The Pittsburgh Pirates boast two of MLB’s top seven prospects, and one of them, Bubba Chandler, made his debut this week and impressed. While teammate Braxton Ashcraft started and threw five innings, Chandler followed with four innings of two-hit ball, striking out three to earn the save in a win over the Rockies. The 22-year-old former third-round pick is expected to remain in the bullpen for now, but more outings like this could quickly change Pittsburgh’s plans. His performance was especially encouraging given he had posted a 7.42 ERA and 1.99 WHIP over his last 26 2/3 innings at Triple-A Indianapolis. Chandler is worth a speculative add in category formats, though it’s unclear if his value extends beyond ratios and the occasional save. At a minimum, the situation is worth monitoring.

In an unexpected setback, Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler — who recently underwent surgery to remove a clot in his upper extremities — has been diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and will require another surgery. He’s expected to miss 6–8 months. The timing is especially tough for the veteran, who was in the middle of another excellent season. Since TOS is often linked to pitching, questions remain about whether the injury could impact his workload once he returns.

The Atlanta Braves also lost a key contributor when third baseman Austin Riley underwent season-ending surgery to repair a core muscle injury. No timetable has been given for his recovery. Meanwhile, Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter is in danger of missing the rest of 2025 after fracturing his right wrist on Aug. 21 when he was hit by a pitch — another crushing blow to a contending franchise.

In less severe but still unfortunate news, San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left ankle strain, retroactive to Aug. 20. Merrill has already resumed light baseball activities, though the injury appears tied to a bone bruise, leaving his return timeline uncertain. Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg also landed on the 10-day IL with a sprain. The location of the sprain (high or low) will determine how long he’s sidelined.

Finally, Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu hit the 10-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 18) with a calf strain. However, manager Alex Cora reported that Abreu took batting practice and moved around in the outfield on Friday, and he’s expected to return when first eligible on Aug. 28.

This column assumes point formats and highlights players with roughly 50% ownership or less on Yahoo! A player appears twice only if they continue their hot-hitting from weeks prior. Happy hunting!

Waiver Adds

Noelvi Marte, 3B/OF - Cincinnati Reds (47% Owned)

Noelvi Marte’s 2025 campaign has been inconsistent, in part due to injuries. The Reds’ right fielder has logged only 225 plate appearances after missing time earlier this year with an oblique strain. Even so, he’s proving to be a valuable bat for Cincinnati and has caught fire at the perfect time for fantasy managers. The Reds have also begun slotting him into the two-hole on occasion, which should only boost his run and RBI potential in an already potent lineup.

Marte showed flashes of strong hitting earlier this year before his IL stint, but he’s been even better in August. Through 18 games, the 23-year-old is slashing an impressive .338/.348/.574 (23-for-68) with 10 extra-base hits, 12 RBI, and nine runs scored. His 16:1 K: BB ratio and 23.5% strikeout rate are red flags, particularly in points leagues that penalize heavily for strikeouts, but his elite 90th-percentile sprint speed provides another path to fantasy value. If he reintroduces his aggressiveness on the basepaths, those swing-and-miss concerns may not matter as much.

Before going 0-for-3 on Friday, Marte had hit safely in 11 straight games, including eight multi-hit performances and five in a row. During that time, he racked up nine extra-base hits and 12 RBI — the kind of production that makes him a potential difference-maker down the stretch.

Mark Vientos, 3B - New York Mets (46% Owned)

Mark Vientos was a breakout performer for the Mets during their magical 2024 run, blasting 27 home runs while hitting .266. Expectations were high for the 25-year-old to build on that success in 2025, but instead, he stumbled badly out of the gate. His first half was particularly rough, as he managed just a .223 batting average with six home runs, and the slump had actually stretched back even further.

Last season, Vientos looked like a rising star before cooling off down the stretch. He hit .291 with 12 homers before the All-Star break, but his average plummeted by nearly 50 points in the second half, even though he still added 15 more long balls. Much of that downturn came in September, when he posted a .223 mark.

This year, however, Vientos has started to turn things around after the Mid-Summer Classic. Since the break, he’s hitting .259 with 15 RBI — already more than halfway to his first-half total of 24, despite logging less than half the at-bats (81 compared to 233). It’s a promising rebound that suggests his bat may be heating up at just the right time.

Vientos’ playing time has been inconsistent, particularly with teammate Brett Baty in the midst of a hot streak (see below). Recently, however, he’s carved out a regular role, starting five consecutive games for the Amazins’ and delivering at least one hit in each. During that stretch, he’s tallied two doubles, two homers, seven RBI, and three runs scored.

Even if his bat stays hot, Vientos has limited room to climb New York’s lineup, which caps his run-scoring potential. Still, with the Mets’ big four consistently setting the table ahead of him, he should continue to see plenty of RBI opportunities.

Jo Adell, OF - Los Angeles Angels (39% Owned)

I highlighted Jo Adell back in June after he exploded for an outrageous 1.083 OPS with 11 home runs. Since then, his fantasy ownership has dipped significantly, but now might be the right time to buy back in. His .229 batting average this month isn’t pretty — though still an improvement from July’s .212 mark — but batting average was never the selling point with Adell. The appeal lies in his power, which has started to resurface as he works his way out of a slump.

After managing just three home runs in July, Adell has already launched seven in August, with three coming earlier this week. He’s also chipped in a pair of three-hit games, including his first double in nearly a month. While his surface stats remain uneven, his quality of contact and expected metrics remain strong. In fact, his Statcast profile looks even better now than it did earlier in the season, which is both unusual and encouraging.

It’s too early to write off Adell’s batting average, though his .293 mark in June may have been somewhat fluky. If he can maintain a .240–.260 average — he’s hitting .267 since Aug. 4 — while adding 10–15 home runs the rest of the year, fantasy managers will likely overlook his earlier struggles.

Ryan O'Hearn 1B/OF - San Diego Padres (29% Owned)

Ryan O’Hearn hasn’t been the flashiest player in 2025, but he has remained a valuable asset for both the Baltimore Orioles and the San Diego Padres. The Friars — like the O’s — haven’t played him every day, though they may benefit from doing so. The 32-year-old was never a practical option against left-handed pitching, but that changed last year when he hit .262 against southpaws for the first time. O’Hearn has taken it further in 2025, posting a .297 batting average over 64 at-bats against lefties — his largest sample yet.

On the season, the former Baltimore Oriole has posted a .282/.377/.469 triple slash and already surpassed his previous personal best of 16 home runs from last year — and did so in far fewer plate appearances. If O’Hearn can raise his batting average to .290, that would also be a personal best, and his excellent .288 xBA suggests he’s on track.

O’Hearn has recorded a hit in five of his last six starts, including two hits in three of those games, and has blasted two of his three August home runs over the past six days. Additionally, he has pushed his walk rate back into double digits for the first time since 2020, sitting at 11.9%.

Brooks Lee, 2B/3B/SS - Minnesota Twins (25% Owned)

Minnesota's former No. 1 overall prospect, Brooks Lee, has had a largely unremarkable fantasy season so far. Still, top prospects are always worth monitoring. The switch-hitting infielder has improved on his rookie campaign, raising his average 20 points above his initial .250 mark. Known for his hit tool during his minor league ascent, Lee projects as a potential middle-of-the-order impact bat and has shown glimpses of that upside over the past week.

The Cal Poly product has been on a tear recently, recording hits in eight of his last ten games. Six of those hits went for extra bases, including three doubles, a triple, and two homers. He also put together a four-game RBI streak with nine driven in and moved up to third in the order for two games against the Athletics. Lee will need to sustain this level of performance to become a consistent fixture at the top of the Twins’ lineup, but he has clearly improved this year, notably boosting his average exit velocity to 89.2 MPH and his hard-hit rate to 40.1%.

This is a smaller sample of standout performance — and one of the more speculative adds of the week. Still, it’s a low-cost, high-reward move that could pay off. Keep an eye on him for another day or two, as his positional versatility adds to his fantasy appeal.

Brett Baty, 2B/3B - New York Mets (18% Owned)

Of the two Mets featured this week, Brett Baty boasts the stronger "under-the-hood" metrics and has been a more consistent contributor over time. The Austin, Texas, native is enjoying his hottest stretch of the year, posting a .378 average and 1.107 OPS across 15 August games. For a while, New York was waiting for one of Baty, Mark Vientos, or Ronny Mauricio to emerge as the team’s everyday third baseman. It’s still unclear if Baty has claimed that role, but he has started 11 of the last 12 games, including seven straight, with Mauricio appearing to be the odd man out.

Baty was already performing well in May, launching five home runs — his most in any month this season. In August, he added four more, but the bigger story is his improved plate discipline. After earning just six walks combined in April and May, the 25-year-old racked up 15 between June and July, and has already drawn five in 15 games this month. While not spectacular, he is showing the consistency and approach closer to the player the Mets envisioned when they brought him up in 2022.

The former No. 12 overall pick of the 2019 MLB Draft regularly held 11% or greater walk rates in the minors and has significantly improved his quality of contact numbers in 2025. Let him cook.

Deep League Adds

Kyle Teel, C - Chicago White Sox (6% Owned)

Kyle Teel, the Chicago White Sox catcher, is an uncommon but noteworthy mention this week. The University of Virginia product hasn’t looked overmatched in his rookie season, posting a .273/.369/.403 slash line. His output has been inconsistent, but he has already recorded two four-hit games in his first few months in the majors, including a recent performance on Monday. Teel has consistently started in the top three of Chicago’s lineup, even seeing time in the leadoff spot. While massive power numbers may be unlikely, he remains an on-base machine despite a 24.3% strikeout rate. He might not be on every manager’s radar for 2025, but he’s worth noting as a potential sleeper for next year.

Two-Start Pitchers

Cam Schlittler, RHP - New York Yankees (25%/61% Yahoo!/CBS)

I highlighted Cam Schlittler a few weeks ago for his previous two-start week, which produced mixed results. The hard-throwing right-hander didn’t allow more than three earned runs to the Rays or Marlins, but walks and inefficiency held him back. Impressively, Schlittler has allowed two earned runs or fewer in five of his seven starts and is coming off his best professional outing yet: a 6 2/3-inning, one-hitter with eight strikeouts.

Unfortunately, the rookie was saddled with a no-decision for that gem, but he has been superb in August. In 21 2/3 innings this month, he has posted a 2.08 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with five earned runs allowed across four starts. He’ll face two favorable matchups next week against the Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox—both bottom-half run-scoring teams (19th and 27th)—while the Yankees’ offense continues to heat up.

Schlittler is likely pitching a bit over his head, so some regression is expected. Still, his fastball averages nearly 98 MPH (97.9), and four of his five offerings feature a >23% whiff rate, including a devastating, slider-like cutter.

Thanks for reading, and good luck in your matchups next week!