Baltimore Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin (shoulder) could come off the 15-day injured list to start on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, according to manager Brandon Hyde. Eflin was scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Thursday in what is one of the final hurdles for him. Hitter-friendly Coors Field isn't the ideal place to make your first start off the IL, but the way that the 30-year-old had been pitching before his shoulder injury will probably persuade fantasy managers to roll the dice. In his first four starts with the O's after being acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, he gave up only six earned runs on 24 hits while walking only two and striking out 25 in 25 1/3 innings for four wins. He wasn't nearly good in his 19 starts with Tampa, going 5-7 with a 4.09 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 87 punchouts in 110 frames.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that first baseman Freddie Freeman (finger) will be back in the starting lineup for the start of a huge series on Friday versus the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Freeman, who suffered a hairline fracture in his finger back on Aug. 17, has been held out of the last three games. It's no secret that the 34-year-old left-handed-hitting All-Star isn't 100% and might not be for the rest of the season. He's gone just 3-for-23 (.130) with two doubles, an RBI, two walks and seven strikeouts in six games since his injury, and it will be interesting to see how well he fares at the plate moving forward. If Freeman needs more rest days down the stretch, utility man Enrique Hernandez is the top option to replace him at the cold corner after doing so the last few days. Unless Freeman starts really struggling, fantasy managers should get him back in their lineups on Friday.

Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Lucas Erceg (hand) was removed from his appearance early on Thursday against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park after taking a comebacker off his throwing hand. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (undisclosed) was actually injured on the same play during a collision at first base and was also pulled from the game. Erceg tried to field a comebacker with his bare hand on the play. The 29-year-old will surely undergo testing on his hand to determine the severity of the injury. He ended up allowing three earned runs on two hits while walking one in just one-third of an inning to get hit with a blown save (his fifth) and his fifth loss of the year. Coming into Thursday, Erceg had taken over closing duties in KC after being acquired from the A's in a deadline trade and had five saves with a 0.68 ERA in his 12 appearances. If he misses time, James McArthur is likely to get another shot in the closer's role.

Oakland Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler went off on Thursday, going 3-for-4 with three home runs and four RBI. Butler hit his 17th homer in the second inning, his 18th in the fourth, and his 19th in the ninth, which also happened to be a game-tying homer. The 24-year-old now has five homers in his past three games, a stretch that has his fantasy owners breathing a sigh of relief after a slump in early August. Although there may be some ups and downs, Butler should be a solid fantasy asset down the stretch and should be owned in all formats.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi dominated the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, throwing seven shutout innings in a 2-1 win. Eovaldi was almost untouchable in this one, as he allowed just one hit and two walks while punching out 10. The 34-year-old needed a start like this after surrendering three or more runs in each of his last five starts. Although there have been a few rough stretches, Eovaldi's overall numbers are very solid, as he's pitched to a 3.60 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 138 strikeouts over 140 IP. Fantasy managers should be very happy with that production given the low draft cost, and he should remain a solid starter for the rest of the season.