Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize (hamstring) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday as he continues to rehab from a left-hamstring strain that he suffered in late June. Saturday's session will be Mize's first time throwing off a mound since he hurt his hammy, and he'll likely need another bullpen before being cleared to face live hitters again. The 27-year-old former first overall pick in 2018 out of Auburn will also probably need a minor-league rehab assignment before rejoining Detroit's starting rotation, so he's likely at least several weeks away from returning. In his first time in the majors since 2022, Mize has gone 2-6 this year with a 4.23 ERA (3.67 FIP) and 1.45 WHIP with a 58:21 K:BB in 16 starts (78 2/3 frames). His 16.8% strikeout rate has left a lot to be desire in fantasy circles in his first year back from injury.

Kansas City Royals infielder Maikel Garcia is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Chicago Cubs. Fantasy managers shouldn't worry as this appears to be a routine rest day for Garcia. In his absence, Nick Loftin will cover third base and bat seventh versus right-hander Kyle Hendricks on Friday. This is a favorable matchup for Loftin but he doesn't offer great upside with the bat. Fantasy managers should be able to find better production elsewhere.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (forearm) is back in center field and is hitting second for the Twins in Friday's series opener against the hosting Detroit Tigers and rookie right-hander Keider Montero. Buxton won't end up missing a game following Thursday's scheduled off day after he was removed from Wednesday's game when he was hit by a pitch on his forearm. X-rays came back negative for the oft-injured 30-year-old, thankfully, and he'll be available for the weekend series in Motown. He only has three hits in 17 at-bats since the start of the second half of the season a week ago, but two of those hits have landed in the seats. Buxton needs to be returned to all starting fantasy lineups. He comes into Friday's contest slashing .278/.331/.502 with an .833 OPS, 11 homers, 40 RBI and six stolen bases in 263 at-bats.

The Boston Red Sox are acquiring left-hander James Paxton from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, according to sources. It's unclear what the Red Sox have shipped to LA in exchange. The 35-year-old veteran southpaw spent last season with the Red Sox and will now return to Beantown after being designated for assignment by the Dodgers recently. In 89 1/3 innings for the Blue in 2024, Paxton was mostly ineffective, posting a 4.43 ERA (4.96 FIP) with a 1.45 WHIP, 64 strikeouts and a league-high 48 walks in his 18 starts. He wasn't much better last year for the BoSox, going 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA (4.68 FIP) and 1.31 WHIP with a 101:35 K:BB in 96 innings and 19 starts. In addition to losing his control this year, Paxton was also sporting a career-low 16.4% strikeout rate. The move to Boston isn't likely to suddenly help Paxton find his stuff.

The Minnesota Twins reinstated third baseman Royce Lewis (groin) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and optioned catcher Jair Camargo to Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move. The Twins haven't posted their starting lineup for Friday's series opener on the road in Detroit against the division-rival Tigers, but Lewis should be back at third base. The oft-injured Lewis has recovered from a groin strain that he suffered in early July and should be returned to all starting fantasy lineups this weekend because of his elite power. The 25-year-old former first overall pick has had trouble staying on the field early in his career, but when he's active, he's been a beast at the plate. In only 24 games in 2024, Lewis has a 1.039 OPS, 10 home runs and 18 RBI in 99 plate appearances.

Oakland Athletics right-hander Luis Medina (elbow) will have season-ending Tommy John surgery, and left-hander Alex Wood (shoulder) will have a season-ending shoulder procedure. Medina was scheduled to get a second opinion on his sprained right elbow after the All-Star break, which has turned out to be a worst-case scenario for the hurler. The 25-year-old righty compiled a 2-4 record and a 5.18 ERA over eight starts for the A's this year before his season ended, and he'll miss a big chunk of 2025 as well. Wood hasn't been seen on the mound since May 12 due to left rotator cuff tendinitis, having been shut down from throwing since June. The 33-year-old southpaw went 1-3 with a 5.28 ERA covering nine starts in Oakland in 2024, and his recovery timeline will likely dictate the type of interest he'll draw in free agency this offseason.

The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to call up right-hander Bowden Francis from Triple-A Buffalo to have him start one of the games of their doubleheader against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles on Monday. Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi is lined up to pitch on Friday against the division-rival Texas Rangers, with right-handers Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios scheduled to go on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Francis, 28, has posted a bloated 5.82 ERA (5.32 FIP) and 1.47 WHIP with 34 strikeouts and 14 walks in 16 appearances (only three starts) in his third year in the big leagues, but he has tossed nine scoreless innings with 13 K's and only one walk in his two starts since being sent to Buffalo. Despite his two recent strong starts on the farm, Francis will be a pretty risky deep-league streaming option for fantasy managers against the first-place O's.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (forearm) left Wednesday's series finale early against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies after being hit by a pitch on his right forearm in the seventh inning. Buxton stayed in to run the bases but was replaced in center field the following inning by Austin Martin. It was announced on the telecast that Buxton was pulled due to a right-forearm contusion. It sounds like the oft-injured 30-year-old's injury isn't too serious, and he didn't appear to be in much pain, but the Twins will surely send him for further testing after the ballgame. Before departing, Buxton went 1-for-3 with a double and two strikeouts. If he's forced to miss extended time with this injury, Martin and Manuel Margot could split time in center field. The Twins have an off day on Thursday, so fantasy managers will want to check back on Friday to see if Buxton is available against the Tigers.

Los Angeles Angels left-hander Kenny Rosenberg will make his first start of the season in Thursday's series opener against the visiting Oakland Athletics. Rosenberg will be making just his fifth career start since debuting for the Halos in 2022. The 29-year-old southpaw has made only two appearances out of the bullpen in the big leagues in 2024 and has surrendered seven earned runs on 12 hits (two homers) while walking four and striking out seven in 10 innings of work. The former eighth-rounder by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016 out of Cal State Northridge went 5-4 this year with a 3.74 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and a 67:24 K:BB in 14 starts covering 77 innings at Triple-A Salt Lake. The matchup is a great one, but Rosenberg will still be a desperation, low-upside fantasy streamer against the A's on Thursday.

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon is not in the team's starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale on the road in Seattle against the division-rival Mariners. With Rendon retreating to the bench for this one, Luis Rengifo will start at the hot corner and will bat second for the Halos versus Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo. It's an odd day for Rendon to get a day off, as he's hitting .417 with a 1.588 OPS, two home runs and three RBI in 12 career at-bats against Castillo. Rengifo, on the other hand, has hit .294 with a 1.118 OPS, three home runs and four RBI in 17 career at-bats against Castillo. Willie Calhoun is the designated hitter and will bat cleanup. In 12 games since returning from the injured list on July 8, the disappointing Rendon has gone 8-for-45 (.178) with two doubles, three RBI, 11 strikeouts and one steal in 50 plate appearances.

Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong is not in the team's starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale at Coors Field against the hosting Colorado Rockies. With Wong on the bench, Reese McGuire will do the catching for right-hander Nick Pivetta and will bat seventh against Rockies right-hander Cal Quantrill. The 28-year-old Wong will get a breather after starting the previous four games and after going 0-for-5 with a strikeout in Tuesday night's 6-0 shutout win over Colorado. Wong has come down to Earth offensively since his absurd start to the 2024 season, but he's still hitting an impressive .297 (78-for-263) with nine home runs, 33 RBI, five stolen bases and 32 runs scored as Boston's starting backstop. DFS managers can find better sleeper options at catcher than McGuire, who is hitting only .215 (29-for-135) on the year with three homers and 18 RBI.

The Milwaukee Brewers are going with a bullpen game in Wednesday's series finale at Wrigley Field against the division-rival Chicago Cubs and will use left-hander Rob Zastryzny as the opener. Right-hander Bryse Wilson and left-hander Jacob Junis will both be available as bulk relievers. Zastryzny shouldn't be expected to go more than an inning in Chicago on Wednesday, so fantasy manager will want to avoid him as a streamer, even in a good matchup. The 32-year-old veteran Canadian southpaw has appeared in only eight games for the Brew Crew this year, and this will be his third time opening a game. He has yet to allow an earned run in 6 2/3 innings in 2024 with one walk and five strikeouts.

New York Mets relief pitcher Jake Diekman recorded his fourth save of the season in Tuesday's victory versus the New York Yankees. With closer Edwin Diaz getting the night off, the Mets turned to Diekman with a one-run lead. Despite allowing a walk, Diekman was able to record the three outs necessary to net himself the save and the Mets their 52nd victory. Managers shouldn't read too much into Diekman getting the save with Diaz getting the night off and outside of deeper leagues that count holds, he can safely remain on the waiver wire.

Oakland A's DH Brent Rooker continued his power surge in an 8-2 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday. Rooker went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk to help power Oakland to the win over their division rivals. The 29-year-old kicked off the scoring in the game, launching a two-run shot in the bottom of the first inning to put the A's up 2-0. Rooker is now hitting .291 with 23 homers, 48 runs, 69 RBI, and six steals across 320 at-bats. He has been white-hot at the plate of late, batting .400 with five homers and 13 RBI over his past seven games. Rooker is a must-start in fantasy until he cools down.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Cooper Criswell rose to the occasion in Tuesday's 6-0 win over the Rockies at Coors Field, improving his record to 4-4. Criswell pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and a walk with four strikeouts. The 28-year-old has spent time with both the Red Sox and Triple-A Worcester this season and has put up respectable big-league numbers, compiling a 3.60 ERA, a 7.48 K/9 rate, and a 2.22 BB/9 rate in 13 starts and 65 IP with the Red Sox. Should he remain in the rotation, his next start would likely be a favorable matchup against the Mariners. This would make him a decent streaming option in deeper leagues.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson continued his strong rookie season in Tuesday's 3-0 loss to the Phillies. Woods Richardson pitched six scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Unfortunately, his offense was held in check by a strong start from Zach Wheeler, leaving him without a chance at a win. The 23-year-old is now 3-1 with a 3.27 ERA, a 7.77 K/9 rate, and a 2.56 BB/9 rate in 17 starts and 88 IP. His next start will be a middling one at the Mets, but he should draw two starts in that week, making him a worthy fantasy start.

The Miami Marlins designated right-hander Yonny Chirinos for assignment on Tuesday and recalled right-hander Kyle Tyler from Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move. Tyler made the start for the Fish on Tuesday against the visiting Baltimore Orioles. Chirinos gets the boot off the Marlins' 40-man roster a day after surrendering five runs on nine hits while walking four in five innings in a loss to the division-rival New York Mets. The 30-year-old veteran predictably has not been very good in his six starts (30 innings pitched) for Miami in 2024, going 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA (6.11 FIP) and 1.87 WHIP with 25 strikeouts and 13 walks. The veteran Venezuelan could latch on with another organization to close out the 2024 season but he won't be much more than an innings-eater if he finds his way back to the big leagues.

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black said prior to Tuesday's game against the visiting Boston Red Sox that the club doesn't have "a total game plan" for outfielder Nolan Jones (back), who was placed on the 10-day injured list on July 13. "He's feeling better, that's the main thing," Black said. "With Nolan, it starts with that. If he gets through the next couple of days, we'll probably have a little bit more of a plan." It's the second time this year Jones has been on the shelf with a strained lower back, so the Rockies are likely going to be more inclined to take a cautious approach this time around. The 26-year-old left fielder enjoyed a breakout season in 2023, but he's slashing a dreadful .202/.311/.313 with three home runs, 14 RBI, 19 runs scored, and three stolen bases over 163 at-bats in 2024 and is no longer a must-stash fantasy asset.

The New York Mets signed free-agent outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. to a minor-league deal on Tuesday. The 34-year-old left-handed hitter had a 1.024 OPS and 12 home runs in 40 games with the Long Island Ducks of the Independent League this year and will now provide the Mets with additional outfield depth for the second half of the season. Bradley will likely report to Triple-A Syracuse. The former 40th overall pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2011 out of South Carolina hit just .133/.188/.210 with one homer, five doubles, six RBI and 10 runs scored in 43 games for the Kansas City Royals last year before being cut. Bradley was always a defense-first player in his 11 big-league seasons and will be a long shot to carve out a regular role if he even makes it back to the big leagues with the Mets to close out the 2024 season.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh (elbow) is back in left field and is batting sixth for the Phillies on Tuesday against right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson and the hosting Minnesota Twins. Marsh was held out as a precaution in Monday's series opener in Minnesota due to right-elbow soreness, but he's fine now after a day off. Like most left-handed batters, Marsh has been much better against righty arms this year, batting .288 (55-for-191) against them with all nine of his home runs in 75 games played. However, fantasy managers may want to keep him on their benches since he hasn't recorded a hit since before the All-Star game and is hitless in his last 13 plate appearances with a walk and six strikeouts in his last six games. The former second-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels in 2016 has never faced Woods Richardson in his career.