Did you enjoy the short break? Hope so, because we're hitting the ground running for the official start of the second half. All-Star festivities felt a little more exciting this year, likely due to the first-ever swing-off to decide the Midsummer Classic's victor. Furthermore, even the Home Run Derby was a source of drama, with Seattle Mariners backstop Cal Raleigh advancing to the second round on a technicality as he hit his furthest homer barely an inch more than the Athletics' Brent Rooker. Rooker was clearly perturbed by the situation.
Still, with all the fanfare, it's time to focus on the season's final stretch as we make our way to the playoffs and -- hopefully -- fantasy championships.
There were no notable call-ups this week, although there's unfortunately still injury news. In perhaps the biggest, Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (lat/elbow) has been shut down -- yet again. Rodriguez has yet to pitch in 2025 after an elbow flare-up in spring training delayed his start, and a subsequent lat injury during his ramp-up forced the team to halt his rehab. Well, we're back to elbow issues now, and it's beginning to look like we may not see the 25-year-old pitch until 2026. This writer hopes that isn't the case, but his outlook is bleak.
Miami Marlins infielder Connor Norby (wrist) is set to miss 6-8 weeks after breaking his left hamate bone. Norby underwent successful surgery but is unlikely to make a significant impact even when (if) he returns. Hamate fractures have been known to sap a batter's power, and Norby hasn't exactly been tearing the cover off the ball.
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick (hamstring)was diagnosed with a Grade 1 left-hamstring strain, leaving his status for the second half in doubt. Frelick will likely require a stint on the injured list and should be monitored, as hamstring injuries never heal easily. It's a blow to Milwaukee's lineup, as he's been productive (.294).
New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried (blister) left his start before the ASB in the third inning with a blister on his finger, and the organization has made it clear that he won't pitch in their Jul. 18-20 series against the Braves. Hopefully, this won't be a long-term issue. However, fantasy managers should keep an eye on him over the next few days. Blister issues can linger, and he's been too good to have this be what derails his season.
Despite the ceaseless flurry of injury news, some ball clubs got advantageous updates this week. For starters, Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez (hand) seems to be on the up-and-up finally. Per general manager Dana Brown, the hope is that Alvarez will shortly be able to swing a bat -- something he hasn't done since fracturing his hand in early May. If that goes well, he'll head out on a minor-league rehab assignment as he works back toward rejoining the big-league squad. In other good news, San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King (shoulder/thoracic nerve) is playing "aggressive catch" and throwing bullpens. There's still no timeline for his return, but it's a step in the right direction for King, and sometime in August is likely the case.
For the uninitiated: this column typically assumes point formats and will only feature athletes at or around 50% ownership on Yahoo! A player will only appear on this list twice if they continue to perform well from weeks prior. Happy hunting!
**Note: Statistics below reflect pre-All-Star Break performance.**
Waiver Adds
Roman Anthony, OF - Boston Red Sox (53% Owned)
Oh boy. If MLB's No. 1 overall prospect is still available in your leagues, now is the time to pounce. Roman Anthony has really come into his own since the end of June, and if the last few days are any sign of what's to come, we're in store for an exciting career. In 12 games since Jun. 27, the 21-year-old is rolling -- batting an absurd .392 with seven multi-hit efforts. He's only blasted one home run in that span, but has added five doubles and consistently been in the top three of the order.
Anthony struggled initially, but adapted quickly and sports impressive quality of contact metrics despite the small sample. Sustainable or not, his 94.7 MPH average exit velocity and 55.1% hard-hit rate are astounding figures for any player -- not to mention one who's experiencing his first taste of the majors. Need I repeat? He's just 21.
It seems likely the former No. 79 overall pick of the 2022 MLB Draft's underlying numbers will normalize as he garners more plate appearances. Still, his current average exit velo would place him third amongst all batters if he qualified, just in front of superstar sluggers Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani (94.6).
Anthony should be rostered in all leagues. He presents a high floor (11.7% walk rate) with an elite ceiling, and will likely be no later than a fourth-round pick in fantasy drafts next year if he continues at this pace.
Nick Kurtz, 1B - Athletics (51% Owned)
Nick Kurtz made the feature a few weeks back when he returned from a stint on the injured list, and like Roman Anthony above, it's likely your last chance to grab him if you need some juice at the cold corner. We've had quite a few impact prospects in the pros thus far in 2025, and Kurtz has been one of the best. The Wake Forest product has already left the yard 14 times in 54 games -- putting him on a 42-home run pace over the extent of an entire MLB season.
Typically, as the sample size for a player increases, gaudy underlying metrics regress to the mean. However, since the Pennsylvania native was last highlighted in this column, his barrel rate (16.3%) has gone up and sits in the 94th percentile. As have his average exit velocity (92.2 MPH) and how often he's making hard contact (48.8%). That's notable and much more challenging to do. Kurtz doesn't exhibit the same plate discipline that Anthony does (33.2 K%), but is still walking at a high rate (10.1%) and has done so more frequently in recent days.
The 22-year-old hit for power and average during his meteoric rise through the minors, and it's possible he's adjusting at a more expedited pace than initially anticipated. Kurtz carries increased importance/value in keeper formats.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., OF - Arizona Diamondbacks (50% Owned)
It's unusual that three players at or above 50% ownership are listed here in the same week, but with the short break in fantasy, I thought it might be better to advocate for players who could be contributors RoS instead of just while they're hot. With that said, I'm not sure exactly where Lourdes Gurriel Jr. lies on that spectrum.
For starters, Gurriel Jr. was a monster for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2019 to 2020 when he hit .289 through 141 games with 31 long balls, 33 two-baggers, 83 RBI, and 80 runs scored. He even chipped in nine steals for good measure. Unfortunately, the former Blue Jay hasn't hit "better" than .279 in any season since.
The 31-year-old has looked more like that player from five years ago in the current campaign, although he followed up a strong May (.324) with a below-average June (.247). Gurriel Jr. is back at it in July, though (.333/.389/.636), and more often than not bats from the heart of MLB's fourth-best team on a runs-per-game basis (5.11).
I'm willing to bet he's more useful than not for the next two-plus months. Still, there are other assets here that I'm more interested in, considering Gurriel Jr.'s underlying stats don't present anything too interesting.
Colt Keith, 1B/2B/3B - Detroit Tigers (24% Owned)
Colt Keith hasn't been as active on the base paths in 2025 as he was in his major-league debut a season ago (seven). However, there's a lot to like about what he's been doing. To start, his Statcast page is much more aesthetically appealing this year. And there's room for growth in his expected statistics. Furthermore, all that's gone well under the hood has finally started to show in the box score.
The Zanesville, Ohio, native has been ludicrously productive since the calendar flipped to July, posting a .464/.515/.821 slash line with two dingers and four doubles -- adding 11 total runs and RBI through eight games in the month. I always suspected Keith's power would show with maturity, and that's been true recently. Not only has he hit the ball harder overall this season, but his average exit velocities over the past week or so have climbed even higher.
We may not see the full breakout of Colt Keith until 2026, but what he's shown so far is a step in the right direction. Don't sleep on him.
Tyler Freeman, SS/OF - Colorado Rockies (18% Owned)
The Colorado Rockies haven't had much to cheer about in this current campaign -- or for a few years, for that matter -- but Tyler Freeman has been a bright spot. His .345 batting average through 51 games may be slightly inflated but primarily for real, considering a .321 xBA. Freeman won't help you in the power department, but baseball isn't all about hitting home runs.
The former 71st-overall pick of the then-Cleveland Indians isn't just a maven with his bat, though, as he's already set a personal-best with 12 thefts and is striking out a microscopic 8.0% of the time. It's worth mentioning he's been dealing with a bit of a hamstring issue, which could slow down his pace of steals. Still, it's hard to believe that a .300+ batting line is available in over 80% of Yahoo! leagues.
Freeman will lose value if his hamstring ailment forces him to run less. If it doesn't, he's a high-level three-category contributor as long as he sits atop the Rockies' lineup.
Deep League Adds
Nathan Lukes, OF - Toronto Blue Jays (1% Owned)
In his age-30 season, Nathan Lukes has appeared in 16 more games than from 2023 to 2024 combined, and is making his increased role count. Recently, manager John Schneider has moved him to the top of Toronto's lineup -- starting four straight contests from the leadoff spot -- due to his exceptional plate discipline and knack for getting on base. It's a small sample, but Luke's 11.6% strikeout rate and 12.1 BB% put him in the 94th and 85th percentile, respectively, among all hitters. While those might seem like flukey ratios for someone with less than a full major-league season under his belt, they bear a striking resemblance to what he posted in 2024. Furthermore, Lukes' solid .276 batting average is supported by a .282 xBA. The Sacramento State product never launched more than 11 dingers in any of his minor-league stints and won't unlock any surprise power soon. However, he can be a boon to fantasy managers in terms of average and runs, and receives a boost in OBP leagues.
Two-Start Streamers
Jacob Lopez, LHP - Athletics (21%/51% Yahoo!/CBS)
Jacob Lopez pitched lights out in June, compiling a 2.64 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 39:9 K:BB ratio across 30 2/3 innings (2-1). He's regressed since then, but I'm not willing to give up on him yet -- particularly because there's still a lot to like in his profile. The 27-year-old has been mercurial since his hot stretch, sometimes looking out of his league, and at other times seemingly untouchable. The real Lopez likely lies somewhere in between, and although he boasts a 1st percentile groundball rate (24.2%), a 27.9% strikeout rate puts him in the top 15% of all pitchers.
The College of the Canyons product is prone to disastrous outings, considering his high fly-ball propensity. Still, he'll line up for two favorable matchups in the first full week post the Midsummer Classic. For his first matchup, Lopez will get the Texas Rangers on the road. They score the seventh-fewest runs per game (4.05), and strike out at a good clip, too (8.24 times per nine innings). Start No. 2 isn't as enticing -- on the road against the hosting Houston Astros -- but it isn't enough to force the 27-year-old from my lineup.
I'm holding Lopez until he gives me a reason not to. The results could be inconsistent from outing to outing, but he's one of the more intriguing arms that are widely available in both Yahoo! and CBS formats.
Thanks for reading, and good luck in your matchups next week!
