Free-agent veteran left-hander Rich Hill said he is ramping up throwing bullpen sessions in preparation to sign with a team in August as a versatile pitcher. It appears that Hill is healthy, but it remains to be seen how much interest he'll generate on the open market after going a combined 8-14 with a bloated 5.41 ERA (4.87 FIP) and 1.52 WHIP with 129 strikeouts and 58 walks in 146 1/3 innings pitched over 32 appearances (27 starts) with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres last year. He's no spring chicken at 44 years old but does have plenty of MLB experience with 19 seasons under his belt. If Hill is picked up by a club in the second half of the season, he won't be guaranteed to have a big role and will most likely operate as a swingman/long-reliever out of the bullpen, leaving him minimal fantasy appeal.

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Milwaukee Brewers right-handed reliever Abner Uribe (knee) announced on his Instagram account that he underwent season-ending knee surgery on Wednesday morning. With regular closer Devin Williams (back) missing the entire first half of the 2024 season, Uribe opened the year with an opportunity to earn saves for the Brew Crew. The 24-year-old Dominican did post a career-high three saves in the early going but was quickly sent to the minors after giving up 11 earned runs on 15 hits (one homer) while walking 12 and striking out 14 in 14 1/3 innings out of the bullpen in just his second season in the major leagues. Uribe has a live arm and posted a 30.7% strikeout rate as a rookie in 2023, but he's going to need to show better control if he wants to be a high-leverage, late-inning option in Milwaukee in 2025 once he's fully healthy.

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New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga (shoulder, triceps) is expected to make another minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse this weekend. Barring a setback, Senga's rehab start this weekend is expected to be his last before he's reinstated from the 60-day injured list to make his 2024 debut in the major leagues. The 31-year-old threw 67 pitches over 4 2/3 frames in his last rehab start for Syracuse on Sunday, which was his third total rehab outing. A strained right shoulder initially kept Senga from starting the season in New York's rotation before he suffered a setback due to a triceps injury. The Japanese hurler was the Mets' ace in 2023 with a 12-7 record, 2.98 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and impressive 29.1% strikeout rate and shouldn't be floating around any waiver wires with his 2024 debut right around the corner.

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Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Chris Flexen is scheduled to toe the slab to begin the second half of the season in Friday's series opener against the division-rival Kansas City Royals. Flexen hasn't been particularly relevant in fantasy in 2024, posting a 4.82 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 71:36 K:BB over 97 innings, but he should draw some interest in deep leagues against a middling Royals lineup on Friday. In four appearances versus Kansas City in his career, the 30-year-old soft-throwing right-hander has a 2.25 ERA and 12:4 K:BB across 20 frames during this stretch. Consider Flexen a low-end streaming option for fantasy purposes in his first start post-All-Star break.

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Cincinnati Reds third base prospect Cam Collier was the star of this year's All-Star Future's Game, going 1-for-2 with a solo home run to put the National League on the board. The Reds' No. 3 prospect (per MLB.com) was subsequently named the Future's Game's MVP. Despite his success in Arlington, Collier is having a subpar season with High-A Dayton. Through 78 games, he's slashing .231/.309/.405 with 12 doubles, 13 homers, 48 RBI and a 31:87 BB/SO. He's still only 19 and has plenty of time to develop. As of right now, he's expected to make his MLB debut in 2026.

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Cincinnati Reds starting pitching prospect Rhett Lowder pitched in the fifth inning of this year's All-Star Futures Game. On 14 pitches, he allowed a hit and struck out Tampa Bay Rays top prospect Xavier Isaac on a slider. The young righty threw 10 strikes and collected three whiffs. After a rough stretch in Double-A, a solid performance at the Futures Game will hopefully be exactly what Lowder needs to turn things around. Cincinnati's top prospect (per MLB.com) is expected to make his MLB debut sometime this year.

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Boston Red Sox catching prospect Kyle Teel shined in this year's All-Star Futures Game. The only player on either team to collect multiple hits, Teel was 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles. The young catcher's performance was hardly surprising, as he's been fantastic in Double-A this year. Through 65 games, he's slashing .298/.384/.455 with 16 homers, eight doubles, 49 RBI, and six stolen bases. The No. 3 prospect in Boston's stacked farm system, Teel is expected to make his MLB debut next season.

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Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha hopes his recent success carries into the second half when he gets the ball in Friday's series opener at home against the division-rival Chicago White Sox. Wacha has been very reliable for the Royals over his last nine starts, generating a 2.61 ERA and 47:17 K:BB over 51 2/3 innings since May 9. The 33-year-old former All-Star has revived his career in recent years, and he'll belong in all fantasy lineups for the start of the second half on Friday. In three appearances versus the White Sox since 2023, Wacha has a microscopic 0.90 ERA alongside a 19:4 K:BB through 20 frames during this period.

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Miami Marlins starting pitcher Noble Meyer pitched in the second inning of this year's All-Star Future's Game, striking out two batters on 18 pitches. In total, he faced five hitters. But he might have retired the side in order, if not for Chicago White Sox infield prospect Colson Montgomery reaching on an error. Regardless, Meyer's stuff looked fantastic. The young righty collected five whiffs, and his sinker sat around 93 mph. Miami's top prospect (per MLB.com), Meyer is expected to make his MLB debut in 2026.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta will draw a tough assignment in his first start out of the All-Star break when he heads to the mound for Friday's series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. Pivetta produced a nice first half for the BoSox, striking out 88 batters and walking just 20 with a strong 1.11 WHIP across 75 1/3 innings of action. Fantasy managers will want to see the 31-year-old Canadian right-hander improve on his mediocre 4.18 ERA in 14 starts, though. While there's reason to believe Pivetta's ability to stabilize ratios for fantasy managers will translate to greater success overall down the stretch, he'll be hard to trust on Friday against a vaunted Dodgers offense that ranks third in runs scored (479) and home runs (129) this season.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zach Eflin will kick off his second half in Friday's scheduled start in the Bronx against the division-rival New York Yankees. After leading the American League with 16 wins a year ago, Eflin has regressed during his second year in Tampa Bay while registering a 3.99 ERA (3.66 FIP) and 1.11 WHIP over 99 1/3 innings of work. Even so, the 30-year-old veteran right-hander owns a shiny 78:9 K:BB covering his 17 starts and also leads the major leagues with 0.8 walks per nine innings. While Friday's matchup is a tough one on paper, Eflin has dominated the Yankees to the tune of a 1.50 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 48:6 K:BB in 42 frames against them in his career, and he'll be worth deploying in all season-long fantasy leagues with some contrarian DFS appeal on a full slate.

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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola is set to take the ball to open the second half of the season in Friday's series opener against the crosstown-rival Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Nola put together a rock-solid first half for the Phillies, logging a 3.38 ERA (3.77 FIP) and 1.02 WHIP with 116 strikeouts and 27 walks over 119 2/3 innings (19 starts). Although the 31-year-old former All-Star has a 4.60 ERA in five starts against the Pirates since 2021, he also owns a sharp 35:6 K:BB across 29 1/3 frames against them during this span. Nola will be a confident fantasy option across all formats in Friday's favorable matchup against Pittsburgh.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole is slated to toe the rubber for the start of the second half of the year in Friday's series opener against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays in the Bronx. It was an injury-shortened first half for Cole, one that positions the 33-year-old reigning American League Cy Young winner as an obvious buy-low candidate in fantasy leagues after yielding a lackluster 5.40 ERA (5.13 FIP), 1.45 WHIP, and 26:9 K:BB over 23 1/3 innings (five starts) so far this year. In eight appearances versus the Rays since 2022, however, Cole holds a 2.34 ERA with a 64:15 K:BB through 50 innings and will remain a set-and-forget fantasy play in all settings when play resumes on Friday.

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The Chicago White Sox designated veteran catcher Martin Maldonado for assignment on Wednesday, according to sources. With Maldonado now gone and likely to pass through waivers unclaimed to become a free agent, Korey Lee is currently the only backstop on the team's active roster as we get set for the start of the second half of the season this weekend. The 37-year-old Maldonado hit a dreadful .119/.174/.230 with four home runs, 11 RBI and nine runs scored in 147 trips to the plate over 48 games for the White Sox in 2024 before getting cut this week. If he does latch on with another team, it might have to be on a minor-league deal given the fact that he hasn't had a batting average over .200 since 2020 with the Houston Astros, when he hit .215 with six homers and 24 RBI in the COVID-shortened campaign.

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To make room on the 40-man roster for newly signed infielder Nick Senzel, the Chicago White Sox designated infielder Danny Mendick for assignment and optioned infielder Lenyn Sosa to Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday. With Yoan Moncada (groin) out for the majority of the first half of the season, Mendick saw increased playing time on the short side of a platoon at the hot corner in Chicago and hit just .197 (26-for-132) with three home runs, eight RBI and six stolen bases. Sosa, 24, wasn't a whole lot better in limited at-bats in the first half, slashing .237/.274/.350 with four home runs, 15 RBI and three stolen bases in 177 at-bats as a utility infielder. Senzel, a former first-round pick, has more upside than either Mendick or Sosa and will be given a shot at the hot corner in Chicago to open the second half of the season, at least until Moncada returns from his injury.

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Former Tampa Bay Rays star third baseman Evan Longoria has yet to officially retire from professional baseball, but he admitted last weekend that he's unlikely to play again. "One of the only things I haven't accomplished is winning a World Series," said Longoria. "So if you said I would go hit .080 for the rest of the season, but the team would win the World Series, then I'd [continue playing.] But that's probably about the only thing I'd want to do." The 38-year-old three-time All-Star played in 74 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks last year and came up just short of a World Series ring last fall. He hit just .223/295/.422 with 11 home runs and 28 RBI in 237 regular-season plate appearances. If the former first-rounder doesn't return to an MLB diamond, he'll finish his 16-year career with a .264/.333/.471 slash line, an .804 OPS, 342 home runs, 1,159 RBI and 58 stolen bases in 1,986 regular-season contests.

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The New York Mets claimed left-handed reliever Alex Young off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday and assigned him to Triple-A Syracuse. In a corresponding move, the team designated pitcher Tyler Jay for assignment. The 30-year-old Young had a 3.86 ERA in a full season for the Cincinnati Reds last year and has been very good at Triple-A Louisville and Triple-A Sacramento in 2024, posting a 2.19 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 23 strikeouts and eight walks in 24 2/3 relief innings on the farm. The veteran southpaw landed with the Giants organization in the trade that sent outfielder Austin Slater to Cincinnati in early July. Young will operate as left-handed relief depth for the Mets in the minors and isn't on the fantasy radar at all.

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Atlanta Braves right-hander Huascar Ynoa (elbow) appeared in a game on Tuesday in the rookie-level Florida Complex League for the first time since April and allowed an earned run on two hits while walking none and striking out none in two innings of work. Ynoa is recovering from a stress reaction in his right elbow and will likely need the full 30 days on his rehab assignment before he becomes an option for the Braves' major-league pitching staff. The 26-year-old is currently on the 60-day injured list and will likely be ticketed for Triple-A Gwinnett once his rehab assignment concludes. The Dominican hurler hasn't appeared in the big leagues since 2022 for Atlanta and holds a career 5.22 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with a 24.4% strikeout rate in 122 1/3 innings over 31 appearances (24 starts) since debuting in 2019.

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Texas Rangers right-hander Tyler Mahle (elbow) looked good in his third minor-league rehab start on Monday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, going 2 2/3 scoreless innings with one hit allowed, one walk and five strikeouts. In his three rehab starts to date, Mahle has thrown 6 2/3 scoreless innings while walking only one and fanning eight. The results have been great, but the 29-year-old has yet to throw three full innings and still has a ways to go on the rehab trail as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery in May of last year. He will probably need at least two or three more starts in the minors before he becomes a realistic option to make his 2024 debut for the Rangers in the second half. Before injuring his right elbow in 2023, Mahle was looking solid for the Twins and will be worth a look in at least deep-mixed leagues as starting depth when he's nearing a return.

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Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Brusdar Graterol (shoulder) picked up the victory on Tuesday in his second minor-league rehab appearance in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League when he allowed an earned run on two hits while walking none and striking out none. Graterol is likely to make a few more appearances in the minors before potentially coming off the injured list to join the Dodgers' bullpen for the first time all season. The 25-year-old reliever hasn't pitched yet in the big leagues in 2024 due to right-shoulder inflammation that first cropped up in spring training. The Venezuelan hurler went 4-2 with a career-best 1.20 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, a career-high seven saves, a career-high 48 strikeouts and 12 walks in 67 1/3 innings for LA in 2023 and could become a key late-inning, high-leverage weapon for the Dodgers down the stretch and in the postseason once he returns.

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