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USATSI

Happy Thursday, everyone! The trumpets were out at Citi Field on Wednesday night -- a live trumpet performance for Edwin Diaz -- but what went down before that caught my attention so we'll start there tonight. In one of the toughest possible matchups, against the Dodgers, Jacob deGrom proved why he is truly the clear-cut best pitcher in baseball. deGrom struck out nine Dodgers batters and induced 25 swinging strikes -- 25! This came against a Dodgers team that entered tonight's game with the highest wOBA vs. right-handed pitchers and eighth-lowest strikeout percentage vs. right handers. Just think about that for a second.

It was an exciting night in baseball with key performances from some young budding stars. We'll dive into that below. But first, make sure you're all caught up with everything going on over at CBSSports.com/Fantasy. Scott's top prospect report dove into several key players including Gunnar Henderson -- who we'll get to below after his awesome first night.

Here's what Scott had to say about Henderson before his big debut with the Orioles: "After floating the idea for weeks, the Orioles have added Henderson to the taxi squad, which would suggest a promotion is just around the corner for the prospect several publications regard as the best in all of baseball. It's an aggressive move fueled in part by an unlikely playoff bid. While Henderson is a must in all Fantasy leagues for the upside, he did struggle some with strikeouts and same-handed pitchers at Triple-A."

Scott also discussed SP Ken Waldichuk: "While I've been pining for Waldichuk's promotion for the better part of two seasons, I'd have rather it come with the Yankees than with the Athletics. Still, he should take a regular turn in September, and we'll finally get to see if his funky left-handed delivery plays as well in the majors as it did in the minors.

Henderson's debut

Henderson went 2-for-4 with a homer on his second at bat in his first game with the Orioles. The homer traveled 429 feet in the air with a 107 mph exit velocity. He ripped three batted balls over 97 mph and looked just as advertised. Henderson is 45% rostered right now and that should be closer to 100%. Scott discusses why Henderson is still not the perfect addition for Fantasy rosters in his Thursday Waiver Wire.

Corbin Carroll concern

Carroll has been excellent since being called up by the Diamondbacks, but there's reason to be concerned about how long it will last -- and it has nothing to do with his production. Carroll was out of the lineup and this might not be the last time. As pointed out by Reddit user flaky scarcity 4790, Carroll already used up 10/130ABs in just two games. That's on pace for him to only start 24/34 remaining games. The Diamondbacks will not risk losing his rookie eligibility.

Who's hot

Is Trevor Rogers back? Rogers threw six quality innings against the Rays and allowed just five hits, one walk and one earned run with five strikeouts. He threw a strike on his first pitch against 15 of 23 batters. He leaned into his changeup. Rogers spoke with reporters after the outing about the mental and mechanical changes he made in his reset time off. He's 48% rostered and could be a league winner.

Who's not

Joe Ryan got hit hard again on Wednesday. He threw five innings and allowed eight hits, one walk and five earned runs. Since June 14, Ryan has a 4.80 ERA.

Fantasy news, injuries and notes

For a complete recap of every injury, update and more, make sure you're locked into the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast where Frank, Scott and Chris dive deep into every player note. For the CliffsNotes version, we'll recap the biggest news and notes you need to know right here:

  • Rays manager Kevin Cash said Shane McClanahan underwent an MRI on Wednesday which confirmed the diagnosis of a shoulder impingement. Shane O Mac will receive a cortisone shot and could be back after a minimum stay on the IL. 
  • Ronald Acuña was back in the Braves starting lineup Wednesday. He hit his 11th HR.
  • Brett Baty will undergo surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right thumb and was placed on the IL, retroactive to August 29. The standard recovery timeline for this type of procedure is about five weeks.
  • Brandon Lowe was placed on the IL with a right triceps contusion, retroactive to August 28.
  • Yordan Alvarez was out of the lineup again Wednesday but said he 100% expects to return to the starting lineup Friday against the Angels
  • Salvador Perez was scratched Wednesday with back tightness. 
  • Willson Contreras, who was out of the lineup Wednesday, had X-rays come back negative and was cleared of structural damage after undergoing an MRI on his ankle. 
  • The Rockies won't have an update on Kris Bryant's foot for another 7-10 days. 
  • Luis Robert has missed five straight due to a sore left wrist and remains day-to-day. 
  • Nick Castellanos has missed the past two games with turf toe.
  • Jorge Polanco has now missed four straight with left patellar tendinitis in his knee. 
  • Ramon Laureano will begin a rehab assignment at Single-A on Thursday. He's been on the IL since mid-August due to a left oblique strain.
  • Justin Steele is expected to start Tuesday against the Reds. He exited his previous start with lower-back tightness.