Byron Buxton (right hip strain, IL retroactive to July 6) is on track to return today when Minnesota opens the second half at Wrigley Field against the Cubs. He was batting .271/.328/.575 with 25 home runs and 45 RBI in 75 games before going down — an All-Star-level pace. The Twins have no alarm about the hip and have not pushed back his target return date.
Coming off a June IL stint (right hip impingement), Scott delivered 5.2 scoreless innings against the Phillies in the second-half opener Thursday — seven strikeouts, zero walks. His new pitch mix — a cut-fastball replacing his slider, learned from former teammate Drew Smith during rehab — has his velocity up to 96.1 mph and his Stuff+ at 108. He now carries a 3.10 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 47:19 K:BB over 40.2 innings. Francisco Alvarez added two solo home runs and Brett Baty went deep in the 4-1 Mets win.
The August 3 deadline is 17 days away and pitching is at an absolute premium. Aroldis Chapman (2.20 ERA, 100 mph) is pegged at ~90% trade odds and could be the top reliever moved from Boston. Tarik Skubal heads a deep SP market that also includes Reid Detmers, Sonny Gray, Sandy Alcantara, Kevin Gausman, and Joe Ryan. The Red Sox entered the break on a 9-game win streak but are still sellers; the Dodgers, Braves, Yankees, and White Sox are aggressive buyers.
Who's Hot This Week
Traded from Chicago to New York in January, Robert has been out since April 26 with a lumbar spine disc herniation and is targeting a return just after the All-Star break. When healthy he's a 30-HR, 20-SB profile. The Mets at 41-57 are sellers, which raises a secondary angle: he could be flipped to a contender before August 3, which would only upgrade his run-scoring context. Worth a stash in 14+ team leagues if he clears a rehab assignment this week — but this is a high-risk hold that needs roster depth to absorb.
Worth Reading
FanGraphs' weekly FAAB breakdown for the first full week of the second half. Covers popular Fantrax adds, NFBC Main Event patterns, and best targets by position before Week 17 claims lock. Best starting point before setting FAAB bids.
CBS Sports' second-half waiver primer built around schedule-based streaming and deadline chaos. Useful alongside ownership-percentage rankings for prioritizing weekend claims — especially for SP decisions now that the schedule resets.
Deep dive into hitters with elite underlying metrics who are underperforming surface stats going into the second half — prime trade targets. Caglianone, Cal Raleigh, Manny Machado, and Julio Rodriguez all appear with supporting Statcast data.
Right hip strain placed him on the IL retroactive to July 6. The Twins have held to a Friday (July 17) target return for his second-half debut at Wrigley, with no pushback reported. He was slashing .271/.328/.575 with 25 HR and 45 RBI in 75 games before going down and was voted into the All-Star Game as a starter.
Left index finger blister is back for the third time in two years — the same issue that caused him to miss the first six weeks of 2026. Eligible to return July 27 at the earliest; a slower progression could push that to early August. Chase Petty was recalled from Triple-A to fill the rotation spot.
Right thumb capsule sprain, IL placement retroactive to July 10. The Athletics said they'd have a better return timeline once the second half begins — check for an update today. He'd gone hitless in his final 20 at-bats before the IL stint, suggesting the thumb had been affecting him longer than disclosed.
Right elbow discomfort, placed on IL retroactive to June 30 — his second elbow IL stint of 2026. No confirmed timetable. Manager Craig Albernaz has said 'everything is on the table' for the closer role. Tyler Wells has saved back-to-back games but faces competition from Yennier Cano and Andrew Kittredge.
Christian Scott returned from Tommy John surgery in 2025, but his 2026 breakthrough has less to do with recovery and more to do with a pitch-mix overhaul. This winter he ditched his slider for a cut-fastball — a grip he picked up from former Mets teammate Drew Smith during overlapping rehab sessions. Combined with 8-10 pounds of added muscle, Scott's velocity has spiked from 94.2 mph to 96.1 mph on his four-seamer, and his Stuff+ sits at 108 (100 is league average).
The mechanics of the new approach are what make it dangerous: Scott now throws a three-fastball mix — four-seamer, sinker, and cutter — that all emerge from the same arm slot at nearly identical speeds but with radically different horizontal movement profiles. Hitters can't pre-read the pitch and can't match bat path until it's too late. Thursday's second-half opener at Philadelphia (5.2 IP, 0 ER, 7 K, 0 BB against a legitimate Phillies lineup) was the proof-of-concept under the brightest lights of his young career.
The caution flag is command: 19 walks over 40.2 innings is workable, but it's not the kind of number that survives a bad outing. His 3.10 ERA also benefits from a high strand rate — some regression to a 3.60-ish true-talent level is baked in for the second half. Still, for a 27-year-old with a new pitch, added velocity, and a clean health report, he's earned a rotation spot in all leagues of consequence.
Heading into the All-Star break, the save landscape remains volatile in Baltimore and Chicago. Tyler Wells holds the Orioles' job by default with Helsley out but faces real competition from Yennier Cano and Andrew Kittredge. In Chicago, Jacob Webb leads a Cubs committee while Daniel Palencia recovers. Jordan Romano has pulled ahead in Colorado after two saves since joining the Rockies on July 4. Cade Smith (CLE) heads into the second half as the game's dominant closer — 27 saves and an unhittable splitter showcased nationally at the All-Star Game.
Read the full Ledger →| Closer | Team | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Wells | BAL | 🔴 Committee | Two saves since Helsley went on the IL but facing Yennier Cano and Andrew Kittredge for the role. Manager said 'everything is on the table.' Speculative add — saves could shift week to week. High ceiling if Helsley misses all of July. |
| Jacob Webb | CHC | 🔴 Committee | Three saves since Daniel Palencia went on the IL in mid-June; Craig Counsell's current preference, but Trent Thornton and Caleb Thielbar are also getting ninth-inning looks. Cubs are buyers at the deadline — a closer acquisition could make Webb irrelevant overnight. |
| Jordan Romano | COL | 🟡 Watch | Two saves since joining the Rockies July 4 and appears ahead of the committee. Low save volume in Colorado, but if the role is his through August it's worth a spot in deeper leagues. Watch for Rockies deadline activity — sellers tend to trade veterans. |
| Aroldis Chapman | BOS | 🟡 Watch | Locked in as Boston's closer (2.20 ERA, 100 mph) but trade odds peg him at ~90% to be dealt before August 3. Landing on a buyer — Dodgers, Yankees, White Sox — would likely preserve or improve his fantasy value. The uncertainty is where he lands, not whether the role continues. |
SNY catches the moment Francisco Alvarez launches his second homer of the night off Aaron Nola in the Mets' 4-1 second-half opener against the Phillies. The 23-year-old catcher — back from meniscus surgery — hit 2 solo shots (100.2 and 104.4 mph EV) in his first game of the second half.
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