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    James Wood (side) to undergo MRI after early exit

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    WSH Right Fielder #29
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    Nationals manager Blake Butera told reporters James Wood will undergo an MRI on his left side.

    Gulp. Wood was lifted for a defensive replacement in the eighth inning of Monday’s series opener against the Phillies after going 1-for-4 at the plate. He suffered the injury on a sixth-inning swing. The obvious fear here is an oblique issue, which would likely result in a multi-week absence. The 23-year-old burgeoning star has delivered first-round fantasy value this season with a stellar 30-homer, 17-steal campaign. There should be a definitive update on his status heading into Tuesday’s contest. It certainly sounds like a trip to the injured list could be in play. Stay tuned.
Trade deadline moves set to shake up AL East race
The AL East was one of baseball's busiest divisions leading up to Monday's trade deadline, leaving CC Sabathia to assess how the Rays and Yankees stack up following their respective moves.

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  • WSH Right Fielder #29
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    Wood has been diagnosed with a mild oblique strain, which means his absence will likely be on the shorter end of the spectrum. However, he’s likely to remain on the shelf until at least mid-to-late August. The 23-year-old rising star suffered the injury on an awkward swing during the sixth inning of Monday’s game against the Phillies. It’s a colossal loss for the Nationals, and fantasy managers, as Wood has delivered top-five overall fantasy value this season, slashing .265/.393/.535 with 100 runs scored, 30 homers, 73 RBI and 17 stolen bases across 535 plate appearances in 114 games. There should be a definitive return timetable once Wood is cleared to resume baseball activities.
  • WSH Right Fielder #29
    Wood connected for a game-tying two-run blast in the fifth and later hit a solo shot in the eighth to give Washington some insurance. He’s up to 30 homers in 2026, which makes him the first National since Adam Dunn in 2009-2010 to do so in back-to-back seasons. CJ Abrams also homered twice, giving the Nats two of the top eight home run leaders in MLB. The franchise has only ever had two 40-homer campaigns, a mark both Wood and Abrams could reach this year.
  • WSH Right Fielder #29
    Wood homered in all three games against the Yankees, and he hit a leadoff shot in back-to-back games. He also drew a pair of walks, and he ends the first half with 28 homers, 64 RBI and an excellent .279/.410/.575 slash over 96 games with 15 steals for good measure. That’ll work.
  • WSH Right Fielder #29
    Wood crushed the first pitch he saw, leading off the first inning with a solo homer off Cam Schlittler. He later added a pair of base hits in the seventh and ninth, ending his day slashing .278/.407/.567 with 27 homers, 88 runs scored, 63 RBI, and 15 steals across 450 plate appearances.
  • WSH Right Fielder #29
    Wood joined Keibert Ruiz in going back-to-back off Yankees left-hander Tim Hill in the seventh inning to give the Nationals the lead. He also scored on a leadoff double in the third, scoring on a Dylan Crews double play ball. Wood, now hitting .391/.588/1.087 in his last seven games, with four home runs and two stolen bases, is very good at baseball.
  • WSH Right Fielder #29
    Last year, Wood hit his 24th homer in his 92nd game of the season and then need 22 games to finally connect on his 25th. This year, Wood also hit his 24th homer in his 92nd game and then needed about 24 hours to connect on No. 25. It seems like a good omen as he looks to finish with more than 31 this time around.
  • WSH Right Fielder #29
    Wood’s 446-foot grand slam off Astros reliever AJ Blubaugh traveled a staggering 446 feet to straightaway center field and gave Washington a commanding six-run lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. It was his 24th big fly of the year. He also walked three times and picked up his 14th stolen base of the season in this one. The 23-year-old rising star was named to his second consecutive All-Star Game over the weekend and continues to deliver first-round caliber fantasy value this season, hitting .268/.398/.541 with 81 runs scored, 24 homers, 60 RBI and 14 steals through 92 games.
  • WSH Right Fielder #29
    Wood clobbered his seventh leadoff blast of the season into the upper deck at Nationals Park, providing some fireworks during Washington’s annual Fourth of July matinee. The gargantuan 428-foot moonshot off Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft carried a stratospheric 113.1 mph exit velocity. It was his 23rd round-tripper of the season. He also walked twice in the contest as the Nationals were shut out over the final eight innings by Ashcraft and a quartet of Pirates relievers.
  • WSH Right Fielder #29
    Wood was in a mini slump entering Wednesday’s action, batting .167/.233/.296 with a 40% strikeout rate dating back to June 17. The offensive explosion by the entire lineup helped get him back on track, and he now has 22 homers this season to go along with 13 steals and a league-leading 75 runs. No other hitter has more than 60. If Wood can steady the ship from here on out, he’ll be in consideration as one of the first players selected in 2027 fantasy drafts.
  • WSH Right Fielder #29
    Wood came through with a game-tying RBI single in the fifth inning before giving Washington a commanding one-touchdown lead in the eighth inning with an RBI double to center field that put the metaphorical cherry on top of a three-hit performance.

Rotoworld

  • SEA 2nd Baseman #96
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    Mariners 2B/OF prospect Michael Arroyo went 3-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored for Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday.

    Arroyo has enjoyed a breakout season. The 21-year-old hit well in 65 games at Double-A and is now slashing .352/.398/.549 in 21 games at Triple-A with three home runs, 19 RBI, two steals, and a 17/5 K/BB ratio. His contact quality doesn’t suggest a ton of MLB power right now, but he’s consistently putting line drives in the gaps and making elite contact in the zone. He’s an interesting name to watch for 2027.
  • SEA Right Fielder #99
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    Mariners OF prospect Lazaro Montes went 3-for-5 with a double, two home runs, and five RBI for Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday.

    The 21-year-old is now hitting .273/.343/.545 in 21 games at Triple-A with five home runs, 13 RBI, 13 runs scored, and one steal. He does have 32 strikeouts in 21 games, so there are some contact issues that need to be ironed out, but he’s adapting well to being one step away from the big leagues.
  • AZ Starting Pitcher #34
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    Michael Soroka (glute) allowed one run on three hits in four innings for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.

    Soroka struck out one and walked two while throwing 37 of his 57 pitches for strikes. Before this start, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said his “gut feel: was that Soroka would only need one rehab start, so that would potentially mean the right-hander could return on Monday to face the Rockies at home. Given that Soroka was only at 57 pitches in this game, we wouldn’t expect much more than 70 in that start against Colorado.
  • LAD Starting Pitcher #7
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    Blake Snell (elbow) allowed three runs on five hits while walking four in 3 2/3 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

    Snell also struck out three and threw 41 of his 73 pitches for strikes. It was clearly not his best outing, but we don’t want to read too much into starts in the PCL. Seeing better command would make us feel a little better about Snell’s immediate results when he returns from elbow surgery, but his velocity looked good, and he was up to 73 pitches, so he should be good to rejoin the Dodgers’ rotation. There may be some command bumps in the early going, but Snell figures to be an impactful fantasy starter down the stretch.
  • LAA Starting Pitcher #16
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    Yusei Kikuchi (shoulder) allowed six runs on three hits in 1 2/3 innings for Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday.

    Kikuchi struck out four but walked five and threw 30 of his 57 pitches for strikes. His four-seamer touched 96.5 mph but was mainly around 94 mph, which is not far off from what we see when he’s 100 percent. The command was obviously rusty in this one, and we’d expect him to make at least two more rehab starts with the Angels having no incentive to rush him back to the big leagues this season.
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    Walker Jenkins went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored for Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday.

    The Twins’ top prospect is hitting .285/.386/.445 in 53 games at Triple-A this season with four home runs, 10 steals, and a 36/31 K/BB ratio. The Twins are still making a run at the playoffs, so they’re not yet going to turn things over to their prospects, but once the deadline passes for Jenkins to retain his rookie eligibility in 2027 (August 14th), we’d expect them to start thinking long and hard about calling him up.
  • NYY Starting Pitcher #75
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    Yankees SP prospect Brendan Beck threw six shutout innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, striking out 12.

    Beck allowed four hits and walked one batter on the day. The 27-year-old has a 2.69 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 118/33 K/BB ratio in 110 1/3 innings at Triple-A this season. It’s a bit of a surprise that he was not included in any trade to bring the Yankees more offense at the deadline. He will continue to provide organizational depth for the rotation.
  • BOS Starting Pitcher
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    Red Sox promoted SP prospect Gage Ziehl to Triple-A Worcester.

    Ziehl was acquired this offseason in a trade for Jordan Hicks. The 23-year-old has posted a 4.33 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 96/18 K/BB ratio in 81 innings for Double-A Portland this season and had a 1.93 ERA in his final three starts before being promoted. Unlike many of Boston’s other starting pitching prospects, Ziehl is smaller in stature and doesn’t have a huge fastball, but he has a true five-pitch mix that could serve him well as rotation depth or a bulk reliever.
  • BOS Starting Pitcher
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    Red Sox SP prospect Blake Wehunt allowed three runs on seven hits in three innings for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday.

    Wehunt has suddenly rocketed up the Red Sox pitching prospects list after the organization traded away some key arms at the deadline. The 6'7" right-hander has posted a 3.58 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 81/21 K/BB ratio in 65 1/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A this season. Armed with a funky delivery, Wehunt sits in the mid-to-upper 90s with his four-seamer, while also throwing a cutter, sweeper, and splitter. None of the secondaries is truly a plus offering, but he has good command, and his sweeper has taken steps to being a good whiff option. There is a chance he’s a back-of-the-rotation option for the Red Sox.
  • ATL Starting Pitcher #32
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    AJ Smith-Shawver allowed two runs on two hits in 5 2/3 innings for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.

    He also struck out six and walked four while throwing 55 of his 89 pitches for strikes. Smith-Shawver was used as the 27th man in the Braves’ doubleheader last week, which meant he headed back to the minors after the game. The Braves kept him on schedule during a trade deadline in which they tried to trade for Jacob deGrom and Logan Webb. Considering the Braves only came away with Tyler Mahle, Smith-Shawver still has a clear path to a rotation spot. The expectation is that he may make one more start in Triple-A to continue shaking some of the rust, and then he should be up in the big leagues for the remainder of the season.