Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up
Odds by

    Bobby Witt Jr. (knee) heads for additional testing

    Link copied to clipboard!
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Royals’ manager Matt Quatraro told reporters after Thursday’s game that Bobby Witt Jr. went for additional testing on his injured right knee.

    Aside from that, the Royals’ skipper didn’t have any updates to provide on the status of his franchise cornerstone. It’s possible that they’re just taking every possible precaution here, but fantasy managers should at least prepare for the fact that they could be without Witt for at least the weekend, if not longer.
Trade deadline moves set to shake up AL East race
The AL East was one of baseball's busiest divisions leading up to Monday's trade deadline, leaving CC Sabathia to assess how the Rays and Yankees stack up following their respective moves.

Related Player News

  • KC Shortstop #7
    Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Witt is returning from back tightness without a rehab assignment after 13 days on the injured list. He’ll probably get more days off than usual in the near future, but fantasy teams will surely want him back in their lineups right away.
  • KC Shortstop #7
    This felt inevitable after Witt Jr. missed Sunday’s game with a back injury, then returned on Monday, only to leave that game early. The Royals have the second-worst record in the American League and are not in playoff contention, so they will likely be cautious with their star shortstop, especially when dealing with a back injury. We may not see Witt Jr. back for a few weeks. Tyler Tolbert will likely continue to play shortstop in his place.
  • KC Shortstop #7
    Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters prior to Tuesday’s game that Witt is pretty stiff as he continues to deal with lower back tightness. It sounds like Kansas City is going to give him some time off to see if his condition improves before making a decision on whether he’ll require a trip to the injured list. Fantasy managers should continue to check back in on his status for the remainder of the week.
  • KC Shortstop #7
    No surprise here after Witt exited Monday’s series opener after four innings with lower back tightness. The 26-year-old franchise cornerstone has been dealing with the issue for the past few days, and Kansas City is making the sensible decision to give him additional rest rather than risk it becoming a more serious concern. It’ll be speedster Tyler Tolbert getting the nod at shortstop in his place for the second time in the last three games. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day heading into Wednesday’s series finale.
  • KC Shortstop #7
    It’s the same back issue that forced Witt to miss Sunday’s game against San Diego. He exited in the fourth inning after going 0-for-1 with a walk and was replaced at shortstop by Nick Loftin. The Royals should provide another update on his status after the game. Back injuries have a tendency to linger, making this a situation fantasy managers will want to monitor closely throughout the rest of the week.
  • KC Shortstop #7
    Witt is back at shortstop and hitting second after being held out of Sunday’s series finale against the Padres for precautionary reasons due to back tightness. The 26-year-old franchise cornerstone doesn’t appear to be at risk of missing additional time, but back issues can be tricky matters. Fantasy managers should closely monitor his status for the next couple days.
  • KC Shortstop #7
    The 26-year-old superstar really didn’t get much of a break while playing in the All-Star Game, so he’ll get a breather on Sunday. Tyler Tolbert will start in his place at shortstop and will hit eighth for the Royals against Padres’ right-hander German Marquez.
  • KC Shortstop #7
    It was Witt’s 13th home run and 39th RBI of the season. The 26-year-old is slashing a solid .288/.359/.464 on the season, but the struggles of the lineup around him have really dampened his counting stat upside. There’s nothing you can do in fantasy leagues other than put him into your lineup.
  • KC Shortstop #7
    Witt smacked a two-run homer off Griffin Jax in the third, and clobbered a solo homer in the eighth inning that went an estimated 432 feet in the eighth. He has now homered a dozen times in 2026, and three of those came in a solid — if unspectacular based on Witt’s abilities — month of June. He’s as good as it gets at the shortstop position, and fantasy managers should expect similar to better production from the 26-year-old in the second half of the campaign.
  • KC Shortstop #7
    It’s an extremely positive sign that Witt is back in Kansas City’s lineup for the second straight contest, especially with a short turnaround. He went 0-for-3 with a walk during Friday evening’s series opener following a six-game absence recovering from a low-grade MCL sprain in his right knee. It doesn’t appear that there is any concern regarding his availability moving forward.

Rotoworld

  • Personalize your Rotoworld feed by favoriting players
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Adley Rutschman (wrist) has resumed swinging a bat.

    Rutschman will undergo an evaluation with Boston’s medical staff before his next steps come into focus. The 28-year-old switch-hitting backstop, who is currently on the injured list with left wrist inflammation, came over to the Red Sox in a trade deadline blockbuster. There should be a definitive return timetable at some point later this week.
  • TEX Starting Pitcher #61
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Cody Bradford (elbow) could potentially start on Wednesday against the Giants.

    Technically, the Rangers haven’t announced their pitching plan, but Bradford seems likely to make his season debut after missing the first couple months working his way back from Tommy John surgery. He’s unlikely to offer significant fantasy appeal, but it’s a nice matchup right out of the gate.
  • CHC Starting Pitcher #35
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Clay Holmes (fibula) and Kevin Gausman will make their Cubs debuts against the Royals later this week.

    Chicago manager Craig Counsell confirmed that Holmes will not require any additional minor league rehab starts. The tandem of trade deadline acquisitions will get the ball later this week when the Cubs head to Kansas City for a three-game series that gets underway on Friday.
  • TOR Starting Pitcher #39
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Trey Yesavage was removed from Tuesday’s start against the Astros with left knee discomfort.

    Not great. Yesavage appeared to injure his left knee while landing on a warmup pitch prior to the third inning and made an immediate exit from the contest with a trainer. He departed after firing a pair of scoreless innings. The 23-year-old’s absence would be a crushing blow in the middle of an already dismal season for the Blue Jays. He’ll undergo further evaluation and imaging to determine the severity of the issue. It certainly seems like a potential injured list situation. There should be additional clarity on his status later this week.
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a solo home run to help the Yankees to a win over the Cardinals on Tuesday.

    Chisholm blistered a solo homer off Hunter Dobbins to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. The 28-year-old has his first homer of the month of August after hitting four of them in July, and he’s now up to 17 on the campaign.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • Link copied to clipboard!

    George Lombard Jr. hit a solo homer to help the Yankees to a 2-0 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday.

    Lombard Jr. becomes the latest member of an exclusive club of players who have homered in their MLB debuts. He also drew a walk and helped turn a couple of double plays and cement a shutout victory. Lombard will likely have some ups and downs over these first two months of his career, but there’s never been a question of talent, and he’s absolutely worth a look for fantasy managers who need middle-infield help down the stretch.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • NYY Relief Pitcher #53
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    David Bednar went 1 1/3 scoreless frames to get a save against the Cardinals on Tuesday.

    Bednar came in to clean up a mess in the eighth, and while he did issue a walk to load the bases, he was able to escape. This makes back-to-back four-out saves for the right-hander, and he’s up to 25 saves on the campaign.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • STL Starting Pitcher #40
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Hunter Dobbins worked 6 1/3 innings of two-run baseball but took a loss to the Yankees on Tuesday.

    Dobbins allowed just four hits in the contest, and he struck out four against three walks. Unfortunately, two of those hits were solo homers — including the first MLB home run for George Lombard Jr. — and the Cardinals gave Dobbins a literal zero in run support. Dobbins has basically alternated quality outings with less-than-spectacular outings as of late, and he’ll try and break that trend — and get some help from his teammates — when he faces the Phillies next week.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • NYY Starting Pitcher #40
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Ryan Weathers blanked the Cardinals over six innings to pick up a win for the Yankees on Tuesday.

    This makes back-to-back starts where Weathers hasn’t allowed a run, and he’s given up just one over his last three over 18 2/3 innings. That’ll work. In this outing, Weathers struck out six while issuing just one walk, and he scattered four hits in a very impressive outing for the 26-year-old that lowers his ERA to 3.79. If there’s no change to the rotation order, Weathers will face Seattle in New York on Tuesday.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • ATL 2nd Baseman #1
    Player Stats
    Link copied to clipboard!

    Ozzie Albies hit a solo homer to help the Braves to a win Tuesday over the Marlins.

    Albies smashed a solo homer in the third inning off Ryan Gusto, the only run Atlanta picked up off Gusto before he exited the game. Albies now has 19 homers on the season, and the RBI ups his total to 63.
    - Christopher Crawford