Alec Burleson homers, drives in four in rout

Anthony kicked off his rehab assignment in style with a no-doubter to right field in the fifth inning. The moonshot came on the heels of a 108-mph single in his second plate appearance of the evening. He also drew a pair of walks, reaching base safely in all four of his plate appearances. The 22-year-old former top prospect’s impending return represents a massive X-factor for the Red Sox as they try to secure a playoff spot following a remarkable midseason turnaround. He’s probably going to require a few additional rehab contests before he’s cleared to return to Boston’s lineup, but this performance qualifies as an extremely encouraging development. Anthony is the type of elite talent that should be rostered in all fantasy formats.

It was Ryan’s first bullpen session since landing on the injured list with a left glute strain back in early August. The 30-year-old upper-echelon fantasy starter has generally faded down the home stretch the last few years, so the hope is that the multi-week break helps get him back on track. He’ll need to progress to facing hitters in live batting practice before the Twins establish a definitive return timeline, which means fantasy managers shouldn’t expect Ryan back until some time in September.

Mesa was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fourth inning of his first game back following a three-game absence due to hamstring tightness. He was hit by a pitch during his lone plate appearance prior to exiting.

Arrighetti came out of Sunday’s rehab outing fine from a physical standpoint after allowing two runs over 3 2/3 innings for Triple-A Buffalo. The 26-year-old was diagnosed with Morton’s neuroma, a condition that leads to swelling around the nerves, in his right foot earlier this month. There’s a chance he’s ready to make his Blue Jays debut later this week, but that won’t be made official until after his upcoming bullpen session.

It was widely assumed that Correa would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn tendon in his ankle back in mid-May. Now, it seems like there’s a decent chance he’s back at some point in September. He was cleared to resume swinging a bat earlier this month and is probably close to starting a minor league rehab assignment in the next few weeks.

Jung has progressed to jogging in addition to fielding ground balls and hitting as he makes his way back from a calf strain that put him on the shelf in late July. It’s taken much longer than originally anticipated for him to ramp up baseball activities. He’s at least a couple weeks away from making it back to the Rangers’ lineup.

Leiter fired 2 2/3 scoreless frames for Triple-A Round Rock last Thursday. The 26-year-old is working his way back from surgery to remove loose bodies from his right ankle back in late June. He’ll continue building up his arm strength and pitch count in the minors this week. There’s a decent chance he’s ready to rejoin the Rangers’ rotation by late August or early September.

Houck is probably going to wind up pitching in relief during the final month of the season given Boston’s rotation depth. He’s been working his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery and should be ready for a rehab assignment in the near future.

With the NL MVP Award race heating up between Ohtani and Cubs rising superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong, a return to the mound would be the unexpected X-factor that could swing things in the two-way talent’s favor. He remains without a definitive return timetable to pitching in games for the Dodgers, but he’s inching closer. There should be a clear timeline once he progresses to facing hitters in live batting practice in the coming weeks.

Sheehan is slated to pitch in relief for the Dodgers down the home stretch. He’ll be available for Tuesday’s game against the Rockies at Coors Field behind starter Eric Lauer. The 26-year-old former starter is back in the majors after spending a couple weeks in the minors. He offers very little fantasy appeal as a multi-inning reliever, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see his stuff play up in shorter bursts out of the bullpen.