TL;DRSkim

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

• WATCH - Juan Soto (99% owned) undergoes an MRI today with the Mets bracing for a possible IL stint; don't lock him in until results land.
• HOLD - Tarik Skubal (99% owned) struck out 11 through six innings on 68 pitches; peak form heading into his next turn.
• WATCH - Spencer Arrighetti exited after one inning with right-foot nerve irritation and an MRI pending; an IL move looks likely.
• DROP - Addison Barger will have season-ending right elbow surgery; done for 2026 and into 2027.
• WATCH - Josh Jung stalled at half-speed running; Texas faces an IL decision by Saturday.

Soto Undergoing an MRI; Mets Bracing for an IL Stint

WATCH · NYM · OF

Juan Soto (99% owned) is scheduled for an MRI today, with the Mets expressing concern about a possible IL placement. No specific injury site has been disclosed, and results are expected later this morning, which could trigger a 10-day move by the afternoon.

Action: Don't start Soto today until the imaging comes back. Hold in all formats, but line up a replacement outfielder now rather than scrambling at lineup lock.

Skubal's Strikeout Clinic

HOLD · DET · SP

Tarik Skubal (99% owned) struck out 11 through six innings on just 68 pitches against Kansas City. Per @CodyStavenhagen, he had nine punchouts through five frames on 59 pitches, pace that put his career-high 13 in play, and he added two more escaping a two-on jam in the third.

Action: Hold with total confidence. The efficiency matters as much as the strikeouts - at that pitch count he's a live bet for length and wins the rest of the way.

Arrighetti Exits After One Inning

WATCH · HOU · SP

Spencer Arrighetti left his start after a single inning with right-foot nerve irritation, with an MRI ordered and an IL placement expected. It deepens a Houston rotation crunch that already includes Mike Burrows.

Action: Bench Arrighetti and wait for the imaging before cutting him - nerve irritation timelines vary widely, and a short IL stay wouldn't justify dropping a rotation piece in deeper formats. Watch the Astros beat for the replacement starter.

Barger Out for the Season

DROP · TOR · 3B

Addison Barger will undergo season-ending surgery on his right elbow, per @KeeganMatheson. Whether it's Tommy John or an internal brace is still being determined, but either sidelines him for the rest of 2026 and into 2027. John Schneider noted how much Toronto had been counting on his at-bats.

Action: Drop in all redraft formats; the recovery window is too long for even a deep IL stash.

Jung's Rehab Stalls; IL Decision Looms

WATCH · TEX · 3B

Josh Jung tried to run at full speed and couldn't get past roughly half, per @JeffWilsonTXR. The left-calf tightness that sidelined him midweek isn't resolving, and Texas must decide on an IL move by Saturday.

Action: Bench Jung this weekend. Calf issues that stall at half-speed rarely clear in 48 hours, so plan on an IL stint and have third-base cover ready.

May Steadies Himself in a Deadline Showcase

STREAM · STL · SP

Dustin May (26% owned) turned in six innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts, a meaningful result given he'd carried a 9.92 ERA over his previous five outings and a 4.78 mark on the season. He's also the Cardinals' most-discussed trade chip with the deadline nine days out.

Action: Stream him in favorable matchups and watch the deadline closely. A move to a contender would upgrade his run support and win equity considerably; staying in St. Louis with a bottom-half offense caps him.

Giants Edge Angels in Extras

HOLD · SF / LAA · TEAM

San Francisco outlasted Los Angeles 8-6 in 10 innings, with Rafael Devers ending it on a walk-off ground-rule double off Chase Silseth. The Angels had clawed back late, Vaughn Grissom tying it with a two-run homer in the eighth. Grayson Rodriguez was tagged for five earned runs across four innings.

Action: No moves. Devers stays a cornerstone hold, and Rodriguez's rough line is consistent with the command issues he's acknowledged - continue waiting on him rather than buying the name.

McDonald's UCL Sprain Sends Him to the IL

WATCH · SF · RP

Trevor McDonald had an MRI reveal a moderate UCL sprain, landing him on the 15-day IL per @susanslusser. Moderate sprains carry a four-to-six-week window with real risk of escalating to surgery, and the Giants will reassess in two weeks.

Action: Drop if he was a speculative hold. Watch which arm the Giants use in his leverage innings for a cheaper replacement.

Contreras Jams a Finger, Stays In

WATCH · BOS · 1B

Willson Contreras jammed his left pinkie stealing a base, per @IanMBrowne. The training staff taped it and he remained in the game, with no imaging or IL move announced.

Action: Check the Boston lineup an hour before first pitch. Grip injuries can quietly sap power for weeks even without an IL trip, so watch his contact quality over the next several games.

Schlittler Carves Up Philadelphia

HOLD · NYY · SP

Cam Schlittler retired the first nine Phillies on 31 pitches with six strikeouts, per @GJoyce9, continuing his emergence as a legitimate rotation piece. Jesús Luzardo matched him early with nine up, nine down on 36 pitches.

Action: Hold Schlittler; add in leagues needing SP depth. The efficiency plus strikeout combination is the profile you want in a streamer.

Robert Homers Again in His Return

HOLD · NYM · OF

Luis Robert Jr. homered in his second game back from the IL, per @AnthonyDiComo, giving him two in four games since returning. The sample is tiny but the power is showing up immediately.

Action: Hold. Give it another week of at-bats before treating the return as a full breakout - and note his trade value climbs with every game like this.

Murakami's Walk Streak Hits Nine Games

HOLD · CWS · 1B

Munetaka Murakami has now drawn a walk in nine straight games, per @scottmerkin. The plate discipline has stayed sharp since his return from the hamstring injury.

Action: Hold; add in 12-team leagues where available. The walk rate props up his floor in OBP formats specifically, less so in standard 5x5.

Crews Powers Washington's Lefty-Beating Lineup

HOLD · WSH · OF

Dylan Crews homered off a left-hander to tie the game, per @spencernusbaum_, part of a broader Nationals trend: Crews, Keibert Ruiz, Curtis Mead, and James Wood are all at .800-plus OPS against lefties.

Action: Target Washington bats in matchups against left-handed starters; that split is a repeatable streaming edge, not a one-game result.

Jared Jones Anchors the Pirates

HOLD · PIT · SP

Jared Jones keeps impressing, with @_NoahHiles noting he'd be a postseason-start candidate if Pittsburgh stays in the race. The beat frames his current run as the best any Pirates starter has shown in months.

Action: Hold in all formats. His fantasy ceiling is capped by Pittsburgh's run support, so value him on ratios and strikeouts rather than wins.

Padres Await Rotation Help

WATCH · SD · SP

Reinforcements are coming for San Diego's rotation, per @AJCassavell, though whether they arrive before the August 3 deadline is unclear. Mason Miller (99% owned) remains the closer.

Action: Hold Padres bullpen assets and wait on rotation clarity before speculating on any starter.

Rodón and Schmidt Ramp Up

WATCH · NYY · SP

Carlos Rodón is set for a side session with live BP later this week, per @BryanHoch, and Clarke Schmidt throws another live BP Sunday. Neither has an announced return date.

Action: Hold both as IL stashes; live BP is still two or three steps from activation, so don't clear a roster spot yet.

García and Sánchez Start Rehab Games

WATCH · TOR · RP / OF

Yimi García and Jesús Sánchez are playing rehab games in Dunedin, per @bnicholsonsmith. Both are working toward активation with Toronto.

Action: Watch for activation announcements. Sánchez is the more useful of the two in standard formats if he returns to regular outfield at-bats.

Jobe and Báez Push Toward Returns

WATCH · DET · SP / SS

Jackson Jobe makes a rehab start for Double-A Erie on Saturday, and Javier Báez moves his assignment to Triple-A Toledo the same day, per @cmccosky. Both are tracking toward late-July or early-August returns. Burch Smith is being evaluated for a shoulder issue after leaving his Toledo outing.

Action: Stash Jobe in dynasty; Báez is the nearer-term add with the Triple-A jump signaling he's close.

McGonigle's Historic First 100 Games

HOLD · DET · SS

Kevin McGonigle reached 100 games with 106 hits, 63 walks, 172 times on base, 20 doubles, three triples, nine homers, and 11 steals - per @cmccosky, the first player in MLB history to hit all of those marks in his first 100 games.

Action: Hold everywhere. The walk total alongside the counting stats is what makes this real rather than a hot streak - he's producing across four of five categories.

Royals Squander Early Chances

HOLD · KC · TEAM

Kansas City had runners on second and third with one out in the third but Skubal escaped with back-to-back strikeouts, per @CodyStavenhagen. It's the season-long Royals pattern: traffic without conversion.

Action: No moves; factor the inconsistency in when streaming pitchers against Kansas City.

Red Sox Rotate the Outfield

HOLD · BOS · OF

Boston shuffled its outfield alignment, with Jarren Duran in left, per @IanMBrowne. It reads as matchup and rest management rather than a depth-chart change.

Action: Check Boston's lineup daily; no roster action needed.