The St. Louis Cardinals designated outfielder Tommy Pham for assignment on Friday and recalled outfielder Jordan Walker from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. It was announced on Thursday that the Cardinals were looking to put the veteran Pham on waivers for some financial relief while also giving some younger players more playing time in the outfield for the final month of the season. The 36-year-old is now off the team's 40-man roster, but he could be claimed by a team in postseason contention looking for a veteran presence on their roster. At best, though, he'll probably be just a platoon player against left-handed pitching, like he was with St. Louis. Since being acquired at the deadline from the Chicago White Sox, Pham disappointed with the Cardinals, going 14-for-68 (.206) with two homers, 12 RBI and 16 strikeouts in 23 games played.

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (hand) is out of the team's starting lineup for Friday's contest at Citizens Bank Park against the division-rival Atlanta Braves. Edmundo Sosa will take over third-base duties while batting eighth, while right fielder Nick Castellanos will take over cleanup duties for the Phillies against Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez. Bohm injured his left hand during a swing in the first inning of Thursday's series opener against Atlanta and was removed from the game, but X-rays on the 28-year-old All-Star's hand came back negative. Consider him day-to-day for now and check to see if he'll be able to return for Saturday's game. Not only has Castellanos been swinging some hot lumber of late, but he's hitting .324 with an .828 OPS and three RBI in a big sample size of 37 career at-bats against Lopez. He'll surely be a popular DFS play on Friday, especially in the four-hole for Philly.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Austin Hays will start on the bench for Friday's showdown against the division-rival Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. With Hays on the bench, Brandon Marsh will occupy left field and will hit seventh, while Johan Rojas draws into the lineup in center field and will bat ninth against Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez. Marsh is hitting .125 in eight career at-bats against Lopez, while Rojas hasn't recorded a hit against Lopez in his five at-bats. Since returning from a hamstring strain on Aug. 23, Hays has gone 5-for-21 (.238) with two doubles, an RBI and five strikeouts in six games. The Phils acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles to platoon on left field with Marsh, and so far in his 16 games with the NL East leaders, he's hit a mediocre .254 (15-for-59) with a homer, four doubles and five RBI in 61 plate appearances.

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Friday that they reinstated outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (knee) from the 10-day injured list and placed right-hander Ben Heller (shoulder) on the 15-day IL in a corresponding move. The Pirates haven't released their starting lineup for Friday's contest versus the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, but McCutchen is likely to be in it against right-hander Ben Lively as the DH. The 37-year-old veteran didn't need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment after missing two weeks due to inflammation in his left knee. He'll be returning to a .235/.336/.405 slash line with 16 home runs, 40 RBI and 59 runs scored in his 378 at-bats this year. Fantasy managers will be hoping he can pick up where he left off in August after going 11-for-30 (.367) with three homers and 10 RBI from Aug. 2 through Aug. 16.

The Detroit Tigers designated left-hander Joey Wentz for assignment on Friday, opening up a spot on the 40-man roster for the return of right-hander Casey Mize (hamstring) from the 60-day injured list. The Tigers haven't officially named a starter for their game on Friday at Comerica Park against the Boston Red Sox, but it's expected to be Mize. The 27-year-old won't be a recommended streaming option on Friday evening against the visiting BoSox, mainly because he's returning after missing two months due to a hamstring strain, even if he posted a 2.63 ERA with 17 strikeouts and only four walks in 13 2/3 innings with Triple-A Toledo in his four minor-league rehab starts. The former first overall pick in 2018 out of Auburn deserves attention in deeper-mixed fantasy leagues now that he's back. He's gone 2-6 with a 4.23 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and a weak 16.8% strikeout rate in his 16 starts in 2024.