TL;DRSkim

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

• HOLD - Tarik Skubal starts today in what could be his last outing in a Tigers uniform; he's the deadline's biggest domino with the Dodgers and Cubs pushing hardest.
• WATCH - Clay Holmes (30% owned) threw four shutout innings with seven strikeouts at Single-A St. Lucie in front of scouts; activation or a trade both live.
• WATCH - Shohei Ohtani says his biceps still isn't ready; the mound return is drifting toward late season.
• ADD - Dominic Canzone homered twice off Dodgers lefties as Seattle hit five in a 7-6 win; the power has been live all month and he's widely available.
• WATCH - Jack Flaherty will miss more than the minimum with flexor inflammation, pushing his return toward late August.

Skubal Takes the Mound Today with the Deadline Looming

HOLD · DET · SP

Tarik Skubal starts today, and it may be his last for Detroit before Monday's 6 p.m. ET deadline, per @BNightengale. He's the headline name on the market, with the Dodgers and Cubs pushing hardest for frontline pitching. Detroit's own direction is the open question - the club has played well enough to argue for buying, and Skubal has publicly said he wants them to add rather than sell.

Action: Hold, obviously - and start him today. Think through destinations now: a move to the Dodgers or Cubs would upgrade his run support and defense, while the innings and workload picture stays the same either way. This is a rumor that cuts in your favor.

Holmes Dominates in a Rehab Start with Scouts Watching

WATCH · NYM · SP

Clay Holmes (30% owned) threw four shutout innings for Single-A St. Lucie, striking out seven with a 94-mph fastball across 59 pitches, per @AnthonyDiComo. Multiple team scouts were in attendance, a clear signal the Mets are fielding calls ahead of Monday. At 42-62 and with Juan Soto out, New York is positioned among the sellers.

Action: Stash where available. Four innings and 59 pitches says he's being built up as a starter, not a reliever, which raises his ceiling considerably if he lands with a contender.

Ohtani's Biceps Delays the Mound Return

WATCH · LAD · DH/SP

Shohei Ohtani said his biceps, on top of the knee issue, still isn't where it needs to be for him to return to pitching, per @FabianArdaya. He and Dave Roberts acknowledged the calculus changes as the calendar moves from July into August and September. He hasn't thrown a bullpen since last week.

Action: Hold everywhere - the bat is unaffected, which is where nearly all his fantasy value sits. Treat any 2026 pitching contribution as a bonus rather than something to plan around.

Canzone Homers Twice as Seattle Erupts

ADD · SEA · OF

Dominic Canzone homered twice, including a two-run shot off Alex Vesia, as Seattle hit five home runs in a 7-6 win over the Dodgers, per @FabianArdaya. Both came off left-handed pitching, which matters for a bat that has often been platooned.

Action: Add in 12-plus-team leagues. The barrel rate has supported this power all season, and a multi-homer game against lefties is the kind of result that starts unlocking everyday at-bats.

Flaherty's IL Stay Extends

WATCH · DET · SP

AJ Hinch now expects Jack Flaherty's stint with right flexor inflammation to run "more than the minimum," per @CodyStavenhagen, pushing his return toward mid-to-late August and effectively removing him from the trade market.

Action: Hold only on IL slots. Flexor inflammation that extends past the minimum is worth watching carefully - that's the injury class that sometimes becomes an elbow story.

Mead's Wrist Fractured; Surgery a Possibility

DROP · BOS · 2B

Curtis Mead's MRI confirmed a fracture in the left wrist he took a 95-mph fastball on during Monday's debut, after initial X-rays came back clean. He's flying to Boston to see a hand specialist and won't have a timeline until after that visit, per @IanMBrowne, with season-ending surgery among the possibilities.

Action: Drop in redraft. Two at-bats into his Boston tenure, and the realistic best case is a return in September.

Tigers DFA Rogers

DROP · DET · C

Jake Rogers was designated for assignment to clear roster space, per @BNightengale. Detroit's longest-tenured active player, acquired in the 2017 Justin Verlander trade, is headed to waivers, with Eduardo Valencia taking the backup catching job.

Action: Drop Rogers. Valencia is a two-catcher-league consideration only, and he becomes more relevant if Dillon Dingler's recent run of HBPs costs him time.

Hernández Activated by the Dodgers

WATCH · LAD · OF

Enrique Hernández was activated from the 10-day IL after completing his rehab assignment.

Action: Deep-league and NL-only interest only. He's a utility piece on a crowded roster, not an everyday bat.

Cardinals Shuffle the Bullpen

HOLD · STL · RP

St. Louis optioned Hunter Dobbins to Memphis and promoted Peter Strzelecki, per @dgoold. Riley O'Brien remains unavailable with an illness and JoJo Romero is on the IL after an appendectomy.

Action: Watch O'Brien's status closely - he's the closer, and an extended absence would open saves in a bullpen already down Romero.

Glasnow Nears a Rehab Assignment

HOLD · LAD · SP

Tyler Glasnow throws another live session today and could head out on a rehab assignment afterward, per @FabianArdaya. Catcher Will Smith is pain-free and back to baseball activities, tracking toward mid-August.

Action: Hold both. Glasnow is the earlier return and the higher priority if you're choosing which IL slot to keep.

Wesneski Activated to Start

HOLD · HOU · SP

Hayden Wesneski will be activated and start tomorrow, per @brianmctaggart, adding rotation depth as Houston works through a stretch of injuries.

Action: Hold in redraft; monitor his pitch count in the first start back before streaming him.

Tatis Collects Five Singles

HOLD · SD · OF

Fernando Tatis Jr. became the first player this season with five singles in a game, per @dennistlin, and the first Padre to do it since Adrián González in 2009. San Diego beat Colorado 8-7 to move to 54-52.

Action: Hold; nothing to act on, but the contact quality has been trending up since his return.

Detmers Sharp in a Likely Audition

WATCH · LAA · SP

Reid Detmers allowed two earned over five innings with nine strikeouts in what may be his final start before the deadline, per @RhettBollinger. Yordan Alvarez singled in the go-ahead run in the ninth. The Angels sit 42-66 and are among the clubs listening on multiple arms.

Action: Hold. Detmers has been linked to contenders including the White Sox, and a move out of Anaheim would meaningfully improve his win equity.

Bauers Fractures His Big Toe

WATCH · MIL · 1B

Jake Bauers fractured his right big toe on a foul ball and has follow-up imaging today, per @AdamMcCalvy.

Action: Wait on imaging; Milwaukee's first base and DH at-bats are in flux until then.

Frelick Targets an Early-August Return

HOLD · MIL · OF

Sal Frelick received a cortisone injection in his right shoulder last week with an early-to-mid August return estimated, per @AdamMcCalvy.

Action: Hold on IL. The cortisone route rather than surgery is the encouraging read after Pat Murphy's grim initial comments.

Harrison Ramping Toward August

STASH · MIL · SP

Kyle Harrison starts for High-A Wisconsin on Thursday at 75-80 pitches, with an early-August return to Milwaukee's rotation projected, per @AdamMcCalvy.

Action: Stash in deeper leagues; that pitch count means he's nearly stretched out.

Snell Throws Four Innings Tomorrow

WATCH · LAD · SP

Blake Snell throws four innings tomorrow, with the Dodgers still deciding whether it's his last rehab outing before activation, per @FabianArdaya.

Action: Hold; activation within a week looks realistic.

Schwarber Out with a GI Illness

HOLD · PHI · OF

Kyle Schwarber is out of the lineup with a gastrointestinal illness similar to one that cost him three games in late May, per @ToddZolecki.

Action: Bench for now; expect him back within a game or two.

Perez Won't Waive His Way Out of Kansas City

WATCH · KC · C

Salvador Perez has veto rights over any trade and doesn't want to leave the Royals, per @JonHeyman, despite six teams looking for catching help.

Action: Hold. His situation is settled, which is itself useful information in a week when catcher markets are moving.

Mets Set Their Doubleheader Rotation

HOLD · NYM · SP

Sean Manaea starts Game 1 against Atlanta tomorrow, with Christian Scott opposing Chris Sale in the nightcap, per @AnthonyDiComo.

Action: Manaea is the safer play of the two; Scott drawing Sale is a spot to avoid streaming.

Cardinals Lock In Their Rotation Through Friday

HOLD · STL · SP

St. Louis lines up Michael McGreevy tonight, Dustin May Wednesday, Andre Pallante Thursday, and Kyle Leahy Friday at Toronto, per @dgoold.

Action: May is the one worth streaming after his recent bounce-back; the rest are matchup-dependent at best.

White Sox Add Catching Depth

WATCH · CWS · C

Chicago signed Colin Barczi and Eric Haase to minor-league deals, per @scottmerkin, hinting at a possible catching move before Monday.

Action: No action; organizational depth only.