Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (finger) is hoping to start swinging a bat this week as he tries to work his way back from the injured list. Crawford threw for the first time before last weekend's homestand finale against the visiting New York Mets on Aug. 11 after going down with a fractured right pinkie finger in late July. For now, fantasy managers can expect the veteran on-base machine to return to the M's sometime either before the end of August or in early September, depending on if he needs a minor-league rehab assignment or not. In the meantime, center fielder Victor Robles should continue functioning as Seattle's everyday leadoff hitter and experiencing an uptick in fantasy value.

San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (side) has been scratched from Monday's series-opening contest against the Chicago White Sox at Oracle Park due to tightness in his right side. Curt Casali will now do the catching for left-hander Kyle Harrison while batting ninth against White Sox right-hander Jonathan Cannon. We'll have more updates on Bailey once they come in, but for now, fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day. Bailey has provided minimal contributions for fantasy managers in 2024 with only seven home runs and 38 RBI in 366 plate appearances, and he's also gone just 3-for-53 (.057) with no homers, a double, two RBI and 13 strikeouts in 15 games so far in August. Casali would become the starter in San Fran if Bailey is forced to the injured list. The 35-year-old has gone 12-for-67 (.179) and is still searching for his first home run of 2024.

Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (shoulder) continues to ramp up his activity in Boston. Story appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from a devastating fractured left shoulder that he suffered early on in 2024, although there is no clear timetable and it remains to be seen if there's an actual chance that he can return to Boston's lineup if they somehow make it into the postseason as a wild-card team in the American League. Our best guess is that the 31-year-old won't make it back in 2024, but it's nice to see that he's making great progress. Story only managed to play in eight games for the BoSox in his third year with the team and has fallen pretty far since his back-to-back All-Star campaigns with the Colorado Rockies in 2018 and 2019. Ceddanne Rafaela has seen the bulk of playing time at the 6 in Boston this year and has provided some decent power and speed for fantasy managers with 13 bombs and 17 stolen bases in 435 at-bats.

Cleveland Guardians outfield prospect Chase DeLauter will be promoted from Double-A Akron to Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday. DeLauter, the team's No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, earned the promotion by hitting .252/.328/.441 with a .770 OPS, five home runs, 16 RBI and 18 runs scored in 30 games at Akron. The 22-year-old former 16th overall pick in 2022 out of James Madison University missed almost two months earlier this year due to a foot injury, but he's now at the top level of the farm system after cranking a home run in each of his last three games at Akron. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder bats and throws from the left side and is mostly worth stashing in dynasty/keeper leagues for his raw power. But DeLauter also boasts impressive plate discipline and athleticism for his size. Don't expect him to surface in the big leagues when rosters expand in September, but barring another serious injury, we should see DeLauter make his major-league debut in 2025.

The Cleveland Guardians placed right-hander Alex Cobb (finger) on the 15-day injured list on Monday with a fractured nail on his right hand and selected the contract of left-hander Anthony Gose from Triple-A Columbus in a corresponding move. The team also moved left-hander Sam Hentges (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list. Cobb just can't seem to keep himself healthy this year after just recently making his 2024 debut on Aug. 9 after being traded from the San Francisco Giants to Cleveland at the trade deadline. In his two starts for the Guardians, the 36-year-old veteran gave up six runs (five earned) on 12 hits (one homer) while walking three and striking out only four in 10 1/3 innings against the Twins and Cubs. Cobb looked better in his second outing last Wednesday against Chicago, but now he'll be forced to miss another two weeks and is running out of time to make much of an impact as a low-upside streamer in deep fantasy leagues.