The Cincinnati Reds placed left-hander Andrew Abbott (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Aug. 20) on Friday with a left-shoulder strain and called up pitcher Alan Busenitz from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move. Abbott was originally scheduled to start Friday's game against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates, but the Reds will now go with a bullpen game and will use reliever Buck Farmer as the opener. The 25-year-old Abbott is eligible to come off the injured list on Sept. 4, so he may only need to miss one turn through the starting rotation. In his second year in the big leagues in 2024, Abbott has gone 10-10 with a 3.72 ERA (5.04 FIP) and a 1.29 WHIP with 114 strikeouts, 52 walks and a league-high 25 home runs allowed in 25 starts covering 138 innings. Since the All-Star break, Abbott has struggled to a 4.83 ERA with 28 K's, 12 walks and seven homers allowed in six starts.

Washington Nationals top prospect Dylan Crews is expected to be called up from Triple-A Rochester to make his major-league debut on Monday at Nationals Park against the New York Yankees. Crews and James Wood will finally be in the big leagues together for the first time and will be opposed by Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in D.C. Crews, the second overall pick in 2023 out of LSU, hit a combined .272/.343/.456 with a .799 OPS, 13 home runs, 68 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 99 games with Double-A Harrisburg and Rochester. The 22-year-old outfielder should play regularly for the out-of-contention Nationals and has the ability to contribute immediately in all fantasy formats across multiple categories. Per MLB Pipeline, Crews is ranked as the third-best prospect in all of baseball, behind only Jackson Holliday and Junior Caminero. Pick him up immediately off the waiver wire if he's available.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Michael Taylor will begin Friday's game at PNC Park against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds on the bench. Ji Hwan Bae will patrol center field for the Bucs and will hit ninth against Reds right-handed opener Buck Farmer. Taylor started in the outfield in seven of the team's last eight games but will take a seat on Friday in favor of Bae. The 33-year-old veteran is hitting under the Mendoza Line this year in 247 at-bats with only four homers, 20 RBI and 10 stolen bases in a part-time role in Pittsburgh. He could use a day off after going hitless with a walk and 11 strikeouts in his last 18 plate appearances over the last five games. Bae, who hits from the left side, will be a deep DFS sleeper to avoid out of the nine-hole. The 25-year-old South Korean is still searching for his first home run of the year and has four RBI and six steals in 65 at-bats.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl will head to the bench with a left-hander on the mound on Friday against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Stuart Fairchild will handle center-field duties and will bat sixth against Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter. Not only is Friedl hitless in 10 at-bats over his last three games, but he's hitting .233 (10-for-43) with only one of his 10 home runs on the season against southpaws. Fairchild is hitting .273 with two RBI in 11 career at-bats against Falter and has hit .278 (30-for-108) with five of his eight long balls in 2024 against lefties. Still, Fairchild is a relatively unimpressive low-upside DFS play with only eight home runs, 29 RBI and 13 steals on the year while hitting .218 in 206 total at-bats.

Colorado Rockies outfielder/designated hitter Charlie Blackmon will take a seat for Friday's series opener in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium against the New York Yankees with left-hander Carlos Rodon on the bump. It's the second straight game that Blackmon has started on the bench with a lefty on the mound. Brendan Rodgers will serve as the DH and hit second, while Aaron Schunk will handle the keystone and hit ninth for the Rockies. Rodgers will attempt to turn things around against Rodon, who he has hit .143 against in seven career at-bats. Schunk has never faced Rodon. The 38-year-old Blackmon has actually hit .271 (23-for-85) against lefties in 2024, but with only one of his eight round-trippers. Blackmon has also struggled in August as he continues to decline offensively, going 11-for-52 (.212) with a homer, five RBI and eight strikeouts in 13 games played.