Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Drew Pomeranz has been named the opener for Sunday's game against the Washington Nationals. Pomeranz is set to serve as the opener for the fourth time this season. The southpaw holds a 2.45 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, with a 42/13 K/BB ratio across 40.1 innings this season. Pomeranz has only pitched more than one inning just three times so far. He's unlikely to pitch deep enough into the game to warrant streaming appeal.

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Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo (hand) was removed early during Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Basallo was taken out of the game after taking a foul ball off his right hand. He attempted to stay in the game, but both his throws sailed into the outfield. The assumption is that Basallo will undergo X-rays to determine the severity of the injury. His lone at-bat in the game resulted in a walk. For now, fantasy managers should consider Basallo as day-to-day. Alex Jackson took over behind the plate and figures to see increased time there if Basallo misses time.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (back) was able to take swings in the batting cage ahead of Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. His absence on Thursday marked the fourth game in a row that Yelich has sat out due to a back issue. The fact he was able to take swings is encouraging heading into Sunday's contest. The Brewers are likely going to wait until the morning to see how Yelich feels. Jake Bauers has been filling in at designated hitter and he figures to continue doing that until Yelich returns.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti (elbow) will miss the rest of the regular season, but will avoid having surgery. Arrighetti underwent an MRI which revealed that his UCL is intact. That means, Arrighetti won't require elbow surgery, but he will miss the rest of the season.The expectation is that Arrighetti will be ready for the beginning of spring training. He'll finish the 2025 season with a 5.35 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and a 31/20 K/BB ratio across seven starts with the Astros. Fantasy managers can safely drop Arrighetti in redraft formats.

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Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (shin) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday. Rushing was forced to make an early exit from Friday's contest after fouling a ball off his leg. Luckily, the CT scan didn't reveal any fractures, so Rushing won't require surgery. However, Rushing will miss time due to a bruised left shin. The Dodgers are shorthanded behind the plate with Will Smith (hand) also sidelined. In a corresponding move, Chuckie Robinson has been recalled to give the Dodgers some depth behind the plate. Robinson and Ben Rortvedt figure to split up the time behind the plate for now.

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The Seattle Mariners announced that they have reinstated outfielder Victor Robles after he served a seven-game suspension. He'll play right field and hit eighth on Saturday against Atlanta Braves right-hander Hurston Waldrep. Major League Baseball issued Robles a 10-game ban for throwing a bat toward an opposing pitcher during a minor-league rehab assignment last month, but the punishment was reduced after an appeal. After missing four and a half months with a dislocated shoulder, Robles returned Aug. 23 and has gone 3-for-13 with two RBI in four games. The 28-year-old was a bright spot for the Mariners in 2024 after he flamed out with the Washington Nationals. However, Robles has played in just 14 contests this season and slumped to a .214/.267/.298 line with five RBI, four runs scored, and four stolen bases in 60 plate appearances.

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The Detroit Tigers have activated right-hander Chris Paddack from the bereavement list and optioned outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy to Triple-A Toledo, per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. Paddack will return to the Tigers' bullpen after missing two games. Since joining the Tigers in a trade with the division-rival Minnesota Twins in late July, Paddack has logged a disappointing 6.89 ERA in 31 1/3 innings. He struggled badly enough over six starts that the Tigers demoted him to their bullpen. The 29-year-old made his first relief appearance with the club on Tuesday and yielded six earned runs on eight hits over 1 1/3 innings. He has totaled 142 1/3 frames this season and gone 5-11 with a 5.37 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, and 98:32 K:BB.

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Detroit Tigers right-hander Alex Cobb (hip) will undergo season-ending hip resurfacing surgery, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. Cobb hasn't pitched in the majors at all this year as a result of hip inflammation. He had been on a minor-league rehab assignment and working toward a late-season debut, but the 37-year-old will instead shut it down with time running out on the 2025 campaign. Even though injuries limited Cobb to 16 1/3 innings with the Cleveland Guardians in 2024, the Tigers took a one-year, $15 million gamble on him in free agency last winter. It'll go down as a failed investment for Detroit. Cobb, meanwhile, faces an uncertain future heading into the offseason and could consider retirement.

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Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter/outfielder Christian Yelich (back) is not ready to return to the lineup on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jake Bauers will DH in Yelich's absence and hit fifth in a meeting with right-hander Mitch Keller. Yelich, who's dealing with soreness in his lower back, hasn't played since Monday and will miss his fourth straight game. The Brewers have seen enough improvement from Yelich that they've elected against placing him on the 10-day injured list to this point. They're still exercising caution with Yelich, who missed the final two-plus months of 2024 with back problems and had to undergo surgery. The 33-year-old has come back this season to slash .268/.350/.464 with 27 HRs, 92 RBI, 82 runs, and 15 steals over 132 games and 565 plate appearances.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (knee) left their game against the Washington Nationals on Saturday with a right-knee contusion. Crow-Armstrong suffered the injury when he fouled a ball off himself in the bottom of the sixth inning. He drew a walk and stayed in the game until the Cubs replaced him with Kevin Alcantara in the top of the seventh. After going 1-for-2 with a double on Saturday, PCA is slashing .254/.293/.496 with 28 homers, 85 RBI, 84 runs scored, and 32 steals in 571 plate appearances this season. The 23-year-old hit a miserable .160/.216/.230 in August, but he has gone an encouraging 4-for-9 to begin September. It's unclear whether Crow-Armstrong's knee bruise will lead to any missed time.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. is in the lineup and batting sixth on Saturday against Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller. It's the first time Acuna has hit sixth since his rookie season in 2018. The former NL MVP has spent most of this season either leading off or batting third, but the Braves are dropping him amid a severe slump. Acuna, who wasn't in the lineup Friday, has gone 0-for-20 with eight strikeouts and no walks in five games since Aug. 30. Moreover, Acuna has hit just one home run since he returned from the 10-day injured list on Aug. 15. The 27-year-old missed the last couple of days of July and the first two weeks of August with a low-grade calf strain. Despite his struggles over the past few weeks, Acuna has still posted strong production this season. He's slashing .275/.400/.494 with 15 homers, 31 RBI, 58 runs scored, and six stolen bases over 320 plate appearances. It seems doubtful that the Braves will keep him down in the lineup for long.

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Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (back) is sitting out on Saturday against the Minnesota Twins. Maikel Garcia will fill in at short and hit second versus Twins ace Joe Ryan, while Nick Loftin will play third base and bat seventh. Witt left the Royals' 2-1 win on Friday with lower-back spasms and will get at least one game off as a result. The durable superstar has appeared in 139 of the Royals' 141 games this season and slashed .294/.352/.503 with 21 homers, 77 RBI, 90 runs scored, and 34 stolen bases in 605 plate appearances. The playoff-contending Royals and fantasy managers will hope to get him back on Sunday.

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Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers (head) is out of the lineup on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals. Mickey Gasper will fill in behind the plate and hit seventh versus right-hander Stephen Kolek. Jeffers will take a seat for the second straight game after leaving early in an 11-8 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. He was diagnosed with a head contusion after taking two foul tips off the mask, but the 29-year-old may not require a stint on the injured list. Jeffers has played in 114 games this season and hit .262/.353/.394 with nine homers, 44 RBI, and 47 runs scored in 442 plate appearances.

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Baltimore Orioles catcher/designated hitter Gary Sanchez (knee) is expected to start a minor-league rehab assignment during the upcoming week. Sanchez has been out for two months since he sprained his right knee on July 5. The 32-year-old also missed all of May and half of June with inflammation in his right wrist. The injuries have limited Sanchez to just 30 games, which isn't what he or the Orioles had in mind when they agreed to a one-year, $8.5 million contract last winter. Sanchez has taken 101 trips to the plate and hit .231/.297/.418 with five homers, 24 RBI, and 13 runs scored. With Sanchez and starting catcher Adley Rutschman (oblique) also on the injured list, prized rookie Samuel Basallo and veteran Alex Jackson have been sharing the catching duties for the Orioles.

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St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (shoulder) will start a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield on Sept. 9. Arenado, shelved since Aug. 1 with a strained right shoulder, could return for the final couple of weeks of the season. Thanks to both Arenado's injury and a decline in performance, this has been the worst season of the 34-year-old's decorated career since his rookie campaign in 2013. The eight-time All-Star has put together a subpar .235/.294/.366 line with 10 homers, 43 RBI, and 43 runs scored over 96 games and 394 plate appearances. Before sitting out all of August, Arenado played in 16 games in July and went an unsightly 10-for-57 (.175) with two RBI.

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Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (knee) will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. Manager Torey Lovullo said on Friday that surgery for the veteran would be imminent. The 31-year-old suffered the injury on September 1 while he was tracking a fly ball and trying to avoid a teammate. Due to this severe ailment, he will miss the rest of 2025, and there is some belief that he will also miss at least two months of the 2026 season. Jake McCarthy should receive every day playing time as a result of his absence.

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Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young (back) is returning to the lineup on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. The center fielder will bat ninth in a meeting with left-hander Matthew Boyd. Young is making his first appearance since he left a 5-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday with back spasms. While Young went 2-for-2 in that game, the glove-first 26-year-old hasn't contributed much offense this season. He's hitting a meek .235/.303/.287 with one homer, 26 RBI, 31 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases in 326 trips to the plate.

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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Reese Olson (shoulder) has begun a return-to-play throwing progression. It's unclear if and when he will pitch again in 2025, but the belief is that he will be able to contribute to the Tigers in some capacity in the playoffs. The 26-year-old went to the injured list at the end of July with a right shoulder strain. After it was determined that he wouldn't require surgery to repair his ailing shoulder, he received a platelet-rich plasma injection. Since then, he has been shut down from throwing until now, as he will begin to ramp up his arm again. The hope and belief is that he will be healthy and ready for Spring Training next year.

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Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner is out of the lineup on Saturday against Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara. Edmundo Sosa will fill in at short and bat eighth. It's a rare day off for Turner, who has played in 139 of the Phillies' 141 games this year. The 32-year-old has slashed .305/.357/.455 with 14 homers, 68 RBI, 93 runs scored, and 36 stolen bases in yet another standout campaign. Turner, the NL leader in batting average, has gone a red-hot 9-for-19 with a triple, four RBI, and a steal in four games this month. There's no indication that Turner is dealing with an injury, so fantasy managers should expect him back in the lineup on Sunday.

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Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (appendix) is hopeful that he will be able to return to the team this season. He underwent an appendectomy on August 28, and the belief at the time was that he would require most, if not all, of the remainder of the season from which to recover. However, on Friday, Seager spoke about how he intends to return to the field in 2025, citing how it's been done before by other baseball players in the past within a short enough timeframe. He also noted that his appendix did not burst, and as such, the situation was not a worst-case scenario. While Seager's optimism is encouraging to his situation, manager Bruce Bochy reiterated that things will be taken day by day. Seager can remain stashed on the injured list with the hope that he can contribute at some point this month.

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