Garrett Mitchell day-to-day with hamstring cramp

Lara put together a memorable major-league debut during the second game of Tuesday’s twin bill at Busch Stadium, going 1-for-4 with a pair of RBI. The 21-year-old top prospect offers some serious fantasy intrigue based on his fantasy-relevant skillset and is worth a speculative roster spot in the event that he sticks around in an everyday role coming out of next week’s All-Star break.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell reaffirmed that Steele will return as a reliever given the lack of time remaining on the calendar to sufficiently ramp up as a traditional starter. The 30-year-old was given clearance to progress to throwing off a bullpen mound in early August as he continues working his way back from a flexor strain that he suffered in April while rehabbing from last year’s Tommy John surgery. He has a chance to make it back to Chicago as a reliever in time for their September playoff push.

No word yet regarding how much time Raya stands to miss. The 23-year-old rookie has allowed two runs over six innings across three relief appearances for Minnesota since being called up back on June 24.

There are plenty of moving parts here. Simply put, Mike Paredes will shift to a long relief role in place of rookie Marco Raya, who is headed to the injured list with a shoulder impingement, with Ober returning to Minnesota’s rotation. The 30-year-old has been out with a mild flexor strain that put him on the shelf back in late May. His immediate fantasy appeal is limited to deeper mixed leagues as a matchup-dependent back-end rotation option.

Bazzana has been removed from Cleveland’s leadoff spot after hitting .198/.280/.362 with four homers and four steals over his last 30 games. The 23-year-old rookie has been struggling recently, hitting just .238 (5-for-30) over his last seven games. It’ll be David Fry getting a look atop the lineup against Twins rookie lefty Connor Prielipp in this one. It could be a one-game decision, but fantasy managers should prepare for Bazzana to hit lower in the Guardians lineup against lefty starters moving forward.

Trout returns to Los Angeles’ lineup at DH and hitting second against the division-rival Rangers on Wednesday night following a three-week absence recovering from a right hamstring strain. The 34-year-old generational talent has delivered 17 homers and seven steals in 74 games this season. The most exciting development here is that Trout will be ready for next week’s Midsummer Classic in his hometown of Philadelphia. It’s his 12th career All-Star selection and first appearance in the actual contest itself since 2019.

Walton loses his spot on the Angels active roster with franchise cornerstone Mike Trout back from the injured list. The 32-year-old journeyman did a nice job for Los Angeles, hitting .319 (29-for-91) with three homers and 12 RBI in 97 plate appearances over 32 games this season.

Wetherholt takes a seat after playing both games during Tuesday’s doubleheader at Busch Stadium. It’ll be José Fermín at second base with Masyn Winn moving up to the leadoff spot in his place. The 23-year-old rookie sensation is one of the most prominent omissions from next week’s All-Star Game. He’s put together an excellent first half, hitting .263/.358/.405 with 56 runs scored, 13 homers, 36 RBI and nine steals in 391 plate appearances through 86 games.

Keaschall has made a rather seamless transition to the outfield recently and will receive his first opportunity to patrol center field with franchise cornerstone Byron Buxton on the injured list with a hip strain. The 23-year-old former top prospect has struggled to an underwhelming .255/.341/.347 triple-slash line with just four homers and 12 steals in 337 plate appearances over 86 games. The additional defensive versatility will go a long way to ensuring he has a permanent spot in the majors, but he’ll need to start making more consistent hard contact, which ironically was his calling card in the minors, before he’s an impactful fantasy contributor. He’s far too young for fantasy managers to completely give up on his long-term potential.

Mangum draws his second consecutive opportunity in the leadoff spot since rookie phenom Konnor Griffin hit the injured list with a finger injury earlier this week. The 30-year-old is hitting .305 (65-for-213) with one homer and 17 steals in 71 games this season. He brings enough speed to be a meaningful fantasy contributor, particularly in deeper mixed leagues. With Griffin sidelined until early September, a more permanent role atop Pittsburgh’s lineup should result in additional running opportunities and a steady stream of runs scored. He looks like a strong waiver wire target for fantasy managers heading into the second half, even in shallow mixed leagues.