Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (finger) was not in the starting lineup for Friday's contest against the Baltimore Orioles and is dealing with a finger issue. Manager Kevin Cash said Lowe has some ligament inflammation on both sides of his middle finger and had it wrapped before the game. "He's banged up," Cash said. "The finger is bothering him. He's seeing the doctor, but we're going to try to lessen his workload and swings, and see if we can get that thing to calm down. He's available, but for right now, every little swing is aggravating him, so not sure how long it's going to take." Jose Caballero got the start at the keystone on Friday, with Taylor Walls starting at short. It's a day-to-day situation for now, but if Lowe can't return soon, this could quickly turn into an IL situation. The 30-year-old lefty slugger has provided 16 homers, 49 RBI and five steals in 318 at-bats in 2024 while batting .242.

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette (calf) ran the bases again on Friday and will remain with the team through the weekend during their series in Atlanta against the Braves, according to manager John Schneider. The plan for Bichette is for him to join Triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday to begin a minor-league rehab assignment that should last four or five games. The 26-year-old has been out since right around the All-Star break due to a strained right calf that has been an issue for him this year. Bichette is on track to return to the big-league roster before the end of September, but at this point, it's been a complete bust of a season for the two-time All-Star. Even before his calf injury cropped up, Bichette was underperforming big time at the plate and currently carries a .222/.275/.320 slash line with a career-worst .595 OPS, only four homers, 30 RBI and five steals in 80 games.

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Jordan Romano (elbow) will not return this season. Romano has been throwing in Florida for over a week but just ran out of time to get back to the big leagues in 2024. He will continue progressing to mound work heading into the offseason. It shouldn't come as a surprise with Toronto not even close to playoff contention with the final several weeks of the season upon us. The 31-year-old Romano underwent arthroscopic right-elbow surgery two months ago and will now focus his attention on being a full-go for the start of spring training in the middle of February in 2025. For the rest of this season, veteran right-hander Chad Green will continue serving as Toronto's primary closer. It was a rough year for fantasy managers that had Romano rostered, as he saved only eight games in 15 appearances while posting a 6.59 ERA and 1.46 WHIP with 13 K's and four walks in 13 2/3 innings.

Minnesota Twins infielder/outfielder Willi Castro is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Kansas City Royals. The injuries have piled up in Minnesota which has pushed Castro into basically an everyday role. He's hitting .248 with 11 home runs, 52 RBI, and 13 stolen bases in 139 games. The first-time All-Star has been in a slump at the plate lately with only two hits in his last seven games. Hopefully a day off will help Castro get back on track at the plate. Austin Martin will cover center field and bat sixth while Kyle Farmer bats fifth against left-hander Cole Ragans. Neither player brings much to the plate right now, but Martin is the better streaming option between the two. He's hitting .250 with 16 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 87 games this season.

Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor (back) returns to the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is good news after Naylor was forced to exit early during Tuesday's game due to back spasms. As a result, Naylor sat out on Wednesday and the team had an off day on Thursday. Naylor will bat cleanup and cover first base versus right-hander Landon Knack on Friday. Naylor has been on fire at the plate with nine hits and six RBI in his last five games. Fantasy managers should make sure to get Naylor back in their lineups ahead of first pitch.