Baltimore Orioles catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo made his MLB debut against the Houston Astros on Sunday. It was a fairly quiet day for Basallo, but he was able to make some noise late in the game. Basallo smacked a two-RBI single in the eighth inning for his first career hit. He would finish this game 1-for-4 with two RBI and was also hit by a pitch. This was the first of many hits for the young prospect. Basallo figures to get regular playing time down the stretch in Baltimore. The 21-year-old should be rostered in most fantasy formats, assuming he gets regular at-bats.

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Juan Mejia was asked to close down Sunday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It wasn't a pretty outing as Mejia allowed three straight hits to load up the bases. He gave up an earned run on a sacrifice fly, but was able to earn his first career save. Mejia normally doesn't pitch in the ninth inning, but Victor Vodnik was unavailable after pitching in four of the last five games. Mejia holds a 4.20 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 49/15 K/BB ratio this season with Colorado. He could be in the mix for saves, but probably isn't someone worth rostering in fantasy formats right now.

Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg continued his hot stretch of play during Sunday's game against the Houston Astros. His biggest hit of the day came in the form of a three-run home run off right-hander Shawn Dubin in the fifth inning. Westburg would finish his day 4-for-5 with a homer, five RBI, and two runs scored in the blowout win. It wasn't a pretty start to the season for Westburg, but he has been unbelievable with the bat lately. He's hitting over .300 with eight homers and 20 RBI in his last 36 games. Westburg deserves to be rostered and started in most fantasy formats at the moment.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Javier Assad bounced back nicely during his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. The right-hander was hit around for four runs on eight hits during his first start of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays. Assad looked much better on the mound this time around. He tossed four innings, allowing one earned run on five hits while striking out three batters. Assad was limited to 65 pitches as the Cubs want to give him a chance to build up his stamina. It's unclear if Assad will remain in the starting rotation once Jameson Taillon (calf) returns. Fantasy managers might want to wait and see what happens before adding Assad.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge was tasked with holding a one-run lead against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. On Saturday, manager Craig Counsell said Daniel Palencia was unavailable because he was feeling under the weather. That was likely the case again as Kittredge was asked to close out this game. He tossed a perfect ninth inning to earn himself his first save of the season. Since joining the Cubs, Kittredge has thrown a scoreless outing in six of his seven appearances. If Palencia misses an extended period of time, Kittredge and Brad Keller figure to be the favorites to record saves in Chicago.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin has earned himself a promotion to Double-A Altoona on Sunday. This shouldn't come as a shock given how well Griffin was hitting in Single-A. Griffin was slashing .331/.414/.525 with 16 home runs, 71 RBI, and 59 stolen bases in Single-A this season. The 19-year-old is looking fantastic in his first professional season. He's currently the top prospect in all of baseball, but probably won't be making an impact in Pittsburgh until 2026.

The Minnesota Twins announced that they have transferred outfielder Alan Roden (thumb) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL. With Roden having landed on the shelf with a sprained left thumb on Friday, the move to the 60-day IL brings his season to an end. Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at the July 31 trade deadline, Roden went 6-for-38 with one home run, one RBI, 13 strikeouts, and no walks in 10 games with the Twins before they put him on the IL. Between Toronto and Minnesota, the 25-year-old rookie slumped to a .191/.261/.294 line with two homers, nine RBI, and 17 runs scored over 153 plate appearances this season.

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola came off the 60-day injured list on Sunday to make his first start since May 14. It didn't go well for the 32-year-old. The Phillies escaped with an 11-9 win over the Washington Nationals, but Nola lasted just 2 1/3 innings and surrendered six earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts against one walk. The Phillies pulled Nola after 53 pitches (35 strikes), which wasn't the outcome they wanted in his comeback from a three-month stay on the IL with injuries to his ankle and ribs. Sunday's start continued a miserable season for Nola, who's 1-7 with a 6.92 ERA, a 1.60 ERA, and 56:17 K:BB in 52 innings. With ace Zack Wheeler (shoulder) now on the 15-day IL with a blood clot near his shoulder and facing an uncertain timeline to return, the Phillies are going to need a lot more from Nola. The former All-Star is scheduled to face the Nationals again on Saturday.

New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (lower body) was out of the lineup for the third straight game Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals as he deals with lower-body soreness. Stanton is feeling the effects of playing the outfield three games in a row earlier this week, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post, but manager Aaron Boone doesn't expect him to require a stint on the 10-day injured list. "No, no, no," Boone said. "I don't see that at all." Until recently, Stanton hadn't lined up in the outfield since 2023. However, with Aaron Judge only capable of serving as a DH right now as he recovers from a flexor strain in his right elbow, Stanton has suited up in right field as a way to keep his bat in the lineup. The 35-year-old slugger said that he is "available to pinch-hit," but he and Boone aren't willing to commit to a return to the outfield when the Yankees open up a series against Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Unless Judge is ready to play the outfield in that game, which looks unlikely, Stanton may be on the bench again despite owning a fantastic .299/.373/.576 line with 12 home runs and 34 RBI in 161 plate appearances.

Philadelphia Phillies closer Jhoan Duran picked up his 21st save of the year on Sunday in an 11-9 win over the Washington Nationals. Duran, who entered in the ninth inning with a runner on second and one out, retired both batters he faced - including a game-ending strikeout of James Wood. He threw 12 pitches (10 strikes) in his first outing since his injury scare on Friday. Duran had to leave that game on a cart after Nationals infielder Paul DeJong lined a comebacker off his right ankle. The 27-year-old was fine by Saturday, though, much to the delight of the Phillies and fantasy managers. Duran's ERA is down to 1.83 with a 1.11 WHIP and 57:18 K:BB in 54 innings.

Miami Marlins outfield prospect Victor Mesa Jr. (undisclosed) was activated from the Triple-A Jacksonville 7-day injured list on Sunday. The cause for the injured list stint was not disclosed, but hamstring issuesbothered him earlierin the year and could have persisted. Regardless, it appears he's fully recovered and will be back in action for the Jumbo Shrimp in Sunday's matchup with the Norfolk Tides. The 23-year-old finished last season as the Marlins' fourth-ranked prospect, but has since fallen out of the top 30. Even so, he made his major league debut in May, recordingone hit in 10 at-bats for the big league club. At Triple-A, the Cuban slashed .262/.322/.423 in 37 games, and should be back in the big leaguesat some point this year or next. With decentpower and speed, as well as a low 16.3 percent strikeout rate, there is potentialfantasy value to be unlocked, but the left-handed slugger is not a stash candidate at this time.

Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger (wrist) exited early on Sunday with left-wrist discomfort, Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News reports. Burger went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored against the Toronto Blue Jays before the Rangers pinch-hit Ezequiel Duran for him in the top of the seventh inning. The 29-year-old has already been on the 10-day injured list twice this season (once for an oblique strain, once for a quad strain), and when healthy, his overall production has fallen short of expectations. Burger has hit an underwhelming .241/.275/.416 with 12 homers, 41 RBI, and 36 runs scored in 309 trips to the plate. To his credit, though, Burger has gotten off to a strong start in August. He's 9-for-21 with a homer, six RBI, and three runs in nine games this month.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu (calf) left a 5-3 loss to the Miami Marlins early on Sunday with tightness in his right calf. Abreu made a big impact before exiting, going 2-for-3 with a homer, two RBI, and two runs scored. The Red Sox brought third baseman Alex Bregman off the bench to fill Abreu's spot in the lineup. Abreu was on the 10-day injured list earlier this season with an oblique strain, but he has been an important part of Boston's offense when healthy. The 26-year-old has slashed .253/.325/.486 with 22 homers, 69 RBI, 52 runs scored, and six stolen bases in 395 plate appearances. Abreu should be considered day-to-day until the Red Sox release more information on his status.

Houston Astros right-hander Cristian Javier (illness) left his start against the Baltimore Orioles early on Sunday "due to illness," the Astros announced. Javier threw three innings of one-run, three-hit ball with two strikeouts and no walks before Houston replaced him with righty Shawn Dubin. It was Javier's second start since he returned on Monday from June 2024 Tommy John surgery. The 28-year-old has been effective in his first eight innings back, having allowed three runs on six hits with 7:2 K:BB. As of now, he's scheduled to make another start against the Orioles on Friday.

Boston Red Sox outfield prospectJhostynxon Garcia tallied a four-hit night on Saturday, going 4-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored for Triple-A Worcester. Boston's third-ranked prospect (MLB No. 78) is now 8-for-14 (.571) with a double, a home run, six RBI, and five runs scored over his last three games, and is now slashing.292/.366/.520 for the season with 20 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. With his big power, the 22-year-old also has an elevated strikeout rate of 27.3 percent through 64 games at Worcester, which is something to keep an eye on, althoughit may not be an issue so long as he's hitting home runs. The Venezuelan couldsee a late-season call-up if he continues to produce, but if not, he looks like a lockto debut in 2026.

Cleveland Guardians outfield prospect Chase DeLauter (hand) has resumed baseball activities after undergoing hamate fracture incision surgery on July 23. The Guardians' second-ranked prospect was hitting well at Triple-A before the injury, but the recovery timeline ends his season in all likelihood. The former first-round draft pick was hitting .278 at Columbus with five home runs and a .383 OBP thanks to a strong 14.8 percent walk rate, even reaching base at least once via hit or walk in each of the 34 games he played there. The 23-year-old has had multiple injuries since he began his minor league career in 2023, and has yet to surpass 57 games played in a single season. Maybe next year will be the year he stays healthy, and if he does, there's a good chance he'll make his MLB debut. When on the field, the left-handed slugger offers solid power, contact, and on-base skills, making for a potentially valuable fantasy asset if hitting in the middle of the Cleveland lineup.

Cincinnati Reds pitching prospect Rhett Lowder (forearm, oblique) recently underwent an MRI on his left oblique, and it came back clean. This means he will be able to begin throwing from a mound and is already scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Sunday. The Reds' second-ranked prospect missed the first couple of months of the season, only to return for four games before hitting the injured list again. It's a lost season for the right-hander who was able to catapult himself all the way to the majors last year after he began the year at High-A, pitching to a 1.17 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in six starts for the Reds. However, a 6.3 percent K-BB% and 4.73 xFIP left a lot to be desired and suggested the results were better than expected. Still, at just 23 years old, the seventh overall draft pick from the 2024 Draft should have a shot at the big league rotation in 2026, and if he can replicate some of the success he had in 2024, the righty should have some fantasy value next year.

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte is out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies. This appears to be a routine rest day for Marte after he started in each of the last 12 games. Marte is in the middle of a hot stretch at the plate. Over the last seven games, Marte is hitting .414 with two home runs and 11 RBI. Fantasy managers should expect Marte back in the lineup ahead of Monday's contest. Connor Kaiser will take over at second base and bat ninth against right-hander Antonio Senzatela on Sunday.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe (oblique) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the San Francisco Giants. This comes a day after Lowe was scratched ahead of Saturday's contest due to oblique tightness. The organization is hopeful to avoid a stint on the injured list, but oblique issues sometimes are tricky. Everson Pereira will take over center field while Jake Mangum moves to right field against right-hander Logan Webb on Sunday. Fantasy managers should check back on Tuesday for another update on Lowe. The Rays are off on Monday before beginning an important series against the New York Yankees on Tuesday.

St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Nathan Church has been called up from Triple-A Memphis for his major league debut. The Cardinals' 14th-ranked prospect has hit well all season, including a .336 batting average at Double-A Springfield before earning a promotion to Triple-A at the beginning of June. The 25-year-old slashed .332/.396/.517 with seven home runs and eight steals in 52 games for the Redbirds, hitting safely in six of his last seven games before the promotion to the big leagues. The left-handed slugger will get the start in center field on Sunday and will bat ninth in the order. The former 11th-round draft pick doesn't strike out much, witha career 11.0 percent strikeout rate in the minors, and has some speed, but a lack of power and hitting at the bottom of the order are drawbacks for fantasy. As such, the UC-Irvine product should onlybe considered in deeper and NL-only leagues for now.