Phillies recall Tanner Banks from Triple-A

Strzelecki latches on with St. Louis after opting out of his minor league pact with the Brewers earlier this week. The 31-year-old reliever hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the 2024 campaign, but holds a respectable 3.44 ERA across 83 2/3 mostly low-leverage innings dating back to 2022.

Kurtz returns to the Athletics’ lineup for Saturday’s contest against the Twins following a two-week absence recovering from a thumb sprain that he suffered prior to the All-Star break. The 23-year-old on-base machine should provide a massive lift for the struggling Athletics, and fantasy managers as well, after making a lightning-quick recovery. He was off to an excellent start at the plate prior to the injury, slashing .266/.405/.497 with 61 runs scored, 20 homers, 66 RBI and seven steals in 412 plate appearances across 92 games.

Muncy was only up with the Athletics for a handful of games after rookie Joshua Kuroda-Grauer suffered an unfortunate groin injury that required surgery earlier this week. The 23-year-old retreats to the minors with slugger Nick Kurtz coming back from the injured list.

Whisenhunt draws a favorable matchup against the Angels at pitcher-friendly Oracle Park. He misses plenty of bats, but needs to refine his command if he’s going to make the leap to fantasy mainstay at some point in the future. The 25-year-old former top prospect is coming off one of his best performances of the year where he piled up eight punchouts over five scoreless innings at Triple-A Salt Lake last weekend. He figures to get an extended run in San Francisco’s rotation, assuming they’re planning on moving impending free agent Robbie Ray at the upcoming trade deadline. He’s at least worth monitoring closely in deeper mixed leagues.

Keller receives his first promotion to the big leagues prior to Saturday’s game against the Yankees. The unnheralded 32-year-old has posted a strong 2.23 ERA and 41/12 K/BB ratio across 36 1/3 innings on the doorstep of the majors this season.

Backhus fortifies Philadelphia’s bullpen heading into the final two games of a series against the Yankees’ lefty-heavy lineup. The 28-year-old southpaw has posted a pedestrian 5.87 ERA across 15 1/3 innings in the big leagues this season.

Lazar retreats to the minors after spending the last few weeks in Philadelphia’s bullpen. The 27-year-old has allowed five runs over eight innings of work across six appearances this season.

McFarlane tossed a scoreless inning against the Dodgers in his big-league debut earlier this week after being promoted directly from Double-A Reading. The 25-year-old figures to get a more extended look with Philadelphia down the home stretch.

The procedural move frees up a spot on Philadelphia’s 40-man roster. Banks will not be eligible to return, if he does at all this season, until early September after hitting the shelf with a forearm strain just prior to the All-Star break.

Matz provides the division-leading Rays with a multi-inning relief option heading into the home stretch after opening the season in the club’s rotation. The 35-year-old wound up being moved to the bullpen in early June following the emergence of both Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour as superior alternatives before hitting the shelf with a sprained ankle a couple weeks later. He can be safely ignored for fantasy purposes in a mop-up role.