Boston Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder (wrist) was scratched from Thursday's lineup, but eventually entered the game as a pinch runner. Refsnyder was removed from the starting lineup against the New York Yankees due to right wrist discomfort, but he was able to pinch-run in extra innings. The injury appears to be a minor one for the 33-year-old, and if all goes well he has a good chance to get back in the lineup this weekend. Refsnyder has had a surprisingly solid season, slashing .284/.361/.472 in 271 AB, but his playing time has been inconsistent and therefore he isn't of much use in fantasy.

Cleveland Guardians rookie first baseman/outfielder Jhonkensy Noel is out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. With Noel back on the bench after starting each of the last three games, Will Brennan will make the start in right field and will bat seventh against Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot. Noel does have 13 home runs in his first 55 big-league games with Cleveland this year, but he's also hitting only .232 (35-for-151) and has 55 strikeouts in 169 plate appearances. The Dominican slugger has really struggled of late, too, as he doesn't have a hit since Sept. 2. In nine games in September, Noel has gone 2-for-23 (.087) with a double, two RBI and 10 strikeouts. The left-handed-hitting Brennan has not recorded a hit in only three career at-bats against Pepiot and should be considered a low-upside DFS sleeper.

Los Angeles Angels right-hander Carson Fulmer (elbow) felt something in his elbow in his start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 25 but pitched through it without any issues. But his elbow continued to bother him when he tried to throw a bullpen session, and he was put on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 30. Fulmer has progressed to playing light catch and he is still hoping to return at some point before the end of the season at the end of September. He is continuing to ramp up his throwing program. The 30-year-old has operated as a swing man for the Angels in 2024, going 0-5 with a 4.15 ERA (4.56 FIP), a 1.31 WHIP and a 79:37 K:BB in 32 appearances (eight starts) over 80 1/3 innings before his injury. At this point with the Angels playing out the string, it feels unlikely that we'll see Fulmer pitching again in 2024 at the big-league level.

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Chad Green (4-6) blew a save on Wednesday, as his team lost to the New York Mets 6-2. Green entered the game in the ninth inning when the game was tied 1-1 and, in 2/3 IP, gave up one hit and three walks, allowing two runners to score on sacrifice flies. After that, Francisco Alvarez proceeded to hit a three-run homer off of Genesis Cabrera, where two of those runners he inherited from Green. Overall, Green was charged for allowing four runs. This marks the fourth blown save from Green in his last five appearances. In that time, his ERA on the season has climbed from 1.61 to 3.49. Green is still Toronto's closer and worth holding onto in leagues for fantasy managers needing the saves.

Cleveland Guardians starter Matthew Boyd pitched well on Wednesday as his team beat the Chicago White Sox 6-4. Boyd went 4 1/3 innings, gave up four runs (one earned) on six hits, walked two and struck out nine. He did not factor into the decision. Boyd, who missed the end of last year and most of this year recovering from elbow surgery, has been very good since making his season debut on August 13. In six starts (33 IP), he is (2-1) with a 2.18 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and a 7:35 BB: K. Boyd's strong return brings promise to the Guardians, as they are in for a tight (and exciting) September and October. The southpaw can be used as a streamer in his next start on Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins.

Toronto Blue Jays starter Bowden Francis was excellent on Wednesday as his team fell to the New York Mets 6-2. Francis pitched eight no-hit innings until giving up a home run to Fransisco Lindor in the ninth frame. He did not factor into the decision. Still, Francis' line was incredible: he pitched eight innings, gave up one hit, and walked and struck out one. The 28-year-old has been on a tear since returning to the Jays' rotation. In his past seven starts, he is (4-1) with a 1.50 ERA, a 0.44 WHIP, and a 5:46 BB: K in 48 IP. Francis seems to have at least earned a chance to compete for a rotation spot in 2025, and with that, he has increased his fantasy value and draft stock, too. Francis will look to continue his torrid stretch at his next start on Wednesday on the road against the Texas Rangers.

Minnesota Twins infielder Jose Miranda heads to the bench ahead of Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. This is a much-needed day off for Miranda who has started in each of the last 10 games. The 26-year-old is in the middle of a breakout campaign. Through 115 games, Miranda is hitting .295 with nine home runs and 49 RBI in 2024. He has moved around from first base, third base, and the designated hitter spot this season. Carlos Santana moves first base while Trevor Larnach serves as the designated hitter and bats cleanup versus right-hander Jack Kochanowicz on Wednesday. Fantasy managers should expect Miranda to be back in the lineup after this game.

Boston Red Sox left-hander James Paxton (calf) told WEEI's Rob Bradford on Wednesday that he plans to retire this offseason. Paxton has decided to call it quits after finishing the 2024 season on the 60-day injured list with Boston due to a partial tear in his right calf. The 35-year-old Canadian southpaw has had trouble staying healthy in recent years and won't attempt a comeback. He began the year pitching in the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting rotation and even won nine games, but he was eventually cut after posting a 4.43 ERA (4.99 FIP) with a 1.45 WHIP and a career-low 16.4% strikeout rate in 18 starts. Paxton made only three starts in Boston before injuring his calf. Paxton entered the big leagues in 2013 with the Seattle Mariners and spent six seasons with them before bouncing around with the Yankees, M's, Red Sox and Dodgers in 11 total seasons.

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (finger) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting second on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies and right-hander Zack Wheeler at Citizens Bank Park. Lowe has been dealing with inflammation in his ligament on both sides of his middle finger and missed the previous five games as a result. The 30-year-old is feeling better now, though, and will return in a tough matchup on the road. Lowe has came in to pinch hit the last couple of days and even saw some time at second base, so he's clearly improving and shouldn't need a trip to the injured list. In 10 career at-bats against Wheeler, Lowe has taken him deep once and driven in two, but he has only two total hits. The left-handed hitter has gone just 4-for-21 (.191) with a homer, RBI and seven strikeouts in September and isn't a recommended DFS play given the matchup against Wheeler.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho and rookie first baseman Spencer Horwitz are out of the starting lineup on Wednesday at Rogers Centre against the New York Mets with a left-hander on the mound. Rookie Joey Loperfido will handle center-field duties and will bat eighth, while George Springer will serve as the designated hitter and bat leadoff against Mets lefty Sean Manaea. Nathan Lukes is in right field and is hitting in the two-hole. Springer has the quite the history against Manaea in 37 career at-bats, hitting .324 with a .768 OPS and six RBI, so he'll be a nice under-the-radar DFS sleeper while hitting leadoff. Horwitz has hit well in just his second MLB season in Toronto, but he's batting .193 (11-for-57) with none of his 12 home runs against southpaws in 2024, hence why he is on the bench on Wednesday.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (elbow) will make his 2024 season debut on Friday and the two-time Cy Young winner will draw a very favorable matchup against the Mariners, although it comes on the road in Seattle. The Mariners have the lowest team batting average in all of baseball and they also have the highest strikeout rate per game (10.15). deGrom is making his way back from Tommy John surgery and hasn't pitched in the majors since April of 2023, but he made four rehab appearances in which he was his usual dominant self. The four-time All-Star threw a total of 10 2/3 inning, allowing one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out 15. Four innings was the most he threw in any one of his rehab starts, so he may be somewhat limited in his return, but he'll offer fantasy managers a chance for good strikeout numbers, low ERA, and low WHIP during the fantasy playoffs, so he should be rostered wherever he's still available.

The Seattle Mariners moved right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia (elbow) to the 60-day injured list on Tuesday due to right-elbow inflammation, which will put him out for the rest of the 2024 season. In other moves, the M's also placed right-handed starter Luis Castillo (hamstring) on the 15-day IL (retroactive to Sept. 9) with a left-hamstring strain and selected the contract of catcher Seby Zavala from Triple-A Tacoma. The 34-year-old Garcia recently had a setback with his elbow injury and won't pitch again for the team this year. The Dominican hurler began the year pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays, where he had all five of his saves in 2024, before being traded to Seattle at the deadline in late July. Garcia only pitched in nine innings out of the bullpen after the trade and allowed six earned runs while walking four and striking out seven.

The Los Angeles Angels placed right-handed reliever Ben Joyce (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Sep. 7) on Tuesday and recalled right-hander Guillo Zuniga from Triple-A Salt Lake in a corresponding move. The Angels also moved left-hander Matt Moore (forearm) to the 60-day IL. With only a few weeks in the 2024 regular season and with the Halos well out of playoff contention, it would be a surprise if the hard-throwing Joyce returns to the big leagues the rest of the way. The former third-rounder in 2022 out of Tennessee was looking good in his second year in the majors in 2024, going 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, 33 strikeouts and his first four career saves in 34 2/3 innings pitched. With Joyce now on the shelf, the Angels could employ a committee approach to saves to finish the year among the likes of Hunter Strickland, Roansy Contreras and Jose Quijada.

Washington National rookie third baseman Jose Tena is batting fifth in Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves. Tena is hitting .293/.330/.380 with two homers, 10 RBI, and nine runs scored in 97 plate appearances since his Nationals debut on June 28. Although overshadowed by the likes of Dylan Crews and James Wood, Tena is one of the young bats the Nationals are counting on to help them return to playoff contention in 2025. Tena continues to fly under the radar in dynasty leagues, but if he is available, find the roster space to stash him away.

New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells continued his strong offensive second half in Monday's 10-4 win over the Royals. Wells went 2-for-5 with a double, a three-run home run, four RBI, and a strikeout. The 25-year-old backstop broke a seventh-inning tie by driving a James McArthur fastball deep into the right-field seats for his 13th long ball of the season. While he has cooled off in September, Wells has put together a .295/.380/.511 second-half slash line with seven HR and 29 RBI in 135 at-bats. His current performance and exposure to an excellent Yankees lineup make him a potential fantasy option in most fantasy leagues down the stretch.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Joey Cantillo turned in the best start of his young career in Monday's 5-3 win over the White Sox. Cantillo, who was recalled from Triple-A Columbus ahead of the start, pitched seven innings, allowing one run on two hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts, earning his first career win. The 24-year-old prospect has made six appearances (five starts) with the Guardians and owns a bloated 5.96 ERA in 25 2/3 IP. He has pitched better at Triple-A, but it does not seem he necessarily has a clear path to playing time down the stretch in the big leagues. It is possible he could make a few more spot starts, but he seems to be a more relevant player in dynasty or keeper fantasy leagues at this time.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder had an excellent day at the plate in Monday's 12-3 win over the Orioles. Refsnyder went 4-for-4 with a single, a double, a solo home run, a two-run HR, five RBI, and a walk. The 33-year-old veteran took Cade Povich deep to straightaway center in the third inning and took Cole Irvin just beyond the Pesky Pole in the eighth inning. Refsnyder has put together a solid season slash line in limited playing time and is batting .400 with an .867 slugging percentage in September. However, he has managed just 15 at-bats in the month. Refsnyder could provide a hot bat to cap off the season, but he will need to translate his success into more playing time to put him in the fantasy roster conversation.

Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad (concussion) begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday with High-A Aberdeen and has gone 2-for-5 with a walk and a run scored in his first two games. On Sunday, Kjerstad went 2-for-2 with a run and a walk before being replaced in right field. The 25-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder served as the designated hitter in his first rehab appearance on Saturday. Kjerstad has been away from the Orioles since suffering a concussion in late July. It's a good sign that he's now playing in games again, but it's unknown how long he'll be on a rehab assignment before being an option to rejoin Baltimore's big-league roster as outfield depth to close out the 2024 regular season. There's a very realistic chance that Kjerstad is sent to Triple-A Norfolk, instead of the majors, once he's finished with his rehab assignment.

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.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Spencer Horwitz homered twice among four hits Saturday in a 9-5 victory over the Atlanta Braves. Both home runs came off Atlanta starter Spencer Schwellenbach. Horwitz is now hitting .269 with 11 home runs, 32 RBI and 41 runs scored. The rookie has been hot over his last seven games, hitting .407 with three homers and six RBI. Continue to use him in lineups as he is playing daily and racking up some counting stats at this late stage in the season.