MLB Player News

Vitello told reporters that Kilian will serve as their closer with Ryan Walker occupying a fireman role in the late innings following his return from a brief minor-league demotion where he made several mechanical adjustments. Kilian has converted four of five save opportunities this season. He’s at least worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues where every save matters.

Mitchell was scratched from Wednesday’s game with neck tightness. The Brewers said it was precautionary, and they are resting many starters on Thursday, like Christian Yelich and William Contreras, so it’s too early to know if this injury will actually be a concern for Mitchell. Luis Lara will start in center field on Thursday with Sal Frelick playing right field and batting seventh.

The Brewers have clinched the division and are playing an early game, so it makes sense that they would rest a handful of their starters. Fantasy managers should expect them to take a similar approach next week, as they will want to give their starters an extra day of rest or two before the postseason.

Povich was originally scheduled to start on Thursday for Triple-A Norfolk but is no longer listed as the starter. The team is down a starter with Kyle Bradish on the injured list, so it makes sense that Povich will come up to take his spot. The exact day remains unclear, but we’d recommend avoiding him as a spot start against the Brewers.

With the Brewers starting left-hander Kyle Harrison, O’Hearn will take a seat on the bench, and Rafael Flores will play first base while Henry Davis will catch and bat ninth. Brandon Lowe is in the lineup at second base, but he has moved down to fifth against the lefty.

Since coming back from surgery to repair a torn meniscus, Langeliers has played three of the five games for the Athletics. With the team not in playoff contention, it makes sense that they don’t want to push the 28-year-old’s knee any more than they need to. The Athletics are at home all week next week, but we would expect Langeliers to sit two of those games. Jeff McNeil is at DH and hitting second on Thursday, while Donovan Walton is at second base and batting fifth.

Zastryzny was on the 60-day injured list with a left trapezius strain, but his time on his rehab assignment elapsed, and the Brewers had to activate him. They didn’t have a spot for him on the active roster, so they let him go but could re-sign him to a minor league contract.

The Dodgers are home from Friday through next Wednesday, so Pages could be activated at any time during that stretch. The season ends for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, so if Pages is coming back without playing in rehab games, our best guess is that he returns early next week. Considering the 25-year-old fractured his hand on August 21st and will not have any rehab games before returning, it’s going to be tough to trust him in fantasy leagues for the final week of the season.

Díaz was placed on the injured list on August 18th with neck inflammation. His minor league rehab assignment has been a mixed bag, with a couple of poor outings last week and then a scoreless inning on Wednesday night. The Dodgers want the 32-year-old to get MLB innings before the postseason begins, but he will have to pitch his way back into the ninth-inning role, which means Tanner Scott will remain the closer for the time being.

Knack has a 2.08 ERA in 34 2/3 innings in Triple-A this season. He has allowed five runs on eight hits in 7 2/3 innings for the Dodgers and will likely serve in bulk relief.

Miller has allowed three runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings out of the Dodgers’ bullpen this season. His first outing was fine, but he allowed two runs on three hits in 2 1/3 innings on Wednesday, so the Dodgers will send him down to bring up a fresh arm in the bullpen.