Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (finger) is starting at shortstop and hitting in the two-hole on Wednesday versus the division-rival Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Tanner Bibee at Progressive Field for the series finale with sole possession of the American League Central lead on the line. Witt was hit on the right middle finger in Tuesday's win during a hit-by-pitch in the seventh inning, but strength tests checked out fine, according to manager Matt Quatraro. The All-Star shortstop stayed in the game and seemed OK, and post-game X-rays came back negative. The 24-year-old is in the running for AL MVP this year with how amazing he's been. The matchup isn't great on Wednesday, but Witt is a must-start in all single-year fantasy formats. He currently leads the league in batting average (.346), runs (113) and hits (183) while homering 27 times, driving in 94 and stealing 27 bases in 133 games.

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas and shortstop Brayan Rocchio are both starting on the bench for Wednesday's series finale against the division-rival Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Rookie Jhonkensy Noel will start in right field and bat seventh, while Daniel Schneemann will play shortstop and hit eighth for the Guards against Royals veteran right-hander Michael Wacha. Thomas hasn't really impressed Cleveland since they acquired him from the Washington Nationals at the trade deadline in late July, as he's gone 11-for-76 (.145) with four doubles, three RBI and 34 strikeouts in 25 games so far. Since Aug. 21, he's gone 4-for-21 (.191) with a double, two RBI and 10 strikeouts in eight games played. Six of Noel's 12 home runs in his rookie season have come in the month of August, while he's hitting .255 (14-for-55) overall in the month in 19 games played.

The Philadelphia Phillies reinstated infielder/outfielder Weston Wilson from the paternity list on Wednesday and optioned infielder Buddy Kennedy to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after Tuesday night's game in a corresponding move. It remains to be seen if Wilson will immediately jump back into the starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park. The 29-year-old ended up only missing two days for the birth of his child. Now that he's back, he'll mostly serve in a platoon role in the outfield for Philadelphia when the team faces a left-handed pitcher, limiting his fantasy appeal to NL-only leagues. He's a fine sleeper target in DFS against southpaws and has hit an impressive .353 overall (18-for-51) with only three home runs and seven RBI on the season. Wilson has gone 12-for-25 (.480) with two of his three homers against lefties in 2024.

The Kansas City Royals placed right-hander Michael Lorenzen (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday with a left-hamstring strain and recalled right-hander Steven Cruz from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. While covering first base in his start on Tuesday against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians, Lorenzen strained his hammy and now will not be able to return until mid-September. The 32-year-old veteran has been excellent in his five starts since being acquired from the Texas Rangers, going 2-0 with a 1.85 ERA (4.20 FIP), 1.15 WHIP and a 17:10 K:BB in 24 1/3 innings for KC. But with his injury, he's now only probably going to make several more starts in 2024. With Lorenzen on the shelf, Alec Marsh is the most likely candidate to jump into the Royals' starting rotation over the next several weeks.

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that it's "going to take a while" for right-hander Max Scherzer (shoulder) to build his arm back up after he resumes throwing. It's been a season full of injuries for Scherzer, and he's only been able to make eight starts total. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer finally appears to be breaking down after an incredibly dominant career. He was scheduled for a minor-league rehab start last Friday before being pushed back indefinitely. The fact that Scherzer has yet to resume throwing is a concern, and with just a month left in the season for a Rangers team that won't be sniffing the postseason, the most likely outcome is that he'll be shut down eventually. Even if Scherzer returns in late September, he might make one or two starts for fantasy managers, at the most.