MLB

Crawford is now back to just playing catch after his wrist didn’t respond well to increasing intensity with bullpens. The right-hander is also coming back from a knee injury as well. There is no timeline for his return at this point.

An up and down bullpen is one in which the pitcher begins to simulate a game setting by throwing a simulated inning and then resting as if their team was hitting before returning to the mound. It will help the Red Sox to determine how Houck’s forearm is responding to the stop and start of pitching in an MLB game. If this goes well, Houck could move on to live bullpens against hitters. He’s still a ways away and it’s unclear what kind of role he’ll return to.

Goodman hit a solo homer off Camilo Doval in the ninth to bring the Rockies to within three runs at 10-7. The 25-year-old has been a solid option behind the plate in 2025 with a .289 batting average, 11 homers and 39 RBI over 246 at-bats across 65 games.

Adames also scored three runs. The homer was a two-run shot off an otherwise-effective Kyle Freeland in the first, and he picked up another RBI in the third with a sac fly. The 29-year-old’s first season with the Giants has not gone to plan, and he was just 2-for-25 in the month of June prior to this outburst. You can’t erase the struggles over the first 68 games, but there’s plenty of reason to believe Adames can be an effective fantasy option over the next three-plus months.

Doval came in to pitch in a 10-6 game, and unfortunately fantasy managers get a hit in the ERA category without the benefit of the save. His ERA still an outstanding 1.69 in 2025, so it’s hard to complain too much.

Freeland gave up a two-run homer to Willy Adames in the first and a sac fly to Adames in the third. From that point out, the southpaw held San Francisco scoreless in a solid — if unspectacular — start from the 32-year-old. Freeland remains impossible to recommend from a fantasy perspective and that includes his scheduled start next week against the Nationals.

Ray has been excellent in 2025, but this wasn’t him at close to his best. He allowed six hits and two walks, and needed 93 pitches — 60 of those strikes — before being pulled. He was still able to strike out five, and and Ray’s ERA remains a strong 2.55 even after this (relative) clunker. He’ll be back on the bump against the Guardians on Tuesday.

The deal is now official. Alcala ships up to Boston as a bit of a reclamation project after posting a disastrous 8.88 ERA across 24 1/3 innings (22 appearances) to open the year. The Red Sox are dealing with several injuries to key relievers, so the move represents a relatively low-cost gamble that could pay off, especially if Alcala re-discovers the form that enabled him to register a solid 3.24 ERA over 58 1/3 innings (53 appearances) last season for Minnesota. The 29-year-old righty was due for a change of scenery. He figures to pitch in middle relief out of Boston’s bullpen.

The definition of a lottery ticket, Lugo heads to Minnesota after posting a .265/.327/.430 triple-slash line with four homers and four steals over 44 games this season for High-A Greenville. He’s an intriguing talent, but isn’t one of the more highly-regarded prospects in Boston’s absolutely loaded minor league system.