In yet another blow to the Chicago Cubs starting rotation, the team placed right-hander Ben Brown (neck) on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday with a neck strain, according to Meghan Montemurro of The Chicago Tribune. The Cubs also placed right-hander Edward Cabrera (hamstring) on the IL on Wednesday with a strained left-hamstring. Chicago's starting rotation has been plagued by injuries all year, but the good news is that they are getting left-hander Matthew Boyd (knee, shoulder) back for the series finale against the New York Mets on Thursday. It's a tough break for the Cubs and for Brown, who has been a popular waiver-wire pickup in 2026 after his successful transition from the bullpen to a starting role for the Cubs. In his 20 appearances (eight starts) through 68 innings, the 26-year-old has gone 4-2 with a stingy 1.85 ERA (2.50 FIP) and 0.94 WHIP with 65 strikeouts, 19 walks, and even one save in his third year in the big leagues. If you have the room in an IL spot, Brown has pitched well enough to stash in fantasy baseball leagues. He's currently rostered in 71% of Yahoo leagues.

Athletics infield prospect Leo De Vries has been among the top hitters in the minors over the last week and is now on call-up watch as he nears a promotion to Triple-A Las Vegas. Over his last 10 games with Double-A Midland, the team's No. 1-ranked prospect has gone deep four times while carrying a stellar .250/.375/.625 line with a 9:7 K:BB and two stolen bases. Overall, De Vries has held a .278/.370/.424 line over his first extended look at Double-A action. While he only has nine home runs on the season, seeing the budding superstar begin to tap into his raw power is a very positive sign. While managers should not expect him to be in strong contention to reach the Athletics in the second half, if he can earn the call to Triple-A in the near future, the door will be open. For now, De Vries remains a must-roster high-end dynasty/keeper asset and could find himself on the redraft radar following a promotion to the top club.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Kris Bubic (elbow) is expected to start a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday night, the team announced. Bubic will give it another try with a rehab assignment after previously being pulled from his rehab assignment with Omaha on June 9, after he experienced shoulder discomfort. The 28-year-old southpaw initially landed on the 15-day injured list on May 18 with soreness in his left elbow. He has been cleared to make another rehab start after throwing a two-inning simulated live bullpen session over the weekend. The Royals will likely require Bubic to make more than one rehab assignment, so he could be pushing it close to returning before the All-Star break in mid-July. KC could use the rotation reinforcement with fellow left-hander Cole Ragans potentially needing season-ending elbow surgery. Before his elbow injury, Bubic had gone 3-2 with a 4.11 ERA (3.72 FIP) and 1.23 WHIP with 51 strikeouts and 26 walks in 50 1/3 innings across nine starts. He was a first-time All-Star in 2025 and is a pitching stash candidate off the waiver wire for rotation depth in the second half. Bubic is rostered in under half of Yahoo leagues.

The New York Mets are moving struggling right-hander Kodai Senga to the bullpen, manager Carlos Mendoza told Will Sammon of The Athletic. Senga's struggles have followed him into 2026, as he is currently 0-6 with a 10.08 ERA (7.48 FIP) and 1.92 WHIP with 34 strikeouts and 22 walks in 27 2/3 innings across his seven starts for the Mets after surrendering seven earned runs on three hits (two homers) while walking five and striking out six in just 3 2/3 innings in his sixth loss of the year on Tuesday against the visiting Chicago Cubs. The 33-year-old Japanese native could theoretically earn another chance in the Mets' starting rotation in the second half of the season, but for right now, his fantasy stock will take another big hit in his move to a relief role. Senga could serve in a bulk-relief role out of the bullpen and cover multiple innings since he's stretched out, but fantasy managers in deeper leagues shouldn't want any part of him as he continues to figure out a fix for his struggles. His 16.4% walk rate is the highest it's been in his four years in the big leagues.