Valdez (12-7) picked up the win Wednesday against Colorado, allowing three hits and two walks with five strikeouts over seven innings.

Valdez was in dire need of a get-right start, having surrendered 21 runs (19 earned) with a 12:10 K:BB across his past four starts (23.1 innings), and he got it. Wednesday's outing marked his first shutout start since June 29 and put him in the win column for the first time in six appearances. The 31-year-old left-hander will look to carry some momentum into his next start, which is slated to come against the Yankees next week.

Alvarez went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored during Wednesday's 4-0 win over Colorado.

Alvarez was activated from the injured list ahead of Tuesday's series opener and went hitless with two walks in four plate appearances in his return. He walked twice more Wednesday and delivered his first hit since coming back by launching a two-run home run off Angel Chivilli in the fourth inning. Alvarez slashed .210/.306/.340 with three home runs across 121 plate appearances before being placed on the injured list back in May.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Rockies.

Smith has struggled at the plate recently, entering Wednesday's contest hitless with eight strikeouts in his last 16 at-bats. While the 22-year-old only notched one hit Wednesday, the long ball was Smith's first in 171 plate appearances, a streak that dated back to June 29. Smith is slashing .242/.311/.364 with eight home runs in 437 plate appearances this season.

Schneider went 2-for-3 with a pair of solo homers and three total runs scored in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Twins.

Schneider got Toronto on the board with a solo shot off Simeon Woods Richardson in the second inning before cutting the deficit to 6-4 with his second homer in the fourth. It's the third two-homer game of the year for Schneider, who has just 10 long balls overall this season. Prior to Wednesday, the 26-year-old Schneider had gone just 1-for-12 in a part-time role in his previous six contests. He's now slashing .254/.373/.500 with 27 RBI and 27 runs scored across 169 plate appearances this year.

Buxton went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and a third run scored in Wednesday's 9-8 loss to the Blue Jays.

Buxton gave the Twins an early lead with a 404-foot blast off Eric Lauer to lead off the game before adding a second homer off the left-hander in the third. It's the third two-homer game for Buxton this season, though he'd been slumping prior to Wednesday, going just 3-for-27 in his previous seven contests. Overall, the 31-year-old outfielder is batting .269 with an .870 OPS, 27 homers and 19 stolen bases across 429 plate appearances this year.

Woods Richardson did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Blue Jays, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks across 3.2 innings. He struck out two.

After missing some time due to a parasite in his digestive tract, it was a tough outing for Woods Richardson in his first appearance since July 28. The right-hander gave up a season-high three home runs, including two off the bat of Davis Schneider. Overall, Woods Richardson sports a 4.59 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP and 71:37 K:BB across 84.1 innings this season. He'll look to bounce back in his next start, tentatively scheduled for next week at home against the White Sox.

Perez went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, a double and an additional run scored Wednesday's 12-1 win over the White Sox.

The homer was Perez's fifth of the month and his 23rd of the campaign. The veteran backstop had a dismal .606 OPS through May 31, but he's fared much better at the plate for the Royals and fantasy managers since the start of June. Perez is batting .266 with 19 long balls, 17 doubles and 51 RBI over his last 72 outings to raise his OPS to .742 for the year.

Hoffman earned the save in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Twins, allowing a hit while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.

The Twins threatened in the ninth inning when Luke Keaschall doubled with two outs. However, Hoffman coaxed a groundout off the bat of Brooks Lee to preserve the one-run victory, picking up his 29th save this year. It was a much-needed bounce-back effort from the right-hander -- Hoffman had blown his previous two save opportunities and gave up four runs on a pair of homers in his last appearance Tuesday. Overall, the 32-year-old Hoffman sports a 4.69 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP and 75:19 K:BB across 55.2 innings this season.

Yastrzemski went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double, three RBI, a walk and two additional runs scored Wednesday's 12-1 win over the White Sox.

Yastrzemski belted his 14th homer of the year and his sixth since joining the Royals. The veteran outfielder has been a force atop Kansas City's lineup, slashing .260/.356/.603 with seven doubles, 12 RBI and 18 runs scored over 87 plate appearances with his new club. That said, Yastrzemski should continue to routinely sit against left-handed pitching, which limits his overall fantasy appeal.

Festa (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Shoulder inflammation has kept Festa out of commission since late July, but after throwing live BP on Saturday without any issues, he's been given the green light to return to game action. Given the duration of his absence, there's a good chance the 25-year-old will require multiple rehab starts before returning from the IL, though he should still be able to make it back before the end of the regular season.