Colorado recalled outfield prospect Zac Veen on Tuesday after one of the hottest minor-league runs of the season. In his final 12 games at Triple-A he went 24-for-52 (.462) with six doubles, two triples, and eight home runs. The 2020 first-round pick moves into a Rockies lineup that plays half its games in Coors Field.
Adley Rutschman made his Red Sox debut Tuesday, going 1-for-3 with two walks in a 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays in Toronto. The three-time All-Star, acquired from Baltimore at the trade deadline for three top prospects, had been out since July 18 with left wrist inflammation. He was inserted immediately behind the plate.
Seattle GM Justin Hollander said top prospect Kade Anderson is "definitely in the mix" for a callup following the Luis Castillo trade. Anderson has dominated Double-A with a 1.20 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 82.1 innings this season. The organization has explicitly ruled out a bullpen role — he will start.
Judge has been cleared for light workout activity after reimaging showed measurable healing on his right rib stress fracture. He has not yet resumed baseball activities. The Yankees have framed late August as the best-case scenario with early September as the more realistic target. He's been on the shelf since May 31.
Who's Hot This Week
The minors' most dominant arm in 2026 — 1.20 ERA, 119 K in 82.1 Double-A innings — is on the brink of a callup. GM Hollander said he's 'definitely in the mix' after the Castillo trade opened a rotation slot. He will start, not relieve. Add him in every league where he's available. This is the kind of callup that wins championships.
Worth Reading
NBC Sports rounds up the week's most compelling adds with ownership data and league-size targeting. Worth reading for the Cam Smith breakdown in particular — he didn't make our cut above but has legitimate upside for deeper leagues.
FantasyPros flags four specific targets with category-level analysis and streaming utility angles. Good complement to this issue for anyone looking beyond the obvious headline adds.
Ranked waiver list sorted by format, covering both hitters and streamable SPs for the week ahead. Useful for prioritizing your FAAB bids or waiver priority when you can't add everyone.
Stress fracture in the right rib, sidelined since May 31. Recent reimaging showed measurable healing and Judge is cleared for light workout activity, but has not resumed baseball activities. Late August is best-case; early September is more realistic. The Yankees are not committing to a specific date.
Left hand metacarpal fractures (4th and 5th), suffered June 6. Transferred to the 60-day IL but became eligible to return as of Aug. 7. Has resumed all baseball activities and soreness continues to improve. Return to the active roster appears imminent — managers who stashed him should activate.
What was initially described as a minor lat strain has turned out to be "a lot worse" than the Red Sox originally indicated. Crochet has been out since April 26. A 2026 return is increasingly unlikely. Fantasy managers have been holding long enough — the roster spot is better used.
Shoulder injury has sidelined Williams and opened the Mets' ninth inning to a committee. Kodai Senga converted his first save under the new arrangement on Aug. 10, with Daniel Duarte and Nate Lavender also in the mix. IL-15 designation suggests a potential return within two weeks.
Longenhagen's callup assessment landed the day before the Rockies made it official, and it's a measured look at where Veen actually stands. Once a FanGraphs top-50 overall prospect, wrist surgery in 2023 and disappointing subsequent seasons knocked him to a 40+ FV grade and 14th in Colorado's system. The monster Triple-A run — .462 with eight homers in 12 games — reopened the conversation without erasing the concerns.
The vulnerability Longenhagen highlights most prominently is Veen's susceptibility to inner-half velocity. His lefty swing path can leave him exposed to hard stuff in tight locations, and big-league pitchers will exploit that immediately. The expected MLB strikeout rate translates to roughly 26-27% based on his minor-league numbers — manageable, but not a pretty profile for a player whose floor depends on contact.
The buy case: elite underlying contact quality in his hot stretch, plus genuine athleticism in center field, plus Coors Field. The park masks strikeout rates and amplifies power in ways that make even average hitters look elite. Longenhagen's honest take is that Veen's ceiling is intact — it's the floor you're accepting when you add him. In a week loaded with reliable, lower-upside options on the wire, Veen is the highest-ceiling add available.
The Aug. 10 Ledger flags the Mets as the most fluid save situation in the majors after Devin Williams hit the IL with a shoulder issue. Kodai Senga converted his first save on Sunday. The Giants' two-man committee between Dylan Smith and Keaton Winn remains unsettled, and Mason Montgomery is emerging as Pittsburgh's primary closer option after the Luke Weaver acquisition.
Read the full Ledger →| Closer | Team | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kodai Senga | New York Mets | 🟡 Watch | Earned his first save in the Williams-less committee on Aug. 10. Daniel Duarte and Nate Lavender are also in the mix, but Senga appears to have the inside track for now. Grab him if available — this committee has real save volume behind it. |
| Mason Montgomery | Pittsburgh Pirates | 🟡 Watch | Emerging as Pittsburgh's primary option after Gregory Soto was pushed out of the picture by the Luke Weaver acquisition. No confirmed save since the shake-up, but Montgomery is worth owning in 12-team leagues with FAAB to spare. |
| Dylan Smith | San Francisco Giants | 🔴 Committee | Splitting save chances with Keaton Winn in a thin save pool. San Francisco's poor record limits opportunities — this is a holds-plus-saves play at best. Avoid if you're chasing saves only. |
| Grant Taylor | Chicago White Sox | 🟡 Watch | Taking over save opps after Seranthony Dominguez was shipped to Seattle. The White Sox aren't winning many close games, so the save upside is limited. Deep leagues only. |
| Daniel Palencia | Chicago Cubs | 🟡 Watch | On a minor-league rehab stint for an elbow injury and could return soon. Whoever is holding down the Cubs' ninth should be dropped the moment Palencia's activation is announced — he'll reclaim the role. |