MLB Player News

Guerrero’s homer, his first in a month and a day, was a 410-foot drive barely over the deepest section of the Green Monster in left center. We wouldn’t say just yet that he’s warming up, but it did give him his first three-RBI series since Apr. 17-19 against the D-backs.

It clears room on the 40-man roster for David Peterson. Zulueta was acquired from the Mariners for cash considerations a little over a week ago, and he could be changing organizations again. If he goes unclaimed, Zulueta likely reports back to Triple-A Iowa.

Mathis, 22, was a 2024 second-round pick who has performed well in 2026 with a .981 OPS and 10 homers over 39 games. It is worth noting that he turns 23 at the end of July but hasn’t played above High-A, but he does have the chance to hit for average and power at the highest level. He also is likely limited to first base, so he’s going to have to come close to maxing out offensively to have fantasy value.

Peterson joins a beleaguered Cubs’ rotation to provide some stabilization, but it’s worth noting that he’s been far from a reliable option for most of 2026 with a 6.09 ERA and 1.65 WHIP over his 68 innings with New York prior to the move. The left-hander has had success in the past prior to this year’s scuffles, and because of the litany of injuries to the Chicago staff, he’s going to be given some runway. He should make his debut for the Cubs in the coming days.

Thornton will get another chance as the Mets need a new rotation option with David Peterson traded to the Cubs. The 24-year-old allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings in his MLB debut against the Nationals in May. Thornton is worth monitoring, but fantasy managers shouldn’t rush to the waiver wire to procure his services.

Tiedemann allowed one run over one inning on June 16th in a minor league rehab appearance in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League and was set to make his affiliate debut on Tuesday. As of now, there is no set plan for when he will pitch next. The 23-year-old missed all of the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and then felt renewed elbow soreness during spring training. He can’t quite seem to shake the injury bug.

With Spencer Horwitz (hamstring) sidelined, Ryan O’Hearn is likely to be the primary first baseman for the Pirates, which could open up right field at-bats for Valdez. The 22-year-old has gone just 5-for-30 in his 11 MLB games with two doubles, two home runs, and six RBI. He was hitting .255/.388/.526 with 13 home runs and 38 RBI in 56 games at Triple-A and has some intriguing power potential. He remains only an option in NL-only formats in the short-term.

With Spencer Horwitz (hamstring) landing on the injured list, it will be Brannigan coming up to join the Pirates. The 25-year-old was hitting .235/.333/.522 with eight home runs and 18 RBI in 31 games at Double-A with a 37.9 percent strikeout rate. He will just be a bench bat for the Pirates until Horwitz returns or Konnor Griffin comes off the injured list.

Horwitz left Wednesday’s game with hamstring discomfort and now finds himself on the injured list; although, there is no set timeline for his return right now. The 28-year-old is hitting .280/.386/.455 with 10 home runs, 36 runs scored, and 33 RBI in 74 games this season as a key member of the Pirates lineup. Ryan O’Hearn should play a lot of first base with Horwitz sidelined.

DeLuca has started four straight games and appears to have emerged as a regular starter in center field or right field. Since coming off the injured list earlier in June, he has gone 5-for-18 (.278) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI, and one steal in six games. He’s slashing .270/.301/.453 in 47 games for the Rays this season and is an option in deeper formats even though he will sit one or two games a week. Victor Mesa Jr. will start in right field and bat eighth on Thursday.

This is now the sixth straight game that Witt Jr. is not in the lineup. He has been available off the bench for the last two games, but has not entered into either one of them. The Royals also had two players pinch hit in the eighth and ninth innings in Wednesday’s loss to the Rays, but neither of them was Witt Jr. Tyler Tolbert will continue to play shortstop and bat ninth as the Royals maintain a holding pattern with their star shortstop.