Willson Contreras blasts mammoth homer to lead Sox

López resumed throwing for the first time since undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery back in late February. The 30-year-old upper-echelon fantasy starter is at the outset of a lengthy rehabilitation process, but has a chance to be ready for the start of the 2027 campaign. There should be a clearer idea of his status heading into next season once spring training rolls around.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters Friday that Fried will progress to facing hitters in a live batting practice session next week before adding that a return following a minimum stint on the injured list is “in play.” There’s been nothing but optimistic news flowing out of New York’s clubhouse since Fried hit the injured list with a bone bruise and inflammation in his elbow earlier this week. There’s a realistic chance he’s back before the end of August.

Bellinger played six innings in left field on Friday evening. He’s targeting a return to New York’s lineup for Sunday’s series finale against the Blue Jays. The 31-year-old corner outfielder is working his way back from a hamstring strain that put him on the shelf back in late July. He appears to be on track to make it back to the Yankees’ lineup by the end of the weekend.

Story has gone 3-for-13 with zero extra-base hits and four strikeouts across four rehab contests over the last week. The 33-year-old shortstop is eager to make it back to Boston, but they’ve gotten better than expected production from journeyman Andruw Monasterio at the position during their remarkable turnaround. It sounds like there’s a chance he’s back with the Red Sox at some point in the coming days, but he can be safely ignored in most fantasy leagues.

Anthony has gone 3-for-5 with a pair of extra-base hits in two rehab games since kicking off a rehab assignment earlier this week. The 22-year-old phenom hasn’t progressed to playing in the outfield yet, but that figures to be coming in the near future. He’s on track to help the Red Sox during their impending playoff push and is certainly talented enough to make a big impact for fantasy managers. He’s a worthwhile stash candidate in any fantasy leagues where a frustrated manager decided to cut bait earlier this year.

There’s a belief among the Red Sox, and Whitlock himself, that he’ll be ready to return when first eligible next week. That seems a tad optimistic, but the 30-year-old setup specialist won’t need too much time to ramp up after an MRI didn’t reveal any structural issues in his elbow earlier this week.

Crochet is gradually building up his throwing progression with the aim of returning as a one or two-inning relief weapon for the postseason. The 27-year-old fantasy ace has been on the shelf with a capsule strain in his shoulder since late April. He can be safely dropped in all redraft fantasy leagues at this point of the season.

Bautista will make his first appearance in a game setting since undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his shoulder last August. He missed the entire 2024 campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery after recording a career-high 33 saves the previous season. The hard-throwing 31-year-old former elite closer will require at least one or two weeks of rehab outings in the upper minors before he’s ready to rejoin Baltimore’s high-leverage mix. The Orioles have deployed a closer-by-committee approach with Andrew Kittredge and Yennier Cano doing most of the heavy lifting while Ryan Helsley (elbow) on the injured list. Bautista has a relatively unobstructed path to save chances in the final month of the season once he makes it back to Camden Yards. He should be stashed in all fantasy formats.

The calls for Tibbs to reach the majors are going to get exponentially louder with Andy Pages set to miss 4-5 weeks with a left hand fracture. It figures to be Alek Thomas, who is already on the club’s 40-man roster, that gets the call to join the Dodgers as a defensive specialist with Enrique Hernández and Tommy Edman taking over for Pages in center field. It’s possible the Dodgers decide to give Tibbs a look in left field, especially if they decide they need the spark in their lineup. However, his arrival in the big leagues doesn’t feel imminent. The same goes for top prospect Josue De Paula, who isn’t really an option in center field at this stage of his development at Double-A Tulsa. Fellow top prospect Mike Sirota would make a ton of sense as a short-term stopgap, but that feels unlikely with both Edman and Hernández capable of filling the void for the final month of the season.

Davidson is the ultra-rare prospect that is on the precipice of breaking into the majors despite going undrafted back in 2023. The unheralded 24-year-old power-hitting outfielder has gone deep six times in 31 games since arriving on the doorstep of the big leagues and is up to 25 round-trippers through 73 games in the upper minors. With the Giants shifting into a long-term rebuilding phase, it’s possible Davidson gets an opportunity when rosters expand next month. He’s the type of prospect that fantasy managers need to start familiarizing themselves with for next season and beyond.