Ronald Acuña Jr. reaches twice in rehab game

St. Louis will transition to a six-man rotation with Dobbins’ arrival pushing everyone else back an additional day, including Wednesday’s original starter Michael McGreevy. The 26-year-old came over from the Red Sox in the Willson Contreras trade last offseason and has posted a pedestrian 4.03 ERA across 22 1/3 innings over five appearances for the Cardinals this season. He’s missing bats at a higher rate than expected, albeit in a small sample size, but Dobbins isn’t exactly an intriguing fantasy option at this stage of his career.

Kikuchi should be ready to head out on a minor league rehab assignment fairly soon. The 35-year-old southpaw has been working his way back from shoulder inflammation that sent him to the injured list back in early May. He opted for the rest-and-rehabilitation route instead of season-ending surgery. There’s a chance he’s back at some point in mid-to-late August.

Madden provides Detroit with an extra long relief option out of the bullpen with starter Jack Flaherty landing on the injured list with a flexor issue. The 26-year-old has posted an encouraging 3.15 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 23/5 K/BB ratio across 20 innings in a versatile swingman role this season.

The exact severity of the injury is a bit murky at the moment, which makes it challenging to forecast how much time Flaherty will miss. The 30-year-old heads back to the shelf for the second time this season after allowing three runs or fewer in four consecutive starts dating back to June 28. He was slated to take the ball against the Royals this weekend. No word on how Detroit will fill his rotation spot. There should be some clarity on his status at some point later this week.

Clase was replaced by Myles Straw in left field shortly before first pitch. It sounds like a precautionary move. He’s presumably day-to-day for now.

Jones winds up latching on with Chicago just a couple days after being removed from Milwaukee’s roster. The 28-year-old former first-round pick has gone 2-for-23 at the plate in the majors this season. He’ll provide the Cubs with some organizational depth at Triple-A Iowa heading into the final two months.

He’s back. Fried is likely be limited to roughly 60 pitches in his return after throwing just 52 in his lone minor league outing last week. The 32-year-old upper-echelon fantasy starter will rejoin New York’s rotation instead of making another rehab start following a 10-week absence recovering from a bone bruise in his left elbow. He was off to a strong start with a 3.21 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 50/19 K/BB ratio across 61 2/3 innings prior to the injury. The Pirates have been unexpectedly hot the last few weeks, but it’s a decent landing spot right out of the gate.

Gonzales hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since making seven starts for the Pirates back in 2024. He’s expected to operate in a long relief role out of the Texas bullpen. He can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

Wynns fortifies the Rangers’ catching depth behind starter Elias Díaz while Kyle Higashioka is on the injured list with a flexor strain. The 35-year-old journeyman signed a minor league pact last month. He went 4-for-53 at the dish during a 20-game run with the Braves earlier this season.

Elias Díaz will handle the bulk of the catching duties for the Rangers with Higashioka likely to miss at least a couple weeks. The 36-year-old backstop has hit .218 with seven homers in 186 plate appearances this season.