Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Stephen Kolek (personal) was reinstated from the family medical leave list on Sunday. He was immediately placed on the 15-day Injured List due to a right flexor strain. It sounds like Kolek suffered the injury during a rehab outing with Triple-A Omaha on Saturday. It's unclear how long Kolek is going to be sidelined with this issue. The right-hander hasn't made an appearance with the big league club since July 2. This season, Kolek owns a 4.50 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 34/12 K/BB ratio across 10 starts this season. There is no timetable available for Kolek, but he likely won't be back until some point in August.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Max Scherzer (back, thumb) was able to throw a successful bullpen session on Sunday. Scherzer recently had a rehab assignment paused last week. He received three cortisone injections in his right thumb, but is back to throwing the ball fairly quickly. He landed on the Injured List in mid-June due to back spasms. He suffered an injured thumb while rehabbing, but is hopeful to get back on the mound soon. The hope is that Scherzer can rejoin the Jays' starting rotation at some point in August. When healthy, Scherzer has been awful with a 10.23 ERA across six starts this season. Fantasy managers shouldn't wait around and hope the 41-year-old still has something left in the tank.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco (elbow) will be activated off the Injured List ahead of Monday's game against the Miami Marlins. Blanco is set to take the mound and make his season debut during the series opener against Miami. The veteran right-hander has been sidelined since having an internal brace procedure last June. He has been working his way back and building up his pitch count in the minor leagues. His return to the mound will move Tatsuya Imai to Tuesday, and shift Peter Lambert to Wednesday's series finale. Blanco hasn't pitched in a big league game since mid-May of 2025. Fantasy managers can't be sure what to expect from Blanco, but he could be someone worth adding in deep leagues.

Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo (shoulder) was removed to make an early exit from Sunday's game against the Houston Astros. Basallo appears to have tweaked his shoulder during his lone at-bat of the game in the second inning. Basallo was ultimately pulled from the game in the bottom half of the inning due to right shoulder discomfort. The O's are likely to have Basallo undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury. Sam Huff took over behind the plate and could see increased playing time if Basallo misses time. Adley Rutschman and Huff would split up the time behind the plate if Basallo lands on the Injured List. Fantasy managers should check back on Monday for another update on his status.