Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (ankle) is back in the starting lineup on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park, serving as the designated hitter and batting second against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will start at the 6 and bat leadoff for the Bucs. Fantasy managers have to be thrilled that Cruz is back in action after he was pulled early in Friday's series-opening win over the M's when he tweaked his left ankle running the bases in the seventh inning. The 25-year-old's injury obviously wasn't very serious, and he should remain in starting fantasy lineups everywhere. The Dominican shortstop has been excellent since the All-Star break and even better in August, going 16-for-42 (.381) with a homer, four doubles, seven RBI and three stolen bases in 11 games. Cruz has never faced Castillo in his career.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, and three runs scored in Friday's 7-1 win over the Reds. The homer put him in the 25/25 club for the second consecutive season, and the 24-year-old has now collected at least one hit in 39 of his last 43 games dating back to June 24. The former second-overall pick has slashed .429/.476/.792 over that stretch, and if not for Aaron Judge then he would be leading the MVP race. With 40 games to go, Witt could also attain a second consecutive 30/30 season as well.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes allowed two earned runs on three hits and four walks while striking out six batters over six innings of work in Friday's 5-3 victory over the Mariners. He also hit a batter. It was the former first-round draft pick's 12th quality start in 16 games started and he now has a sterling 2.30 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 25.5% K-BB%. While there isn't much to complain about, it was the third time in the last four starts that the 22-year-old walked at least three batters, and he's hit a batter in five of seven, so he could be tiring with 125 1/3 IP under his belt this season between the minors and majors. Regardless, as long as he's on the mound fantasy managers should be firing him up.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge went 1-for-4 at the plate in Friday's 3-0 victory over the Tigers, but the lone hit was his 44th home run of the season. The 32-year-old has a little five-game hit streak going now, during which time he is 10-for-18 (.556) with three home runs and has a .652 OBP. The 6x All-Star is the MVP-front runner at this point and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech was handed the ball in the ninth inning Friday, pitching a clean frame with no hits or walks and recording two strikeouts while notching the save in the 7-6 victory over the Cardinals. It was the righty's first save in a Dodger uniform after coming over from the White Sox. While the 28-year-old's tenure with the Sox was tumultuous, it has been smooth sailing so far in L.A., posting a 0.00 ERA in eight appearances, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out 13 batters. Daniel Hudson blew a save on Thursday and it has been nearly a month since Evan Phillips earned a save, so while all three are in the mix, Kopech's effectiveness should provide him more opportunities for saves going forward.