Jackson Merrill goes 2-for-3, homers in loss

It’ll be rookie Sean Sullivan drawing the starting assignment at Coors Field in his place. The 36-year-old veteran has been dealing with a finger issue since his previous outing against the Twins last week, but it’s a back-related issue that will keep him from taking the ball this weekend. It sounds like this could become an injured list situation if he’s not ready to pitch in a couple days.

Grisham is back atop New York’s lineup for the second straight contest against a right-handed starter after going 2-for-4 with his ninth home run of the season and a pair of RBI in his return from the injured list during Friday’s series opener. The 29-year-old wound up missing nearly three weeks recovering from a right hamstring strain.

Buxton returns to Minnesota’s lineup in center field and hitting second following an extended four-game absence due to a right hip impingement. It’s his first game action since June 28. The 32-year-old has been one of the most impactful all-around fantasy contributors this season, delivering a stellar .268/.323/.573 slash line with 56 runs scored, 25 homers, 43 RBI and seven steals across 329 plate appearances over 73 games. It’s an extremely encouraging development for fantasy managers that he’s managed to avoid a trip to the injured list.

It sounds like a precautionary decision since Young was in Washington’s original lineup heading into Saturday’s Independence Day matinee at Nationals Park. It’ll be Dylan Crews taking over in center field with José Tena entering the lineup at DH. There should be an update on his status following the contest.

Beck gets the nod to replace an injured Carlos Rodón (elbow) in New York’s rotation. The 27-year-old allowed two runs over three innings during a bulk relief outing against the Rangers in his major-league debut back on May 7. He’s posted an encouraging 3.07 ERA across 88 innings at the Triple-A level this season. He’s not a recommended option for fantasy purposes.

Ober kicked off a rehab assignment by allowing three runs over 3 1/3 innings for High-A Cedar Rapids last Sunday. The 30-year-old starter is working his way back from a mild flexor strain that put him on the shelf back in late May. He figures to be ready to rejoin Minnesota’s pitching mix at some point in early-to-mid July. His fantasy appeal is limited to deeper mixed leagues as a matchup-dependent back-end rotation arm.

Stratton rejoins Pittsburgh’s low-leverage relief mix with Evan Sisk hitting the injured list with elbow inflammation. The 29-year-old was reacquired from the Braves in the Joey Bart trade last month. He made 47 appearances for the Pirates from 2023-2025.

Sisk hits the shelf after posting a strong 2.23 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 43/13 K/BB ratio across 36 1/3 innings for the Pirates since mid-April. No word yet regarding how much time he’ll miss.

Valdez has been on a tear since returning to the majors back on June 11, hitting .411 (19-for-46) with four homers and 11 RBI across 15 games. The most encouraging aspect of his recent performance is that he’s struck out just a shade over 25 percent of the time during that span. The 22-year-old projects as a streaky power hitter given his strikeout issues in the upper minors. However, he’s in a groove right now and should continue batting in the heart of Pittsburgh’s lineup. Those factors alone make him a worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats.

It’ll be lefty Carson Palmquist taking the ball as Washington’s opener before turning things over to Littell for an extended relief outing. The 30-year-old veteran has routinely pitched behind an opener this season and boasts a pedestrian 5.29 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 49/25 K/BB ratio across 80 innings of work. He’s not a recommended fantasy option, especially with temperatures hovering in the triple-digits at Nationals Park during this Fourth of July mid-day affair.