Seattle Mariners outfield prospect Lazaro Montes (hip) exited Friday night's game early against the division-rival Athletics with soreness in his left hip, according to the team. In just his third MLB game, Montes left hobbled after crashing into the outfield wall while attempting a catch. Until we know the severity of the 21-year-old's injury, we will consider him day-to-day. Before being replaced in right field by Taylor Ward, Montes went 0-for-2 at the plate. In his first two games for the M's, the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline went 3-for-9 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs scored. Seattle recently called up the 21-year-old Cuban outfielder in hopes that he would give the team a shot in the arm as they try to stay in the playoff race in the American League down the stretch. In 123 games (542 plate appearances) in the minors this year with Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Tacoma, Montes hit .249/.369/.558 with a .928 OPS, 38 home runs, 96 RBI, 99 runs scored, and eight stolen bases, so he can certainly do serious damage at the dish when he is on. Because he sells out for lift and power most of the time, fantasy managers will have to put up with plenty of strikeouts. But his 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame can produce high-end power.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that right-handed closer Bryan Baker (illness) was pulled from his outing early on Friday against the Texas Rangers with an illness and is dealing with "nothing physical," according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Baker was brought in for the ninth in a save situation and allowed an earned run on two walks without recording an out before he was replaced by Tyler Wells, who hung on for his sixth save of the season in the 7-6 win in Texas. The 31-year-old Baker might not be available for the rest of the weekend series against the Rangers, but it is unlikely that he will need a stint on the injured list, which is great news for fantasy managers. The former 11th-round pick by the Colorado Rockies in 2016 from North Florida came out of nowhere in 2026 to be an elite source of saves. Baker, a first-time All-Star this year, came into Friday's outing with a 1.47 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, a league-leading 39 saves, 60 strikeouts, and 18 walks in 55 innings pitched. Before this season, Baker had four saves in five MLB campaigns with the Rays, Orioles, and Blue Jays. Consider him day-to-day going into Saturday.

Athletics right-hander J.T. Ginn (soreness) has made minimal progress and will be evaluated by the team orthopedist on Saturday, according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. There is a chance that Ginn will not pitch again this season. The A's reported that Ginn had been pushed back from his most recent scheduled appearance due to undisclosed soreness. It is unclear exactly what Ginn is dealing with, but with the A's playoff hopes already out the window, they have no incentive to rush him back to the starting rotation if he is not 100 percent healthy. He is not on the injured list, but it sounds like that could be coming if the A's shut him down for the year. The 27-year-old former second-rounder by the New York Mets in 2020 from Mississippi State University has gone 9-8 this year with a 3.71 ERA (4.38 FIP) and 1.24 WHIP with a career-high 121 strikeouts and 57 walks in 138 1/3 innings and 27 appearances (24 starts) in his third year in the majors. Ginn's low 22.4% strikeout rate in his three-year career gives him limited fantasy upside, and he is rostered in only 27% of Yahoo leagues.

According to Ryan Divish, Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Matt Brash (late) will be shut down from throwing for the next eight weeks. The Mariners are doing this after a recent MRI revealed more inflammation in his lat. Brash was ramping up towards a return in late August, but unfortunately, he suffered a setback. When healthy, Brash has been a stud, but keeping him on the mound has been extremely difficult for the Mariners. He'll finish the season with a 0.54 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and a 15/6 K/BB ratio across 20 appearances. The expectation is that the 28-year-old will be ready to go for the 2027 season.