Welcome back to another week of Rumor Roundup, where we dive into all the recent talk, transactions, and trends from around the league, balancing both fantasy baseball implications and real-world baseball analysis through the lens of a front office.
Featured Story
The Red Sox made a small trade this week, acquiring infielder Brett Harris via the Athletics in exchange for prospect right-hander Ben Hansen.
Harris, 28, has been sensational at the Triple-A level this season, slashing .336/.441/.537 with a 140 wRC+ over 37 games. He’s seen major improvements in a handful of departments, but perhaps the biggest change has been Harris’ ability to produce louder exit velocities.
Another thing to note regarding INF Brett Harris are the impressive underlying YoY changes he's displayed this season (AAA).
⚾️ EV: 86.6 → 91 mph
⚾️ EV90: 103.4 → 104.8
⚾️ xwOBA: .328 → .347
⚾️ zCon%: 88.6% → 91%Quality contact is important. This is a really solid addition… https://t.co/2bPGGUQ7kn pic.twitter.com/GyyS9XIYqx
— G.G. (@ggeiss_mlb) July 1, 2026
The two posts above really do a good job recapping the Harris acquisition if you’d like to dive into it a bit more. Overall, I think this is a nifty move for a team that’s trying to optimize every bit of their lineup to stay in this playoff race.
Injury Updates
The following players have started or participated in rehab assignments this week:
- RHP AJ Smith-Shawver
- OF Luis Robert Jr. Jr.
- C Ryan Jeffers
- OF Trent Grisham
The following players have been placed on the IL this week:
- OF Matt Shaw — left hand sprain
- INF Jacob Wilson — right thumb inflammation
- OF Tyler Soderstrom — left hip impingement
- OF Rob Refsnyder — right knee inflammation
- LHP Connelly Early — left elbow inflammation
- INF Corey Seager — back inflammation
- INF Matt Chapman — abdominal strain
Finally, the following players have seen their IL status change this week:
- OF Roman Anthony — transferred to IL60
- OF Chase DeLauter — activated
- INF Romy Gonzalez — activated
- RHP Jack Flaherty — activated
- OF Teoscar Hernández — activated
- LHP Jovani Morán — activated
Recent Transactions
The following players have been DFA’d:
- 1B Rowdy Tellez (ATL)
The following players have been claimed or signed via free agency:
- LHP Kai Peterson — signed by WSH via FA
- OF Andrew McCutchen — signed by ATL via FA
- RHP Sam McWilliams — signed by BOS via FA
The following trades have been executed:
- n/a
Promotions/demotions:
- C/1B Mickey Gasper — optioned
- INF Joshua Kuroda-Grauer — promoted
- RHP Bradgley Rodriguez — recalled
- RHP Brandon Pfaadt — recalled
- LHP Jefry Yan — promoted
- OF Spencer Jones — optioned
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter) | Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
