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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Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker (calf) remained out of the lineup on Saturday, as he continues to work through a lingering calf injury. Manager Craig Counsell said before the game that the team believes they have time to let it heal on its own without utilizing the injured list. He emphasized that they will be conservative, and having the extra roster spot in September is a bonus for the Cubs. It's worth noting, too, that Tucker also worked out on the field on Saturday, practicing fly-ball drills while moving his hips and legs in multiple directions. The 28-year-old last played on September 2 and will miss his third straight game, and it remains to be seen exactly when he will return to the Cubs' lineup.

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Rockies' SP Kyle Freeland recorded 10 strikeouts in 8 innings getting the win in a 3-0 win over the Padres on Friday, Sep. 5.

Minnesota Twins right-hander Pablo Lopez made his first start in over three months on Friday and held his own in a 2-1 defeat against the Kansas City Royals. Lopez (5-4) took a hard-luck loss, his fourth of the year, after tossing six innings of two-run, six-hit ball and logging four strikeouts against one walk on 92 pitches (58 strikes). It was the first start since June 3 for Lopez, who had been on the injured list with a teres major strain in his shoulder. After a successful return, the 29-year-old now owns a 2.84 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP, 65 strikeouts, and 15 walks over 66 2/3 innings this season. The Twins haven't announced a date for Lopez's next start yet.

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Los Angeles Dodgers closer Tanner Scott fell to 1-3 on the season in a 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. The left-hander entered a 1-1 game in the bottom of the ninth inning and struck out the first two hitters he faced before yielding a 433-foot walk-off home run to catcher Samuel Basallo. It was Scott's first appearance since last Sunday, when he allowed three earned runs in one inning and picked up a blown save in a win over Arizona. Poor outings have been a surprisingly frequent occurrence this season for Scott, who was a lights-out reliever with Miami and San Diego from 2023-24. In his first season with the Dodgers, the 31-year-old has blown eight of 28 save chances and posted a 4.56 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, and 52:12 K:BB in 49 1/3 innings. Scott has already given up 10 homers this year after surrendering a combined 11 in 213 1/3 frames over the previous three seasons.

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Milwaukee Brewers reliever Abner Uribe closed out a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday to collect his fifth save of the year. The right-hander made quick work of the Pirates in the bottom of the ninth inning, inducing three groundouts to retire the side in order on eight pitches. Uribe has converted all three of his save opportunities since closer Trevor Megill (elbow) went on the 15-day injured list with a flexor strain on Aug. 25. Megill is on track to return by Sept. 16, which will push Uribe back into a setup role. With a league-leading 36 holds, Uribe has thrived pitching in front of Megill this season. The 25-year-old also boasts a sparkling 1.84 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and 81:26 K:BB in 68 1/3 innings.

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San Diego Padres right-hander Randy Vasquez will come up from Triple-A El Paso to start against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Vasquez has made 23 appearances (22 starts) for the Padres this season and gone 3-6 with a 3.96 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, and 59:49 K:BB in 111 1/3 innings. He'll pitch at Coors Field for the second time this year on Saturday. The 26-year-old picked up a win in Colorado on May 9, when he limited the Rockies to two earned runs on six hits and logged five strikeouts against one walk over six innings.

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The San Diego Padres announced that they have placed left-hander Nestor Cortes (biceps) on the 15-day injured list with biceps tendonitis, retroactive to Sept. 4. The club recalled righty Ron Marinaccio from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move. This is the second IL stint of the season for Cortes, who missed four months with a flexor strain while with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Padres acquired Cortes at the July 31 trade deadline when he was still on the IL, and since debuting with them on Aug. 6, he has recorded a 5.47 ERA over six starts and 26 1/3 innings. Cortes lasted just 2 1/3 innings in his most recent start on Wednesday, when the Baltimore Orioles lit him up for six earned runs on seven hits (including four homers). Between Milwaukee and San Diego, the 30-year-old has gone 2-4 with a 6.29 ERA, a 1.63 WHIP, and 29:20 K:BB in 34 1/3 frames. Depending on the severity of his injury, Cortes might not have enough time to return this season.

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The Kansas City Royals announced that shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (back) left their 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday with lower-back spasms. Witt went 0-for-3 before the team replaced him at short with Maikel Garcia in the seventh inning and brought in Nick Loftin to play third. It's unclear if Witt will play on Saturday. The durable superstar hasn't appeared in fewer than 150 games in any of his three full seasons, and he's on pace to reach that mark again this year. Over 138 games and 605 plate appearances, Witt has slashed an excellent .294/.352/.503 with 21 homers, 77 RBI, 90 runs scored, and 24 stolen bases.

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Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (leg) exited a 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Friday with a contusion in his lower right leg. X-rays came back negative, but Rushing was on crutches after the game and will go for a CT scan, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports. The timing of Rushing's injury is terrible for the Dodgers, who may have to go without starting catcher Will Smith (hand) for the weekend after he suffered a bone bruise in his right hand on Wednesday. Rushing was in the lineup in Smith's place Friday, but the Dodgers had to bring in Ben Rortvedt to fill in behind the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning. With Rushing and Smith down, Plunkett notes that they'll add another catcher to the roster in the next day. Chuckie Robinson, who's with Triple-A Oklahoma City, is the most likely candidate.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong returned to the lineup with a bang on Friday. Crow-Armstrong was absent from the starting lineup during the previous two games due to his slump at the plate. The 23-year-old was able to break out of that slump versus the Washington Nationals on Friday. Crow-Armstrong went 2-for-3 with two singles, two RBI, and a stolen base in the win. His production certainly took a hit in the second half, but Crow-Armstrong is still putting together a strong campaign. Crow-Armstrong has 28 home runs and 32 steals, so a 30-30 season isn't out of the question at this point. Fantasy managers need to keep starting Crow-Armstrong despite his slump at the plate.

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