You know who might be the most difficult player to rank in Fantasy Baseball these days? Xander Bogaerts.

Bogaerts was off to a miserable start to the season, hitting just .219/.265/.316 when he injured his shoulder in late May, and when he came back, he talked about needing to rework his swing to protect the shoulder, which really didn't engender much confidence that he was going to be a difference-maker upon his return. And, given how much skepticism there already was around Bogaerts coming into the season, I think it's fair to say that a lot of Fantasy players (and analysts!) didn't expect a return to form from the veteran.

In some ways, those skeptics have looked awfully foolish. Bogaerts played his seventh game since coming back from the injury Wednesday, and he went 4 for 4 with a walk against the Nationals, bringing his batting average to .483 in those seven games. He has hit safely in all but one of those games, and that is actually underselling him: Bogaerts has multiple hits in six of those seven games now. And the quality of contact has been pretty solid – he had two hard-hit balls Wednesday, including one that was 106.4 mph, and his average exit velocity is up to 89.9 mph; it was just 86.2 mph prior to the injury.

Of course, all 14 of those hits so far have been singles, which isn't necessarily what we want to see. Wednesday, three of the hits traveled 108 feet or less, and finding success this way hardly feels sustainable. So, is it a fluke? Well, his expected wOBA in the month of July is .353, and Bogaerts is the kind of hitter who has pretty consistently outperformed his expected stats over his career – since 2015, he has a .352 wOBA and a .328 xwOBA, and he outran it by a similar margin last season. 

Which is all to say, I'm feeling pretty good about Bogaerts right now! I haven't been too aggressive in moving him up my rankings yet, but he is already back into my top 10 at second base and top 15 among shortstops. I'm a little worried about what it looks like when the singles stop getting through, but the underlying data is strong enough – as is Bogaerts' track record – that I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt moving forward. 

Scott White went deep on his biggest rankings movers Wednesday, and we'll have more discussions on the topic on Thursday's episode of Fantasy Baseball Today, but I wanted to highlight Bogaerts before we get to the rest of the newsletter, because he's having such an interesting run. Now, let's get to everything else you need to know from Wednesday's action, including the return of some high-profile arms from the IL. 

Robbie Ray, SP, Giants (73%) – After the first inning, it looked like Ray was in for a disastrous season debut, as he needed 34 pitches to get through the inning and was bouncing nearly every breaking pitch he threw. Which makes his final line – 5 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K – look like a minor miracle. But the truth is, Ray looked really good once he settled in. He struck out the side in the second inning and finished the game with a whopping 22 swinging strikes – nine with the four-seamer, six with the slider, and seven with the curveball. His velocity was up to 95.2 mph, his highest in a start since July of 2022 and a mark he hasn't topped since July of 2021. Does this mean Ray is back to being the ace-level pitcher he was in 2021? Of course not! It's just one start, after all! But this was about as promising a first start back from Tommy John surgery as you could have hoped for, and I think we should view Ray as a must-roster player at this point. 

Connor Norby, 3B, Orioles (10%) – Jorge Mateo was diagnosed with a dislocated elbow and is going to miss some time, though the extent of the injury and how much time, exactly, remains to be seen. But Orioles manager Brandon Hyde did confirm that Norby is going to get the call and should get "some regular playing time." The last time Norby got the call, he played just four games in eight days before being sent back down, but it sounds like it's going to be different this time, and he's worth adding under the assumption that is true. We're talking about a top-100 prospect – not on the level of Jackson Holliday or Coby Mayo, but still a talented young guy – who has hit .296/.371/.505 with a 29-homer, 16-steal pace in his Triple-A career, and that's worth chasing on the waiver wire, just in case he runs away with this job.

Xavier Edwards, SS, Marlins (20%) – We're a few years removed from the time when Edwards was someone people got excited about, but maybe it's time to bring that excitement back. He went 3 for 3 with a walk Wednesday against the Orioles, his eighth multi-hit game since the start of July, and he is now hitting .361/.446/.417 in the majors this season. He won't sustain that batting average, obviously, but with his speed and contact abilities, Edwards could be a plus there, and he'll tack on some stolen bases too. It's a bad lineup, but Edwards could move up it fairly quickly, and might just be a viable MI option in categories leagues – especially with the help he can provide in stolen bases. 

Yariel Rodriguez, SP, Blue Jays (26%) – Rodriguez just continues to pitch well, this time limiting the Rays to just two runs on two hits over 5.2 innings with six strikeouts Wednesday night. Since returning to the Jays rotation at the beginning of July, he has 25 strikeouts, a 2.01 ERA, and a 0.76 WHIP across four starts. He doesn't pitch deep into games, and that likely won't change until the Jays extend his pitch count – he threw just 73 pitches Wednesday – which limits his upside. But if they do opt to do that, Rodriguez could be a pretty valuable pitcher down the stretch. 

Juan Yepez, 1B, Nationals (23%) – He just keeps hitting. Now, in fairness, Wednesday's game was only a one-hit game, a relative disappointment given that Yepez had multiple hits in five of his previous seven games. However, he did go deep for the second time since joining the Nationals, while extending his hitting streak to 15 games to open his season. Yepez has a .331 xBA and .459 xSLG entering Wednesday, so it's not exactly a fluke, either. I don't know how sustainable all this is, but Yepez is so locked in right now that I think he's worth adding as a CI or in five-outfielder leagues, at the very least. 

Christian Yelich was placed on the IL with lower back inflammation, and it might be an extremely serious issue. Yelich has been dealing with recurring back issues over the past few seasons, and he is going to see a spinal specialist Thursday to discuss the next steps, which might include season-ending surgery. It's tough because Yelich is still a legitimate difference-maker when healthy, but it might be tough to ask him to remain so at this point.

Astros GM Dana Brown said Wednesday that he's optimistic Kyle Tucker will return from the IL before September. This has been one of the most baffling injury situations of the season because Tucker's initial injury was expected to be just a day-to-day issue. It certainly doesn't seem like the Astros are being forthright about this one. 

Mike Trout will return to Los Angeles to undergo further evaluation. He left his first rehab start Tuesday with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. I'm bracing for bad news. 

Julio Rodriguez, who's on the IL with an ankle sprain, will be re-evaluated on August 1 and is unlikely to return in minimum time. That's not a surprise given the high-ankle injury, which typically requires multiple weeks of recovery. 

Tanner Bibee left his start after five innings due to lower extremity cramping. Sounds like he's avoided serious injury.

Bryan Reynolds was scratched from the lineup Wednesday after his back locked up on him. Manager Derek Shelton said Reynolds is fine and will travel with the team for their road trip, which begins Friday.

Cody Bellinger could be activated as soon as the team's upcoming road trip, which begins Friday. He's been out with a fractured left middle finger.

Michael Harris was transferred to the 60-day IL, which means he can't return until mid-August at the earliest. That's disappointing, but I still expect Harris to be a difference-maker when he returns. 

Josh Jung will begin a rehab assignment Friday at Double-A. He had previously played four rehab games from June 16-20 before being pulled off with soreness in his wrist. 

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy also said Evan Carter is about a week behind Jung, so hopefully he starts his rehab the following week.

Yandy Diaz, who's currently on the restricted list due to a personal issue, has no timeline to return.

Byron Buxton was removed after getting hit by a pitch on his right forearm. X-rays revealed no fracture and he was diagnosed with a forearm contusion, so hopefully it's just a day-to-day situation. 

Walker Buehler will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A on Friday. He said he felt good following his bullpen session Tuesday, so I'm hopeful he can still make an impact this season – though I would certainly rather have Robbie Ray than Buehler at this point. 

J.P. Crawford is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured right pinkie finger.

Christian Scott plans to treat the UCL sprain in his right elbow with rest and rehab with the hope of returning this season. You can drop him outside of deeper leagues. 

The Dodgers optioned Landon Knack back to Triple-A with Tyler Glasnow coming off the IL.

Blue Jays top pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann will receive a third opinion on his left forearm/elbow. Initial imaging came back negative. It seems unlikely he'll make any kind of impact in the majors this season even if he avoids a serious injury. 

Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers vs. SF: 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 K – Glasnow wasn't as sharp as you'd like to see, but it's hard to complain too much in his first start back from the IL. His velocity was actually up a bit, but he just had a bit of trouble generating chases in this one, which helps explain the high walk total. I see nothing to actually be alarmed by here, and Glasnow should be an elite pitcher moving forward as long as he stays healthy. 

Luis Castillo, Mariners vs. LAA: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K – Given the state of the Mariners lineup right now, Castillo isn't likely to get much support moving forward, but at least it looks like he's settled back in as a reliable Fantasy starter. Castillo has a 1.40 ERA in the month of July, and his quality of contact has improved significantly – he got hit kind of hard Wednesday, but it was nearly all on the ground, leading mostly to singles when he did give up damage. The strikeouts have still been a bit disappointing lately – 23 in 25.2 innings in July – and it might be hard for him to live up to your ace expectations as long as that's the case. But he's still someone I'm starting with confidence every time out there. 

Gerrit Cole, Yankees vs. NYM: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 K – Well, that's a step backward. Cole had looked more like himself in his past couple of starts, but had been doing it with a different pitch mix than we saw in previous seasons, as his slider usage was way down. That changed in this one, as he threw 30 of them, but it didn't help, as he generated just three whiffs with the pitch. The bigger issue here was that the cutter – the pitch he was favoring instead of the slider – got crushed (100.3 mph average exit velocity on three batted balls), while his fastball was also largely ineffective. Cole isn't quite back yet, and the fact that he went back to the slider in this one and it didn't fix things is a concern. I'm still hopeful he can pitch like an ace, but I don't think you can expect it at this point. 

Justin Steele, Cubs vs. MIL: 5.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K – Steele has looked just a bit off over the past two starts, but I don't really think there's much reason to be worried. His velocity was down 1.5 mph in this one, which seemed to impact his ability to generate whiffs – just six on 43 swings – but didn't lead to much damage on contact. I'm willing to chalk the past two starts up to a bit of regression after the best stretch of his career, and I'm certainly not considering sitting Steele. 

Jack Flaherty, Tigers @CLE: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K – Flaherty got the pitch count up to 96 and finished six innings for just the second time since May, and he did it against a very tough matchup in Cleveland. His velocity was down about 1 mph, and that's something to watch given Flaherty's back injury and just general struggles staying healthy in recent seasons, but I can't say I'm especially concerned about it. After all, he got a strikeout per inning and a 14% swinging strike rate against one of the best contact-hitting lineups in baseball. Flaherty seems like one of the more obvious trade candidates heading into the deadline, 

Nick Pivetta, Red Sox @COL: 2.2 IP, 10 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 6 K – Look, if you started Pivetta at Coors Field, you should have known the risks associated with it. The Rockies are a bad lineup, but Coors Field remains the best hitting environment in baseball, in large part because the ball literally moves differently there than it does at sea level. It affects every pitch differently, but it certainly increases the risk of these kinds of blowup starts. Pivetta should still be a very good Fantasy option moving forward. 

Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers vs. CHW: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K – It's the White Sox , so I don't want to overreact, but this was a very good showing from Eovaldi coming off one of his worst of the season. And perhaps most importantly, his velocity was back up after it dipped in his previous outing. Eovaldi has had trouble sustaining his velocity and level of production in the second half of seasons recently, but as long as the velocity is there, he should remain a very valuable Fantasy pitcher. 

Chayce McDermott, Orioles @MIA: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – I was kind of interested in seeing how McDermott looked in his debut, and then he looked like this. The stuff remains intriguing, and the next time he gets an opportunity, I'll remain interested to see how he looks. But after struggling against the Marlins, there's no real reason to add him.