Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday. The 31-year-old has been sidelined since early June due to right shoulder inflammation. He threw 36 pitches in a live batting practice session this past Tuesday. There isn't a clear timeline for Stroman at this point but he appears to be headed in the right direction. Over nine starts this year, the right-hander has struggled to the tune of a 5.32 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's game against right-hander Luis Garcia and the Houston Astros. Aaron Judge, Joey Gallo and Giancarlo Stanton will be covering the outfield for the game. Hicks has been scuffling at the plate lately, recording just one hit over his last 18 at-bats. The 32-year-old has appeared in 66 games this year and he's slashing .218/.338/.284 with three home runs, seven stolen bases, 18 RBI and 24 runs. He should remain on waivers in all but the deepest of fantasy leagues at this point.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi (leg) told reporters that he believes he's ready to return to action and that he's just waiting to hear his next move from the organization. Odorizzi made his second rehab start on Wednesday. Pitching at Double-A Corpus Christi, he tossed five scoreless frames, allowing just three hits and no walks while striking out six. Odorizzi was off to a strong start to the year prior to suffering strains and sprains to the ligaments of his right foot and ankle. He has a 3.13 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP over seven starts with the Astros this season. His main problem at this point might be that the Astros have a seemingly complete rotation. Cristian Javier joined the starting rotation after Odorizzi's injury and Javier has been fantastic lately. He pitched seven scoreless, no-hit innings against the New York Yankees in his last outing, striking out 13 batters along the way. Astros manager Dusty Baker appears to have a tough decision to make regarding his rotation soon.

The New York Mets are discussing the possibility of a Sunday night minor league rehab start for starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (shoulder) with Single-A St. Lucie. deGrom threw 27 pitches in his third live batting practice session on Wednesday, and he's close to taking the next step on a rehab assignment. The 34-year-old right-hander hasn't pitched yet this season due to a stress reaction in his right scapula, but there's a chance he could make his first 2022 start for the Mets before the All-Star break, barring any setbacks. The two-time Cy Young winner went 7-2 with a career-low 1.08 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 146 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 92 innings over 15 starts while dealing with injuries, and he's been one of the best pitchers in baseball, when healthy, for most of his career.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham (back) is included in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against left-hander Justin Steele and the Chicago Cubs. He'll be hitting out of his usual No. 3 spot and covering left field in the game. Pham was a late scratch from Tuesday's lineup as he was dealing with lower-back stiffness. The 34-year-old veteran is currently in the midst of his best offensive month of the year. Across 22 June games, he's slashed .265/.347/.482 with five home runs, two stolen bases, 13 RBI and 17 runs.

The Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of third baseman Jake Lamb from Triple-A on Tuesday. He appeared as a pinch-hitter in Tuesday's game and he is making his first start as a Dodger on Wednesday. He'll be slotting in as designated hitter and batting seventh in the game. The 31-year-old has had a productive year at Triple-A. Over 61 games, he's slashed .290/.395/.537 with 15 home runs, 50 RBI and 44 runs. He was abysmal during his time in the majors last year. Splitting the 2021 season between the Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, he slashed just .194/.306/.368 with seven homers over 55 games. He'll likely be used primarily as a matchup-based pinch-hitter while he remains active for the Dodgers this year.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper (thumb) underwent surgery to repair his fractured thumb on Wednesday. According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the team is deferring comments regarding the surgery and Harper as a whole at this time. They are instead waiting until Harper addresses the surgery himself later on in the week. News broke earlier this week that Harper may only be sidelined the next six weeks with the injury. While that's still a good chunk of the remaining fantasy season, that timeline would still allow him to be a potential difference-maker down the stretch. He needs to remain rostered in all season-long fantasy leagues.

San Francisco Giants first baseman and outfielder Darin Ruf isn't starting on Wednesday. The Giants will take on the Detroit Tigers and right-handed starter Rony Garcia but will do so with Ruf on the bench. The 35-year-old is batting .222 with a .336 on-base percentage, six home runs, and a pair of stolen bases in 244 plate appearances this season. Brandon Belt is stepping in at first base and could be worth a look as a streaming option for fantasy managers in deeper leagues where on-base percentage is part of the scoring. Belt has hit .220 with a .346 on-base percentage, five home runs, and a stolen base in 153 plate appearances for San Francisco this year. He's hitting fifth against the Tigers.

Atlanta Braves right-hander Charlie Morton allowed a pair of earned runs in his most recent start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. Morton also surrendered seven hits and four walks while striking out five hitters. He threw 102 pitches on the day. Additionally, the veteran logged a 25% CSW rate and registered nine swinging strikes. So far this season, Morton has pitched to a 4.73 ERA and a 4.15 FIP in 80 innings while striking out 91 batters and allowing 30 walks. He's been much better lately, though, with a 2.81 ERA, a 3.21 FIP, and 37 strikeouts compared to five walks allowed in 25.2 innings over his last four starts.

San Francisco Giants infielder Wilmer Flores isn't in the team's lineup on Wednesday for a matchup with the Detroit Tigers and right-handed starter Rony Garcia. The 30-year-old is currently hitting .243 with a .318 on-base percentage and nine home runs in 274 plate appearances for the Giants this season. Instead, Donovan Walton will step in at second base and bat eighth. Walton is currently hitting .167 with a .194 on-base percentage and a home run in 62 plate appearances this season. Fantasy managers looking for streaming help are likely best off looking elsewhere.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Patrick Corbin has not been a fantasy contributor for some time, but he showed flashes of his old self Tuesday, striking out 12 Pittsburgh Pirates in a 3-1 win. Corbin went eight innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks. Now with a 4-10 record for the season, this performance improved his ERA and WHIP to 6.06 and 1.79, respectively. It would take several more strong performances in a row to make Corbin even close to a fantasy option.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham (back) was scratched from Tuesday's starting lineup against the Chicago Cubs with lower-back stiffness. Fantasy managers should consider Pham day-to-day until we know more about his back injury. In his place, Max Schrock will start in left field and hit sixth against Cubs right-hander Keegan Thompson. Schrock has just 11 at-bats for Cincy this season and is still searching for his first home run while going 3-for-11 (.273) with an RBI, no walks and two strikeouts. Pham is slashing .245/.339/.412 on the year with 10 home runs, 30 RBI, 43 runs scored and five stolen bases in 271 plate appearances over 64 games played.

Chicago White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal (back) has begun taking swings off a tee. According to Scott Merkin of MLB.com, Grandal's back pain has "subsided to some degree," but he still has hurdles to clear, most notably with his running. He has yet to begin running since landing on the injured list about two weeks back. Though one could also argue the 33-year-old has yet to begin running since the 2022 season began based on his 1st percentile sprint speed. Merkin reports that Grandal remains without a timetable for a rehab assignment, suggesting that fantasy managers can expect to be without his services for at least another few weeks.

Seattle Mariners first baseman Carlos Santana will be hitting fifth in the lineup in his debut with the team Tuesday. Prior to the game, the Mariners optioned infielder Drew Ellis to Triple-A to clear space for Santana. The 36-year-old veteran has slashed just .216/.349/.341 with four home runs, 21 RBI and 17 runs over 52 games this year, but he's been showing some promising signs at the plate in June. He has a .357/.478/.554 slash line this month that's supported by a .607 xSLG and a 92.3 mph average exit velocity.

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker stated on Tuesday that relievers A.J. Minter and William Smith will handle closing duties while the team's primary closer, Kenley Jansen (heart), is out. Jansen was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday due to an irregular heartbeat, so he will miss at least the next two weeks. The Braves are fourth in the majors in saves this year with 24, so it's safe to expect the team to have several save chances while Jansen is sidelined. Minter has been more effective than Smith overall this year, pitching to a 1.69 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP -- Smith has a 3.41 ERA and 1.31 WHIP -- but Smith has received five save opportunities while Minter has only earned two. Also, keep in mind that Smith saved 37 games for the team last year. If you need to gamble on just one of the relievers, Smith seems like the favorite for ninth-inning work. However, based on Snitker's report Tuesday, it sounds as if Minter will get his chances as well.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (ankle) will remain on the bench for Tuesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 29-year-old is nearly 10 days removed from suffering an ankle sprain and he hasn't played since. On Tuesday, he continued to increase his pre-game workouts. He ran the bases, took grounders and threw to first without showing any noticeable pain. According to Padres beat writer Kevin Acee, it was the first time Machado looked like he was ready to play since he sustained the injury. Based on his increased work and Acee's report, it seems as if there's a good chance we see Machado back on the field for Wednesday's series finale. Make sure to be on the lookout for Wednesday's lineup card.

New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer's (oblique) minor league rehab start for Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday has been pushed back to Wednesday, but the move is simply precautionary due to the nature of the injury. "Listening to Max and watching him and everything, just felt like we had the benefit of an extra day... We're listening to Max more than anything, and the people that have been working with him since this started... There's no reason to rush it. We're not gonna make that mistake. It's not gonna affect the number of times [he pitches]. He's right where he needs to be," skipper Buck Showalter said. Those that were freaking out that Scherzer might have suffered a setback can relax. Assuming he gets out of Wednesday's start fine, the 37-year-old ace is expected to come off the injured list and return to the rotation next week.

The Minnesota Twins activated middle infielder Jorge Polanco (back) from the injured list on Tuesday, and he's starting at second base and batting fifth in Game 2 of a doubleheader against Cleveland Guardians left-hander Konnor Pilkington. Polanco landed on the injured list on June 17 with lower back tightness, but he never ended up going on a minor league rehab assignment. The 28-year-old is hitting .245/.340/.389 overall with seven home runs, 33 RBI, 28 runs scored and three stolen bases in 58 games this year, but fantasy managers will be hoping he can pick up where he left off in June, when he was hitting .325 (13-for-40) with two homers and seven RBI in 11 games before his injury.

New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is getting the day off on Tuesday as the team takes on right-hander Frankie Montas and the Oakland Athletics. Aaron Judge will be slotting in as designated hitter for the game and Marwin Gonzalez and Joey Gallo will be the team's corner outfielders. Stanton has homered in two straight games and in four of his last five outings, giving him a total of 18 bombs on the year. The 32-year-old slugger owns a .243/.331/.514 slash line on the season to go along with 49 RBI and 29 runs.

The New York Mets activated outfielder Ender Inciarte from Triple-A on Tuesday. In a pair of corresponding moves, the team optioned Nick Plummer to Triple-A and designated pitcher Locke St. John for assignment. Inciarte signed a minor league deal with the Mets about a week ago. He's played in a total of 38 games at Triple-A this year while on contract with both the Mets and Yankees. Over those 38 games, he's slashed .244/.323/.387 with four home runs, six stolen bases, 11 RBI and 14 runs. He'll solely provide outfield depth for the Mets for now and isn't someone worth monitoring for fantasy purposes.