After admitting that he turned down an invitation to the 2026 All-Star Game in Philadelphia next week, Philadelphia Phillies veteran right-hander Zack Wheeler had another dominant outing on Sunday in the team's 5-0 shutout win in Motown over the Detroit Tigers. Wheeler outdueled ace Tarik Skubal, tossing six shutout innings, allowing only two hits, walking two, and striking out 10 batters to lower his season ERA to 2.13 and pick up his 10th win of the 2026 season. After initially being a National League All-Star snub, the 36-year-old declined an invite and said that he wouldn't stand for being disrespected. Wheeler had been pitching well all year, but this seems to have really lit a fire under him, and he's now recorded double-digit strikeouts in his last three starts while fanning 34 hitters in 17 1/3 innings over that span. In addition to his sharp 2.13 ERA, Wheeler has a 0.89 WHIP with 108 strikeouts and only 22 innings over 15 starts and 93 innings in his 12th year in the league. The three-time All-Star has exceeded expectations after coming into the 2026 campaign as more of a question mark following thoracic outlet syndrome that shut him down early in 2025.

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New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that left-hander Max Fried's (elbow) live bullpen session on Saturday went well, and his next step is "likely" a minor-league rehab game, which could come as soon as Friday, July 17, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. In his live session with Double-A Somerset this weekend, Fried went three innings and threw 44 pitches. The 32-year-old three-time All-Star will look to build up his pitch count late next week in his first rehab start since going on the 15-day injured list back on May 16 due to a bone bruise in his left elbow. Because of how long he's been away from the Yankees' rotation, fantasy managers should expect Fried to make at least two rehab starts and potentially return before the end of July. The former seventh overall pick by the San Diego Padres in 2012 must remain stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy leagues. Before getting hurt, Fried was 4-3 in his 10 starts (61 2/3 innings) with a 3.21 ERA (2.71 FIP), 1.00 WHIP, and 50:19 K:BB in his second season in the Bronx. If he can stay healthy in the second half, Fried could help carry fantasy pitching staffs.

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New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that left-hander Carlos Rodon (elbow) has had a few good days of throwing, according to the New York Daily News' Gary Phillips. Rodon wasn't scheduled to throw on Sunday, but he will throw just about every day during the All-Star break, and it could include a bullpen session. The 33-year-old three-time All-Star isn't going to be ready to rejoin New York's starting rotation just out of the break next weekend and will most likely need several bullpen sessions before embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment later this month. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect Rodon to be a realistic candidate for a return to New York's starting rotation until August, especially when considering he got a late start to the 2026 season after having surgery on the same elbow last October to remove loose bodies and shave down a bone spur. Despite durability concerns, Rodon can still help fantasy managers in all leagues in the second half after going 4-2 with a 3.30 ERA (3.44 FIP) and 1.25 WHIP with 52 strikeouts and 26 walks in 46 1/3 innings across his nine starts for the Yanks.

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Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock (finger) was forced to make an early exit from Sunday's outing against the Tampa Bay Rays. Hancock was struck in the hand by a comebacker during the first inning of this game. He attempted to stay in the game, but Hancock was taken out in the second inning. He finished this outing with 1.2 innings of work and two strikeouts. Luckily, the X-rays came back negative, so it appears Hancock has avoided any significant injuries. The All-Star break begins on Monday, so Hancock will get a few days to rest before game action returns. The hope is that he'll be able to avoid a trip to the Injured List, and the Mariners can just slot him towards the back of the rotation to give him as much time as possible to recover.

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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez has been named the starting pitcher for the National League during the upcoming All-Star Game. It's only fitting that Sanchez gets the nod in his home ballpark in Philadelphia. The fact its in Philly likely helped his case to start, but Sanchez is deserving of the honor. The southpaw owns a 2.62 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a 144/25 K/BB ratio across 20 starts this season. This will be the second All-Star selection of his career. Sanchez also made the team during the 2024 season as a member of the Phillies. Toronto Blue Jays stud Dylan Cease will be on the opposing side during Tuesday's All-Star contest.

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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Dylan Cease will get the nod as the American League starting pitcher during the upcoming All-Star Game in Philadelphia. This is a well-deserved honor for Cease, who has been outstanding during his first season with the Blue Jays. The right-hander owns a 2.56 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 148/44 K/BB ratio across 17 starts this season. This will be the first All-Star game of his eight-year career. The Blue Jays currently sit in the cellar of the AL East as we head into the All-Star break. That is no fault of Cease, who has been electric to begin his Blue Jays career.

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Baltimore Orioles infielder Blaze Alexander (hand) suffered a non-displaced hand fracture after being hit by a pitch during Sunday's game against the Kansas City Royals. Alexander was 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk and two runs scored before getting nailed by a pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning. He was immediately removed for a pinch runner and will now almost certainly be placed on the Injured List. This is a tough break for Alexander, who was hitting extremely well since the beginning of June. The All-Star break begins on Monday, which means the Orioles have a few days to officially place Alexander on the shelf. It's unclear who is going to replace him, but fantasy managers should expect to be without Alexander for a few weeks.

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Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Tommy Troy (shoulder) will undergo an MRI on Monday. Troy was held out of Sunday's lineup after suffering a shoulder contusion during Saturday's contest. The team will do imaging to determine the severity of the right shoulder injury. The All-Star break is beginning on Monday, so the D-Backs will have a few days to decide what they want to do with Troy. If he does miss additional time, Ryan Waldschmidt figures to see additional playing time in center field. Waldschmidt could be worth adding in deep leagues if Troy does end up on the Injured List.

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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jake Fraley (groin) was pulled off his rehab assignment on Sunday. Fraley was five games into his rehab assignment before feeling something in the area of his hernia surgery. He'll head back to the doctor for further examination before the Rays decide what to do next with him. He seemed to be nearing the point of finally returning, but will now need to ramp up again. Once healthy, Fraley could offer some deep league value. At this point, it's unclear when Fraley will finally play, so fantasy managers should move on in all formats.

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Houston Astros outfielder Brice Matthews (knee) was forced to make an early exit from Sunday's game against the Texas Rangers. Matthews injured his knee when he collided with the wall during the first inning of this contest. Matthews finished out the inning, but was pulled out of the game before taking his first at-bat. Taylor Trammell pinch hit for Matthews and took over in center field for the rest of the contest. The Astros will likely do more testing on Matthews before deciding if he needs to be placed on the Injured List. The All-Star break begins on Monday, so the Astros won't need to make any decisions right away.

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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Framber Valdez was placed on the bereavement list on Sunday. Valdez will miss Sunday's first half finale against the Philadelphia Phillies. Due to the timing, Valdez might not miss any starts due to the All-Star break beginning on Monday. Andre Granillo, who was claimed off waivers on Saturday, will take his spot on the active roster. Valdez will finish the first half with a 4.10 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and a 87/36 K/BB ratio across 19 starts. It hasn't been an ideal beginning to his Tigers' career, but Valdez should remain rostered in most fantasy formats.

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San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Jason Foley (shoulder) was activated off the 60-day Injured List on Sunday. The right-hander is ready to make his team debut after missing the first few months of the season. Foley has finally recovered from arthroscopic shoulder surgery that he underwent in May of 2025. The expectation is that Foley will begin in a low-leverage role out of the bullpen. If he pitches well, Foley could quickly work his way into save situations. He registered 28 saves with a 3.15 ERA across 60 innings with the Detroit Tigers in 2024. He's someone to keep an eye on as a possible saves target in deep leagues during the second half of the season.

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Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (elbow) has been officially placed on the 15-day Injured List on Sunday. Gallen was scratched ahead of his scheduled start on Sunday due to left elbow inflammation. He will officially head to the shelf and will hopefully be back in the mix before the end of July. Mitch Bratt will take the mound on Sunday and could remain in the rotation until Gallen is ready to return. Gallen owns a 6.34 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and a 61/31 K/BB ratio across 98 innings of work this season. Given his struggles, Gallen is really only worth holding in deep leagues at the moment.

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Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock (hand) was forced to make an early exit from Sunday's outing against the Tampa Bay Rays. Hancock was struck in the hand by a comebacker during the first inning of this contest. He remained in the game afterwards, but was pulled in the second inning. His day will be finished with 1.2 innings of work and two strikeouts. The expectation is that Hancock will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury. Luckily, the All-Star break begins on Monday, so Hancock will get a few days off to rest. Fantasy managers should consider Hancock as day-to-day until further notice.

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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler has decided to decline an invitation to the upcoming All-Star Game in Philadelphia. Wheeler was asked if he wanted to be a replacement on the National League roster. He declined, stating that he felt disrespected to be the fifth choice as a replacement. Wheeler has been outstanding when healthy this season, so he's certainly deserving of an All-Star nod. The right-hander owns a 2.28 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and a 98/20 K/BB ratio across 14 starts this season. Wheeler has bounced back nicely since having thoracic outlet surgery last year. He'll rest up during the All-Star break and look forward to helping the Phillies in the second half of the season.

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Texas Rangers pitcher Emiliano Teodo has been recalled from Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday. The 25-year-old will make his first trip to the big leagues after posting solid numbers out of the bullpen for Round Rock. He registered a 3.76 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, and a 52:35 K/BB ratio across 402. innings in Triple-A this season. The expectation is that he'll begin as a low-leverage middle reliever for the Rangers. Teodo does have the potential to move into a high-leverage or possibly a closer role in the future. He could be worth adding in fantasy formats where holds matter. Otherwise, fantasy managers should keep an eye on him as a potential saves target down the road.

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Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (elbow) got into his first game action on Saturday, which was the first time he has pitched since undergoing surgery in April. Diaz tossed a scoreless inning, allowing one hit, while striking out two during his outing with Single-A Ontario on Saturday. This is an encouraging step forward as Diaz works his way back from having loose bodies removed from his right elbow. The expectation is that he'll need a few more rehab outings before he's ready to return to the Dodgers bullpen. Fantasy managers can be hopeful that Diaz is back in the mix by late July.

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New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that right-hander Cam Schlittler will not pitch in Tuesday's All-Star Game, according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. Schlittler isn't injured, but he doesn't want to push himself on what would be his between-starts throwing day. The 25-year-old has more than backed up his strong showing in his rookie campaign in 2025 with his first All-Star nod in 2026. Schlittler ends the first half of his first full season in the big leagues with a 9-5 record while leading the league in ERA (2.05), WHIP (0.94), and WAR (4.2) in 118 2/3 innings covering a league-high 20 starts. The former seventh-rounder in 2022 out of Northeastern University has quickly developed into a fantasy ace and is currently rostered in 98% of Yahoo leagues. His fantasy managers have to be happy about his decision to skip the All-Star Game as he looks for an equally dominant second half. It could be tough sledding to start the second half, though, with an upcoming matchup scheduled against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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New York Mets infielder Bo Bichette (ankle, leg) will miss a third straight game in Sunday's series finale against the Boston Red Sox, per MLB.com. Brett Baty will make the start at the hot corner and will bat eighth against Red Sox left-hander Payton Tolle. Bichette will get some extra rest going into next week's All-Star break while dealing with ankle and leg soreness. With four more days to rest coming up next week, Bichette should be ready to roll for the start of the second half on Friday, July 17, for the series opener against the division-rival Phillies in Philadelphia. The 28-year-old got off to a brutal start to his Mets tenure in 2026, but he eventually rebounded and will finish off the first half with a .256/.301/.377 slash line, .678 OPS, 10 home runs, 51 RBI, 48 runs scored, and a stolen base across 379 at-bats. Bichette has been hot in July, too, going 10-for-33 (.303) with a double, five RBI, and four runs scored in nine games played. Fantasy managers are hoping that Bichette can pick up where he left off following the All-Star break.

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Baltimore Orioles right-handed closer Ryan Helsley (elbow) has inflammation around his UCL, but the ligament isn't torn, manager Craig Albernaz told Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun. Helsley will rehab the injury with hopes of returning this year. The Orioles placed the 31-year-old veteran on the 15-day injured list on July 3 due to right-elbow discomfort. It's great news that Helsley should return this season, but it's unclear when that might be. We should know more on Helsley's potential return once he resumes a throwing program. In the meantime, it'll likely continue to be a closer-by-committee situation in Baltimore that includes Tyler Wells, Rico Garcia, and Andrew Kittredge appearing in the ninth inning to close out games for the O's. Of the three, Garcia is the most rostered (23% of Yahoo leagues), although he hasn't recorded a save since June 2. Helsley is currently rostered in 63% of Yahoo leagues while he recovers from his second elbow injury of 2026. The two-time All-Star has only thrown 15 1/3 innings in 2026 in his first year with the team, going 0-4 with a 4.11 ERA (4.66 FIP), 1.43 WHIP, eight saves, and a 21:9 K:BB in his 17 relief appearances.

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