Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman's (elbow) availability to play third base will "kind of be a fluid situation" for the rest of the season, he said on Wednesday. Bregman returned to action on Wednesday after a five-game absence due to swelling in his right elbow and was able to hit a homer in his first at-bat as the designated hitter. He said there is no structural damage to his UCL, but swelling remains a problem, and it's something he's going to need to manage the rest of the year. It's unclear if this situation is related, but Bregman did have arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips in the same elbow after the 2018 season. He doesn't feel pain while swinging or throwing. Bregman had a .534 OPS on May 13, but he's since raised it to .768 and has been red-hot in August. With Bregman limited to DH duties for now, the Astros will like use a combination of rookies Shay Whitcomb or Zach Dezenzo at third.

The Milwaukee Brewers optioned infield prospect Tyler Black to Triple-A Nashville on Thursday and reinstated outfielder Blake Perkins (calf) from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move. Black, the team's No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has been called up to the big leagues two separate times this year and has struggled in both short stints while not getting much run for the Brew Crew. This last time around, the left-handed-hitting Canadian went 2-for-15 with an RBI, three walks and five strikeouts in just six games played. Overall, the former 33rd overall pick in 2021 out of Wright State has hit .204 (10-for-49) with two RBI, three steals and four runs scored in just 18 games. The 24-year-old should return to Milwaukee when rosters expand in September, but don't expect his playing time to suddenly increase. Gary Sanchez and Jake Bauers are the likeliest candidates for the DH spot for the Brewers moving forward.

Detroit Tigers outfielders Riley Greene and Parker Meadows and rookie shortstop Trey Sweeney are all out of the starting lineup on Thursday at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs with a left-hander on the mound. Andy Ibanez is starting in left field and batting second, Matt Vierling is in center field and hitting leadoff, and Javier Baez is starting at shortstop and batting in the nine-hole against Cubs left-hander Justin Steele. Greene snapped out of little slump since returning from the injured list by going deep and driving in three runs on Wednesday night. The 23-year-old was a first-time All-Star in 2024 but has hit only .208 (20-for-96) with four of his 18 home runs on the year against southpaws. Vierling is hitting .265 (26-for-98) against lefties this year with two of his 14 homers, while Ibanez has hit .351 (33-for-94) with all four of his homers against lefties.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Ryan Burr will serve as the team's opener on Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels at Rogers Center, according to the team. Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough will likely be used in the bulk-relief role. This will be Burr's first "start" of the year. It's a great matchup against the light-hitting Halos, but Burr isn't going to go deep enough in this game to make him a realistic streaming candidate in fantasy. In 19 relief outings in 2024, he's posted a 5.40 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 23 strikeouts and eight walks in 18 1/3 innings in his first year in Toronto. Yarbrough, who came over in the trade that sent outfielder Kevin Kiermaier to the Los Angeles Dodgers, has allowed four earned runs on four hits (one homer) while walking three and striking out three in his four relief appearances for the Jays. Stay away from both Burr and Yarbrough on Thursday.

The Baltimore Orioles optioned left-hander Trevor Rogers to Triple-A Norfolk and recalled left-hander Nick Vespi and activated infielder Emmanuel Rivera in corresponding moves. The O's also optioned Colin Selby and Livan Soto and recalled Matt Bowman in a series of moves on Thursday. Since Rogers joined Baltimore's starting rotation in a questionable trade that sent infield prospect Connor Norby to the Miami Marlins, the 26-year-old left-hander has posted a 7.11 ERA while allowing 16 runs (15 earned) on 25 hits (two homers), walking 10 and striking out 12 in 19 innings pitched. Rogers hasn't gone beyond five innings of work since June 21 and will now head to the minors to work on some things before rejoining the O's when rosters expand in September. Rogers has gone 2-11 overall in 2024 with a 4.92 ERA, a 1.58 WHIP, a career-worst 13.3% strikeout rate and a career-high 11.1% walk rate.