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Shota Imanaga SP | CHC
Cubs' Shota Imanaga: Extends streak of quality starts
Imanaga didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Giants, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk in seven innings. He struck out five.
Imanaga produced his fifth quality start in a row, and he also pitched at least seven innings for a third consecutive outing. The star left-hander has been consistently effective for the Cubs and fantasy managers in 2025, having given up greater than three runs on just three occasions out of his 20 appearances. Imanaga will bring a strong 3.08 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 95:22 K:BB across 117 frames into his next start, which is slated for next week at home versus a dangerous Atlanta lineup.
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Ryan Bliss 2B | SEA
Mariners' Ryan Bliss: Commencing rehab assignment
Bliss (biceps) is starting a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday.
Bliss has been ahead of schedule and is expected to make his return to the majors in mid-September. He will likely need 40-to-50 at-bats during his rehab assignment before he's activated to return to Seattle.
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Payton Tolle SP | BOS
Red Sox's Payton Tolle: Making MLB debut Friday
The Red Sox are expected to select Tolle's contract from Triple-A Worcester and have him start Friday's game against the Pirates, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
After beginning the season at High-A Greenville, Tolle has breezed through the Red Sox's farm system while posting a 3.04 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over 91.2 total innings between three affiliates. With Richard Fitts sidelined with right arm neuritis, the 22-year-old Tolle will now get the chance to fill the hole in the MLB rotation. He'll draw a favorable matchup for his big-league debut at Fenway Park, taking on a Pirates offense that ranks 30th in baseball with a .657 OPS. On a less fortunate note for Tolle, he'll be opposing Pittsburgh ace and NL Cy Young Award candidate Paul Skenes, with that head-to-head matchup perhaps working against Tolle's chances of securing a win in his big-league debut. If the young lefty handles his first test in the majors well, he could be in line to make a few additional starts or bulk-relief appearances with Boston.
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Ryan Yarbrough RP | NYY
Yankees' Ryan Yarbrough: Will return as reliever
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Yarbrough (oblique) will be used out of the bullpen once he's activated from the 15-day injured list, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
Before landing on the injured list June 22 due to a right oblique strain, Yarbrough had started in eight of his 16 appearances for the Yankees and delivered a 3.90 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 49:17 K:BB in 55.1 innings, but he'll lose his spot in the rotation with New York having gotten strong results from No. 5 starter Cam Schlittler in recent weeks. Yarbrough has pitched well in his own right through three rehab starts with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, with whom he most recently pitched Tuesday and struck out six while allowing two earned runs over 4.2 innings. The lefty will likely be deployed as a long reliever and should be the top choice to enter the rotation if the Yankees lose a starter to an injury at any point in September.
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Jose Quintana SP | COL
Brewers' Jose Quintana: Stumbles vs. Arizona
Quintana (10-5) took the loss Thursday against the Diamondbacks, allowing six runs on five hits and four walks across 3.2 innings. He struck out two.
It was a tough outing for the veteran left-hander, whose four walks matched a season high. Coming into the day, Quintana had not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his last six starts, posting a 2.94 ERA in that span (33.2 innings). Overall, his ERA sits at 3.96 through 21 starts (114.2 innings) this season with a 1.29 WHIP and 77:43 K:BB. Quintana will look to bounce back his next time out, which is currently slated for next week at home against the Phillies.
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Braxton Ashcraft SP | PIT
Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft: Continues steady run Thursday
Ashcraft didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Cardinals, allowing one run on four hits and one walk in 5.2 innings. He struck out five.
Ashcraft turned in his third consecutive start of at least five innings while yielding one run or zero. With Andrew Heaney having been designated for assignment by the Pirates, Ashcraft has a fairly clear path to a starting role in the rotation to wrap up the season. The rookie right-hander has a promising 2.58 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 48:15 K:BB across his first 52.1 innings, though a scheduled matchup against the Dodgers next week might curb his streaming appeal a bit for his next turn.
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Miles Mikolas RP | WAS
Cardinals' Miles Mikolas: Bounces back in five strong innings
Mikolas didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Pirates, allowing one run on four hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out five.
Thursday marked Mikolas' first start of one or zero earned runs allowed since July 25 against the Padres, and the five strikeouts were his most since July 30 versus the Marlins. It was an especially encouraging rebound performance as well, considering the veteran right-hander matched a season low with 2.2 innings his last time out in Tampa Bay. Mikolas likely benefited from a favorable spot at home Thursday against the last-place Pirates, but he could have a tougher time next week against an Athletics team with a .796 OPS since the beginning of August. For the year, he has a 5.04 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 86:32 K:BB through 130.1 frames.
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Jonathan Loaisiga RP | ARI
Yankees' Jonathan Loaisiga: Won't return in 2025
Manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Loaisiga (elbow) will miss the remainder of the season due to a right flexor strain, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
The 30-year-old righty will conclude the year with a 4.25 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 25:10 K:BB across 29.2 innings. Although Loaisiga's season was cut short by an injury, he reportedly won't need to undergo surgery to address the issue, which significantly boosts his chances of being available for the start of the 2026 campaign.
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Nabil Crismatt RP | TEX
Diamondbacks' Nabil Crismatt: Grabs second win
Crismatt (2-0) earned the win Thursday over the Brewers, allowing four runs (two earned) on eight hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out two.
Crismatt stumbled out of the gate Thursday, giving up at least one run in each of his first three innings. However, the right-hander managed to limit the damage against the Brewers, ultimately coming away with his second win in three appearances this season. The 30-year-old Crismatt has surrendered just three earned runs through his first 14.2 innings despite allowing 15 hits and five walks. He should remain in Arizona's rotation while Anthony DeSclafani (thumb) is sidelined. Crismatt's currently lined up to face the Rangers at home in his next outing.
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Alex Jackson C | MIN
Orioles' Alex Jackson: Clubs homer Thursday
Jackson went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and an additional run scored in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Red Sox.
Making his fourth start in eight games, Jackson got Baltimore on the board in the third inning with a 395-foot shot off Garrett Crochet for his fourth homer this year. The 29-year-old Jackson had initially fallen to third on the Orioles depth chart after Samuel Basallo was called up, though he's been alternating starts behind the plate with the rookie after Adley Rutschman (oblique) landed on the IL. Overall, Jackson is slashing .250/.308/.567 with 14 runs scored and six RBI across 65 plate appearances this season.