Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot (knee) hopes to throw off a mound either before Saturday's game against the visiting Cincinnati Reds or early next week. Manager Kevin Cash said Pepiot was "doing much better" and moving around well after being discharged from the hospital on Monday due to a right knee infection and flying home to St. Petersburg. With there being optimism that Pepiot will resume throwing in the next couple of days, there's a good chance he'll be able to avoid a minor-league rehab assignment and return to Tampa Bay and be activated from the 15-day injured list sometime in early August. The 26-year-old right-hander has gone 6-5 with a promising 3.92 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 94 strikeouts and 31 walks in 17 starts (87 1/3 innings) for the Rays, and he should remain stashed in all fantasy leagues.

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Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Drew Thorpe got ambushed during Friday night's start against the visiting Seattle Mariners at Guaranteed Rate Field, allowing eight runs on six hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning while taking his second loss of the year. Thorpe was able to strike out Mariners slugger Luke Raley amid Friday's disastrous appearance, but that proved to be the highlight of his evening on a night he couldn't escape the first inning and was hammered for three home runs. His ERA ballooned to 4.81 and his WHIP to 1.19 to go with a concerning 25:19 K:BB over eight starts (39 1/3 frames) on the South Side this season. The 23-year-old rookie southpaw will search for better results when he takes the ball in his next scheduled showing at home against the division-rival Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, but he'll be tough to trust for fantasy purposes despite a somewhat favorable matchup.

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New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez broke out of his funk in Friday night's win over the visiting division-rival Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, picking up three hits and launching a grand slam in the victory. As part of a three-homer, seven-run inning for New York on Friday, Martinez hit a grand slam off Braves right-hander Charlie Morton to right field to give the Mets a 4-2 lead in the third inning. This performance was a much-needed jolt for the 36-year-old veteran slugger, who came into the day batting a frigid .184 (14-for-76) with a lone homer and six RBI in his last 21 games. Over his last seven contests, Martinez has looked better while hitting 9-for-29 (.310). With a .502 expected slugging percentage on Baseball Savant, Martinez remains a buy-low candidate for fantasy managers in need of power numbers.

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Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said before Friday's game against the hosting Toronto Blue Jays that outfielder Evan Carter (back) is seeing a back specialist in California for a second opinion. He's effectively shut down from all baseball activities until the Rangers get a report back to reassess Carter's condition and map out the next steps for his recovery. "He's just not quite coming along like we were hoping," Bochy said. Carter had rejoined the club around the All-Star break and ramped up activities, but his return timeline goes totally up in the air with this development. It's worth noting he missed time in the minor leagues with a stress fracture in his back in 2021, so Texas has been cautious with him. The 21-year-old top prospect is starting to lose steam as a stash candidate in redraft fantasy leagues. Veteran switch-hitter Robbie Grossman is batting .341 (15-for-44) with three home runs, six RBI, and 11 runs scored in his last 17 games.

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Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer threw seven shutout innings on Friday and picked up the win in the Royals' 6-0 win over the Chicago Cubs. Singer struck out five and allowed just two hits while lowering his ERA to 2.82 on the season. The 27-year-old continues to excel with the Royals as Friday marked his third start of the season of seven shutout innings. The righty may be due for negative regression soon as his 4.80 ERA suggests he's overperforming, but Singer continues to get results with a reliance on soft contact. Fantasy managers should continue to have confidence in the right-hander for a least a little longer. He'll get another tasty matchup in his next scheduled start when he heads to Chicago to face the White Sox next Wednesday.

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Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement collected two hits on Friday night, including a walkoff single in the Blue Jays 6-5 victory over the Texas Rangers. Both of Clement's hits resulted in runs, giving him two RBI on the night while raising his OPS to .689 on the season. The 28-year-old has had a very up-and-down season for the Blue Jays but has been a stable option for them at third base as Isiah Kiner-Filefa works back from a knee injury. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues looking for an option at third base may want to consider Clement as an option, but other managers may not find as much appeal. DFS managers may want to target Clement during away games, a situation where he's hitting for a .798 OPS. He'll get another chance to improve his July on Saturday against Rangers' scheduled starter Michael Lorenzen.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida ripped a game-winning two RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning during Boston's 9-7 comeback victory over the New York Yankees. Yoshida recorded three RBI in total, raising his season total to 28 on the season. The Japanese lefty, who missed all of May with a thumb injury, has had a stellar July with an .842 OPS and is helping the Red Sox resurgence into the AL playoff picture (5.5 GB of Baltimore in AL East, 1 GB of Kansas City in Wild Card). Fantasy managers are no doubt happy with Yoshida's production and should continue to keep him in their lineups. He'll get another chance to capitalize on his hot July on Saturday when he faces off against Yankees scheduled starter Marcus Stroman.

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San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar smashed two homers, including a game-winner in the top of the ninth, during the Padres 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. Both homers were two-run shots with the first being off Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez in the top of the sixth inning for his 17th HR of the season. The two-run game-winner came in the top of the ninth off Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel with two outs and was his 18th of 2024. Profar's turnaround in this season has been a major boost for the Padres. His .865 OPS is a career high and is helping to keep the Padres afloat as they fight to hold onto their Wild Card spot (one game lead over St. Louis) without superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. Profar will look to continue his dominating season on Saturday against Orioles scheduled starter Dean Kremer.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz had a strong outing on Friday night, notching seven strikeouts and giving up just two runs on two hits in the Rays 3-2 extra innings loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Baz's ERA now sits at 3.66 on the season after the no-decision. After two starts against the New York Yankees in which Baz failed to complete five innings, tonight's six inning performance was a great sign for the 25-year-old. Baz has had a lot of hype surround him in his career that was put majorly on hold over the last two seasons thanks to Tommy John surgery, but it appears he's on the right path to providing the Rays and fantasy managers alike a ton of value. His next scheduled start is set for next Friday when the Rays travel to Houston to face the Astros.

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez was strong on Friday night, going seven innings deep and striking out seven in the Twins 9-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. Lopez picked up the win and improved his record to 9-7 while lowering his ERA to 4.73 on the season. After a spotty run in the middle of the season, the 28-year-old has now thrown three straight games of giving up two earned runs or less. While his strikeout numbers have not been as flashy as fantasy managers are used to lately, Lopez may be starting to turn a corner. With a 3.39 xERA to go along with his 4.73 ERA, the righty has positive regression coming his way. Fantasy managers with Lopez in their lineups should continue to trust him. His next scheduled start is set for Wednesday at Citi Field against the New York Mets.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon is out of the lineup on Friday night for Colorado's matchup against left-hander Kyle Harrison and the San Francisco Giants. This marks the second straight game that Blackmon will be on the Rockies bench. As of now there should be no concern in regards to the lefty's health, rather it'd appear he's getting a bit of rest while the Rockies trot out Kris Bryant in right field. The Rockies and Giants are also scheduled for a doubleheader on Saturday, so this may just be a way to keep the 38-year-old fresh for the twinbill. Blackmon has hit for an .869 OPS in July, his best month in 2024 and should be expected to be back in the lineup at some point this weekend. The next chance Blackmon will get will be either against Blake Snell in the first game of the doubleheader or against Hayden Birdsong in the second game.

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Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Ben Lively struck out six and gave up just three hits in six innings during the Guardians 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. Lively picked up the win and improved his record to 9-6 while his ERA dropped to 3.44 on the season. The 32-year-old has been having a very solid and under-the-radar season for the Guardians and has been a major boost for their rotation after Shane Bieber was forced to have Tommy John surgery at the beginning of the season. With a 1.17 WHIP, Lively should be on fantasy managers' radars as a sneaky pick-up that should provide consistent results. His next scheduled start is set for Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles.

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New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (calf) was able to walk off under his own power but suffered a left-calf strain in the top of the sixth inning in Friday night's game against the Atlanta Braves. Senga, in his season debut after recovering from a shoulder injury, was running off the mound to get out of the way during an infield pop-up and hit the ground after tweaking his calf. He was down on the field for about a minute before walking off under his own power. The right-hander had been dealing prior to the injury, striking out nine Braves in five innings and giving up just two runs prior to the injury. Any time missed would be unfortunate for the 31-year-old after missing over half the season. Given the nature of the injury, fantasy managers should brace for more missed time from Senga and look towards other options in the Mets rotation, such as left-handed starter David Peterson.

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Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, the New York Mets are open to adding a left-handed bat at the trade deadline and have had discussions with the San Francisco Giants about outfielder Michael Conforto. The lefty played with the Mets for seven season before joining the Giants in 2023. Only three Mets are hitting for a wRC+ above 100 from the left side of the plate (Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, DJ Stewart). Conforto's 103 wRC+ would help stabilize an already pretty solid Mets outfield if a deal was to be struck. The Giants have been rumored to have made Conforto "available" so a reunion could be considered very plausible. Fantasy managers should continue to start Conforto in their lineups regardless of where he ends up but his .833 career OPS at Citi Field should be appealing compared to his season long .713 OPS in 2024.

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Free-agent first baseman Jose Abreu will most likely not play for the remainder of the 2024 season, according to sources. It's believed that Abreu will take a break, and if conditions are right, he'll try to return in 2025 if he's given another opportunity with a big-league organization. The former American League MVP fell off a cliff this year and was released by the Houston Astros after hitting a miserable .124/.167/.195 with two home runs, seven RBI and 10 runs scored in 35 games played. The 37-year-old probably doesn't have much left, but he'll see if another team will give him an opportunity as a right-handed veteran bat next year. If this is the end for the Cuban slugger, he'll finish his MLB career with a .283/.345/.488 slash line with an .833 OPS, 263 home runs and 960 RBI in 1,446 games over 11 seasons in the league.

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After acquiring right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia from the Toronto Blue Jays earlier on Friday, the Seattle Mariners traded right-handed reliever Ryne Stanek to the New York Mets on Friday in exchange for minor-league outfielder Rhylan Thomas, according to a league source. Thomas was listed by MLB Pipeline as New York's No. 30 prospect. The 33-year-old Stanek heads to the Big Apple after struggling of late, and the veteran reliever now holds a 4.38 ERA (4.02 FIP), a 1.33 WHIP, a career-high seven saves and a 44:17 K:BB in 39 innings over 46 appearances out of Seattle's bullpen this year. Since June 30, Stanek has a 9.45 ERA, six walks, eight K's, three holds and two blown saves in 6 2/3 innings pitched. In New York, he'll work alongside Phil Maton as a late-inning setup man in front of closer Edwin Diaz.

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San Francisco Giants right-hander Alex Cobb (hip, shoulder) will throw five innings in a minor-league rehab start for Single-A San Jose on Friday night, and if all goes well, he will return to make his 2024 debut for the Giants on Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics. Cobb will essentially be replacing right-hander Jordan Hicks, who will make his last start of the year on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies before moving to the bullpen to protect his workload. The 36-year-old Cobb started the year on the injured list after having offseason hip surgery and then suffered a setback with his right shoulder along the way, keeping him out for the entire first half. Cobb has limited fantasy upside with a 19.9% career strikeout rate but could be a worthwhile deep-league streaming option in the right matchups when he returns to San Fran's starting rotation.

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San Francisco Giants right-hander Keaton Winn (elbow) will have season-ending surgery on Monday and will have an ulnar-nerve transposition. Winn has been on the injured list since June with a nerve issue in his right elbow and he'll now be forced to miss the rest of the 2024 campaign. Because of the nature of his surgery, there's a good chance that the 26-year-old won't be ready for the start of spring training next year or the 2025 regular season. Before his right-elbow injury cropped up, Winn went 3-8 with a rough 7.16 ERA (4.82 FIP) and 1.37 WHIP with 48 strikeouts and 20 walks in 55 1/3 innings over 12 starts in his second year in the big leagues with the Gigantes. Anyone that was holding onto him in deep NL-only leagues can now let go.

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The Tampa Bay Rays continue to make moves and acquired right-hander Cole Sulser from the New York Mets on Friday in exchange for cash considerations. Sulser has been optioned to Triple-A Durham. The Rays got things started by dealing outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night and also sent right-hander Zach Eflin to the division-rival Baltimore Orioles on Friday. The move for the 34-year-old Sulser is the most insignificant of the trio of moves after the Mets designated him for assignment earlier this week. He allowed five earned runs in just 4 2/3 relief innings in New York in 2024 and has a 4.06 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP and 15 career saves in his six years in the majors with five different teams. Sulser made his big-league debut with the Rays in 2019 after being drafted by Cleveland in the 25th round back in 2013 out of Dartmouth. He's not on the fantasy radar.

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Seattle Mariners right-handed reliever Gregory Santos (knee) underwent an MRI exam that "came back OK," according to manager Scott Servais. It sounds like Santos will avoid a trip to the injured list and could potentially be available out of the bullpen as soon as Saturday on the road in Chicago against the White Sox. Santos will go through pre-game exercises on Friday to test his right knee after he hurt it in the eighth inning of Wednesday's loss to the Los Angeles Angels. The 24-year-old Dominican began the year on the IL in his first year in Seattle and has pitched just four innings in 2024, allowing three earned runs on four hits. It's been a disappointing year in Seattle so far, which is partly why the M's went out and acquired reliever Yimi Garcia on Friday from the Toronto Blue Jays.

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