Jacksonville stayed alive in the International League Championship Series by beating Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 6-4 in Game 2, riding back-to-back homers from Kemp Alderman and Matthew Etzel in the third to grab the lead for good. Allan Winans was tagged for five runs in just 3 2/3 innings, the first time all season Jacksonville got him for that many, as Jared Serna went 3-for-4 and scored twice. Spencer Jones drew two walks and drove in a run but went 0-for-3. Game 3 is set for Thursday in Jacksonville.

Jumbo Shrimp host Rochester Red Wings for Labor Day weekend at VyStar Ballpark, aiming to build off a first-half postseason clinch after a six-game road split with Worcester. Matthew Etzel’s seventh-inning burst and Cody Morrissette’s quick Triple-A adjustment headline Jacksonville’s offense as they welcome Rochester to town.

Rochester counters with Christian Franklin, a Nationals top-15 prospect, amid a roster reshaped by a July 31 trade that sent Michael Soroka to the Cubs. Honey Drippers Weekend and other ballpark festivities cap a week of baseball as fantasy managers monitor call-up risk and minor-league production ahead of September rosters.

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp head to Polar Park for a six-game stretch against Worcester, with both sides looking to tighten rotations and surge in the second-half chase. Jacksonville snapped a skid with a late comeback and will lean on recent call-ups and a capable bullpen to navigate a Worcester lineup featuring Boston prospects. Victor Mesa Jr. returns as a spark plug for the Shrimp, while Robby Snelling has shown electric stuff since his Pensacola promotion. Worcester counters with a rising group led by Jhostynxon Garcia and Nathan Hickey, two Boston prospects driving the WooSox surge in power and run production.

Snelling owns a sparkling 1.34 ERA, 43 strikeouts, and a 0.95 WHIP across six starts, with opponents hitting just .205. Mesa Jr. delivered a game-winning two-run single in the latest Norfolk tilt, his first action since July 22. Garcia has swatted 17 homers and driven in 56 since promotion, while Hickey sits on 13 homers this season. With Tuesday’s probables TBA, the series shapes as a multi-faceted fantasy angle, balancing the Shrimp’s upside against Worcester’s developing power in a meaningful Triple-A clash.

Norfolk Tides open 2026 with the earliest home debut in franchise history, welcoming Nashville on March 27 for a three-game set at Harbor Park. The 150-game season mirrors this year’s 75 home games, with 39 weekend home dates, and the Tides will host eight affiliates: Nashville, Jacksonville, Memphis, Gwinnett, Durham, Syracuse, Worcester and Charlotte. They’ll only hit the road against Buffalo and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, a schedule that tightens the Orioles’ prospect pipeline and sets a clear path for early-season call-ups in fantasy circles.

Daniel Johnson was claimed off waivers by Baltimore from San Francisco, with Houston Roth designated for assignment. Johnson appeared in 48 games at Sacramento and 14 with the Giants this season; last year he batted .259 with 21 homers and 76 RBIs in 500 at-bats for Norfolk, and logged just one Orioles plate appearance. Roth has been one of Norfolk’s most effective relievers, going 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA in 28 innings over 18 games, though his future remains unsettled.

On the field side beyond the pro ranks, Wilson topped the CPL Petitt Cup by rallying from an eight-run deficit for a 10-9 win in Forest City, marking the coast’s latest highlight. College updates include Henderson on Lombardi and Bednarik watch lists for Old Dominion, Richmond’s Top-25 ranking, and notable preseason honors across the CAA. The blend of minor-league scheduling, waiver moves, and college and CPL chatter paints a broad picture of the year ahead for fantasy managers tracking depth, bid wars, and breakout candidates.

Overall, the piece underscores the ebb and flow of the pipeline, with early-season assignments and a strategic schedule shaping the 2026 fantasy landscape for those who read the tea leaves in real time.