Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (wrist) is back at first base and is hitting third for the Dodgers in Friday's series opener on the road in Arizona against the division-rival Diamondbacks and right-hander Merrill Kelly, according to MLB.com. Freeman was pulled from Wednesday's series finale against the Chicago Cubs after injuring his hand/wrist at Wrigley Field, but thankfully, X-rays came back negative, and he will return on Friday without missing a game following L.A.'s scheduled day off on Thursday. Fantasy managers in all traditional formats will want to get Freeman back into their starting lineups for Friday's tilt in the desert, especially since Freeman has hit .333 with a 1.112 OPS, two home runs, and three RBI in 30 career at-bats against Kelly. The 36-year-old is hitting over .300 on the season with 15 home runs and is in the midst of a 15-game hitting streak in which he has gone 27-for-58 (.466) with four doubles, three RBI, five runs scored, and two stolen bases in 60 plate appearances.

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt is giving fantasy managers two things that can be tough to find together on the wire: batting average and steals. The 21-year-old is hitting .289 with two home runs, 17 RBI, 20 runs, and 10 steals through 128 at-bats after scoring and driving in a run Thursday. Milwaukee has kept him in the lineup at shortstop, and there is enough speed here to matter without chasing empty at-bats. The power is a different story. Pratt hit six homers in 58 Triple-A games before his promotion, and that part of his game is still developing. This is not a five-category breakout call. It is a useful middle infielder who can run and has held his own against big-league pitching. RotoBaller now has Pratt in the 12-team add tier, while he remains rostered in only 19% of Yahoo leagues.

Chicago White Sox reliever Grant Taylor has been one of the better strikeout arms on the wire all year, and the deadline made his saves path more interesting. He owns a 2.31 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 78 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings, with a 33.2% strikeout rate that sits in the 97th percentile. Seranthony Dominguez is gone, traded to Seattle, but Taylor still isn't being used like a one-inning closer. He worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings on August 2 and two more on August 6, a reminder that Chicago will deploy him when the game needs him, not just in the ninth. That caps the save total, which sits at five, but it also makes the ratios and strikeouts useful even between chances. Taylor is rostered in 27% of Yahoo leagues, and RotoBaller still has him as a 12-team add. Managers chasing saves with strikeout help should be interested.

The Minnesota Twins announced on Friday that they placed right-hander Joe Ryan (glute) on the 15-day injured list with a left-glute strain and recalled right-hander Zebby Matthews, who will start on Friday against the Milwaukee Brewers, from Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move. The Twins initially were saying that Ryan was dealing with right-arm fatigue, but an MRI exam on Thursday showed his glute strain, which was making it difficult for him to repeat his delivery on the mound. It helps explain why he has struggled mightily in his three starts since the All-Star break, allowing 17 runs (16 earned) on 25 hits (seven home runs) while walking two and striking out 10 in 15 1/3 innings of work. Overall, the 30-year-old veteran is 6-8 in 2026 with a 3.65 ERA (3.42 FIP) and 1.14 WHIP with 138 strikeouts and 27 walks in 125 2/3 frames across 23 starts. It's unknown if Ryan might be ready to return from the IL when he's eligible in two weeks, but fantasy managers in all league formats need to keep him stashed for the stretch run.