Miami Marlins middle infielder Xavier Edwards (thumb) remains out of the starting nine for Friday's series opener at home against the division-rival Atlanta Braves, per MLB.com. Jared Serna will make another start at second base for the Fish and will hit in the nine-hole against Braves left-hander Ray Kerr. This will be Edwards' fifth straight missed game after he aggravated a left-thumb injury last Saturday against the San Diego Padres. The Marlins have not rushed the 27-year-old back after being eliminated from playoff contention. At this point, he only has two more chances to return before the end of the regular season on Saturday and Sunday against Atlanta. The switch-hitting middle infielder was having a second straight solid season for the Fish this year, slashing .280/.360/.371 with a .730 OPS, a career-high six home runs, 52 RBI, 21 stolen bases, and 61 runs scored across 142 games and 595 plate appearances. You are not going to get any power from Edwards, but he remains useful for his speed and contact-oriented approach at the dish in fantasy leagues.

Philadelphia Phillies infielder Luis Arraez (ankle) is out of the team's starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays, and the report on his ankle injury from Thursday night is "not a great one," interim manager Don Mattingly told Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Mattingly did not give a grade on the sprain, and the Phillies have not decided on an injured-list placement, which would take Arraez out until at least Oct. 5, or around Game 3 of the divisional round. X-rays on Arraez's left ankle came back negative on Thursday night, but his sprained ankle is still stiff and sore, which is why he will not play on Friday. Bryson Stott is at second base and batting fifth on Friday, with Edmundo Sosa at third base and hitting ninth against Rays right-hander Freddy Peralta. The Phillies would obviously love to avoid putting the 29-year-old All-Star on the IL, but if he cannot play at all this weekend, they might have no choice. The four-time All-Star and three-time batting champion has hit only .278 (49-for-176) in his 46 games with the Phillies this year after being traded from the San Francisco Giants in early August, but he is still the league's leading hitter at .310 overall. Not having Arraez available next week for the start of the playoffs (if the Phillies qualify) would be a big loss for Philadelphia.

Detroit Tigers new top prospect Zyhir Hope showed off plenty of promise with Double-A Erie following his trade from the Dodgers in the Tarik Skubal deal. Hope was the headline piece coming back to Detroit after dealing away their ace and he proved his potential with a massive minor-league season at the Double-A level between the Dodgers and Tigers. The 21-year-old left-handed hitter combined to hit .287 with 29 homers and 111 RBI to go with 86 runs scored and 26 stolen bases. Hope has a 50-grade hit tool with 60-grade power and 55-grade speed. The future is bright for Hope and he could make his debut with the Tigers in 2027. Expect the five-category skills Hope has shown in the minors to translate to the big leagues, making him a great target for fantasy managers as soon as next season.

Washington Nationals left-hander Connelly Early (elbow) threw 40 pitches across 1 2/3 innings with Triple-A Rochester on Sept. 20 and will come off the 60-day injured list to make one more start this season this weekend against the division-rival New York Mets, according to MLB.com. Early landed on the injured list on July 1 and was moved to the 60-day IL on Aug. 22 due to inflammation in his left elbow. It will be his first start with the Nationals after the team acquired him from the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline in early August. In his 17 starts (91 2/3 innings pitched) for the BoSox this year in his second season in the big leagues, Early went 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA (4.60 FIP) and 1.25 WHIP with 93 strikeouts and 34 walks. He had a 2.33 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in a smaller sample size of only four starts in his first taste of the big leagues near the end of the 2025 campaign. Early, a fifth-rounder from Virginia in 2023, is one of the more intriguing young lefty arms in baseball, but he will be far too risky in starting fantasy lineups with championships on the line this weekend against New York after his long injury layoff.