappointment in the first half, but he’s hit .359/.375/.744 with four homers in 12 games since the break. It’d seem to be worth sticking with him for now and using Castro as more of a utilityman, but Castro is too useful not to have in the lineup the majority of the time.

They’re batting eighth and ninth behind first baseman Coby Mayo. Carlson should eventually be replaced by Dylan Beavers, but until the Orioles make the move, he’ll probably be a starting outfielder. Jackson is the best pick on the roster for the DH spot at the moment, but that’ll change once Ryan Mountcastle is activated, something that’ll probably happen no later than Monday.

The Reds lineup is less set now with Ke’Bryan Hayes joining the mix and Noelvi Marte becoming more of an outfielder, and it’ll probably mean more days off for all of the corner players. Gavin Lux had a rare absence against a righty last night, and with Marte making a third straight start in right, Hays is on the bench today.

Ozuna figures to mostly play against lefties after going untraded Thursday, but his nice game last night, when he singled in a run, walked three times and plated the go-ahead run in the 10th with a sac fly, has him in there against righty Brady Singer today. Sean Murphy is taking a seat after starting over Drake Baldwin against lefties the last two days. If Ozuna gets hot, it’d be bad news for both Braves catchers.