Toronto Blue Jays outfielder/designated hitter Anthony Santander (shoulder) was activated from the injured list on Tuesday and is making his long-awaited return to the starting lineup on Wednesday against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. Santander will serve as the DH and will bat fifth against Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet. It will be the 30-year-old's first game with Toronto since May 29 due to a left-shoulder injury. The Jays want to get Santander some at-bats in the final week of the regular season before the playoffs start. Their big offseason acquisition was not swinging the bat well before his injury, slashing .179/.273/.304 with six home runs, 18 RBI, and 14 runs scored. The switch-hitting Venezuelan hit 44 homers and drove in 102 last year with the Orioles, though, so if he can get going, it would be a huge boost to Toronto's offense in the postseason. He's gone hitless in eight career at-bats against Crochet.

Detroit Tigers infielder Javier Baez (neck) is out of the starting lineup again on Wednesday in another crucial game against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Trey Sweeney will start at shortstop and will bat out of the nine-hole against Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee. Baez was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with neck stiffness and will miss his second straight game. Consider the 32-year-old day-to-day for now. Sweeney will be a poor choice as a DFS sleeper out of the nine-hole on Wednesday. The former first-rounder is hitting just .195 (57-for-292) this year with six home runs, 32 RBI, 36 runs scored, and three stolen bases. He's also hitless in three career at-bats against Bibee. With Colt Keith (rib cage) on the injured list, the Tigers are thin on the left side of their infield as they look to snap out of their current funk.

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday to replace the injured David Fry (face). Rodriguez spent time with Cleveland earlier this season and part of last year, but owns just a .155/.255/.258 slash line with one home run and a 32.7 percent strikeout rate in 41 major league games played (110 plate appearances). The former third-round draft pick had a great year at Triple-A, slashing .312/.397/.515 with 16 home runs, and rode a 14-game hit streak from September 4-19 (.408, six home runs). If he can keep the momentum going, he could see success this time around, but he's not expected to get regular at-bats over the final week of the season.

Cleveland Guardians designated hitter David Fry (face) suffered a broken nose and facial fractures on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers when he was hit in the face by a pitch from left-hander Tarik Skubal, according to Tom Withers of The Associated Press. "He is doing OK, he's in good spirits. He's upright, he's alert," manager Stephen Vogt said. It was a scary situation at Progressive Field on Tuesday night, but the good news is Fry never lost consciousness and should be fine. However, the 29-year-old is going to miss some time and probably won't be available to close out the regular season, which ends on Sunday. If the Guardians make the playoffs, Fry could be fighting an uphill battle to be included on the postseason roster. Fry got a late start to the 2025 season after recovering from UCL surgery on his right arm, and he's currently hitting just .171 (25-for-146) with eight home runs, 23 RBI, and 16 runs in 66 games.

Houston Astros left-hander Brandon Walter (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. Walter is expected to miss the entire 2026 campaign while recovering from the procedure. The 29-year-old made the first nine starts of his career this season and performed well over 53 2/3 innings. Walter logged a 3.35 ERA with a .93 WHIP, 52 strikeouts, and a meager four walks before going on the injured list with elbow inflammation on July 24. While Walter began working toward a return in early August, Houston shut him down later in the month after he continued to feel discomfort in his elbow. The Astros announced on Sept. 9 that Walter would undergo surgery, though it was unclear whether it would be a Tommy John procedure. It has since been revealed that he suffered a torn UCL, which will shelve him for the foreseeable future.

Baltimore Orioles catcher Gary Sanchez (knee) will not return from the injured list this season, according to interim manager Tony Mansolino. Sanchez suffered a sprained right knee on July 5, and though he did play eight rehab games with Triple-A Norfolk earlier this month, the Orioles decided not to activate him from the 60-day IL. After inking a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Orioles last winter, Sanchez dealt with multiple injuries this season and only played in 29 games. The soon-to-be 33-year-old will return to the open market during the upcoming offseason after hitting .231/.297/.418 with five home runs and 24 RBI in 101 plate appearances.

Seattle Mariners closer Andres Munoz continued his stellar season in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Rockies, picking up his 38th save of the season. Munoz came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by one and turned in a 1-2-3 performance with two strikeouts. The 26-year-old has been one of baseball's best closers this season, converting 38 of 45 save opportunities with a 1.47 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP, and a 12.18 K/9 rate in 61 1/3 innings of work. He should enter the 2026 season as a top fantasy option now that he has shown what he can do as the team's primary closer.

Minnesota Twins second baseman Luke Keaschall (thumb) exited Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Rangers with a left thumb sprain, per the Athletic's Dan Hayes. Keaschall went 0-for-1 with a walk and a stolen base before being replaced defensively by Edouard Julien in the fourth inning. The 23-year-old described his thumb as swollen and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday. Keaschall has put forth a solid rookie performance since rejoining the Twins at the beginning of August, slashing .302/.382/.445 with four home runs, 28 RBI, and 14 stolen bases in 207 plate appearances.

Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (side) exited Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Twins in the fifth inning with left-side tightness, per MLB.com's Kennedi Landry. Langford went 0-for-2 before being pinch-hit for by Michael Helman. The 23-year-old has been dealing with side tightness and sat out of games over the past weekend. Fantasy managers should keep an eye out for more news and for Wednesday's lineup announcement. Langford has put together a decent sophomore season overall, slashing .241/.344/.431 with 22 home runs, 73 runs scored, 62 RBI, and 22 stolen bases in 573 plate appearances.

It does not appear that Boston Red Sox rookie outfielder Roman Anthony (oblique) is close to resuming baseball activities, according to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. "Yeah, but just like being around him a little bit, you can see he's getting more comfortable. When it first happened, you could look at him and tell that he was in quite a bit of discomfort and pain. That has subsided, but there's still quite a bit of room to get to in terms of baseball activity," Breslow said. At this point with less than a week left in the regular season, the BoSox are just hoping that the 21-year-old can rejoin the team for the postseason if they qualify. Anthony has been on the injured list since Sept. 3 with an oblique injury. Boston has had a losing record since losing the outfield prospect, who was hitting a cool .292 (75-for-257) with eight home runs, 32 RBI, 48 runs, and four steals in his first 71 big-league games.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (oblique) remains on the bench for Tuesday's contest on the road in Sacramento against the Athletics. Mauricio Dubon will make the start at the 6 and will hit ninth against A's left-hander Jeffrey Springs. Pena was scratched from the lineup in Sunday's series finale against the Seattle Mariners with left-oblique soreness and is not feeling good enough to play in the series opener against the A's on Tuesday despite having a day off on Monday. The Astros are in must-win mode as they try to latch on to the final wild-card spot in the American League in the final week of the regular season, but they might have to do it without one of their best players. The 28-year-old should be considered day-to-day. Check back to see if he's active on Wednesday. Dubon should be avoided as a DFS sleeper on Tuesday at the bottom of Houston's batting order.

Tampa Bay Rays All-Star first baseman Jonathan Aranda (wrist) will join the team in Baltimore on Wednesday and go through a round of batting practice and ground balls to see how he feels, according to Ryan Bass of Bally Sports. Aranda has played in three games in Port Charlotte and could be activated from the 10-day injured list as early as Thursday, if all goes well. "He's pretty encouraged," manager Kevin Cash said, "and I'm pretty excited about Johnny and the effort that he has shown to get back here and finish just a pretty impressive season." The 27-year-old has been out since late July with a fractured left wrist, but he could return for the team's final series of the season, which begins on Friday in Toronto against the division-rival Blue Jays. Aranda has had a breakout season in 2025, slashing .316/.394/.478 with an .871 OPS, 12 home runs, 54 RBI, and 53 runs in 103 games in his fourth MLB season.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (abdomen) and second baseman Marcus Semien (foot) have officially been shut down for the remainder of the season, according to manager Bruce Bochy. MLB.com's Kennedi Landry explains that it was a long shot for either Seager or Semien to return this year, but they were both still rehabbing for a potential return if the postseason was within reach. Going into play on Tuesday with less than a week left in the regular season, the Rangers are five games back of both the Cleveland Guardians and Houston Astros for the final wild-card spot in the American League, so the playoffs aren't in the cards this year for Texas. Injuries prevented Seager from having his fourth straight 30-homer season, but he still finishes with a strong .271/.373/.487 slash line, .860 OPS, 21 home runs, and 50 RBI in 102 games played. Semien finished under 150 games played for the first time in a full season since 2017, and he hit a disappointing .230 (108-for-470) with 15 home runs, 62 RBI, and 11 steals.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo (pectoral) won't make his final scheduled start against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday. Woo is currently considered day-to-day due to a pectoral issue. He reportedly responded well to treatment, but the Mariners are going to play it safe with him. The organization doesn't plan to place Woo on the injured list because they don't think they'll need 15 days to heal. At the moment, it's unclear when Woo will take the mound again. That'll likely depend on how the Mariners play over the next week. The Mariners haven't announced who is going to take his spot in the rotation on Thursday.

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas (foot) underwent successful surgery on Tuesday. Thomas needed to have surgery to address the plantar fasciitis issue that has bothered him throughout most of the season. He's expected to miss roughly 3-4 months of action following the surgery. That being said, Thomas won't be available if the Guardians make the playoffs, but he should be ready to go in time for spring training. It was basically a lost season for Thomas who only managed to play in 39 games.

Chicago White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi (Achilles) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, retroactive to Sept. 21. The veteran outfielder will miss the final week of the regular season due to Achilles tendinitis. This is an issue that forced Benintendi to miss time earlier in the season. The White Sox aren't in postseason contention anyway, so Benintendi missing a few games isn't a big deal. It'll give the White Sox a chance to play some younger players. Benintendi finished the season with a .240/.307/.431 slash line with 20 home runs, 63 RBI, and one stolen base in 116 games. It wasn't a terrible year for Benintendi, but the White Sox expected more out of him when they signed him to a five-year deal in 2023.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Dustin May (elbow) is scheduled to throw live batting practice in Fort Myers, Fla., on Tuesday. May, who has been on the 15-day injured list with elbow neuritis since Sept. 6, is running out of time to return during the regular season. Between the injury and his subpar performance, the 28-year-old has endured a rough several weeks since the Red Sox acquired him from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the July 31 trade deadline. In six appearances (five starts) with Boston, May has gone 1-4 with a 5.40 ERA, a 1.69 WHIP, and 26:13 K:BB in 28 1/3 innings.

New York Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon will make his next start on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox, manager Aaron Boone announced. Rodon had been slated to start Friday against the Baltimore Orioles, but the Yankees want to set him up with an extra day of rest before he takes the ball in Game 2 of a wild-card playoff series. The 32-year-old will get a favorable matchup against one of his former teams, the White Sox, who rank 26th in the majors in runs. Rodon held them to one run in six innings in a win on Aug. 29. Having gone 17-9 with a 3.04 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and 198:72 K:BB over 189 1/3 frames, Rodon has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career.

Baltimore Orioles catcher Gary Sanchez (knee) is eyeing a return from the 60-day injured list in late September, per MLB.com. Sanchez has been on the IL since the beginning of July with a right knee sprain. He has played eight games on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk, posting a .370/.485/.704 slash line with three home runs. The 32-year-old veteran has had some flashes of his old fantasy power this season with the O's, but overall has been disappointing with a .231/.297/.418 slash line, five HR, and 24 RBI in 101 plate appearances.

The Baltimore Orioles announced on Monday that they reinstated catcher Adley Rutschman (oblique) from the 10-day injured list and optioned infielder Luis Vazquez to the spring training complex in a corresponding move. The Orioles are off on Monday, but Rutschman should return to Baltimore's starting lineup for the final week of the regular season for Tuesday's series opener against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays at Camden Yards. The 27-year-old switch-hitter is returning to action for the first time in over a month due to a strained right oblique. Rutschman and rookie Samuel Basallo will likely share starts behind the plate to close out the 2025 campaign. It's been a frustrating year for both the O's and Rutschman, as he has hit just .227/.310/.373 with a below-average .684 OPS, a career-low nine home runs, and 29 RBI in just 85 games in an injury-plagued season.