New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez made his presence felt out of the nine-hole to kick off the second half of the 2026 season on Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park in a 4-1 win over the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. Alvarez went 2-for-3 at the plate with two solo home runs, a walk, and a strikeout to boost his season average to .259 and his OPS to .773. Since returning from a torn meniscus in his knee, Alvarez has been swinging a hot bat, hitting .280 with seven home runs and 14 RBI in 100 at-bats. His multi-homer performance on Thursday was his first of the season and the seventh of his career. The Venezuelan backstop is now hitting .259/.325/.448 with 11 home runs and 24 RBI in 236 plate appearances for the Mets. Fantasy managers who need power at catcher can find Alvarez widely available off the waiver wire, as he's currently rostered in only 18% of Yahoo leagues. Injuries have been a big part of the 24-year-old's career so far, but don't forget that he hit 25 long balls in only 123 games in his first full season in 2023. He has already matched his homer total in each of the last two seasons.

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that right-hander Zac Gallen (elbow) is waiting on second opinions after landing on the 15-day injured list last week with inflammation in his right elbow, according to Alex D'Agostino of Sports Illustrated. "Gallen, we're continuing to evaluate," Lovullo said. "He is waiting for other opinions from other doctors. So we'll just keep putting that off until we get everything complete." Second opinions typically aren't a great sign for injured players, although it's too early to speculate if Gallen will need something severe like season-ending Tommy John surgery. Still, it's more bad news for the 30-year-old former third-rounder by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016 out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after a rough first half of the season in his eighth year in the big leagues. Gallen is rostered in just over 30% of Yahoo leagues now after going 3-9 in his first 19 starts (98 innings) with a career-worst 6.34 ERA (5.31 FIP) and 1.56 WHIP with 61 strikeouts and 31 walks. It's hard to recommend holding him in mixed fantasy leagues if a lengthy stay on the injured list is coming.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Michael Soroka (glute) threw a bullpen session on Tuesday, but he's not expected to return immediately following this week's All-Star break, according to Sports Illustrated's Alex D'Agostino. Soroka has been on the 15-day injured list since June 19. He's making progress, but he will likely require a minor-league rehab assignment before rejoining Arizona's starting rotation. With Zac Gallen (elbow) also on the IL to start the second half of the season, right-hander Jose Cabrera could be called up to make another couple of spot starts for the Snakes. The 28-year-old Soroka was having a career resurgence in the first half of 2026 before getting hurt in his first year in the desert, going 8-3 with a 3.07 ERA (2.93 FIP) and 1.08 WHIP with 79 strikeouts and 17 walks in 82 innings pitched across his 15 starts for Arizona. Soroka should become a popular streamer once again in fantasy when he's healthy, but that might not be until early August.

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (hand) received a cortisone shot to address a nagging hand injury that arose during the team's series in San Diego against the division-rival Padres, but the skipper didn't sound worried, according to Alex D'Agostino of Sports Illustrated. "He battles hand issues throughout the course of the year, ever since we've had him," Lovullo said. "I was told it's not going to hinder him whatsoever." Perdomo posted an image of his left hand bandaged up, but it doesn't appear to be a situation that will land him on the injured list to start the second half of the season. Fantasy managers will want to make sure to check Arizona's lineup for Friday's series opener versus the St. Louis Cardinals. The 26-year-old Dominican shortstop has had a down year in 2026 after hitting .290 with a career-high 20 home runs, 100 RBI, and 27 steals in 161 games. Perdomo has a .241/.354/.356 slash line with a .710 OPS, only six homers, 34 RBI, 15 steals, and 46 runs in 92 games going into the second half of 2026.