Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai's surface stats still look pretty shaky in his first year in the big leagues, but after a rough start to his first season in the States, the 28-year-old has looked more dominant of late and needs to attract interest on the waiver wire in fantasy baseball leagues. Imai was extremely hard to hit for the second straight outing in Thursday night's 2-1 win over the hosting Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, tossing six shutout innings with only two hits allowed, one walk, and 10 strikeouts to drop his season ERA to 5.36. It was his fifth victory of the year. The Japanese native gave up five earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning on June 12 to the Kansas City Royals, but he has now fanned 21 hitters with only three runs allowed and one walk in 12 innings in his last two starts. Imai was sent to the injured list early in his MLB debut due to a dead arm, and while it hasn't been perfect since his return, he is definitely looking much more like the pitcher the Astros invested in over the offseason. He should be a popular waiver-wire pickup heading into his next scheduled start against the Minnesota Twins. Imai is rostered in 45% of Yahoo leagues.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (hamstring) did some on-field exercises earlier this week, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. "He's progressing. We still don't know the timetable, but I think the activity level is ramping up a little bit, and I know he's starting to feel better, so that's a good thing," manager Kurt Suzuki said. It's unclear if Trout is close to embarking on what he expects to be a short minor-league rehab assignment, and it's unknown if he actually has a shot to make it back from the 10-day injured list before the All-Star break in mid-July. The 34-year-old three-time MVP and future Hall of Famer has been on the IL since June 17. The 16-year veteran has had trouble staying on the field in recent years, but the good news is that his latest injury doesn't appear to be all that serious. Before getting hurt, Trout was having a resurgent season in 2026 with 17 home runs, 36 RBI, 54 runs scored, and seven stolen bases in 74 games played. Trout is no longer the five-category stud he once was -- he hasn't hit over .240 since 2023 -- but he deserves to be stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy formats until he returns.

New York Mets first base/outfield prospect Ryan Clifford has spent the entire first half of the season with Triple-A Syracuse and is expected to compete for a second-half debut, especially if the Mets look to sell off some of their current starters. Through 74 games at Syracuse this season, Clifford, the former 11th-round selection, has held a .197/.282/.401 line with a .683 OPS, 11 doubles, and 14 home runs. While his hefty 36.3% K% is a glaring weakness, Clifford has shown high power upside at times. During the 2025 season, Clifford split his time between Double-A and Triple-A, where he hit a total of 29 home runs (over 139 games) with a .237/.356/.470 line. Managers should continue to monitor his progress at Sybase, as he should emerge as a viable deep-league stash for power later in the summer.

Minnesota Twins infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper was placed on the 7-day injured list earlier in June with a left hip strain. However, since hitting the injured list on June 16, the top-ranked prospect has resumed baseball activity and could return to game action as early as this weekend, according to Theodore Tollefson of Twins Daily. Before hitting the injured list for this minor injury, Culpepper was enjoying a dominant stretch at Triple-A, where he posted a .400/.509/.622 line with two doubles, two home runs, and three stolen bases over his last 12 contests. Overall on the season, the former first-round pick holds a .273/.377/.498 line with 14 home runs and 15 stolen bases. Once he returns to action, Culpepper will have a clear path to at-bats at the MLB level, given Minnesota's lack of success, especially at shortstop. Heading into Week 14, Culpepper continues to carry high-end stash value in all standard leagues as he remains on the doorstep of the major leagues.