A light schedule Thursday made for fewer standouts than usual. Jose Altuve went 4 for 5 with a home run and two doubles, giving him a .420 (21 for 50) batting average, three homers and six steals during a 12-game hitting streak (he's only been off the IL for 13 games). He might well be the No. 2 second baseman, behind only Mookie Betts, moving forward, though Marcus Semien, Ozzie Albies and Ketel Marte will surely have something to say about that.

Among those who are actually available in your league, Reese Olson turned in the best outing of his young career, striking out eight over six two-hit innings. He was facing the Twins, though, who have by far the worst strikeout rate against righties. Matthew Liberatore also had his best start, striking out seven over eight two-hit innings. The velocity on his curveball and slider was up about 1.5 mph, and he relied on both to register 15 swinging strikes at the Rays . Both Olson and Liberatore have been so underwhelming to this point that it's difficult to take anything away from these outings, but they're worth noting just in case the incident becomes a trend.

Bryce Elder continued to struggle, allowing five runs in five innings at the Pirates. He's a sit for the time being, if not a drop in shallower leagues. Alek Manoah had another bad outing, and we should probably be done with him for this year. Meanwhile, Justin Turner was out of the lineup for the sixth time in ninth games as he attempts to manage a bone bruise in his heel, an injury that normally requires 4-6 weeks of recovery. You may be better off sitting him next week, and fortunately, I have some recommendations on that front.

• Max Scherzer vs. Angels, Brewers
• Max Fried vs. Yankees, Giants
• Logan Gilbert at Royals, Astros
• Yu Darvish vs. Orioles, Diamondbacks
• Merril Kelly at Rockies, Padres

Nolan Jones, OF, Rockies: The one sleeper hitter this week who's genuinely worth getting excited about, Nolan Jones continues to deliver premium exit velocities and has a full week of home games at the hitter's haven that is Coors Field. It helps that he has a full slate of right-handed pitchers, not that it's impacted his playing time lately.

Max Kepler, OF, Twins: Max Kepler has been a hot hitter of late, batting .300 (24 for 80) with six homers in his past 22 games, and his xwOBA this year is one of the highest of his career. His numbers aren't so great against left-handed pitchers, but the Twins aren't expected to face any in their five games against the Tigers and Pirates.

Tyler O'Neil, OF, Cardinals: Tyler O'Neill rejoined the lineup Thursday after missing a couple games with a knee issue, but he's performed well overall since returning from a lengthy IL stint July 20. And the Cardinals happen to have the third-best hitter matchups this week, facing a bad Athletics rotation and a depleted Mets rotation.

Edward Julien, 2B, Twins: Edouard Julien still tends to sit against left-handers -- and for good reason, judging by the splits -- but the Twins aren't scheduled to face any. They have only five games, but that's true for so many teams this week that it's hard to hold it against them, especially when they're facing the Tigers and Pirates pitching staffs.

Kerry Carpenter, OF, Tigers: Kerry Carpenter is picking it up at the plate, hitting safely in seven straight with a .482 (13 for 27) batting average during that stretch. Lately, he's been in the lineup regardless, but it's nice that he has five righties on the schedule, against whom he's batting .282 with an .835 OPS.

Gavin Williams, Guardians: Gavin Williams recently broke through with a 12-strikeout, one-hit effort, showing greater conviction with all of his pitches but especially his breaking balls. If the trend continues at the Rays over the weekend, then you'll certainly want to take advantage of a dream matchup against the Tigers in Week 21.

Nick Pivetta, Red Sox: Two of Nick Pivetta's past three appearances have been true starts, and both were better than the bulk relief appearance that came in between. It hopefully means he'll be entrusted to start against lineups as weak as the Nationals and Yankees this week, giving him a chance at 15-plus strikeouts.

Miles Mikolas, Cardinals: After a remarkably steady season last year, Miles Mikolas has been more like a random number generator this year, but that number has been more favorable than not over his past 18 starts, yielding a 3.63 ERA. Matchups like the Athletics and Mets this week should help.

Cole Ragans, Royals: The Cubs have recently joined the ranks of the elite offenses, aided by a couple of high-scoring games in Cincinnati, but they're still middle-of-the-road against lefties. Up-and-comer Cole Ragans makes for a good choice, then, having proven his mettle with 11 strikeouts at the Red Sox last time out.

• Bo Bichette has been hitting in the batting cage and jogging but is not yet running at full speed. He's missed all of August with right patellar tendinitis. 
• Bryce Harper was removed Thursday due to back spasms.
• Joe Musgrove is expected to begin playing catch around August 24. He's entering the second of a three-week shutdown period following his August 4 placement on the IL due to right shoulder inflammation.
• Chris Sale will be limited to about four innings in his return to the rotation Friday. He threw 54 pitches in his last rehab outing.
• Carlos Rodon threw from flat ground Wednesday. The indication is that Rodon could need just a minimum stay on the IL, which would put him in line to return for a home series against the Nats that begins August 22.
• Justin Turner is dealing with a left heel bone bruise that typically requires 4-6 weeks of downtime, but he plans to play through the injury. I wouldn't be surprised if his production starts to fade bc of this.
• Walker Buehler touched 93 MPH during a one-inning simulated game Wednesday (typically averages 95 MPH). He also acknowledged his original goal of returning on September 1 isn't realistic but should return at some point down the stretch.
• Oneil Cruz has begun a formal running program. He's also been throwing and taking light fielding practice the last couple of weeks. If Cruz's surgically-repaired ankle responds well to the running progression, he could head out on a rehab assignment within the next few weeks. I'm thinking we see him in September. He's up to 79% rostered.
• Jose Abreu was out of the lineup Thursday because of lower-back discomfort. Chas McCormick was out with a bruised left knee.
• Brendan Rodgers has missed three straight with discomfort in his right hamstring.
• Garrett Whitlock is on track to return from the IL Sunday. He's expected to serve as a multi-inning reliever down the stretch.
• Danny Jansen left after getting hit by a pitch on his right hand. X-rays came back negative.