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    Witt Jr. (knee) out of lineup for sixth game

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    Bobby Witt Jr. (knee) is out of the lineup for Thursday’s game against the Rays.

    This is now the sixth straight game that Witt Jr. is not in the lineup. He has been available off the bench for the last two games, but has not entered into either one of them. The Royals also had two players pinch hit in the eighth and ninth innings in Wednesday’s loss to the Rays, but neither of them was Witt Jr. Tyler Tolbert will continue to play shortstop and bat ninth as the Royals maintain a holding pattern with their star shortstop.
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  • KC Shortstop #7
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    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.
  • KC Shortstop #7
    Witt made it back to Kansas City’s lineup for the first time in over one week following a six-game absence due to a low-grade MCL sprain in his right knee. The encouraging development for fantasy managers is that Witt is back on the field and managed to avoid a trip to the injured list. The 26-year-old fantasy superstar has put together a phenomenal season, slashing .291/.367/.460 with 41 runs scored, 10 homers, 32 RBI and an American League-leading 28 stolen bases through 77 games this season.

Rotoworld

  • LAD Starting Pitcher #17
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    Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that along with his knee, Shohei Ohtani’s right biceps issue is also a factor that’s kept him from throwing bullpens of late.

    Ohtani left a game on July 3 because of biceps discomfort, but it was a hitting issue and not supposed to be pitching-related. If the Dodgers are now concerned about it in terms of his pitching, then any sort of quick return to the mound seems highly unlikely. All signs point to him remaining in the lineup as a designated hitter, however.
  • SEA Designated Hitter #8
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    Dominic Canzone went 2-for-4 with two homers and three RBI to power the Mariners to a 7-6 win over the Dodgers on Tuesday.

    Canzone took Justin Wrobleski deep for a solo homer in the sixth inning to tie the game. With the game still tied in the eighth, he went deep once again, blasting a two-run shot off Alex Vesia to put the Mariners ahead. Both home runs came off a left-handed pitcher. The 28-year-old outfielder is up to 18 homers and 49 RBI while hitting .263/.333/.530 across 297 plate appearances.
  • SEA Center Fielder #44
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    Julio Rodríguez went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored, and a stolen base against the Dodgers on Tuesday.

    Rodríguez led off the fourth inning with a solo homer off Justin Wrobleski. He later added a single in the eighth before stealing second and scoring. The 25-year-old outfielder is up to 16 homers, 51 runs scored, 46 RBI, and 13 steals while slashing .257/.317/.425 across 419 plate appearances.
  • LAD Starting Pitcher #17
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    Shohei Ohtani went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and a walk against the Mariners on Tuesday.

    Ohtani got the scoring started in this one, taking Luis Castillo deep for a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the first inning. After he was intentionally walked in the third, he knocked a base hit in the fourth to drive in another run before collecting his third RBI on a double in the ninth. After the game, the 32-year-old star stated he was dealing with a right biceps issue along with the left knee injury, keeping him from throwing since last week. Still, he continues to perform at the plate, slashing .286/.391/.533 with 23 homers, 67 runs scored, 64 RBI, and six steals across 452 plate appearances.
  • SEA Relief Pitcher #75
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    Andrés Muñoz allowed one run in the ninth and recorded the save against the Dodgers on Tuesday.

    Muñoz was summoned to close out the game against the Dodgers with a two-run lead. He started the inning with a single and a double that brought a run in for the Dodgers. Muñoz then retired the next two batters before working around a walk to convert his 19th save. The one run allowed snaps a 13-inning scoreless streak that dated back to June 16.
  • SEA Starting Pitcher #58
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    Luis Castillo surrendered five runs with two strikeouts over five innings in a no-decision against the Dodgers on Tuesday.

    Castillo gave up a leadoff homer to Shohei Ohtani in the bottom of the first inning. He then loaded the bases with no outs in the third, but came out of it with just one more run allowed on a groundout. The Dodgers would add two more runs in the fourth, followed by a solo homer by Max Muncy in the fifth. Castillo’s day would be done after five frames, giving up 11 hits and issuing two walks while collecting just two strikeouts. The 33-year-old right-hander will take a 5.06 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and an 86/32 K/BB ratio across 99 2/3 innings into a start against the Tigers in Seattle next Tuesday.
  • LAD Starting Pitcher #70
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    Justin Wrobleski allowed five runs and struck out seven batters over six innings in a no-decision against the Mariners on Tuesday.

    Wrobleski was hurt by the long ball on Tuesday. He surrendered a solo homer to Cal Raleigh in the second inning. Julio Rodríguez added a solo homer in the fourth, followed by a two-run shot by Rob Refsnyder. Dominic Canzone later got to Wrobleski for a solo homer in the sixth. Still, he managed to collect seven strikeouts over six innings of work. The 26-year-old left-hander will take a 2.88 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and an 87/21 K/BB ratio across 112 2/3 innings into a start against the Red Sox in Los Angeles on Sunday.
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    Fernando Tatis Jr. went 5-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored in San Diego’s 8-7 win over the Rockies on Tuesday.

    Tatis had come into this game hitless over his last three games. He made up for it against the Rockies, collecting hits in all five of his plate appearances while driving in two runs and crossing home once. The 27-year-old star is slashing .285/.353/.400 with eight homers, 54 runs scored, 49 RBI, and 25 steals across 469 plate appearances.
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    Luis García Jr. went 2-for-5 and hit his 22nd homer Tuesday as the Nationals topped the Blue Jays 8-6.

    García and Dylan Crews went back-to-back in the fourth inning, though it was off different pitchers after CJ Van Eyk replaced Mason Fluharty. The two-run shot for García gave him 73 RBI, tying him for fifth in the majors. He’s already three ahead of his previous career high for 70 RBI in 140 games in 2024.
  • WSH Starting Pitcher #24
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    Cade Cavalli allowed three runs — two earned — over six innings in picking up his eighth win Tuesday versus the Blue Jays.

    Cavalli’s fourth straight quality start saw him settle for just three strikeouts, but it wasn’t an issue against the often-punchless Blue Jays. He finishes the month of July 3-0 with a 3.08 ERA in five starts. Next up for him is a start in Atlanta. He fanned 10 while allowing two runs over five innings in his previous start against the Braves back in April.