TL;DRSkim

The five fastest-moving roster calls of the morning, in priority order:

• ACTIVATE — Elly De La Cruz (CIN, SS): activated from the IL on June 23 after his hamstring rehab — an immediate everyday-shortstop anchor back in lineups.
• HOLD — Shane Bieber (TOR, SP): makes his 2026 debut June 23 off right elbow inflammation; veteran innings and Cy Young pedigree stabilize the Toronto rotation.
• HOLD — Kyle Tucker (LAD, OF): exited the Twins game in the 2nd with back spasms, but Dave Roberts called it day-to-day and precautionary — monitor for Tuesday.
• WATCH — Dalton Rushing (LAD, C): in concussion protocol after a foul tip off the mask; the Dodgers are optimistic, but treat him as a short-term bench absence.
• STREAM — Brady Singer (CIN, SP): 7 IP, 7 K, 0 ER in his latest start — a steady mid-rotation floor still available in shallow leagues.

De La Cruz activated after his hamstring rehab

ACTIVATE · CIN · SS

Elly De La Cruz will be activated from the 10-day IL on June 23, capping his Triple-A rehab from a right hamstring strain, per manager Terry Francona via MLB.com. He steps straight back into everyday shortstop reps as Cincinnati's middle-infield anchor, likely hitting near the top of the order. The waiver-wire churn his absence created closes immediately with his return.

Action: Activate or roster De La Cruz now if he's somehow available — don't wait; he's back today.

Bieber makes his long-awaited 2026 debut

HOLD · TOR · SP

Shane Bieber will make his 2026 debut June 23, capping a recovery from right elbow inflammation that kept him out since the spring. His return stabilizes a Toronto rotation that's leaned on short starts and bullpen load all season. Expect a conservative pitch count in his first outing back, but the upside is a Cy Young-pedigree arm rejoining a contender's staff.

Action: Hold Bieber in all formats; he's no longer a speculative stash. Watch the early-inning velocity and workload limit in his debut.

Dodgers optimistic on Tucker and Rushing despite Monday exits

HOLD · LAD · OF / C

Kyle Tucker exited Monday's game at Minnesota in the 2nd inning with lower-back spasms, but manager Dave Roberts downplayed it as day-to-day and precautionary, per the Dodgers, with Tucker not appearing in jeopardy of an IL stint. Dalton Rushing was removed in the 3rd and placed in concussion protocol after taking a foul tip off his mask in the first inning; the Dodgers are initially optimistic, per @FabianArdaya. Los Angeles became the first team in baseball to 50 wins.

Action: Hold both; don't panic-drop. Confirm Tucker's status before Tuesday's game, and treat Rushing as a short-term bench hold while he clears protocol.

Brady Singer spins a quiet quality start

STREAM · CIN · SP

Brady Singer (15% owned) delivered 7 innings of one-hit, no-run ball with 7 strikeouts against the Royals, extending a durable stretch in Cincinnati's rotation. He's worked through some walk-heavy starts without letting them snowball, leaning on ground-ball outs when he needs them. At 15% owned, he's a usable workload anchor still available in shallow leagues.

Action: Add Singer in 12-team and deeper leagues if you need innings and a steady floor; stream him in favorable matchups elsewhere.

Jake Bennett flashes strikeout stuff in a six-inning gem

WATCH · BOS · SP

Jake Bennett (5% owned) tossed 6 scoreless innings with 9 strikeouts in his latest start — a low-profile outing that didn't move the win column but showed real swing-and-miss stuff. At 5% owned, he's a deep-league name to track; the key question is whether he locks into a rotation spot or gets bounced between roles.

Action: Watch Bennett's next assignment; deep-league managers can speculate if he settles into a starter's workload.

Emilio Pagán nears a rehab assignment

WATCH · CIN · RP

Emilio Pagán faced live hitters for the second time on June 22 (25 pitches) and is set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on June 25, working back from a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, per @CharlieG__ and MLB.com. That puts a likely return roughly 10-14 days out — which keeps Tony Santillan as Cincinnati's closer in the meantime.

Action: Stash Pagán in deep holds; in the near term, Santillan is the Reds' saves source. Reassess once Pagán's rehab progresses.

Witt nearing a return from his MCL sprain

WATCH · KC · SS

Bobby Witt Jr. fielded grounders, ran the bases, and hit in the cage on June 22, with manager Matt Quatraro hopeful he'd be available "in the next couple of days" as he adjusts to a knee brace, per @jaylonthompson. Witt has a Grade 1 right MCL sprain and has been day-to-day.

Action: Hold Witt; don't burn a waiver claim on a replacement. Confirm his availability before locking lineups later this week.

Lindor one rehab game from returning

WATCH · NYM · SS

Francisco Lindor will play one more rehab game with Triple-A Syracuse on June 23 and is eligible to return immediately after, per @AnthonyDiComo. He may take a rest day that pushes his return to Thursday, but the timeline is now days, not weeks, as he closes out his calf-strain rehab.

Action: Clear an IL slot and confirm the June 24-25 return; don't chase him on waivers if he's above 50% owned.

Flaherty set for a Double-A rehab start

WATCH · DET · SP

Jack Flaherty will make a rehab start June 23-24 for Double-A Erie, per @cmccosky, with positive bullpen reports accelerating his timeline back from a left peroneal (lower-leg) strain. One Double-A start points to a possible MLB return by late June.

Action: Stash Flaherty in deeper leagues; watch for a late-June rotation slot.

Matthew Boyd targets a June 25 return

WATCH · CHC · SP

Matthew Boyd is expected to return June 25 against the Mets, per MLB.com, off the IL since early May. A scheduled date locks in his next activation window.

Action: If you own Boyd, confirm his rotation spot on June 24; add if available and you need June 25-onward depth.

Max Scherzer's bullpen session goes well

WATCH · TOR · SP

Max Scherzer threw a clean bullpen on June 22, per @bnicholsonsmith, advancing his recovery from the back spasms that landed him on the IL. Next steps are still to be determined.

Action: Hold in deeper, rotation-heavy leagues; skip in shallow formats while the timeline firms up.

Christian Scott progressing through live BP

STASH · NYM · SP

Christian Scott threw a bullpen June 20 and is scheduled for live BP this week, per MLB.com, working back from his hip impingement. It's a standard progression marker, but a pre-break return remains uncertain.

Action: Dynasty hold; monitor for a July activation.

Teel returns hitting cleanup

HOLD · CWS · C

Kyle Teel hit fourth in his first game back from the IL, per @scottmerkin — a lineup spot that signals the White Sox view him as a core bat, not a temporary fill-in.

Action: Hold Teel if rostered, and consider him a catcher add in deeper leagues if the cleanup role and at-bats hold.

Tristan Peters part of a White Sox rookie walk-off run

WATCH · CWS · OF

Tristan Peters (2% owned) is one of three White Sox rookies with a walk-off in 2026 (alongside Sam Antonacci and Braden Montgomery), matching the franchise's 2021 total, per @scottmerkin. Peters also leads the team with 17 doubles, though his role remains fluid.

Action: Watch Peters' lineup spot; a 14-plus-team add if he locks into everyday at-bats.

Ernie Clement leads AL All-Star voting

HOLD · TOR · 2B

Ernie Clement is now the leading AL vote-getter in All-Star balloting, passing Yordan Alvarez, per @evanwoodbery — a feel-good arc for a player signed as a depth piece who's turned into an everyday producer.

Action: Hold Clement; the All-Star nod is a narrative milestone, not a new roster trigger.