Washington Nationals right-hander Trevor Williams (elbow) has faced live hitters twice in the last week-plus and is now scheduled to throw four innings or build up to 65 to 70 pitches in a minor-league rehab start with Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday in what will be his first competitive game since May 30. Williams has been out since late May with a flexor strain in his elbow. Barring a setback during what is expected to be a brief rehab assignment, Williams could rejoin the big-league rotation to make perhaps a couple of starts at the end of September. Manager Dave Martinez has said Williams probably needs to get up to 80 pitches before he comes off the 60-day injured list, so he'll need more than one rehab start. The 32-year-old veteran had bounced back from a rough 2023 to go 5-0 with a 2.22 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 47 K's in 56 2/3 frames over 11 starts earlier this year before getting hurt.

San Diego Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts, who moved to second base this year, could potentially be headed back to his former position with Ha-Seong Kim (shoulder) not particularly close to coming off the 10-day injured list. Rookie Mason McCoy has taken over at the 6 in Kim's absence, but the Padres devised that plan as a temporary solution when Kim's return was expected to come sooner. McCoy is solid defensively, but he's hitting just .204 with a .523 OPS. Bogaerts has settled in nicely at the keystone, but moving him back to short would allow Jake Cronenworth to slide from first to second and Luis Arraez from DH to first, freeing up the DH spot for a potential platoon between David Peralta and Donovan Solano. Solano could also play some first base. When Solano pinch hit for McCoy on Sunday, the Padres shifted Bogaerts to short and Cronenworth to second, perhaps a sign of things to come.

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt said on Sunday that shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (shoulder) is "not as close as we'd like" to making his return from right-shoulder inflammation. The news could prompt the club to move Xander Bogaerts, who made the move from shortstop to second base this year, back to his former position. Kim hurt his shoulder three weeks ago diving back into first base, and the team was initially optimistic he'd return after the minimum 10-day stint on the injured list. But as Kim has attempted to ramp up his throwing, he has continued to feel discomfort. He took ground balls at short and attempted to ramp up his throws across the diamond on Saturday, but he's yet to be able to do so at 100% effort. At this point, the Padres are probably just hoping the 28-year-old will be available to them if they secure a spot in the playoffs.

New York Mets right-hander Paul Blackburn (hand), who was originally scheduled to come off the 15-day injured list to make the start on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre, will no longer start, according to the team. Instead, right-hander Tylor Megill is the team's new probable starter. It's unclear if Blackburn has had a setback with his hand, but if he hasn't, the 30-year-old veteran could just be pushed back a day as a precaution. Blackburn suffered a right-hand bruise several weeks ago on a comebacker but is close to rejoining the Mets' starting rotation. Since coming over from the Oakland Athletics in a trade, Blackburn has been an unreliable fantasy streamer, going 1-2 with a 5.18 ERA and 1.56 WHIP with 21 strikeouts and seven walks in 24 1/3 innings over his five starts. He'll be a shaky deep-league streamer if he rejoins the rotation this week in Toronto.

Seattle Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo (hamstring) was removed from his start early on Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals due to a left-hamstring strain. Before leaving, Castillo allowed two earned runs on five hits while walking one and striking out three in three innings of work at Busch Stadium. He will undergo an MRI exam on his hamstring on Monday when the team arrives back in Seattle, and at the very least, his next start is in jeopardy. If the 31-year-old's hamstring injury is serious enough, Castillo may not make it back for the rest of the regular season. Losing Castillo for the rest of the way would be a serious blow to Seattle's chances of catching the division-rival Astros for the American League West division lead. Castillo has gone 11-12 this year with a 3.64 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP and 175 strikeouts in 175 1/3 innings of work over his 30 starts for the M's.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha was excellent on Sunday, shutting out the Minnesota Twins for seven innings in a 2-0 win. Wacha allowed just four hits and a walk while punching out seven in this one. The 33-year-old veteran has been clinical for most of the season, just as he has been since the 2022 campaign. He is a reliable source for a good ERA, decent WHIP, and some strikeouts while being a workhorse capable of 175-plus IP. He is a great back-end arm in any fantasy rotation.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty had a terrific start on Sunday, shutting out the Cleveland Guardians over 7 innings and picking up his 12th win. Flaherty allowed just four hits and struck out six while walking none. It was his best start as a Dodger and maybe his best start of the year as well, as it's the first time he has been able to get through seven innings this year. Despite that, he has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the majors this year and is trustworthy in basically every matchup. He is a must-start for the remaining few weeks of the fantasy season.

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder/first baseman Pavin Smith had a game to remember on Sunday, going 3-for-4 with three homers and eight RBI in a 12-6 win over the Houston Astros. Smith did all of his damage in the first five innings, hitting a three-run homer in the 2nd, a grand slam in the third, and a solo shot in the fifth. The monster game brings the 28-year-old up to a .270 AVG and .905 OPS in 89 at-bats this season. Those numbers aren't too shabby, but the lefty hasn't been able to get into the starting lineup consistently and has spent most of his time in the minors. With a game like this, maybe the D-Backs will get him in the lineup more often. Still, it's hard to trust that one game will change things, so he isn't of much value in fantasy.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty was excellent on the mound for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. The right-hander walked no one and only allowed four hits over 7 1/3 innings of work. The Guardians had no answers for Flaherty as he continued his fantastic second half of the season. Flaherty is now 5-1 with a 2.61 ERA over sevens starts with Los Angeles. He'll look to keep the good times rolling against the Atlanta Braves during his next time out.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani continued his MVP-type season during Sunday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. Ohtani took Tanner Bibee deep for his 46th home run of the season during Sunday's 4-0 victory. He finished the day 2-for-4 and has been a force at the top of the lineup for this offense. There's still a few weeks left, so Ohtani does have a chance to get to 50 home runs before the regular season ends. Fantasy managers should continue to ride with Ohtani into the postseason.

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Kyle Freeland looked sharp on the mound during Sunday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The southpaw was able to induce a ton of soft contact during this game. He allowed one unearned run while striking out four batters across six innings of work. It's not an easy task to hold this Brewers lineup in check. Freeland has been better as of late with three quality starts in his last four outings. He could be a low-end streaming option for his next outing against the Chicago Cubs.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant (back) is "questionable" to play again this season, according to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. Manager Bud Black expressed that the 32-year-old is "feeling good" and "doing better" but is running out of time to return to the diamond. Bryant has appeared in just 37 games this season and has held a modest .218/.323/.301 slash line with two home runs. 15 RBI, and a 13:48 BB:K. Bryant has been hindered by back injuries all season and may stay out for the remainder of the season. For now, fantasy managers should expect the rookie Jordan Beck and 31-year-old Jake Cave to see most of the starting opportunities in right field down the stretch.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs (elbow) was placed on the 15-day IL on Sunday afternoon (retroactive to Thursday, September 5) due to left elbow fatigue. The 31-year-old will not be eligible to return until late in September. Springs began his 2024 season later after undergoing Tommy John surgery last season. Through 33 innings of work this season, the southpaw has held a 3.27 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and an 11:37 BB:K ratio. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Springs' status as he may not take the major league mound again this summer. For the time being, 30-year-old Tyler Alexander should be the front-runner to take claim the open spot in the starting rotation.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (elbow) looked sharp in his fourth rehab outing on Saturday and could be nearing a return to the major leagues. The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery last season and has logged four rehab outings since late August. He logged his longest outing so far on Saturday as he tossed four shutout frames while striking out five batters and surrendering just one hit. Last season in Texas, the two-time Cy Young winner logged 30 1/3 innings to the tune of a 2.67 ERA and a stellar 0.76 WHIP. The 36-year-old could be an excellent starting pitcher down the stretch and is worth stashing on your roster in all formats.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl (chest) will remain sidelined on Sunday as the Reds conclude a series with the New York Mets. Friedl left Saturday's game early after experiencing shortness of breath. As a precaution, he was taken to the hospital and thankfully nothing serious was detected. However, out of precautionary measures, the outfielder will take a seat on Sunday which will open up center field for Will Benson. Fantasy managers should pay attention to the 29-year-old's status ahead of the new week as he could miss a few more games. Benson is worth a look in DFS against the Mets as he will bat in the eight-hole and face Mets right-hander Luis Severino who enters Sunday with a 3.84 ERA.

Chicago White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Red Sox. The 30-year-old also walked once and scored twice in the contest. Most of the season has been one to forget for Benintendi and the White Sox, however, he did have a solid month of August in which he hit .278 (with .224 being his second-best monthly average this year) and seven home runs (no more than three in any other month), so perhaps he can parlay that into some September success. In total, the former seventh-overall draft pick has a .223-16-52-44-3 line on the season with a .293 wOBA and 88 wRC+.

New York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana tossed six-and-two-thirds shutout innings in Saturday's 4-0 victory over the Reds, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out six batters on the way to picking up his eighth win of the season. It was the third consecutive start in which the southpaw gave up one earned run or fewer, although it has been somewhat of a mixed bag for fantasy as he also only struck out 12 batters in 18 innings over that stretch (6.00 K/9). It has been much of the same all season, pitching to a 4.09 ERA (4.89 FIP), 1.31 WHIP, a 9.1% K-BB%, and a 6.99 K/9. The 35-year-old gets a tough matchup his next time out on the road against Philadelphia next Friday.

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames belted his 30th home run of the season in a 2-for-4 day at the plate during Saturday's 5-2 win over the Rockies. The 29-year-old also swiped a pair of bags in the contest, giving him 18 stolen bases on the season. It was the eighth home run in the last 13 games for the Dominican, and with 101 RBI on the season, he leads the National League in that category. After a poor month of June, the slugger was slashing .229/.321/.408, but has hit well ever since and now has the slashline up to a much more respectable .253/.335/.473 along with a .347 wOBA and 123 wRC+.

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez slugged his 25th homer on Saturday in an 11-5 loss to the Houston Astros. The veteran is now hitting .244 with 25 home runs, 88 RBI, two stolen bases and 76 runs scored. Signed as a free agent last winter, Suarez looks to be on track for a 30-home-run season as the Diamondbacks fight for a playoff spot. Over his last 15 games, Suarez has seven home runs, 19 RBI, and is hitting a robust .385.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve homered Saturday in an 11-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The homer was one of three hits for the veteran. During the season Altuve has hit an even .300 with 19 home runs, 59 RBI, 20 stolen bases, and 85 runs scored. He continues to be the catalyst in an excellent Houston lineup. Altuve is hitting .346 in his last seven games atop the lineup. He will look to continue his hot hitting in the series finale tomorrow against Arizona.