TL;DRSkim
The five fastest-moving roster calls of the morning, in priority order:
- ADD - Joshua Báez homered in each of his first three MLB at-bats, the first player in history to do it; add him everywhere.
- WATCH - Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to the 7-day concussion IL with a facial contusion; have a corner infielder ready.
- WATCH - Trea Turner (98% owned) exited after fouling a pitch off his right knee; no official word yet.
- WATCH - Tyler Glasnow has one rehab outing left before activation during the Atlanta-Detroit trip.
- HOLD - Alec Bohm went 5-for-5 as the Phillies, last in OBP in July, now lead the majors in August.
Báez Makes History in His Debut
ADD · STL · OF
Joshua Báez homered on the first pitch he saw in the majors, homered again in his second at-bat, and then did something no player had ever done: he homered a third time, in his third at-bat. All three came off Matthew Boyd as St. Louis beat the Cubs 8-4 at Wrigley Field.
The first was a 449-foot shot to dead center, the third-longest home run in a debut since tracking began in 2006, behind only Jason Heyward and Aaron Judge. The second went 389 feet to left. The third went the other way, 368 feet to right on a 99.8 mph line drive. He finished 3-for-4 with five RBIs and had a shot at a fourth homer in the eighth before lining out to left.
Called up from Triple-A Memphis before the game with 30 family members at Wrigley, the 23-year-old was leading all Triple-A hitters with 34 home runs and four multi-homer games. He's the Cardinals' No. 3 prospect, a 2021 second-round pick, and can play all three outfield spots. Notably, he's the ninth player to make his major league debut for St. Louis this season - an organization actively cycling young players into real playing time, which matters for anyone wondering whether this is a weekend cameo.
"He hit three different pitches for home runs," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. Marmol's version: "The second and third is just, holy [crap]."
Action: Add him in every format, and spend real FAB to do it. This is not a stash - a prospect who led Triple-A in home runs, arrived on a club that has handed debuts to eight other players this year, and announced himself like this is going to play every day. The strikeout risk is real (.256 in Triple-A), so temper the batting average expectations, but the power translates immediately and the opportunity is there. He'll be gone from your wire by tonight.
Guerrero to the Concussion IL
WATCH · TOR · 1B
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was placed on the 7-day concussion injured list with a facial contusion after his collision at third base. He remains in protocol.
Action: Don't drop him, but get a corner infielder active now. The seven-day window allows a quick return if he clears testing, though concussion timelines rarely cooperate. Toronto at 61-64 has no incentive to rush him.
Turner Exits After a Foul Ball Off the Knee
WATCH · PHI · SS
Trea Turner (98% owned) left Philadelphia's 9-1 win after fouling a pitch off his right knee. No IL move or official update has been announced.
Action: Check the lineup before you lock. A multi-week absence for Turner would gut most rosters at shortstop, so line up a contingency today rather than waiting for the news.
Glasnow One Outing from Activation
WATCH · LAD · SP
Tyler Glasnow threw 3⅔ scoreless innings with eight strikeouts in his Triple-A rehab start and has one more outing scheduled - five innings, 75 pitches - before the Dodgers activate him during the Atlanta-Detroit road trip.
Action: Hold, and add in leagues where he's been dropped. A late-August activation lands him right at the start of fantasy playoffs.
Bohm's Five-Hit Night Caps a Phillies Turnaround
HOLD · PHI · 3B
Alec Bohm went 5-for-5 in a 9-1 rout of Minnesota. Philadelphia ranked last in on-base percentage at the end of July and now leads the majors in OBP for August, a shift the club traces to a team meeting about plate approach.
Action: Hold Bohm and start Phillies bats broadly. A team-wide approach change producing a month-long OBP surge is the kind of trend that lifts everyone in the lineup, not just the guy with the box score.
Yoshida Headed for the IL
WATCH · BOS · DH
Masataka Yoshida limped off with left hamstring tightness after Boston's 4-0 win at PNC Park, and the Red Sox are expected to place him on the IL with a recall coming from Worcester.
Action: Sit him today and plan for a two-week absence at minimum. Hamstrings for DH-only bats tend to linger since there's no defensive workload to ease back into.
Gray Reaches 15 Wins
HOLD · BOS · SP
Sonny Gray became the first AL pitcher to 15 wins this season, throwing a 4-0 shutout of the Pirates. Wilyer Abreu and Andruw Monasterio supplied the offense.
Action: Hold in all formats. Watch his innings count down the stretch, but he's been an anchor all year.
Misiorowski Overpowers the Dodgers
HOLD · MIL · SP
Jacob Misiorowski struck out Shohei Ohtani on three pitches with the bases loaded, then got Freddie Freeman, in a 4-1 Milwaukee win. He'd thrown Ohtani nine straight fastballs across his first two at-bats before going slider-fastball-slider in the key spot.
Action: Hold. He's been the best strikeout arm in baseball this season, and sequencing like that against the best hitter alive is why.
Ohtani Fanned in a Clutch Spot
HOLD · LAD · DH
Shohei Ohtani struck out on three pitches with the bases loaded against Misiorowski as the Dodgers lost 4-1.
Action: Hold, obviously. One at-bat against elite sequencing changes nothing.
Seymour Punches Out Nine
HOLD · TB · SP
Ian Seymour (41% owned) threw six innings with nine strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 3.33.
Action: Add in deeper leagues. Nine strikeouts in six innings is a legitimate start, and Tampa Bay's rotation has room for him with Jax on the IL.
Manaea Strikes Out Seven in a Rough Line
HOLD · NYM · SP
Sean Manaea (13% owned) went 6⅓ with seven strikeouts and four earned runs as the Mets beat Washington 5-4 on a Francisco Lindor walk-off homer.
Action: Hold. The strikeouts keep coming, but the ratios have been uneven - stream him in favorable spots rather than starting him blind.
Arenado Reaches 20 Homers
HOLD · ARI · 3B
Nolan Arenado hit his 20th home run of the season.
Action: Hold. Steady production from a lineup fixture; nothing to act on.
Red Sox Rehab Assignments Line Up
WATCH · BOS · Multiple
Trevor Story begins a rehab assignment at Worcester on Sunday, Roman Anthony is slated for Portland on Tuesday, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa goes to Worcester on Wednesday.
Action: Hold all three where rostered. The staggered schedule means returns trickle in rather than arriving together, so watch for individual activation news rather than expecting a single roster shakeup.
Tiedemann Debuts for Toronto
STASH · TOR · SP
Ricky Tiedemann made his major league debut in relief, throwing an inning with two hits and a strikeout, his fastball sitting 96-97 mph. He said his stuff is back to pre-surgery form.
Action: Dynasty stash. He's in a low-leverage role for now, but a former top prospect with his velocity back is worth tracking for a rotation look in September.
Kikuchi Roughed Up in a Rehab Start
WATCH · LAA · SP
Yusei Kikuchi allowed seven runs in the first inning of his Single-A Rancho Cucamonga rehab start, giving up six hits and two walks on 32 pitches.
Action: Don't roster him yet. Still at Single-A this deep into the process, and now a start like this - the Angels will likely extend the assignment.
Turang Testing His Knee
WATCH · MIL · 2B
Brice Turang tested his left knee in pregame work and expects to avoid the IL, potentially available off the bench.
Action: Check the lineup before starting him. Trending toward availability, but confirm before locking a daily lineup.
Mey's Development Turning Heads in Cincinnati
WATCH · CIN · RP
Luis Mey's improvement over the past two months has been striking enough to draw real attention, though no role change has been announced.
Action: Deep-league watch. Worth monitoring if Cincinnati's bullpen hierarchy shifts.
Dobnak Impresses in a Loss
HOLD · KC · SP
Randy Dobnak pitched well in Kansas City's 1-0 loss to the Angels and is building a case to factor into the Royals' 2027 rotation plans.
Action: Streaming consideration only in deep leagues. The Royals at 50-74 offer almost no win equity.
Rutschman Getting a Day Off
WATCH · BOS · C
Adley Rutschman, four starts into his Red Sox tenure after the wrist injury, will sit today to reset. Boston hopes Fenway provides a turnaround spot Monday.
Action: Bench him today. The slow start is what we flagged on activation - wrist injuries suppress production for a couple of weeks, so give it time before making a move.
Brewers Add Ornelas, DFA Bae
WATCH · MIL · IF
Milwaukee acquired infielder Jonathan Ornelas from the Athletics and activated him, designating Jihwan Bae for assignment.
Action: No action in standard formats.