Cam Smith slugs solo homer in loss to Angels

Ward is back following a lengthy five-game absence due to quad tightness. It seemed like he was going to require a trip to the injured list, but the Mariners decided to wait it out instead. He’s at DH and hitting eighth on Wednesday evening in Milwaukee.

Adames is back at shortstop and hitting third following an extended four-game absence due to back spasms. It certainly seemed like he was a lock to hit the injured list last week, but the Giants are going to keep him on the active roster and manage the ongoing issue moving forward. The 30-year-old veteran offers enough over-the-fence pop to matter in deeper leagues, but he doesn’t offer much else in the remaining categories at this stage of his career.

Basallo is returns to Baltimore’s lineup hitting cleanup against the Yankees on Wednesday evening following a one-month absence due to shoulder inflammation. The 22-year-old former top prospect will handle the bulk of the catching duties until further notice with Adley Rutschman no longer in the picture. He’s graded out as a top-12 fantasy backstop this season, hitting .241 with 16 homers and 46 RBI across 311 plate appearances.

Playing time has been hard to come by for Jackson with Baltimore fully stocked in the outfield while also needing to find space for Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Coby Mayo on the infield dirt. He loses his roster spot with Samuel Basallo returning from the injured list.

The prototypical hot-and-cold slugging prospect, Báez has gone 0-for-17 with seven strikeouts across four games since blasting three homers in his big-league debut last weekend. The 23-year-old top prospect isn’t exactly an all-or-nothing free-swinger, but he’s going to strike out at least a quarter of the time as he acclimates to everyday life in the majors. The central question for fantasy managers is whether he can do enough damage when he’s on a hot streak to justify riding out the cold spells. He’s one of the more intriguing long-term fantasy prospects in the game, but there might be some initial turbulence as he faces big-league arms for the first time.

Guerrero is on track to return from the concussion injured list for Saturday’s showdown against the Yankees. The 27-year-old first baseman figures to play a pair of minor league rehab games on Thursday and Friday before the Blue Jays decide to bring him back. It’s an extremely encouraging sign that he’s progressed to full baseball activities just a couple days after landing on the injured list.

Clement receives some time off after waking up with an illness on Wednesday morning. The versatile 30-year-old should be ready to return in a couple days.

Mack is back handling the catching duties and hitting eighth following a three-game absence due to right shoulder soreness. The 23-year-old defensive wizard will likely have to manage the issue over the final five-plus weeks of the season, but he doesn’t appear to be headed to the injured list any time soon.

Wilkinson will make his major-league debut against his former organization in Cleveland on Wednesday evening. The 23-year-old southpaw, who earned the nickname “Tugboat” several years ago in the minors, came over from the Guardians in the Patrick Bailey trade back in May. He’s not a recommended streaming option outside of extremely deep fantasy leagues, but he’s an interesting arm with enough strikeout potential to envision a future where he’s an impactful rotation piece. He’s posted a pedestrian 5.15 ERA along with a 43/17 K/BB ratio across 43 2/3 innings for Triple-A Sacramento this season.

Abner heads to Triple-A Sacramento as organizational relief depth after being jettisoned from Arizona’s roster over the weekend. The 24-year-old southpaw recorded a lackluster 6.28 ERA across 14 1/3 innings for the Diamondbacks earlier this season.