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    Matt McLain (calf) to remain on rehab assignment

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    CIN 2nd Baseman #9
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    Reds manager Terry Francona said Matt McLain (calf) will remain on a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville through the week.

    Francona added that they want McLain to continue getting at-bats in the minors for a few additional games. The 26-year-old middle infielder has been out with a calf strain since mid-July. He generated a ton of hype with a stellar performance in spring training, but has really struggled at the dish this season, hitting .190 with eight homers and 11 steals in 309 plate appearances.
Are the Yankees still the AL's best bet?
Trysta Krick and Vaughn Dalzell break down the AL pennant odds and explain why the Yankees remain favorites despite pressure from the Rays and Red Sox.

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  • CIN 2nd Baseman #9
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    McLain’s slam off Ryne Stanek gave the Reds a 5-4 lead in the sixth. He had a chance for another one with two outs in the ninth and the Reds down 10-9, but his 102-mph liner to right was easily handled by Jordan Walker. McLain did also walk and score a second run today. He’s back looking like a decent mixed-league option while hitting .259 with four homers and three steals in his last 17 games.
  • CIN 2nd Baseman #9
    The steal was McLain’s 15th of the season as he’s pacing to top last year’s career-best of 18. The high-pedigree infielder hasn’t had a breakout season by any means, but he has enough of a power-speed foundation to warrant interest in deeper fantasy formats, though the batting average below .200 severely hurts his value. McLain has started every game for the Reds since coming off the IL on July 30th, but he’s exclusively hitting in the bottom of the order.
  • CIN 2nd Baseman #9
    He also picked up his 14th steal of the season. It’s a little insulting that the Reds have taken to hitting McLain ninth behind Ke’Bryan Hayes on occasion of late, but with that happening again tonight, the two actually hit back-to-back homers in the fifth. McLain’s homer was his third in nine games and 11th in 363 plate appearances on the season.
  • CIN 2nd Baseman #9
    McLain’s home run was his ninth of the year. He hit a solo shot off Jacob Lopez in the fifth inning. McLain is 4-for-19 (.210) in six games since returning from the injured list.
  • CIN 2nd Baseman #9
    The surprising part is that they also sent down Edwin Arroyo, giving McLain what appears to be another real chance at playing time at second base after he struggled mightily in 309 plate appearances so far this year. McLain has eight homers and 11 stolen bases despite hitting .190, so he may be of deep-league interest again if he can start hitting.
  • CIN 2nd Baseman #9
    McLain, who was dealing with a calf strain, looks likely to be back after just a short layoff if the Reds will have him. There’s not exactly a spot in the lineup for him with Edwin Arroyo essentially becoming the everyday second baseman while Ke’Bryan Hayes has been activated to play good defense at third base and get two hits every 10 at-bats. The Reds had started to try him in center field before the injury, so perhaps that’s another ticket to the lineup.
  • CIN 2nd Baseman #9
    McLain’s calf injury helps the Reds activate Ke’Bryan Hayes. McLain was day-to-day with the calf as of last night. McLain has hit a disappointing .190/.293/.328 in 309 plate appearances this year, though he has provided 11 stolen bases and eight homers along the way. Managers in deeper leagues can probably cut bait at this point if they have better options on the wire.
  • CIN 3rd Baseman #3
    It was a box score-stuffing night for Hayes, who also played the entire game at third base. He’s played only four rehab games so far, but he seems like he’ll be ready to go after the All-Star break. Since Hayes has no minor league options left, the Reds will likely need to decide whether to send down Edwin Arroyo or Matt McLain when Hayes is ready to come back. Another option could be Nathaniel Lowe, who has hit just .203/.313/.261 with a 34 percent strikeout rate in 27 games since June 1st.
  • CIN 2nd Baseman #9
    McLain made his first appearance in the outfield during Tuesday’s contest in Milwaukee and will draw his first start there during this one. The transition to more of a multi-position role feels like a clear indication that the Reds are going to roll with top prospect Edwin Arroyo as their primary second baseman. He’s made five consecutive starts at the keystone since last weekend.
  • CIN Shortstop #44
    There was reason for concern after De La Cruz sprained his left ankle during Sunday’s series finale against the Pirates. The 24-year-old fantasy superstar was able to finish out the contest, just his second since returning from a three-week stint on the injured list with a hamstring strain, and the Reds have apparently determined that he won’t require any additional time off to recover. It’s an extremely encouraging sign that he’s ready for Monday’s contest in Milwaukee at DH while Matt McLain handles shortstop with rookie Edwin Arroyo at the keystone.

Rotoworld

  • MIL Designated Hitter #22
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    Christian Yelich is not in the starting lineup for Milwaukee’s game against the Braves on Friday.

    Andrew Vaughn is starting against tough Braves LHP Chris Sale. Yelich has been receiving plenty of days off down the stretch, so his fantasy managers in daily leagues should be used to this by now.
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    Royals released RHP Scott Barlow.

    Barlow pitched in 11 games for Triple-A Omaha, carrying a 5.65 ERA with 15 walks in 14 1/3 innings. He’ll try to catch on elsewhere.
  • TOR Relief Pitcher #68
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    Mason Fluharty will open Friday’s game against the Yankees.

    It seems likely that Simeon Woods Richardson, who hasn’t pitched since Saturday, will be the best bet to draw a bulk role here. Ultimately we wouldn’t recommend trying to stream the win here.
  • NYY Relief Pitcher #34
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    The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports RHP Eli Morgan has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Yankees.

    DFA’ed by the Royals last week, Morgan elected free agency after being sent outright to Triple-A. He’ll see if he can crack the back of the Yankees bullpen by the end of the season.
  • ATL Starting Pitcher #40
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    Reynaldo López (knee) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

    López has been down with left knee inflammation since late July. It sounds like he could return as a starting option for the Braves down the stretch as they try to figure out their best postseason rotation.
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    Cardinals C prospect Rainiel Rodríguez homered for Double-A Springfield on Thursday.

    Rodriguez became the sixth player to hit 15 or more homer runs at Double-A as a teenager Thursday night, joining a list of: Giancarlo Stanton, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Chourio, Samuel Basallo and Leo De Vries. Pretty decent company. The Cardinals catching prospect is now hitting .407/.446/.746 in August and looks like a stellar catching prospect for dynasty leaguers.
  • LAA Shortstop #9
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    Zach Neto had a monster day at the dish in Thursday’s 18-3 victory over the Astros, going 5-for-6 with a homer, double, two runs scored and a whopping seven RBI.

    Neto opened the scoring in the top half of the first inning with an RBI single off of Peter Lambert. He then chipped in an RBI single in the fourth inning that extended the Halos’ lead to 6-2. Neto broke the game wide open with a 428-foot (107.6-mph EV) three-run blast off of Bryan King in the fifth inning that made it a 14-2 ballgame. Just for fun, he added on a two-run double in the seventh inning and a single off of LaMonte Wade Jr. in the ninth. The only thing he did wrong on the night was getting caught stealing for the 11th time on the season. With his impressive five-hit night, the 25-year-old shortstop is now slashing .231/.314/.422 with 21 homers, 61 RBI and 17 stolen bases.
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    Vaughn Grissom went 3-for-6 with a double and three RBI in a lopsided victory over the Astros on Thursday evening in Houston.

    Grissom delivered an RBI single in the second inning that tied the game at 2-2, then came around to score the go-ahead run on a bunt by Tyler Heineman. He then added a two-run double in the fourth that pushed their advantage to 10-2. The 25-year-old has at least held his own at the MLB level this season, slashing .249/.308/.377 with seven long balls and 50 RBI in 329 plate appearances.
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    Moises Ballesteros went 2-for-6 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI as the Angels walloped the Astros on Thursday.

    The 22-year-old backstop served as the Angels’ designated hitter in this one. He sparked a three-run rally with a leadoff double in the second inning and scored on an RBI knock by Vaughn Grissom. He then added a two-run single in the fourth that increased their lead to 8-2 before scoring on Grissom’s two-run double. It has been a rough year overall at the plate for Ballesteros, slashing .208/.280/.325 with six homers and 25 RBI in 236 plate appearances between the Cubs and Angels.
  • LAA Starting Pitcher #21
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    Grayson Rodriguez was terrific in Thursday night’s victory over the Astros, allowing just two unearned runs on five hits over seven strong innings.

    Rodriguez struck out six batters on the night while issuing a pair of walks. It looked like it was going to be another rough outing for Rodriguez as he walked the first two batters to start the game and allowed a single to Isaac Paredes to load the bases with nobody out. He rallied to escape that threat with only a pair of unearned runs allowed and went on to allow just one hit over the next six innings. The 26-year-old hurler got 12 swings and misses on 99 offerings on the night, posting a solid CSW of 31 percent. He’ll try to keep the good times rolling and further improve upon his unsightly 6.41 ERA and 1.53 WHIP when he does battle against the Guardians on Tuesday.