Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle is not in the team's starting lineup for Thursday's series finale at Yankee Stadium against the New York Yankees. With Mountcastle starting on the bench, the left-handed-hitting Ryan O'Hearn will play first base and bat sixth against Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole. Mountcastle just returned from the injured list on Tuesday due to a wrist injury and has gone 2-for-7 with an RBI and two strikeouts in his first two games back. The Orioles are easing him in ahead of the postseason and will give him a day off against one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. O'Hearn won't be too popular in DFS against Cole. In his 17 career at-bats against him, O'Hearn has hit .118 with a .471 OPS, one home run and two RBI. O'Hearn has been hot of late, going 8-for-21 (.381) with three doubles and two RBI since Sept. 17.

The San Francisco Giants announced on Thursday that left-handed prospect Reggie Crawford (shoulder) had surgery on Thursday to fix the labrum in his left shoulder. The surgery was performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. The estimated recovery time for Crawford is 10-12 months, so he is not going to be able to pitch in 2025. The Giants' first-round pick in 2022 will enter spring training in 2026 having thrown a total of 37 1/3 professional innings. Crawford, 23, was previously recovering from Tommy John surgery, so this will be the second major surgery the youngster has had early in his career. MLB Pipeline lists Crawford as the team's No. 9 prospect The Giants moved Crawford to a relief role in 2024 at Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Sacramento and had a 2.95 ERA and 1.09 WHIP with 30 strikeouts in 18 1/3 frames over 14 outings (one start).

Miami Marlins rookie outfielder Griffin Conine is on the bench to start Thursday's contest against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Marlins are playing youngsters down the stretch in a lost season, but Conine has seen sporadic playing time in the outfield. The 27-year-old has had 67 at-bats over his first 26 big-league games and has gone 16-for-67 (.239) with two home runs, three doubles, a triple, six RBI, six walks and 24 strikeouts in 74 plate appearances. Derek Hill is starting in center field and batting seventh, and Jesus Sanchez is in right field and batting cleanup for the Fish against Twins right-hander David Festa. In his last five games, Conine has begun to heat up, going 4-for-13 with a homer, double, two RBI, a walk and a run scored.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes (toe) was activated off the 10-day injured list on Thursday afternoon. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers optioned backstop Hunter Feduccia to Triple-A Oklahoma. Feduccia made only two starts over the past two weeks and went 2-for-10. Barnes was sidelined since September 15 with a toe fracture. Before the injury, the veteran catcher held a .261/.327/.306 line with three doubles, one home run, and 11 RBI. Fantasy managers should expect Barnes to remain as the backup catcher over the final weekend of the regular season and during the postseason, while Will Smith sees the vast majority of starts behind the plate.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (toe) will not be available for at least "a couple of weeks," according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Kershaw logged a successful bullpen session last week and looked poised to return for the playoffs but now faces a setback. Kershaw was already ruled out for the remainder of the regular season but could be in danger of missing the entire postseason depending on how far the Dodgers go. The southpaw was diagnosed with a bone spur in his toe on August 31 and was placed on the 15-day IL. The three-time Cy Young winner underwent offseason shoulder surgery, which delayed his 2024 debut until July 25. Through his 30 innings of work this summer, Kershaw posted a 4.50 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. Fantasy managers participating in postseason competitions should not consider selecting Kershaw as he faces an uphill battle to return to the mound.