Washington Nationals first baseman/outfielder Juan Yepez went 3-for-4 at the plate on Friday with one double, two singles, two runs, and three RBI. Even though his 15-game hitting streak was snapped on Thursday, he bounced right back on Friday with an impressive three-hit night. Since being promoted from Triple-A on July 5, Yepez has carried a dominant .375/.424/.609 line with two home runs, nine doubles, 10 RBI, and a 6:12 BB:K ratio and has run away with first base starting duties in Washington. Yepez should be rostered in all leagues going forward, as he could provide an elite batting average in the second half.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot (knee) hopes to throw off a mound either before Saturday's game against the visiting Cincinnati Reds or early next week. Manager Kevin Cash said Pepiot was "doing much better" and moving around well after being discharged from the hospital on Monday due to a right knee infection and flying home to St. Petersburg. With there being optimism that Pepiot will resume throwing in the next couple of days, there's a good chance he'll be able to avoid a minor-league rehab assignment and return to Tampa Bay and be activated from the 15-day injured list sometime in early August. The 26-year-old right-hander has gone 6-5 with a promising 3.92 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 94 strikeouts and 31 walks in 17 starts (87 1/3 innings) for the Rays, and he should remain stashed in all fantasy leagues.

The Tampa Bay Rays continue to make moves and acquired right-hander Cole Sulser from the New York Mets on Friday in exchange for cash considerations. Sulser has been optioned to Triple-A Durham. The Rays got things started by dealing outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night and also sent right-hander Zach Eflin to the division-rival Baltimore Orioles on Friday. The move for the 34-year-old Sulser is the most insignificant of the trio of moves after the Mets designated him for assignment earlier this week. He allowed five earned runs in just 4 2/3 relief innings in New York in 2024 and has a 4.06 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP and 15 career saves in his six years in the majors with five different teams. Sulser made his big-league debut with the Rays in 2019 after being drafted by Cleveland in the 25th round back in 2013 out of Dartmouth. He's not on the fantasy radar.

Seattle Mariners right-handed reliever Gregory Santos (knee) underwent an MRI exam that "came back OK," according to manager Scott Servais. It sounds like Santos will avoid a trip to the injured list and could potentially be available out of the bullpen as soon as Saturday on the road in Chicago against the White Sox. Santos will go through pre-game exercises on Friday to test his right knee after he hurt it in the eighth inning of Wednesday's loss to the Los Angeles Angels. The 24-year-old Dominican began the year on the IL in his first year in Seattle and has pitched just four innings in 2024, allowing three earned runs on four hits. It's been a disappointing year in Seattle so far, which is partly why the M's went out and acquired reliever Yimi Garcia on Friday from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cleveland Guardians shortstop prospect Jose Devers filled the scoresheet on Thursday as he went 3-for-5 with two runs, a home run, two RBI, and a walk. This was another great performance by the young infielder. In his last eight games, he is riding a stellar .321/.394/.536 line with three doubles, one home run, and five RBI. This is a great sign, as the 21-year-old held a modest .229 AVG in June. Through his first 77 games at High-A Lake County, Devers has posted a .244/.305/.355 slash line. He is considered the 19th-best prospect in the Cleveland system on MLB.com and should spend most of next summer at Double-A.

Kaushik Sampath of the Miami Herald writes that Miami Marlins relief pitchers Andrew Nardi and Huascar Brazoban could both be options to take over the team's closer role for the rest of the 2024 season if the team trades current closer Tanner Scott before next Tuesday's MLB trade deadline. The Marlins sent lefty reliever A.J. Puk to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday night. Nardi, like Scott, is a left-hander. The 25-year-old has a rough 5.03 ERA on the year, mainly after giving up eight runs in his first four outings of the season. But he's been much better since then and has fanned 51 hitters in 39 1/3 frames on the year. The 34-year-old Brazoban has also been much better of late and has a 3.14 ERA and 1.08 WHIP on the year with 31 K's and 11 walks in 28 2/3 innings. Nardi is probably the favorite for saves when/if Scott is traded, so fantasy managers scrounging for saves may want to grab him off the waiver wire now.

The Miami Marlins are calling up right-handed pitching prospect Max Meyer from Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday, and the expectation is that he'll make a start during the weekend series versus the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. Per MLB Pipeline, Meyer is Miami's No. 3 prospect, so he immediately deserves attention from pitching-needy fantasy teams in at least deep-mixed leagues. The 25-year-old will face a tough matchup against the Brew Crew this weekend, but he had a strong 2.12 ERA with 14 strikeouts and three walks in three starts over 17 innings earlier this year before the Fish sent him to the minors to help manage his workload. Meyer's fantasy upside may be somewhat limited the rest of the way as the Marlins continue to play it safe with him, but the combination of his triple-digit fastball and wipeout slider give him intriguing strikeout upside.UPDATE: Meyer will start on Saturday against the Brewers and won't be capped at three to four innings like he was at Jacksonville.

With closer Jason Foley being used earlier in the game, the Detroit Tigers turned to relief pitcher Shelby Miller to pick up his second save of the season against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday. Miller allowed a walk but also recorded a strikeout to earn his second save of the season. Foley is still the closer in Detroit, but Miller is likely his insurance should anything happen. On the season, Miller owns a 4.66 ERA with four holds in 36 2/3 innings. Other than the occasional hold or save, Miller doesn't offer much to fantasy managers and can remain on the waiver wire.

The original plan for the San Francisco Giants was to give right-hander Jordan Hicks one more start this Sunday against the visiting Colorado Rockies and then meet to discuss his role for August and September. But after Hicks allowed four runs to the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday and admitted his body still feels "a little work down," the Giants will accelerate those talks and will possibly move Hicks to the bullpen this weekend. The issue is complicated this weekend by the fact that Giants have a doubleheader on Saturday, but either way, his fantasy value is plummeting in the second half. He has thrown 98 2/3 innings in 2024 in his transition to a starting role and is already 21 frames past his previous career-high. If Hicks makes one more start, it might last around three innings, so fantasy managers shouldn't start him.

San Francisco Giants first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and outfielder Michael Conforto are both starting on the bench for Thursday's series finale against the hosting division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers with left-hander Clayton Kershaw making his 2024 debut. David Villar will get the nod at first base and will hit sixth, while Derek Hill will draw into the lineup in left field and will bat in the nine-hole for the Giants against Kershaw. Villard does have a homer and two RBI in nine career at-bats against Kershaw but is also hitting .111 against him with a .555 OPS. Wade is hitting nearly .300 in 188 at-bats for the Gigantes this year but has missed time with injury and has provided fantasy managers with just three homers and 19 RBI. Conforto has actually fared better against lefties in 2024 but overall has been a below-average hitter, slashing .224/.296/.410 with 10 homers and 39 RBI in 268 at-bats.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler (hip) said the plan is for him to make a minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday. Buehler was encouraged by Wednesday's bullpen session and his overall progress since going on the 15-day injured list before the All-Star break. He feels like his delivery is in a better spot now after tweaking his mechanics. Manager Dave Roberts said Buehler is expected to make two rehab starts with Oklahoma City and then rejoin the Dodgers in August. The Dodgers and fantasy managers will be hoping that the 29-year-old will look much better than he did when he posted a 5.84 ERA and 1.51 WHIP with 31 K's in 37 innings in his first eight starts after returning from Tommy John surgery. Given the fact that Buehler was one of the most dominant pitchers in the game pre-elbow surgery, he's worth giving another shot in fantasy.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Gregory Santos (knee) left Wednesday's game against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels in the eighth inning after injuring his right knee. Santos had just given up a game-tying single to Willie Calhoun when he attempted to pick off pinch-runner Kevin Pillar. After getting the ball back on the mound, Santos stepped off the mound grimacing. Manager Scott Servais came out with the trainer to talk with Santos, who spent the conversation on the mound doubled over before he was pulled. Santos was making just his fourth appearance of the season for the Mariners. The 24-year-old right-hander began the season on the injured list with a lat strain, and he didn't make his Seattle debut until July 9. The Mariners should lean on Andres Munoz and Ryne Stanek for the bulk of the high-leverage work out of the bullpen if Santos' absence extends beyond Wednesday.

Texas Rangers closer Kirby Yates continued his strong season with a two-out save against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. The veteran didn't open the inning, but came in to relieve Josh Sborz with one out and got Gavin Sheets to strikeout before Eloy Jimenez flew out to give Yates his 18th save and the Rangers their 49th victory. Yates has been great for the Rangers this season with a 1.22 ERA and there is no reason to think that he will not continue to operate as one of the best closers in the league this season as he has a 1.74 xERA to backup his success.

Miami Marlins outfielder Jesus Sanchez provided some pop in his team's 6-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. Sanchez went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored to help power his team to the win. The veteran took Baltimore starter Albert Suarez deep in the second inning, a blast that traveled 429 feet with an exit velocity of 114.7 MPH. Sanchez is now hitting .248 with 12 homers, 31 runs, 38 RBI, and six steals across 290 at-bats. He has been swinging a hot bat of late, hitting .327 with four homers and eight RBI over his past 15 contests.

Miami Marlins left-hander Ryan Weathers (finger) has resumed playing catch this week as he recovers from a strained left index finger that landed him on the 15-day injured list in early June. Fantasy managers have probably been frustrated that Weathers is just now throwing again after missing six-plus weeks with a finger injury. The good news is that he's throwing, but the 24-year-old southpaw still has a ways to go before he's a realistic candidate to rejoin Miami's starting rotation. Given the way that he was throwing the baseball before his unfortunate finger injury, fantasy managers in deeper leagues should keep him stashed in an IL spot. Weathers was looking good in his first full year in South Beach with a 3.55 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with a 22.5% strikeout rate and a career-low 6.7% walk rate in 71 innings and 13 starts.

Detroit Tigers left-hander Tyler Holton will serve as the opener for Detroit on Tuesday in Cleveland against the division-rival Guardians in what will be a bullpen game for the Tigers. The Tigers will be happy if the 28-year-old southpaw can give them two to three innings to start this contest, but fantasy managers should be avoiding him as a streamer against the first-place Guardians. Holton has a decent 3.17 ERA (3.63 FIP), a 0.87 WHIP, a career-high three saves, 42 strikeouts and only 11 walks in 54 innings in his third year in the big leagues in 2024, but only one of his 39 appearances has coming in a starting role. He has not gone more than two innings in an outing since May 21 against the Kansas City Royals, when he managed to toss 3 1/3 frames while allowing two earned runs. Fantasy managers can find much better streaming options on Tuesday's full slate of games.

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson recorded his seventh save in Monday's 3-2 win over the San Francisco Giants. Hudson struck out two and walked one in his 19-pitch outing, his fourth straight appearance with a save. He is now (6-1) with a 1.52 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP over his 41 1/3 innings, and 13 holds. Hudson continues as the Dodgers' stopper over Evan Phillips, who has blown his past two save opportunities while watching his ERA climb to 2.73. Fantasy managers should not hesitate to add Hudson if he is still available on waiver wires.

San Francisco Giants left-hander Ethan Small (oblique) threw one scoreless inning and gave up a hit in a minor-league rehab outing in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Saturday, July 20. Small was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers over the offseason and was in the running for a bullpen spot in San Francisco before suffering a moderate right-oblique strain. The 27-year-old southpaw has yet to pitch for the Giants in 2024 but is nearing a return and could be a relief option for the Giants in the big leagues down the stretch. When he's activated from the 60-day injured list, he could also be sent to Triple-A Sacramento. In his two seasons with the Brewers the last two years, he had an 8.71 ERA, a 2.61 WHIP, one save, 13 strikeouts and 10 walks in 10 1/3 innings. Small is well off the fantasy radar.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he had a good conversation with right-hander Walker Buehler (hip) and believes the time away did him some good. Buehler will throw a bullpen session on Monday and will need a couple of minor-league rehab starts, depending on how everything keeps progressing. The 29-year-old went 1-4 with a rough 5.84 ERA (6.05 FIP) and 1.51 WHIP with a career-low 18.5% strikeout rate in eight starts this year after returning from Tommy John surgery before being placed on the 15-day injured list with right-hip inflammation. The two-time All-Star has worked on his mechanics away from the team while also rehabbing, and the Dodgers and fantasy managers are hoping he'll be more effective whenever he returns to LA's starting rotation. That's unlikely to happen until at least early August, and the Dodgers aren't going to rush him back.

Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (illness) is back at shortstop and is hitting second in the order for the Rockies for Monday's series opener against the visiting Boston Red Sox and right-hander Tanner Houck. Tovar didn't play in Sunday's series finale against the division-rival San Francisco Giants due to flu-like symptoms. He's not quite 100 percent but is good enough to return to action on Monday. Despite not being 100 percent, fantasy managers should put the 22-year-old Venezuelan back in their starting lineups. After going hitless in his first seven games in the month of July, Tovar will carry an eight-game hitting streak into Monday's contest. Over his current streak, he's gone 15-for-34 (.441) with four home runs, four doubles, nine RBI and seven runs scored. Tovar hasn't faced Houck in his career.