TL;DRSkim
The five fastest-moving roster calls of the morning, in priority order:
- ADD - George Klassen (0% owned) threw seven scoreless one-hit innings with seven strikeouts and 17 whiffs at Houston; free everywhere and pitching like a keeper.
- BUY LOW - Wilyer Abreu is running a 225 wRC+ in August, third best in baseball, with an 18% walk rate against a 9% strikeout rate.
- ADD - Griffin Conine has a .955 OPS since the All-Star break and hit his 14th homer; still under-rostered for the production.
- WATCH - Carlos Rodón (56% owned) returned from the IL with four innings on 66 pitches; watch the next start for durability.
- WATCH - Tyler Glasnow makes his final rehab appearance today; a Dodgers rotation return should follow within the week.
Klassen Silences Houston on One Hit
ADD · LAA · SP
George Klassen threw seven scoreless innings on one hit as the Angels beat the AL West-leading Astros 3-1, career highs in both innings and strikeouts. The only hit was a first-inning single by José Altuve, and Klassen struck out Daulton Varsho immediately after to end the threat, then retired seven straight. He needed 86 pitches, 54 for strikes, and generated 17 whiffs working almost exclusively off his fastball and slider.
The 24-year-old was never a top-100 prospect - he was known for electric stuff and shaky command - but in his second stint in the majors this year the command has tightened considerably. This was his fifth career start and his second straight strong outing. Josh Lowe homered and Ben Joyce closed it for his third save.
Action: Add him everywhere. A pitcher who is genuinely 0% owned and just shut out a division leader on one hit is the definition of a free roll. The walk rate is still the risk - three free passes here, and it's been the knock on him for years - so treat him as a matchup-based starter rather than a set-and-forget arm. But at zero cost, that's an easy bet.
Abreu Is Having One of the Best Months in Baseball
BUY LOW · BOS · OF
Wilyer Abreu is posting a 225 wRC+ in August, third best in the majors this month, with an 18% walk rate against a 9% strikeout rate. The plate discipline underneath it suggests this is a genuine approach change rather than a hot streak riding batted-ball luck.
Action: Buy where you can. A walk rate double the strikeout rate is the kind of profile that sustains, and any manager who watched him scuffle earlier this year may still be valuing him on the season line rather than the last three weeks.
Conine's Second Half Keeps Building
ADD · MIA · OF
Griffin Conine hit his 14th home run and carries a .955 OPS since the All-Star break, one of the best second halves nobody is talking about.
Action: Add him where he's available. We flagged him at 1% owned two weeks ago and the production has only continued - a full month of this from an everyday outfielder is no longer a small sample.
Rodón Returns with Four Solid Innings
WATCH · NYY · SP
Carlos Rodón (56% owned) came off the injured list and threw four innings against Baltimore, allowing two hits and a run with two walks and four strikeouts on 66 pitches in a 3-1 Yankees win.
Action: Hold, but don't start him in a must-win week yet. Sixty-six pitches through four is a deliberate limit, and the next outing will tell you whether he's building toward full starts or staying capped.
Glasnow's Final Rehab Outing Today
WATCH · LAD · SP
Tyler Glasnow struck out eight over 3⅔ innings in his third rehab start at Triple-A Oklahoma City and makes his final rehab appearance today.
Action: Add him now in leagues where he's been dropped. A return within a week puts him in your rotation for the entire fantasy playoff run.
Gasper Called Up, Slots in at DH
WATCH · BOS · DH
Mickey Gasper was called up and started at DH for Boston against Arizona's Merrill Kelly.
Action: Deep-league flier only. Watch whether the at-bats continue past this week before spending a claim.
Leahy's Run of Quality Continues
ADD · STL · SP
Kyle Leahy (28% owned) extended his streak of allowing two earned runs or fewer to 10 straight outings, throwing scoreless ball in a 3-0 Cardinals win over Cincinnati. He's 5-0 with a 1.38 ERA over that span.
Action: Hold, and add in deeper leagues. Ten consecutive outings of that quality is a real run, and 28% ownership hasn't caught up to it.
Tatis Homers Twice and Robs a Grand Slam
HOLD · SD · OF
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit two home runs and took a grand slam away at the wall in San Diego's win over the Mets, a roughly seven-run swing between his bat and glove. Robbie Ray earned his first Padres win, and San Diego moved two games clear of Arizona for the final NL wild card.
Action: Hold. Nothing to act on, but the power has been back for weeks.
Báez Cools Off After the Historic Debut
WATCH · STL · OF
Joshua Báez is hitless in his last 15 at-bats since his three-homer debut, though the underlying contact quality has stayed strong.
Action: Hold and be patient. A 15-at-bat drought from a rookie means nothing, and the hard contact says the swing decisions haven't collapsed. If someone in your league panicked and dropped him, this is the buy window.
Varsho Struggling Since the Trade
WATCH · HOU · OF
Daulton Varsho is 6-for-47 (.128) since joining Houston.
Action: Bench him in most formats. Forty-seven at-bats is enough to stop waiting on a mid-season acquisition to settle in.
Machado Closing in on 400 Homers
HOLD · SD · 3B
Manny Machado homered for the first time in August, leaving him at 393 career home runs.
Action: Hold. The milestone is coming, but the August drought is the more relevant fantasy detail.
Bauers Extends His On-Base Streak to 19
HOLD · MIL · 1B
Jake Bauers has reached base in 19 straight games, hitting .369/.481/.585 with three homers and 11 RBIs during the run, with more walks than strikeouts.
Action: Add in deeper leagues. The walk-to-strikeout ratio during the streak is what makes it more than a hot stretch.
Kelly's Command Wavering
WATCH · ARI · SP
Merrill Kelly threw just 38.4% of his pitches in the strike zone, well below his 47.8% career mark. When hitters stop chasing, he falls behind and gets hit.
Action: Bench him until the zone rate normalizes, and target opposing bats in his next start.
Winn Collects Three Extra-Base Hits
HOLD · STL · SS
Masyn Winn had three extra-base hits in the Cardinals' 3-0 win over Cincinnati.
Action: Hold. A strong night from a regular shortstop, not a waiver trigger.
Brewers Rout Seattle
HOLD · MIL · TEAM
Milwaukee routed the Mariners to improve to 78-48, the best record in baseball.
Action: Milwaukee bats are a strong stack option, and their starters carry the best win equity in the league.
Red Sox Post Double-Digit Hits Again
HOLD · BOS · TEAM
Boston reached double-digit hits for a second straight night in a 9-4 win over Arizona.
Action: Stream Boston bats while the lineup is producing at this level.
Pratt Nearing Activation
WATCH · MIL · SS
Cooper Pratt played a rehab game Tuesday and could be activated as soon as Wednesday if he comes through it cleanly.
Action: Deep-league watch; confirm playing time before adding.
Bellinger's Rehab Starts Thursday
WATCH · NYY · OF
Cody Bellinger (95% owned) begins his rehab assignment Thursday at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and expects to need multiple games.
Action: Hold. The timeline has slipped a few days from earlier reporting, so plan on late August.
deGrom Throws a Bullpen, Eyes Thursday
WATCH · TEX · SP
Jacob deGrom threw a bullpen session and felt good, putting him in position to start Thursday as he works back from right triceps fatigue.
Action: Hold. A four-day turnaround from an arm issue is faster than feared, but confirm the start before slotting him in.
Quintana Faces Hitters Saturday
WATCH · COL · SP
Jose Quintana completed a 45-pitch bullpen and will face live hitters Saturday, the last step before a minor-league rehab assignment.
Action: Ignore in redraft. Colorado has nothing to play for and no reason to rush him.
Anthony Progressing Toward a Rehab Assignment
WATCH · BOS · OF
Roman Anthony is working through a hitting program with a rehab assignment underway.
Action: Dynasty watch. A late-August return is plausible.