Kyle Schwarber’s four-homer game stood as a landmark, with a potential fifth off a position-player pitcher looming as a controversy blocker. He pushed to five in the eighth, but a 57.4 mph lob from Vidal Bruján produced an infield fly instead, muting debate about tainting the feat. Schwarber’s 49 homers on the year remain league-leading, and the moment underscored the surreal edge of MLB power numbers when a mop-up appearance by a position player is even considered in the record books.

The broader arc centers on the growing use of position players on the mound and MLB’s response: a rule restricting such appearances, and ongoing debates about the impact on statistics and fantasy-value. Dodgers standouts Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Miguel Rojas, Kiké Hernández and Clayton Kershaw are cited to illustrate the era’s pitching depth and the strategic chess match managers navigate in late innings.

Week 23 bullpen shakeups reshape fantasy closer plans. Milwaukee’s Uribe emerges as the top short-term fix after Megill lands on the IL with a flexor strain, giving Uribe elite closer upside in all formats. Baltimore’s Keegan Akin is a viable adds-now option, while Minnesota’s Justin Topa has carved out a late-inning role that’s worth chasing in 12-team and deeper leagues. In deeper adds, JoJo Romero and Riley O’Brien in St. Louis, Calvin Faucher in Miami, and Reid Detmers in Los Angeles provide leverage-shower paths as teams ride out the rest of the season. Dodgers’ Tanner Scott has reemerged as a saves option, with Kenley Jansen and others still in the mix.

Notes on the holds and saves landscape: Whitlock leads holds while Aroldis Chapman has a record-breaking season, and Ryan Walker’s late-inning work for San Francisco is back in focus after the injury news around Randy Rodríguez. The bullpen mosaic remains volatile, but urgency around adds for Week 23 is clear: target the next man up who can accumulate saves and holds in the coming weeks.

Contreras over 0.5 HR at +300, Pasquantino over 0.5 HR at +475, Freeland over 0.5 HR at +650, Buxton over 0.5 HR at +280 headline Friday’s MLB HR prop slate. Value plays bend toward favorable righty matchups, weather, and park factors to beat the odds, not chase the obvious. Shop for the best line to juice round-robin upside.

Contreras faces Littell, a pitcher with trouble handling right-handed power; Pasquantino has shown power against righties and Paddack has leaked homers recently; Freeland thrives against right-handers while Gallen has allowed hard contact; Buxton’s big righty power and Cortes’ lefty splits tip the scales. These picks hinge on plus-money outcomes and volatility in a large slate.

Stay agile with lineup updates and weather; small line movements can turn these long-shot bets into meaningful round-robin gains, especially when multiple picks connect in a single card.