Yankees to use spot starter, push back Gerrit Cole

Cholowsky receives a $10.35 million signing bonus, which represents a roughly $1 million under-slot deal, as the top-overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. The 21-year-old was universally regarded as the most polished collegiate shortstop in at least a decade with a real chance to be above average both at the plate and in the field. From a fantasy standpoint, he projects as a strong contributor in the power department with enough hit tool projection to envision a respectable batting average. He won’t help at all in the stolen base department, which caps his realistic upside. Still, he’s a phenomenal prospect with a chance to bolster Chicago’s rapidly improving young nucleus as one one of their franchise cornerstones.

Misiorowski has made the leap from hard-throwing phenom to top-of-the-rotation force within the last few months, posting a microscopic 1.62 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 167/27 K/BB ratio across 111 innings over 18 first-half starts. The 24-year-old flame-thrower won’t reach free agency until 2032, but with more teams prioritizing long-term extensions with their top young players, it feels a bit surprising that there haven’t even been preliminary talks yet. Misiorowski is slated to resume throwing this week after being scratched from his final first-half outing due to fatigue. It doesn’t appear to be a serious concern, but fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status coming out of the All-Star break.

Bride has gotten into 214 games in the big leagues between three different organizations since 2022. He was in Rangers camp as a non-roster invitee this spring. The 30-year-old has been cut loose after batting .271/.389/.418 with nine homers and eight steals in 357 plate appearances over 80 games for Triple-A Round Rock. He should be able to latch on elsewhere as organizational depth.

Ragans underwent a less invasive surgical operation to repair his UCL than a full Tommy John ligament replacement or even an internal brace procedure. Basically, the surgeon was able to repair his existing ligament with sutures. The exact nature of the procedure was unknown until he actually had the operation done earlier this month. The positive news is that it wasn’t his third career Tommy John surgery, but he’s still facing a lengthy rehabilitation process. There’s a chance he’s back in Kansas City’s rotation sometime around midseason in 2027.

Acuña played five innings in right field during his first rehab contest. The 28-year-old fantasy superstar appears on track to return to Atlanta’s lineup following the All-Star break. He’s been brought along slowly in his recovery from a left hamstring issue that has forced him to the injured list on a pair of occasions since early May. He’ll get in a handful of additional rehab contests in the Florida Coast League before his next steps come into focus.

There’s no way to sugarcoat the obvious that Kim has been a complete non-factor at the dish in his Atlanta debut this season. The 30-year-old was hitting .068 (5-for-73) with zero homers and one steal in 82 plate appearances before hitting the shelf with right middle finger inflammation last week. There’s still time for him to turn things around and the Braves are obviously hoping that the minor-league reset will jump-start that process.

Jobe allowed just two baserunners and threw 27 of 38 pitches for strikes in his second rehab outing as he continues to work his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery. The hard-throwing 23-year-old should factor into Detroit’s second-half pitching plans in some capacity, but his realistic fantasy impact will largely be determined by their place in the American League’s playoff picture.

Torres completed five innings at the keystone in his rehab debut. He should make it back to Detroit at some point shortly after the All-Star break after hitting the injured list with an oblique strain back in mid-June. He lost a month to a different oblique issue earlier this season.

Irvin struck out three and allowed just one hit in his first rehab outing. The 29-year-old has been out with a right shoulder strain since late May. He’ll presumably require a couple weeks to sufficiently build up his pitch count and stamina before returning to Washington’s rotation sometime in early-to-mid August.

Myers has been on the injured list since suffering a shoulder contusion when he crashed into the center-field wall back on June 29. He should return to Cincinnati in a reserve outfield role after the All-Star break.