Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez (back) left Friday's series opener against the hosting Arizona Diamondbacks due to back spasms. Tellez is currently being examined and treated by the team's medical status, and his status is day-to-day for now. Before being pulled early, Tellez was hitless in his only at-bat and was replaced by Connor Joe at first base. The 29-year-old left-handed slugger is mostly likely not going to play in the second game of the series in the desert on Saturday, but fantasy managers will want to check Pittsburgh's lineup. Tellez has displayed modest power (nine home runs) and entered Friday's contest hitting a mediocre .249 (62-for-249) with 36 RBI and 29 runs scored, making him mostly corner-infield depth in NL-only fantasy leagues. If Tellez is forced to the injured list, Joe would most likely take over as Pittsburgh's regular first baseman.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Friday's game against the hosting Houston Astros that he doesn't expect first baseman Freddie Freeman (personal) to be back during this series. No decision has been made yet on if there will be a roster move to put him on the family emergency list. Freeman was originally in the Dodgers' lineup and was set to make his 105th start of the season on Friday against the Astros, but he needed to head back to Los Angeles as his family tends to an emergency regarding their three-year-old son. There's no timetable for Freeman's return, but both sides understand that the 34-year-old infielder should be at home with his family during this difficult time. His next real chance to rejoin the team will likely come during Tuesday's series opener against the division-rival San Diego Padres. In the meantime, Kike Hernandez and Cavan Biggio figure to draw the starts at the cold corner, depending on the matchup.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs (elbow) will throw a bullpen session prior to Sunday's game against the visiting Cincinnati Reds, setting him up to start in Tuesday or Wednesday's contest against the Miami Marlins. After Springs threw 82 pitches in five innings in Thursday's minor-league rehab outing with Triple-A Durham, his ninth appearance in the minors this year, the Rays are preparing for him to take Zach Eflin's spot in the big-league rotation. This is the last call for fantasy managers to make sure Springs isn't available on any waiver wires; his 2024 regular-season debut following 2023 Tommy John surgery lines up to come at pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field against a last-place Marlins team that sports one of the worst offenses in baseball. Since 2022, the 31-year-old left-hander boasts a 2.26 ERA (2.91 FIP), 1.01 WHIP, and 168:35 K:BB over 151 1/3 innings (28 starts) for Tampa Bay.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez broke out of his funk in Friday night's win over the visiting division-rival Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, picking up three hits and launching a grand slam in the victory. As part of a three-homer, seven-run inning for New York on Friday, Martinez hit a grand slam off Braves right-hander Charlie Morton to right field to give the Mets a 4-2 lead in the third inning. This performance was a much-needed jolt for the 36-year-old veteran slugger, who came into the day batting a frigid .184 (14-for-76) with a lone homer and six RBI in his last 21 games. Over his last seven contests, Martinez has looked better while hitting 9-for-29 (.310). With a .502 expected slugging percentage on Baseball Savant, Martinez remains a buy-low candidate for fantasy managers in need of power numbers.

San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar smashed two homers, including a game-winner in the top of the ninth, during the Padres' 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night. Both homers were two-run shots with the first being off Orioles starter Grayson Rodriguez in the top of the sixth inning for his 17th HR of the season. The two-run game-winner came in the top of the ninth off Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel with two outs and was his 18th of 2024. Profar's turnaround in this season has been a major boost for the Padres. His .865 OPS is a career high and is helping to keep the Padres afloat as they fight to hold onto their Wild Card spot (one game lead over St. Louis) without superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. Profar will look to continue his dominating season on Saturday against Orioles scheduled starter Dean Kremer.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez was strong on Friday night, going seven innings deep and striking out seven in the Twins 9-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. Lopez picked up the win and improved his record to 9-7 while lowering his ERA to 4.73 on the season. After a spotty run in the middle of the season, the 28-year-old has now thrown three straight games of giving up two earned runs or less. While his strikeout numbers have not been as flashy as fantasy managers are used to lately, Lopez may be starting to turn a corner. With a 3.39 xERA to go along with his 4.73 ERA, the righty has positive regression coming his way. Fantasy managers with Lopez in their lineups should continue to trust him. His next scheduled start is set for Wednesday at Citi Field against the New York Mets.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon is out of the lineup on Friday night for Colorado's matchup against left-hander Kyle Harrison and the San Francisco Giants. This marks the second straight game that Blackmon will be on the Rockies bench. As of now there should be no concern in regards to the lefty's health, rather it'd appear he's getting a bit of rest while the Rockies trot out Kris Bryant in right field. The Rockies and Giants are also scheduled for a doubleheader on Saturday, so this may just be a way to keep the 38-year-old fresh for the twinbill. Blackmon has hit for an .869 OPS in July, his best month in 2024 and should be expected to be back in the lineup at some point this weekend. The next chance Blackmon will get will be either against Blake Snell in the first game of the doubleheader or against Hayden Birdsong in the second game.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Ben Lively struck out six and gave up just three hits in six innings during the Guardians 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. Lively picked up the win and improved his record to 9-6 while his ERA dropped to 3.44 on the season. The 32-year-old has been having a very solid and under-the-radar season for the Guardians and has been a major boost for their rotation after Shane Bieber was forced to have Tommy John surgery at the beginning of the season. With a 1.17 WHIP, Lively should be on fantasy managers' radars as a sneaky pick-up that should provide consistent results. His next scheduled start is set for Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles.

Per Mike Puma of the New York Post, the New York Mets are open to adding a left-handed bat at the trade deadline and have had discussions with the San Francisco Giants about outfielder Michael Conforto. The lefty played with the Mets for seven season before joining the Giants in 2023. Only three Mets are hitting for a wRC+ above 100 from the left side of the plate (Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, DJ Stewart). Conforto's 103 wRC+ would help stabilize an already pretty solid Mets outfield if a deal was to be struck. The Giants have been rumored to have made Conforto "available" so a reunion could be considered very plausible. Fantasy managers should continue to start Conforto in their lineups regardless of where he ends up but his .833 career OPS at Citi Field should be appealing compared to his season long .713 OPS in 2024.

Free-agent first baseman Jose Abreu will most likely not play for the remainder of the 2024 season, according to sources. It's believed that Abreu will take a break, and if conditions are right, he'll try to return in 2025 if he's given another opportunity with a big-league organization. The former American League MVP fell off a cliff this year and was released by the Houston Astros after hitting a miserable .124/.167/.195 with two home runs, seven RBI and 10 runs scored in 35 games played. The 37-year-old probably doesn't have much left, but he'll see if another team will give him an opportunity as a right-handed veteran bat next year. If this is the end for the Cuban slugger, he'll finish his MLB career with a .283/.345/.488 slash line with an .833 OPS, 263 home runs and 960 RBI in 1,446 games over 11 seasons in the league.

After acquiring right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia from the Toronto Blue Jays earlier on Friday, the Seattle Mariners traded right-handed reliever Ryne Stanek to the New York Mets on Friday in exchange for minor-league outfielder Rhylan Thomas, according to a league source. Thomas was listed by MLB Pipeline as New York's No. 30 prospect. The 33-year-old Stanek heads to the Big Apple after struggling of late, and the veteran reliever now holds a 4.38 ERA (4.02 FIP), a 1.33 WHIP, a career-high seven saves and a 44:17 K:BB in 39 innings over 46 appearances out of Seattle's bullpen this year. Since June 30, Stanek has a 9.45 ERA, six walks, eight K's, three holds and two blown saves in 6 2/3 innings pitched. In New York, he'll work alongside Phil Maton as a late-inning setup man in front of closer Edwin Diaz.

San Francisco Giants right-hander Alex Cobb (hip, shoulder) will throw five innings in a minor-league rehab start for Single-A San Jose on Friday night, and if all goes well, he will return to make his 2024 debut for the Giants on Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics. Cobb will essentially be replacing right-hander Jordan Hicks, who will make his last start of the year on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies before moving to the bullpen to protect his workload. The 36-year-old Cobb started the year on the injured list after having offseason hip surgery and then suffered a setback with his right shoulder along the way, keeping him out for the entire first half. Cobb has limited fantasy upside with a 19.9% career strikeout rate but could be a worthwhile deep-league streaming option in the right matchups when he returns to San Fran's starting rotation.

The Tampa Bay Rays continue to make moves and acquired right-hander Cole Sulser from the New York Mets on Friday in exchange for cash considerations. Sulser has been optioned to Triple-A Durham. The Rays got things started by dealing outfielder Randy Arozarena to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night and also sent right-hander Zach Eflin to the division-rival Baltimore Orioles on Friday. The move for the 34-year-old Sulser is the most insignificant of the trio of moves after the Mets designated him for assignment earlier this week. He allowed five earned runs in just 4 2/3 relief innings in New York in 2024 and has a 4.06 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP and 15 career saves in his six years in the majors with five different teams. Sulser made his big-league debut with the Rays in 2019 after being drafted by Cleveland in the 25th round back in 2013 out of Dartmouth. He's not on the fantasy radar.

The San Francisco Giants placed infielder Thairo Estrada (wrist) on the 10-day injured list on Friday with a left-wrist sprain and recalled infielder Casey Schmitt from Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move. With Estrada on the shelf, Schmitt will start at the keystone and bat eighth on Friday against the visiting Colorado Rockies and left-hander Kyle Freeland. This will be the second time this year that Estrada has landed on the IL with a left-wrist sprain. The 28-year-old infielder has really only been valuable for middle-infield depth in deep-mixed leagues, at best, in 2024. Estrada is currently hitting just .216/.249/.353 with a weak .601 OPS, nine homers and 43 RBI in 87 games played in his fourth year in San Fran. Expect Schmitt to split time at second with Brett Wisely with Estrada on the shelf.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (personal) has been scratched from the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Houston Astros. The veteran slugger has reportedly left the team to deal with a family issue. It's unclear how long Freeman is going to be gone while dealing with this problem. Cavan Biggio will take over at first base and bat seventh versus lefty Framber Valdez on Friday. Fantasy managers should get Freeman out of their lineups ahead of first pitch.

Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The lefty slugger has started in 10 straight games with only five hits during that time. That being said, Naylor could use a day off to rest and recover before getting back in the lineup. In the meantime, Jhonkensy Noel will start at first base and bat fifth versus left-hander Christopher Sanchez. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups with Naylor sitting out prior to first pitch.

New York Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Boston Red Sox. It's not shocking to see the 36-year-old taking a seat given how poorly he's swinging the bat. Oswaldo Cabrera will take over at third base and bat ninth versus right-hander Brayan Bello on Friday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups with LeMahieu sitting out.

Chicago Cubs catcher Christian Bethancourt has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Friday. The Cubs were in need of another catcher with Tomas Nido (knee) heading to the injured list. Bethancourt gives the Cubs depth behind the plate but he isn't much of an upgrade with the bat. He was hitting well below .200 before being let go by the Miami Marlins in early July. The Cubs have been looking for reliable production from the catcher spot all season long. However, it's unlikely that Bethancourt is the answer to their problems. Fantasy managers can continue to ignore him with Miguel Amaya likely getting most of the time behind the plate.

New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) is expected to be activated from the injured list on Monday. The 34-year-old has been out since late June due to a left hamstring strain. Before that, Stanton was slashing .246/.302/.492 with 18 home runs and 45 RBI in 69 games this season. The Yankees don't believe Stanton will require a rehab stint and can get back in the lineup early next week. He'll face live pitching over the weekend, so fantasy managers should get a better idea after that. For now, fantasy managers should expect Stanton to return on Monday.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (knee) underwent an MRI exam on his surgically repaired left knee and said it came back clean. Trout said some scar tissue broke up in his knee and it didn't feel right at the time when he started his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday. He said he's not running right now but is days away. The 32-year-old 11-time All-Star was pulled off his rehab assignment this week and returned to LA for evaluation. It's a sigh of relief for Trout and his fantasy managers after having surgery on his meniscus earlier this year. If Trout can restart his rehab assignment sooner than later, he could be back with the Angels in mid-August. The suddenly injury-prone superstar still deserves to be stashed in all fantasy formats, but he's no longer an elite fantasy asset on one of the worst teams in baseball.