Royce Lewis goes deep as Twins rally late

Valdez was a great story earlier this year, and he should certainly get a chance to compete for a lineup spot in 2027, but he has really struggled of late. In 39 games since the All-Star break, he is hitting .189/.335/.379 with six home runs and 18 RBI but also a 39.6 percent strikeout rate and just a 71.7 percent zone contact rate. Those contact issues are going to continue to be a major obstacle to his fantasy value unless he can find a fix, and he does not need to be rostered in redraft leagues right now.

Early in August, it had seemed like Smith had turned a corner. He was pulling the ball in the air more and making more authoritative contact. However, over his last 15 games, he’s hitting .122/.156/.317 with a 29 percent strikeout rate. He’s only 23 years old and prospect growth is not linear, so we wouldn’t turn the page on Smith completely, but he’s hard to trust in redraft formats for the remainder of this season. LaMonte Wade Jr. will start in left field and bat ninth.

Since Cox stole 58 bases in the minors last year and had 34 steals in 55 minor league games this year, you may think of him as just a speed threat, but he also has a 13 percent barrel rate and 43.6 percent hard-hit rate with the Giants this season. Since being recalled again on August 14th, Cox is hitting .302/.362/.581 in 16 games with three home runs, eight runs scored, seven RBI, and four steals. He has played his way out of a short-side platoon role at the moment and could be worth a look in deeper formats.

This would appear to just be a routine rest day for the 36-year-old with a day game after a night game. Sean Keys will be the designated hitter and bat fifth on Thursday.

This is great news for a Red Sox bullpen that currently has all of Garrett Whitlock, Justin Slaten, Zack Kelly, and Tyron Guerrero. Houck has plenty of experience in high-leverage innings and can help provide some relief to a tired relief corps. It may take him four or five appearances before the Red Sox feel comfortable bringing him up, considering he hasn’t appeared in a game since May 12th of last season.

Sisk allowed three runs on no hits but three walks on Tuesday and then did not pitch on Wednesday. He had a 3.16 ERA in 42 2/3 innings for the Pirates so far this season.

Dotel has flashed upside in his rookie season, but a lat strain over the summer led to some poor results, and he has a 4.71 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and a 31/13 K/BB ratio over 28 2/3 innings with the Pirates this season.

In six games since being promoted, Isaac has gone 8-for-21 (.381) with two home runs, three RBI, and a 6/5 K/BB ratio. The 22-year-old is unlikely to break camp with the Rays, who are notoriously slow to promote prospects, but he could be an option in the summer of 2027.

Clark was everywhere in this game. His first two doubles helped to set up rallies in the early innings and his third was huge in the moment, giving his Tigers the lead in the 11th before their bullpen made them win it in the 12th. Nevertheless, this one game brought his batting average up from .238 to .257 and his OPS from .697 to .766 as he continues to find his footing in the big leagues.

Jansen came in to try and clean up Drew Sommers in the eighth inning and immediately let a three-run lead disappear after a bases loaded walk and two-run single. No runs were charged to him because he entered the game with the bases already loaded, but this was a poor showing from the legend.