MLB Player News

Colorado will have veteran reliever Brennan Bernardino face the left-handed heavy top of Atlanta’s lineup before turning things over to Dollander for a bulk outing. The 24-year-old former top pitching prospect has missed a ton of bats this season and has emerged as a viable mixed-league option, even when he takes the ball in Coors Field’s high-octane offensive environment.

The Padres appear to be pulling back on Musgrove’s throwing progression since he’s struggling to recover between starts and continues to experience fatigue in his arm and elbow. It’s not uncommon for a pitcher coming off major surgery, but the Padres don’t have the luxury of waiting around and giving him additional time with the postseason just a few weeks away. At this point, it’s challenging to envision a scenario where Musgrove comes back before the end of the regular season. He looked sharp during his latest minor league rehab start for Triple-A El Paso last Thursday. The 33-year-old veteran hasn’t pitched in the majors since the 2024 postseason.

Tong was hit extremely hard in three starts for the Mets last year, but has always been able to miss bats at a rate that forces fantasy managers to pay attention. The 23-year-old prospect has put together a handful of encouraging starts at Triple-A Syracuse recently, allowing just two runs with a 23/10 K/BB ratio across 21 1/3 innings since August 11. It seems like a no-brainer for the Mets to give him a look down the home stretch with their playoff hopes basically nonexistent. It’s challenging to recommend Tong in shallow fantasy leagues given his wide range of outcomes, but he offers enough strikeout upside that he’s worthy of a speculative stash in deeper formats.

McGonigle has found himself at the hot corner and leading off in back-to-back games since Riley Greene returned from the injured list earlier this week. He mostly hit third or cleanup while Greene was on the shelf. It’ll be rookie John Peck getting some run at shortstop with veteran Gleyber Torres, who had been leading off in recent weeks, seeing his playing time slashed during the final month. The 22-year-old hitting machine is the presumptive favorite for the American League’s Rookie of the Year Award, hitting .274/.374/.414 with 85 runs scored, 14 homers, 58 RBI and 12 steals in 601 plate appearances. His ability to control the strike zone and generate consistent hard contact is going to make McGonigle a fantasy force for years to come.

Kuhnel loses his spot on Milwaukee’s 40-man roster after wrapping up a minor league rehab assignment. He’s been on the shelf with a shoulder impingement since early July. There’s a chance another team out there brings him in as emergency relief depth. He tossed 5 1/3 scoreless frames for the Brewers after being acquired from the Athletics in early June.

Matt Shaw gets another opportunity at second base with Ramírez on the bench for a third straight contest due to back spasms. The 22-year-old rookie figures to be ready to return at some point this week, otherwise the Cubs are going to have to consider putting him on the injured list.

Raquet was removed from Baltimore’s 40-man roster earlier this week and went unclaimed on waivers. He suffered an elbow injury while pitching for Triple-A Norfolk last week. He made four appearances for the Orioles earlier this season.

Walcott missed a couple months at the outset of the year recovering from surgery to repair a UCL tear in his throwing elbow and has been limited to DH while playing for Double-A Frisco since late July. The 20-year-old shortstop is arguably a top-five overall prospect in dynasty formats thanks to his over-the-fence power upside and bat-to-ball skills. He figures to reach the majors at some point next year.

Jenkins is hitting .188 (3-for-16) with one homer, three RBI and one steal in five games since being promoted from Triple-A last week. It’s worth noting that the homer came off position player Zach McKinstry in garbage time during a blowout. The 21-year-old top prospect checks every conceivable box from a physical projection and raw talent standpoint, which makes him worth rostering in all fantasy formats. It’s not uncommon for hitters to struggle with the leap to the majors and it could take Jenkins a little while to find his footing. He’s the type of talent that is worth stashing even when things aren’t going his way.

Massey wound up missing just over one week after hitting his head when he fell down following a throw at second base. The 28-year-old has been on the periphery of fantasy relevance for a couple seasons at this point. He’s put together a solid effort overall, hitting .276/.310/.444 with 46 runs scored, 11 homers, 44 RBI and two steals in 366 plate appearances.

Waters was a notable prospect with Atlanta before being shipped to Kansas City nearly a half decade ago. The 27-year-old hasn’t been able to carve out a permanent spot in the majors, hitting just .234 with 14 homers and 21 steals in 684 plate appearances since 2022. He’s young enough that there’s probably an organization out there willing to roll the dice on Waters as a reclamation project.