Boston Red Sox outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia went 3-for-6 with two doubles and a home run across a doubleheader against Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday. This was another dominant showing from the No. 99-ranked prospect in the sport on MLB.com. Over his last 16 contests, Garcia has been one of the most dominant hitters at the Triple-A level, posting a .333/.380/.576 slash line with four doubles and four home runs. During this stretch, he has tallied 16 RBI and crossed home plate 14 times. After starting the campaign at Double-A Portland, Garcia only needed 33 games to prove he was ready to join the top ranks of the minor leagues. Through his first 52 games at Worcester, Garcia has held a .298/.365/.556 line. He is worth monitoring as he could be promoted later in the season if the Red Sox remain in the Wild Card race.

Colorado Rockies outfield prospect Cole Carrigg went 1-for-5 with a single and swiped three bags during their contest against Double-A Reading on Friday evening. Carrigg would swipe all three bags in the same inning. He hit a single and then proceeded to swipe second and third, before stealing home base. This was his second-straight contest at Double-A, stealing at least one base. Through 90 games with Hartford this season, Carrigg has stolen an impressive 40 bases while holding a .243/.334/.404 line. He has launched 11 long balls and added 12 doubles. He is worth monitoring as he should be in the mix to join Triple-A later in the second half.

Chicago White Sox outfield prospect Braden Montgomery went 2-for-4 with a long ball during his contest against Double-A Rocket City on Friday evening. This was only his third game at the Double-A level, but he wasted little time to his first career home run. During his first three games with Double-A Birmingham, Montgomery went 2-for-13 with a stolen base and a 9:1 K:BB. Earlier in the season, the former 12th overall pick in last year's MLB Draft spent 69 games with High-A. During this stint, Montgomery posted a solid .260/.348/.445 slash line with 17 doubles, eight home runs, five stolen bases, and a 70:32 K:BB. Fantasy managers should expect Montgomery to spend the remainder of the second half at Double-A. He is in play to reach the majors later next season.

Cleveland Guardians reliever Cade Smith (3-4) earned his third victory of the season in a 3-2 game against the Minnesota Twins on Friday. Smith threw two scoreless innings, the ninth and the 10th, and allowed just one base runner on a hit by pitch. The right-hander struck out three and tallied 23 pitches. Smith has served as a setup man for the Guardians, but he figures to work as their closer for as long as Emmanuel Clase is out. Major League Baseball placed Clase on administrative leave Monday as part of a sports betting investigation. Smith has been outstanding since he made his debut last year, making him a qualified fill-in for Clase. The 26-year-old has a 3.00 ERA (2.05 FIP) with a 1.20 WHIP, 68:17 K:BB, 19 holds, and three saves over 48 innings this season.

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras led a 25-hit barrage in a 16-9 defeat of the Washington Nationals on Friday. Contreras finished 5-for-7 with a homer, two RBI, and three runs scored in a game that saw eight Brewers collect multiple hits. Contreras, now with four straight multi-hit games, has gone a sizzling 12-for-19 with three homers, five RBI, and nine runs this week. It's an encouraging hot streak for Contreras, whose numbers have declined thanks to a finger injury that has hampered him all season. The two-time All-Star has gutted it out, though, and has hit a respectable .258/.353/.380 with nine HRs, 47 RBI, 59 runs, and five stolen bases in 450 trips to the plate.

Philadelphia Phillies closer Jhoan Duran picked up a save in his debut with the club in a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday. Duran, acquired from the Minnesota Twins before Thursday's trade deadline, recorded a 1-2-3 ninth inning on a mere four pitches for his 17th save in 19 tries this season. The 27-year-old lowered his ERA to 1.97 and has also notched a 1.16 WHIP with 53 strikeouts against 18 walks over 50 1/3 innings. Duran should see an increase in save opportunities now that he's pitching for a playoff-caliber team, which is welcome news for fantasy managers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers placed right-handed reliever Kirby Yates (back) on the 15-day injured list with lower back pain on Friday. The team added a pair of right-handers, Brock Stewart and Paul Gervase, as well as outfielder Alex Call to its roster in corresponding moves. This continues a brutal run of injuries for LA's bullpen, which is also without closer Tanner Scott (elbow), Michael Kopech (knee), Evan Phillips, and Brusdar Graterol (shoulder). Yates previously spent time on the IL with a hamstring strain and has endured a disappointing season overall after joining the Dodgers on a one-year, $13 million contract in free agency. The 38-year-old has posted a middling 4.31 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP with 44:12 K:BB, 13 holds, and three saves in 31 1/3 innings. With a handful of LA's high-leverage relievers down, ... [More]

San Francisco Giants closer Randy Rodriguez threw a scoreless 10th inning to collect his second save of the year in a 3-2 win over the New York Mets on Friday. It wasn't an easy outing for Rodriguez, who hit a batter and walked another, but he escaped a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout of Ronny Mauricio to end the game. It was Rodriguez's first appearance since the Giants named him their closer on Friday. He's taking over after the team traded Camilo Doval to the New York Yankees on Thursday. The hard-throwing Rodriguez has put together a brilliant season with a 1.17 ERA, a 0.85 WHIP, and 63:10 K:BB across 46 innings.

Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller (elbow) cruised over four scoreless innings and 52 pitches in his first rehab start with Triple-A Tacoma on Friday. Miller, who's working back from elbow inflammation, tossed 42 strikes, gave up one hit, and tallied six strikeouts against no walks in his first game since June 6. The 26-year-old turned heads during a superb 2024 campaign, but he hasn't stayed healthy or performed well this season. Miller has been on the 15-day injured list twice with elbow issues and has gone 2-5 with a bloated 5.73 ERA, a 1.54 WHIP, and 39:23 K:BB in a 10-start, 48 2/3-inning span. The Mariners expect Miller to return in mid-August. If he's able to shake off his elbow troubles, Miller could provide a boost for playoff-contending Seattle and perhaps fantasy managers over the final several weeks of the season.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (hamstring) left a 2-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Friday with cramping in his right hamstring, manager Joe Espada announced. The Astros moved just-acquired third baseman Carlos Correa over to replace Pena in the bottom of the 10th inning. They brought in another trade deadline pickup, Ramon Urias, to handle the hot corner. This isn't what the Astros or fantasy managers wanted to see in Pena's first game after over a month on the injured list, but he told reporters that he left as a precaution and expects to play Saturday. Before Friday, Pena hadn't played since June 27 because of a small rib fracture. He had another strong showing in his return, going 3-for-5, and is now slashing .326/.381/.491 with 11 homers, 40 RBI, 48 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases in 355 plate appearances.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti (thumb) is reportedly in position to make his next start at the MLB level, according to manager Joe Espada. Arrighetti has been sidelined since early April after suffering a fractured thumb. The right-hander made three rehab appearances, which included getting knocked around for five earned runs on Thursday. There's a good chance that Arrighetti is ready to pitch during the upcoming series against the Miami Marlins. If available, fantasy managers should scoop up Arrighetti before it's too late.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Trent Thornton (Achilles) was placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday. Thornton will miss the rest of the regular season after suffering a torn left Achilles during Thursday's game. He'll finish his 2025 season with a 4.68 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and a 32/14 K/BB ratio across 42.1 innings of work. This is going to be a lengthy recovery, so Thornton will likely miss most of the 2026 campaign as well. In a corresponding move, right-hander Jackson Kowar was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Kumar Rocker has been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday. This seemed likely to happen after the Rangers acquired Merrill Kelly at the trade deadline. Rocker was having a tough time adjusting to the big leagues with a 5.74 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and a 56/23 K/BB ratio across 14 starts. Hopefully, Rocker will be able to work out his issues in the minors. In a corresponding move, relievers Danny Coulombe and Phil Maton have been added to the active roster. It's unclear when or if Rocker is going to return to Arlington this season.

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Randy Rodriguez has been named the closer going forward. The Giants were in need of another late inning option with Camilo Doval being traded to the New York Yankees on Thursday. Rodriguez makes the most sense for the closer role given how well he has pitched this season. He holds a 1.20 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and a 62/9 K/BB ratio in 44 games so far. The 25-year-old only has one save under his belt across his two big league seasons. Fantasy managers in need of a closer or bullpen help should scoop up Rodriguez before it's too late.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (illness) is being held out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Chicago White Sox. Trout has started in all 13 games since the All-Star break, so he could use a rest day. It sounds like a minor issue, so fantasy managers should consider Trout as day-to-day. He figures to return to the starting lineup at some point this weekend. Travis d'Arnaud will serve as the designated hitter and bat eighth versus right-hander Shane Smith on Friday.

Texas Rangers corner infielder Josh Jung (calf) remains out of action for the divisional clash on Friday night in Seattle against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park. For the second straight day, Josh Smith will start at third base and hit leadoff, while Rowdy Tellez starts at first and bats eighth against Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert. It's just calf soreness for Jung, but don't rule out an injured list stint for the oft-injured 27-year-old if he's unable to return to the field this weekend in Seattle. The right-handed slugger has looked good since the All-Star break, going 11-for-30 (.367) with two home runs and five RBI, so this is definitely bad timing for another injury. Smith has hit just .176 in 17 career against Gilbert, while Tellez is hitless in six at-bats against him. Smith hit .250 (22-for-88) with two homers and seven RBI in 25 games in the month of July.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Anthony DeSclafani is starting the series opener on Friday on the road in Sacramento against the Athletics following Thursday's trade deadline. Right-hander Zac Gallen will take the mound on Saturday, and left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will start the series finale on Sunday. This will only be DeSclafani's second start of the year, and first since July 6. The 35-year-old veteran has thrown at least three innings in each of his four appearances and has pitched to a 3.86 ERA and 1.07 WHIP while striking out 24 and walking six in 23 1/3 innings since joining Arizona in mid-June. DeSclafani won't be a very promising fantasy streamer against the A's on Friday, but if he looks good, he could stick around in the D-backs' starting rotation after the club traded away right-hander Merrill Kelly on Thursday.

Chicago White Sox rookie infielder Chase Meidroth (thumb) is out of the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the hosting Los Angeles Angels. Lenyn Sosa is starting at the keystone and will bat out of the six-hole versus Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson. Meidroth was hit by a pitch on his right thumb in Wednesday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies and will get an additional day off after a travel day on Thursday. The 24-year-old's X-rays came back negative, so he's considered day-to-day and could be back in action on either Saturday or Sunday in Anaheim. In his first year in the big leagues in 2025, Meidroth has been below league average as a hitter with a .252/.330/.319 slash line, .650 OPS, three home runs, 15 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 83 games. Sosa is definitely more intriguing as a sleeper power threat.

The Chicago White Sox announced on Friday that they reinstated rookie right-hander Shane Smith (ankle) from the 15-day injured to start in the series opener on the road in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels. Smith sprained his ankle during the All-Star break, so this will be his first start of the second half of the season. The 25-year-old former Rule 5 pick represented the White Sox in the All-Star game despite having a 4.26 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in his first MLB season. He has made 18 starts in his first year in the Show and has struck out 81 and handed out 37 free passes in 86 2/3 innings pitched. The matchup against the Angels is a good one, but don't be surprised if Smith has a short leash in his first start back after throwing only 55 pitches in a bullpens session last weekend. We wouldn't recommend Smith as a DFS streamer on Friday.

Tampa Bay Rays rookie outfielder Chandler Simpson (finger) is out of the starting lineup on Friday for the series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, but manager Kevin Cash said the speedster will be available off the bench after leaving Thursday's game against the New York Yankees with a sprained left index finger. Jonny DeLuca is starting in center field and batting sixth on Friday against Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw. The 24-year-old Chandler avoided a serious injury and could be back in there for Game 2 of the series on Saturday at George M. Steinbrenner Field. DeLuca has hit .389 on the season but only in 36 at-bats, adding five runs scored and five stolen bases. The 27-year-old has faced Kershaw only twice in his career but has hits in both at-bats with two RBI.