We’re officially in what I like to call “season-ending injury” season. With just a few weeks to play, even relatively minor ailments can mean that a player doesn’t have enough time to fully heal and work his way back to the diamond before the regular season wraps up. It also lets teams outside the playoff picture turn small nagging injuries into a good reason to shut a guy down, rather than having him play through pain for games that won’t affect the team’s long-term outlook.
Let’s dive into each team’s recent fantasy-relevant roster and lineup changes, and learn how we can turn them into an advantage in the season’s closing weeks.
Corbin Carroll has fallen a few spots in Torey Lovullo’s lineup. After hitting second most of the year, he’s moved down to fifth in his last two starts. He’s also nursing a back injury and, as of this writing, has been sent to get imaging. If he lands on the IL, expect Lars Nootbaar to get most of the playing time in the outfield, opening the Arizona DH spot to rotate among a variety of hitters.
Carlos Cortes has moved up a few spots in the Athletics‘ injury-ravaged batting order. He’s hit fifth in four straight starts rather than his typical seventh or eighth.
Alika Williams has taken a firm grip on the starting shortstop job. He’s started eight straight games, against both right- and left-handed pitchers, and has hit well since taking over the starting gig. Williams is slashing .289/.325/.579 since August 25.
Noted waiver acquisition Luis Robert Jr. is already on the IL after playing just three games as an Oriole. The team called up Rece Hinds to take Robert’s roster spot, marking Hinds’ third different team he’s made an MLB plate appearance for this year. He’ll factor into the outfield mix versus lefties, and could be a desperate streaming power option.
Despite not having an actual positional home, Blaze Alexander has been getting a starter’s share of playing time since returning from the IL on August 28. He’s started 10 of 12 games while appearing at four different positions. He hasn’t hit well since returning (60 wRC+) but was putting up career-best numbers prior to his injury (.312/.368/.439; 130 wRC+)
A right quad strain sent Ceddanne Rafaela to the IL over the weekend. In his absence, Eli White has started six straight contests in center field.
Trevor Story has moved back up the Boston lineup. He hit eighth in his first five games back from the IL, but has now hit fourth or fifth in four straight games.
Chicago’s catching group received a major upgrade when Kyle Teel returned from the IL on Friday. With constant injury issues, 2026 has been a lost year for Teel, but he’s a great fantasy target if you need catching help and he was dropped in your league. As a reminder, Teel slashed .273/.375/.411 with eight homers and three steals in 78 games last year.
Ke’Bryan Hayes returned from his brief IL stint on Monday. He’ll once again be manning Cincinnati’s hot corner when the team faces a right-hander, while Eugenio Suárez steps into the role against southpaws. To make room for Hayes, the team sent down Edwin Arroyo.
The Reds called up Carlos Jorge to the MLB team on Friday. He’s started two of five games in center field since joining the roster, both against right-handed starters. TJ Friedl hasn’t started during that stretch. Dane Myers is still starting against lefties.
Former top overall draft pick Travis Bazzana has moved into the large-side of a platoon. He’s sat against four straight lefties, with Angel Genao manning the keystone in his place.
Adael Amador is back up from Triple-A and has started six straight games at second base. Despite getting his big-league cup of coffee two years ago, Amador is still just 23 and has some fantasy intrigue remaining in his profile, especially playing his home games at Coors Field. While he never clicked in his first two chances against MLB pitching, Amador is off to a hot start this time around, hitting .344/.417/.688 through his first 37 plate appearances.
Kyle Karros is back in the Rockies’ lineup after missing the better part of the last month. Connor Norby seems to be the main loser in the situation. He’s sat out the last two games after having started 13 straight.
Spencer Torkelson has lost a lot of playing time recently. He’s started just three of the Tigers’ last eight games against right-handed starters. Colt Keith has taken over most of the team’s first base reps against righties.
John Peck has been getting most of Detroit’s shortstop looks recently. He’s started seven of the team’s last nine games, allowing Kevin McGonigle to man the hot corner and pushing Javier Báez into a reserve role.
The Royals haven’t expressed much worry that Jac Caglianone’s flexor strain will force him to the IL, but he’s missed three straight games as of this writing, so the team will likely want to make a decision on that front soon. If Caglianone misses time, John Rave and Matthew Lugo will split time in right field, but neither will likely have a big enough share of the playing time to be an interim fantasy asset.
Manager Kurt Suzuki can’t seem to settle on who he wants starting at third base. Denzer Guzman was getting most of the work there, but has now started just two of the last eight contests. The other starts have gone to either Vaughn Grissom or Oswald Peraza.
A banged-up Shohei Ohtani has only played one of the Dodgers’ last five games. Without his presence at the top of the lineup, the Dodgers have been able to rotate their veterans through the DH spot, giving guys a day off their feet while keeping their bat in the lineup.
Second base has become a straightforward platoon, with Alex Freeland starting against righties and Miguel Rojas getting the nod against lefties.
With Jake Bauers sitting out a few days with his nagging shin splints, Andrew Vaughn has seen the starting nine more often in the last week. He’s started three of the last four, but when Bauers is healthy, Vaughn is only seeing action against lefties.
Brooks Lee has catapulted back up the lineup recently, going from hitting seventh or eighth to hitting second in 12 of the Twins’ last 13 games.
At long last, Aaron Judge returned from the IL on Tuesday. The three-time AL MVP was back in right field and hitting third in his first start back.
Just before Judge returned, the Yankees placed Trent Grisham on the IL with a hamstring strain. It’s unclear whether he’ll return this season. With Grisham out of the picture, Spencer Jones will be the Yankees’ starting center fielder moving forward. Jasson Domínguez was recalled to the MLB roster over the weekend, but should operate exclusively as a fourth outfielder.
The Yankees placed Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the IL on Wednesday with a right thumb strain. José Caballero will likely get the bulk of the work at the keystone while Chisholm is out, but it would make sense for the Yankees to recall Anthony Volpe to help fill in the middle infield gap.
Konnor Griffin returned from his two-month stay on the IL on Friday. He hit sixth in his first game back, but has since moved to the top of the lineup for three straight games against both lefties and righties.
Griffin’s presence pushes Jared Triolo back into his super utility role and out of fantasy relevance in all formats.
Jacob Gonzalez is getting a good run of playing time, mainly at third base. He’s started four of the last five games at third base, and eight of the last 12 overall. If Gonzalez is the primary third baseman moving forward, he’s a worthy pickup in NL-only leagues and other deep fantasy formats.
It looks like I was wrong in last week’s article to say Ethan Salas would be playing frequently. He’s only started three of eight games since his call-up, meaning you can safely drop him anywhere you may have picked him up. Luis Campusano is still dominating time behind the plate in San Diego. He’s started seven straight games between catcher and DH.
Turner Hill has received a lineup promotion. He’s hit in the top five spots in the lineup in each of his starts over the last two weeks.
Osleivis Basabe has seen his playing time tick back up. He’s started five of the last six games, three against righties and two against lefties. Prior to this recent stretch, Basabe had only started five of the previous 11 games.
Trade deadline acquisition Taylor Ward is looking like an easy fantasy drop. He’s slashing just .105/.200/.132 as a Mariner, and has started just three of the last eight games. All of those starts have come against lefties. Rookie Lazaro Montes has taken some of the playing time in right field, while the rest has gone to Dominic Canzone on days that Cal Raleigh serves as the DH.
The Mariners called up prospect Michael Arroyo to make his big-league debut on Sunday. Outside of his first game, Arroyo has been on the bench for the other two contests, even with Cole Young struggling to a .200/.284/.275 slash line since August 1. Arroyo may get some looks down the stretch, especially if the Mariners are eliminated from postseason contention, but until he’s getting regular action, he doesn’t need to be stashed in fantasy.
Recently called-up Leo Bernal has quickly taken over a full-time workload. He’s started all nine games for which he’s been active, six behind the plate, two at DH, and one at first base. He’s also hitting in the middle of the lineup. If your fantasy team is struggling at catcher, Bernal is a good target in two-catcher leagues.
Masyn Winn returned from the IL on Tuesday and will take over the shortstop reps for the remainder of the regular season.
Minor-league journeyman turned MLB rookie Bryan Torres is the Cardinals’ new leadoff hitter. He’s hit at the top of the lineup in six straight games as he’s split time between left field and second base. Torres is hitting .259/.329/.378 with four homers and two steals across 162 plate appearances. Those aren’t numbers to write home about, but his playing time and lineup slot are worth a pickup in NL-only leagues.
Between Torres getting some run in the middle infield and Winn’s return to the team, José Fermín’s playing time has dried up. His start on Wednesday was his first in six games.
Taylor Walls landed on the IL with a hip flexor strain. Jorge Mateo has started both of the games that Walls has missed and should get the bulk of the work there until Walls returns.
Ezequiel Duran’s breakout season has earned him leadoff duties against southpaws. He’s hit first against five of the last six lefties that the Rangers have faced.
The Nationals called up Yohandy Morales last week. The 24-year-old first baseman wasn’t much of a prospect, but he’s done nothing but hit in the minor leagues. He was slashing .286/.363/.519 with 25 homers in 104 Triple-A games this year. He’s hit the ground running against big-league pitching, too, showing off with a .375/.375/.875 slash line and two home runs in his first 16 plate appearances. Since getting the call, he’s started five of eight games, splitting time at first base and DH with Abimelec Ortiz and Andrés Chaparro.
