Royals starter Stephen Kolek remains on paternity leave

Emerson is 3-for-22 in July, so we’d understand him getting a day to clear his head if that’s what this is. Buddy Kennedy will start at third base with J.P. Crawford at shortstop against RHP Nick Martinez.

Steer has not appeared in a game in center field in his major-league career. So this could be fun. The 28-year-old is hitting .240/.323/.421 this year while mostly batting in the top half of the Reds order over the past month or so. This is a stab at getting T.J. Friedl out of the lineup.

Lile has been slumping heavily since the middle of June, hitting .215/.244/.354 over this past 82 plate appearances with just two homers and one stolen base. Andrés Chaparro will bat sixth in Lile’s place against LHP Ryan Weathers.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Tigers took it easy on Dingler heading into the All-Star break, so we wouldn’t be stunned if he misses this weekend series. Jake Rogers is taking over at catcher and batting ninth against the Phillies tonight.

Wetherholt has been an instant hit for the Cardinals, batting .267/.362/.411 with 13 homers and nine stolen bases as we near the end of the season’s first half. Passan doesn’t put a dollar figure on this, but notes it’s a “nine-figure deal.” Wetherholt should be a long-term building block for the Cardinals, as the former top prospect instantly took over as the Opening Day second baseman and never looked back. He’s currently 12th in FanGraphs’ WAR at 3.6.

Nance had a 1.99 ERA in 30 games pitched last year for the Jays and, despite missing time to injury this year, has a 3.82 ERA in 33 innings for the Jays in 2026. He’s ostensibly bullpen help for the Twins, though we can’t help but wonder if the Jays really think highly of him considering they’re also not far out of a playoff spot. Sprock, a 2025 eighth-round pick, has a .306/.436/.441 line for Single-A Fort Myers as a 21-year-old and was recently promoted to High-A Cedar Rapids.

Rom holds a 3.18 ERA in 5 2/3 innings for the Brewers this year, striking out 11. He’s the active roster spot the Brewers needed for signing Bryse Wilson. The 26-year-old has pitched well in Triple-A as well, with a 2.51 ERA in 31 2/3 innings and 47 strikeouts, so he figures to be back in the bigs at some point.

McGee pitched two scoreless innings in the bigs this year and has a career 3.08 MLB ERA in 13 games, but has been roughed up in Nashville to the tune of a 5.62 ERA in 41 2/3 innings with a 1.58 WHIP. The 28-year-old was already in the minors, so this is a procedural move to free up a 40-man spot for Bryse Wilson.

He was likely a few weeks from making it back to the bigs anyway after just facing hitters for the first time on Wednesday, so the transfer won’t materially impact his timeline. Irvin is returning from a right shoulder strain. The move frees up a 40-man roster spot for Tom Cosgrove.

Morgan had a 5.19 ERA in 14 games before being sent down in mid-June. The 30-year-old veteran had a 1.42 ERA in 19 innings while striking out 31 for the Storm Chasers. He’ll be low-leverage depth over the weekend before the All-Star break hits.