The Minnesota Twins placed outfielder Max Kepler (knee) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with left-patellar tendinitis and recalled rookie outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. from the minors in a corresponding move. Pitcher Kody Funderbunk (oblique) was moved to the 60-day IL to add Keirsey to the 40-man roster. Kepler had been dealing with a knee injury for a while and had only played in three of the team's last 11 games, so a move to put him on the IL made sense. The 31-year-old left-handed hitter has been a disappointment in 2024, but the Twins will likely just be looking to get him healthy for a potential playoff run now. Keirsey, who will be making his MLB debut, will likely just be a bench player in Minnesota for the time being, with most of the extra playing time in right field going to Matt Wallner. Wallner, also a lefty hitter, has batted .261 (42-for-161) on the year with 10 homers and 28 RBI.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) felt some more right-hip soreness before he was ejected from a minor-league rehab game with Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday and will not rejoin the team for their series in Kansas City against the division-rival Royals this weekend. Buxton is set to be re-evaluated. The oft-injured outfielder was expected to come off the 10-day injured to rejoin the team on Friday, but that won't be happening now, and it's unclear when Buxton might be able to rejoin the big-league roster. The 30-year-old has been on the shelf since the middle of August, and depending on what the Twins find, there's a chance that Buxton could have to be shut down for the rest of the 2024 season. Until Buxton is able to return from his hip ailment, expect the Twins to continue to use a combination of Willi Castro and Austin Martin in center field.

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hunter Greene (elbow) is slated to throw bullpen sessions on Thursday and Sunday, according to manager David Bell. It's the first time that Greene has thrown off a mound since landing on the injured list in the middle of August due to right-elbow inflammation, so it's a big step in his recovery. The 25-year-old will eventually need to progress to facing live hitters and will probably need a minor-league rehab assignment, too, so fantasy managers probably can't expect him back in the big leagues for another couple weeks. There are only a few weeks left in the 2024 regular season as well, so there's no guarantee that Greene is going to make much of a difference in fantasy down the stretch. The former second overall pick in 2017 has had a successful 2024 season overall, though, going 9-4 with a 2.83 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP and 162 strikeouts over 143 1/3 innings in his 24 starts.

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that infielder Matt McLain (rib, shoulder) is pain-free now and will resume baseball activities to see how he progresses. McLain has been out all season, first because of surgery on his left shoulder and most recently a stress reaction in his rib cage. The Reds and McLain are still holding out hope that he can return in the final couple of weeks of the 2024 season, which would be nice, but the point of him being fantasy relevant in 2024 has come and gone. It's been a frustrating year for the 25-year-old middle infielder and any fantasy managers that invested in him back in the spring after he had an impressive .290/.357/.507 slash line with 16 home runs, 50 RBI and 14 steals in 89 games in his rookie campaign in 2023. If McLain can get back to full health in the offseason, he should be a big part of Cincy's plans in 2025.

Cincinnati Reds corner infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand (wrist), who is out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery back in the middle of July to fix ligaments in his fractured right wrist, has resumed baseball activities, according to manager David Bell. Encarnacion-Strand will have all offseason to rehab his injured wrist and should have plenty of time to get back to 100 percent before the start of spring training next February. It was a disappointing season for anyone that drafted the 24-year-old power-hitting right-hander in 2024, and not just because of his serious injury. The former fourth-rounder by the Minnesota Twins in 2021 out of Oklahoma State hit just .190 (22-for-116) with two home runs, 16 RBI and 13 runs scored in 29 games before getting hurt. Barring a setback with his wrist, CES should be a starter for Cincy in 2025.