Kotsay: Tyler Soderstrom (hip) close to returning

The procedural move opens a spot on Pittsburgh’s roster for shortstop Jacob Gonzalez, who was acquired from the White Sox in a trade on Friday night. Griffin is recovering from a torn sagittal band in his left ring finger that is expected to sideline him until early September. The 20-year-old prodigy is worth stashing in deeper fantasy leagues, but he’s unlikely to make a significant impact given how much time he’s set to miss.

Sanders loses his spot on Pittsburgh’s roster with lefty reliever Brandon Eisert coming over from the White Sox in a trade. The 29-year-old has struggled to an inflated 8.44 ERA across 16 innings of work for the Pirates over the last two seasons.

Gasser has been up-and-down for Milwaukee over the last few weeks, turning in a respectable 4.15 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 40/14 K/BB ratio across 43 1/3 innings over eight starts. The 27-year-old former top pitching prospect provides Milwaukee with some additional depth heading into Saturday’s doubleheader against the Pirates and could wind up joining their rotation in place of an injured Kyle Harrison (forearm) coming out of next week’s All-Star break.

Harrison heads to the injured list after revealing earlier this week that he’s been pitching through soreness on the outside of his elbow for the past couple weeks, an issue that limited him to just four innings against the Cardinals in his most recent start. The immediate concern is whether the issue extends beyond inflammation and points to something more serious that could sideline him for an extended period. The 24-year-old emerging fantasy ace had put together a stellar first half, establishing himself as a borderline top-20 starter with a pristine 3.01 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 101/20 K/BB ratio across 83 2/3 innings over 17 starts. There should be additional clarity on his status in the coming days.

Murakami went 1-for-5 with a run scored against the injury-riddled Athletics on Friday in his return from the injured list. He struck out four times was one of the few Chicago hitters that didn’t go off during the club’s 14-run explosion. The 26-year-old first baseman will probably need a couple games to knock off some of the rust heading into the second half after missing nearly six weeks with a hamstring strain. He’s put together a phenomenal debut campaign so far, hitting .239/.375/.556 with 20 homers, 42 RBI and one steal through 58 games.

Peña found himself back atop Houston’s lineup following after missing just over one week recovering from a mild calf strain. The 28-year-old shortstop has been snake-bitten by injuries this season, which have limited him to just 49 games heading into the final weekend of the first half. He’s been an impactful fantasy contributor, when healthy, showcasing an ability to hit for both average and power as the Astros primary table-setter.

Jeffers was back behind the plate and hitting second after missing more than seven weeks recovering from a hamate fracture in his left hand. The 29-year-old represents a decent option for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues as a reliable power source at the position, while his lackluster supporting cast in Minnesota limits his counting stats upside.

Hayes struck out twice. The 29-year-old defensive wizard remains a complete non-factor at the plate and can be safely ignored in all fantasy leagues. He returned to Cincinnati’s lineup on Friday following a seven-week absence due to a back injury.

Milwaukee announced the signing prior to Friday’s rainout in Pittsburgh. Wilson joins the Brewers bullpen after allowing seven runs over 7 2/3 innings for the division-rival Cubs. He’s made three appearances in the big leagues between Chicago and Philadelphia this season. He’s made 166 career appearances dating back to 2018.

Shuster will presumably stick around as organizational depth for St. Louis after getting torched for seven runs over 1 1/3 innings of work in relief during a doubleheader against the Brewers earlier this week. The 27-year-old lefty has made five appearances in the big leagues this season.