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.

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.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said that right-hander Luis Garcia (elbow) threw a 35-pitch bullpen session before Friday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers and didn't have any issues. Garcia ramped up his workload on Friday after tossing 15 pitches in his previous bullpen session last Saturday. The 27-year-old continues to recover from Tommy John surgery and could be cleared to start facing live hitters soon. Eventually, he'll need to go on a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment before potentially joining the Astros' starting rotation to close out the 2024 campaign. Garcia has been a solid starter for Houston since debuting in the shortened 2020 season, but fantasy managers in mixed leagues should temper expectations once he returns on what will likely be a limited workload.

The Toronto Blue Jays are acquiring outfield prospect Jonathan Clase from the Seattle Mariners on Friday in exchange for right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia, according to sources. Clase was Seattle's No. 10 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. The 22-year-old will now have a new start in the American League East. Clase made his major-league debut with the Mariners this year and struggled to a .195/.233/.220 slash line with a double, three RBI, three steals and 14 strikeouts in 19 games played. The 5-foot-10, 150-pounder could get more run with the Jays to close out the year, making him worth a look in AL-only leagues. Despite his small frame, Clase could develop some legitimate power, but speed is going to be his primary calling card. The Dominican outfielder stole 26 bases in 59 games for Triple-A Tacoma and had 79 swipes in the minors in 2023.

The Seattle Mariners are acquiring right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia from the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, according to sources. The main return for the Blue Jays is outfield prospect Jonathan Clase. Garcia was one of the best relievers available at this year's trade deadline. The M's make another significant move after acquiring outfielder Randy Arozarena from the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night. While Garcia probably won't come in and take over the closer role from Andres Munoz in Seattle, the 33-year-old veteran remains highly valuable in fantasy leagues that count holds in 2024. The Dominican hurler went 3-0 in Toronto this year with a strong 2.70 ERA (2.64 FIP), a 0.80 WHIP, five saves, 42 strikeouts and only eight walks in 30 innings out of the bullpen. Garcia should have even more opportunities for holds for the contending M's.

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 Los Angeles Dodgers turned to relief pitcher Brent Honeywell in Thursday's victory against the division rival San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers turned to their main late-inning options, Daniel Hudson, Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen in innings six through eight, leaving Honeywell for the ninth inning. Honeywell has pitched to a 0.79 ERA in 11 1/3 innings this season, but managers shouldn't expect many more save opportunities for him in the future. Even with Evan Phillips struggling lately, Hudson, Vesia and Treinen remain ahead of Honeywell in most games. For now, Honeywell can safely remain on the waiver wire.

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.

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe had a huge game Thursday in a 13-0 rout of the Toronto Blue Jays. Lowe hit his 12th homer of the season and had four hits total, knocking in three runs while scoring twice. The veteran is now hitting .251 with 12 home runs, 33 RBI, one stolen base and 29 runs scored on the season. Lowe has four home runs in his last seven games. When healthy, Lowe is one of the better left-handed hitters in the game.

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.

Chicago White Sox All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet's plan with the White Sox is to pitch a normal workload as a starter until the end of the regular season. If Crochet is traded by next Tuesday's deadline, he would need a contract extension to pitch in the postseason. He will not move to the bullpen, though, and will not take any breaks despite already throwing a career-high 111 1/3 innings (21 starts) in 2024. The 25-year-old southpaw views his starting routine as the best thing for his health moving forward. Crochet seems likely to be traded by next Tuesday, and although he doesn't plan on having his turns skipped in the rotation moving forward, he's still likely to have his innings monitored down the stretch in what has easily been a career year for him. Crochet currently leads the league in strikeouts (157), strikeout rate (35.4%) strikeouts per nine innings (12.7) and FIP (2.30).

In his first major-league outing since undergoing Tommy John surgery in May 2023, San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray held the Los Angeles Dodgers hitless across five innings. Ray settled in beautifully after allowing one earned run on a bases-loaded walk in what was a shaky first inning. The 32-year-old rebounded to blank the Dodgers over his next four innings, finishing the night with eight strikeouts on 86 pitches in his debut with the Giants. Ray's velocity topped out at 95.2 mph, and he finished with 22 swinging strikes. His performance against L.A. should erase any doubt as to his fantasy potential for the remainder of the season, and he should be rostered in all leagues.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran amassed three hits and three RBI in Wednesday afternoon's blowout loss to the hosting Colorado Rockies, blasting his 13th home run of the season. Before driving in two runs with a triple in the ninth inning for some window dressing in Wednesday's rough defeat, Duran hit a solo homer off Rockies right-hander Cal Quantrill to right field to drive in the Red Sox's third run of the afternoon in the fifth inning. The exciting 27-year-old outfielder now has a whopping 12 triples on the season to lead the major leagues. During his current eight-game hitting streak, Duran is hitting a sizzling .486 (17-for-35) with three homers, 10 RBI, 12 runs scored, and one stolen base.

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 manager Bruce Bochy says that starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (elbow) is "getting close" to facing hitters. deGrom threw another bullpen session of around 40 pitches prior to Tuesday's game against the Chicago White Sox, and he will throw another on Friday while the team is on the road in Toronto for a series with the Blue Jays. He'll have about three more live batting practice sessions to follow before going out on a minor-league rehab assignment shortly after Tuesday's trade deadline. Entering the final stages of his recovery from last summer's Tommy John surgery, deGrom has an eye on returning sometime in August. It remains to be seen how the 36-year-old former National League Cy Young Award winner's velocity will look in the aftermath of his second UCL procedure, but he submitted a 2.67 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, and 45:4 K:BB across 30 1/3 innings last season, and it's certainly time to make sure he isn't lingering on any fantasy waiver wires.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Dominic Canzone (groin) is expected to return from the 10-day injured list in mid-August. Manager Scott Servais said last weekend that Canzone is still a few weeks away from starting a minor-league rehab assignment, so the updated timeline makes sense. The 26-year-old outfielder has been sidelined since July 10 with a right-groin strain. The Mariners placed star center fielder Julio Rodriguez (ankle) on the 10-day IL on Tuesday, so Seattle is a bit short-handed in the outfield right now. Victor Robles is going to play regularly in center field, while Mitch Haniger and young outfielder Cade Marlowe figure to split playing time in right field. Canzone, who was hitting just .211 (30-for-142) with seven home runs and 14 RBI before his injury, won't be guaranteed regular playing time when he's ready to return in mid-August.

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.

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in his team's 4-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. Lowe launched his two-run shot off Toronto starter Jose Berrios in the fifth inning to push Tampa's lead to 3-0. The veteran infielder is now hitting .239 with 11 homers, 27 runs, 30 RBI, and one steal across 176 at-bats. While his batting average isn't great, Lowe continues to provide solid fantasy power numbers from second base, making him a decent reserve option in most leagues.

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.