Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Trey Yesavage (knee) threw a 34-pitch bullpen session on Monday and is on track for a two-inning live batting practice session on Thursday, according to MLB.com. Yesavage is making good progress since landing on the 15-day injured list on Aug. 5 after having surgery on his left meniscus. It is unclear when he will make it back to the Blue Jays, but the team is holding out hope that he can make his return for a start or two before the end of the 2026 regular season. The young right-hander had a successful 23-pitch bullpen session last Friday. Because of the timing of Yesavage's injury, it is unlikely that he will be fully stretched out enough to return to Toronto in a starting role as they seek one of the final wild-card spots in the American League. In his first full year in the majors in 2026, Yesavage has gone 5-5 with a 3.65 ERA (4.08 FIP) and 1.14 WHIP with 91 strikeouts and 46 walks in 93 2/3 frames across 18 starts. He has very little time left to help fantasy managers and should not be considered a must-stash in redraft leagues.

Boston Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told Marcos Grunfeld of ElEmergente.com that first baseman Willson Contreras (hamstring) will resume running this week and could be reinstated from the 10-day injured list before Friday's series opener against the Kansas City Royals. It is unclear if Contreras will go on a short minor-league rehab assignment before he returns, but if he does, he might not return against the Royals this weekend. The veteran right-handed slugger has made a quick recovery after being placed on the IL last week with a strained left hamstring. The 34-year-old Venezuelan should not be floating around on any waiver wires because of his injury, as the former catcher has been one of Boston's most consistent offensive performers in 2026 in his first year with the team. Contreras will be returning to a .274/.384/.516 slash line with an even .900 OPS, 26 home runs, 79 RBI, 66 runs scored, and three stolen bases across his 434 at-bats. Mickey Gasper has been the team's primary first baseman since Contreras landed on the shelf.

Baltimore Orioles corner infielder Coby Mayo had the first multi-homer game of his career in Monday's 6-4 win over the visiting Cleveland Guardians at Camden Yards, going 2-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI, and two strikeouts. The 24-year-old right-handed slugger is still hitting only .224 on the season after his two-homer performance on Monday, but he does have a career-high 21 home runs and 58 RBI in 116 games played in his third year in the big leagues. And because he is absolutely dominating left-handed hitters -- Mayo has a 1.136 OPS against southpaws in 133 at-bats -- he will continue to be a lineup regular for the O's against lefties to close out the year. Mayo has been a much better hitter in the second half of the 2026 campaign, as he entered Monday's action with a .274/.328/.532 slash line with an .861 OPS and seven home runs in 41 games since the All-Star break, compared to a .193/.264/.395 line with a .659 OPS in 74 first-half games. He was hot in August, going 22-for-81 (.272) with five home runs, three doubles, two triples, 15 RBI, 15 runs, and a stolen base in 25 games, and so far he has carried that over into September.

Chicago White Sox right-hander Grant Taylor has been one of the breakout success stories of the 2026 season, recording a 7-2 record with a 2.16 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 97 strikeouts across 75 innings (55 games). The 24-year-old is averaging 98.1 miles per hour on his fastball and has paired an excellent 32.4% strikeout rate with a manageable 8.7% walk rate. Given Taylor's utility to the White Sox as a high-leverage fireman who can work more than one inning, the team has not deployed him as a traditional closer. Still, he's racked up eight saves this season and remains a threat to take over the full-time closer role in Chicago at any point. Even if Taylor's usage remains the same down the stretch, he provides value to fantasy managers as a high-end source of ratios and a better source of strikeouts and wins than most relievers.