

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks (lat) has been placed on the 15-day injured list on Monday. As expected, Fairbanks will head to the shelf after suffering a right lat strain during Sunday's game. The expectation is that the Rays will go closer-by-committee while Fairbanks is out. The list is long for possible closing options in Tampa Bay. Edwin Uceta seems like the favorite choice, but Drew Rasmussen, Garrett Cleavinger, and Colin Poche are also possible options. There's no obvious fantasy pickup here, so fantasy managers might have to wait and see who the Rays lean on in the ninth inning.


Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) has been placed on the 10-day injured list on Monday. It sounds like Hayes has been dealing with a lingering back issues all season long. That could explain his regression on both offense and defensively this season. Hayes will attempt to return this season, but surgery hasn't been ruled out yet. The expectation is that the red-hot Isiah Kiner-Falefa will move over to third base while Hayes is out. Jared Triolo should also see more playing time with Hayes on the shelf. Triolo isn't much of an asset offensively, but Kiner-Falefa has continued his solid play after being traded to Pittsburgh at the deadline. Kiner-Falefa is hitting .290 with eight home runs and 38 RBI in 96 games this season.


San Francisco Giants infielder Thairo Estrada (wrist) has been activated from the 10-day injured list on Monday. Estrada appears ready to play again after being sidelined since late July due to a sprained wrist. He'll cover second base and bat eighth against right-hander Jonathan Cannon on Monday. Despite his struggles it doesn't look like Estrada has lost his starting spot on the team. He's slashing .216/.249/.343 with nine home runs and 43 RBI in 87 games this season. At this point, Estrada probably isn't worth rostering in most fantasy formats outside of deep leagues.



Baltimore Orioles first baseman/designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn and outfielder Cedric Mullins are sitting out Monday's game against the New York Mets at Citi Field with a left-hander on the mound. Eloy Jimenez is serving as Baltimore's DH and will hit sixth, while rookie Colton Cowser will start in center field and bat seventh against Mets left-hander David Peterson. O'Hearn has only faced lefties 29 times this year, going 7-for-27 (.259) with none of his 12 homers. Meanwhile, Mullins has hit just .143 (11-for-77) with one of his 13 homers in 2024 against southpaws, so it's no surprise that both players are sitting to begin the week. Cowser, who also bats from the left side, is hitting .229 (22-for-96) with four of his 18 homers against lefties in his first MLB season. He has never faced Peterson. Jimenez hasn't homered against a lefty this year but has gone 16-for-55 (.291) against them.


New York Mets infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil retreats to the bench for Monday's series opener against the Baltimore Orioles at Citi Field with a left-hander making the start. With McNeil starting on the bench, veteran Jose Iglesias will start at second base and hit sixth for the Mets against Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers. McNeil, a former National League batting champion, is batting .248 (25-for-101) on the year against southpaws with only two of his 12 home runs. He has picked things up a bit in the month of August, hitting .261 (12-for-46) with three home runs, five doubles, four RBI, five walks and six runs scored in 15 games played. Iglesias has done nothing but hit since joining the Mets, but he's not going to provide many counting stats for fantasy managers. In 10 games in August, he's gone 12-for-34 (.353) with two doubles and only three RBI.
