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The Pirates are just being cautious with their star in his return from a forearm strain. Griffin returned last Friday and will now have sat in two of the team’s seven games since then. We would expect them to go back to playing him nearly every day after the All-Star break. On Thursday, Jared Triolo will bat ninth and play shortstop, and Jake Mangum will move into Griffin’s spot at the top of the order.

Universally regarded as baseball’s top prospect, Made notched his his second four-hit game of the season just a few hours after being named to the 2026 MLB All-Star Futures Game for the National League. He’s posted seven multi-hit performances in his last 13 games. It’s relatively easy to envision the 19-year-old phenom blossoming into a five-category fantasy force, as he’s slashing .289/.359/.448 with seven homers and 24 steals through 69 games this season despite being the youngest hitter at the Double-A level. Most of his over-the-fence power remains projection at this stage, but he’s already producing elite exit velocities for his age, bolstering confidence that more in-game power will emerge as he continues to mature physically.

His teammate Mike Sirota also homered while extending his on-base streak to a surreal 65 consecutive games. The tandem were named to the National League’s roster for the upcoming 2026 MLB All-Star Futures Game earlier this week. It was De Paula’s second multi-homer performance of the season as he’s slashing a robust .322/.419/.563 with 15 round-trippers and 21 steals in 73 games. The Athletic’s Katie Woo reported earlier this week that De Paula is basically the lone untouchable prospect in Los Angeles’ system approaching next month’s trade deadline. He’s evolved into a top-five range fantasy prospect in dynasty leagues and has a chance to be a five-category monster as part of the Dodgers loaded lineup once he reaches the majors.

Hartman is the first minor leaguer to reach the 20-homer, 30-steal thresholds this season, needing just 71 games to get there. He’s the first hitter in Atlanta’s system to reach those marks since Ronald Acuña Jr. back in 2017. You’ve probably heard of him. The 20-year-old prodigy has boosted his long-term fantasy stock more than any prospect in baseball this year, skyrocketing from relative obscurity to an elite dynasty asset. He possesses off-the-charts athleticism, big-time power upside and elite speed, giving him a legitimate shot at fantasy superstardom if everything comes together.

Although he wasn’t dominant in finishing with four strikeouts and seven whiffs, this seems like a good sign that McClanahan’s July will more closely resemble his May (4-0, 1.41 ERA) than his June (0-3, 5.79 ERA). McClanahan walked none for the fourth time this year, leaving him with a 77/28 K/BB through 79 2/3 innings. His next start will come at home against the Yankees.

Skenes’ command was off tonight, and his fastball velocity was down 0.7 mph from his season average. Still, he probably could have gotten through four allowing one run with just a little help. In the second, he should have had Gabriel Rincones Jr. struck out on what was called ball three, but the Pirates were afraid to challenge the pitch after already burning one. He went on to walk, and then, with the bases loaded, Justin Crawford hit a little chopper to third that Nick Gonzales got no outs on after his throw home hit Alec Bohm. Trea Turner went on to homer in a five-run inning. In the fourth, the Phillies hit Skenes very hard, but Bryce Harper’s two-run double could have been caught if the Pirates didn’t have an infielder in Tyler Callahan playing left. No pitcher in the league has been let down more by his defense this year than Skenes. It’s not wholly responsible for his decline, but it’s a big part of it. He’ll take a 3.63 ERA into his next start against the Braves.

There was optimism that Smith would make it back to Los Angeles at some point in early July, but those odds seemed to get longer in recent weeks while Smith remained shut down from baseball activities. The 31-year-old is working his way back from neck inflammation and the Dodgers have zero incentive to rush him and risk any setbacks. There should be a clearer timeline at some point in the coming weeks. It’ll be former top prospect Dalton Rushing continuing to handle the bulk of the catching duties for the Dodgers.

Rooker will undergo a procedure to address cartilage issues after hitting the injured list with a bone bruise in his left knee back in early June. The latest development comes just days after he began a running and hitting progression. The 31-year-old power-hitter finishes with an underwhelming .200/.281/.389 slash line with 10 homers, 29 RBI and two steals in 203 plate appearances over 48 games. His absence is a significant hit to the Athletics’ playoff hopes as it’ll be challenging to replace his presence as a middle-of-the-order run-producing threat.

Giants skipper Tony Vitello told reporters earlier this week that Adames was trending in the right direction and it sounds like there’s a chance he’ll be ready for Friday’s series opener against the Rockies at Coors Field. The 30-year-old is sitting out his third consecutive contest due to back spasms. It’ll be Christian Koss filling in at shortstop in his absence.

Chapman receives some time off to rest and recover after playing through an abdominal issue since April. The 33-year-old defensive stalwart has hit .235/.324/.368 with seven homers and 42 RBI across 352 plate appearances through 84 games. He figures to be on the move to a contender ahead of next month’s trade deadline.