Nathan Eovaldi’s season may be finished after a rotator cuff strain, a brutal setback for the Rangers’ late playoff push. The 35-year-old ace was comfortably atop Texas’ rotation with a career-best 1.73 ERA, but his MRI prompted a 15-day IL projection and a turnaround in the team’s outlook.

With Eovaldi sidelined, Texas must navigate a sharper innings curve as they chase the AL wild-card. Evan Carter and Marcus Semien also landed on the injured list in the same trip, compounding the challenge. Four to six weeks could determine when Semien returns, while Eovaldi’s MRI will guide the plan to possibly salvage a postseason run. The race remains tight, with the Rangers still in contention but needing a rally from the rotation and bullpen.

Navigating the sprint to the finish line, fantasy players are eyeing three rookie hurlers in spots to steal value. Noah Cameron, Cam Schlittler, and Michael McGreevy headline a price-conscious slate with strong chances to push fantasy points in favorable matchups as playoff chases heat up. Julio Rodríguez resurges in the second half, and Seattle’s potential stack against a beleaguered Sears adds another high-upside angle. Price discipline, platoon edges, and stacked cores anchor the approach for DK lineups.

Key stacks target St. Louis and Milwaukee routes, while bargain bats like Lars Nootbaar emerge as critical pieces for multi-entry builds. The lineup optimizer angle centers on upside at low costs, leveraging rookie ceilings and opponent weaknesses to maximize upside across DFS contests as the season wanes.

Jake Burger's season hit a snag as the Rangers placed him on the injured list with a sprained left wrist, his third IL stint of the year. Despite an August OPS of 1.097, the wrist issue shelves him as Texas faces a pivotal seven-game stretch against AL wild-card rivals, with first-base duties shifting to Rowdy Tellez and Alejandro Osuna recalled from Round Rock to fill the gap. Burger is batting .242 with a .691 OPS on the year and had started 78 of 126 games; the club hopes the swelling settles quickly so he can return by late August. The roster move underscores how tight the playoff race is and how owners should monitor Texas’ lineup shifts.

Dallas chatter centers on Dak Prescott’s backup plan. Kevin Sherrington weighs the Cowboys’ QB roulette—Will Grier, Joe Milton II, Cooper Rush—while suggesting the cheapest viable option could shape playoff odds and fantasy rosters if Dak misses time. The Rangers aren’t far behind, with a final push to stay relevant and a seven-game gauge against Kansas City’s Royals and Cleveland looming large. In another lineup shift, Jake Burger replaces Nate Lowe at first base for price and pop, hinting at late-season power upside. The basketball world isn’t ignored: Luka Doncic’s EuroBasket scare is minor, and the golf scene gets a nod as Scottie Scheffler mints a run of dominance. A human-interest note about Ken Bahnsen closes with a Dallas-Texas flavor, reminding readers of long-running stories and the charm of local sports lore. Overall, the piece blends NFL depth with MLB late-season maneuvering and a dash of hoops, all filtered for fantasy-minded fans tracking backups, platoons, and price-sensitive value plays.

Nathaniel Lowe is headed to the Boston Red Sox on a deal that marks a late-season resurfacing after a rough stretch in Washington. Lowe, formerly a fixture with Texas during his World Series run, was DFA’d by the Nationals and granted his release, then found a path to a potent Boston lineup that sits in the AL wild-card chase. Boston’s mix of left-handed power and middle-of-the-order protection will be watched closely as Lowe tries to rebound from a .216/.292/.373 line and a negative defensive tally.

Boston’s surge puts pressure on the AL East race, trailing Toronto and facing Yankees pressure, while the Rangers sit 5.5 games out of a playoff spot. Lowe’s arrival comes amid a broader reshuffle: Texas moved him for salary relief, replacing him with Jake Burger at first base and funneling funds into Joc Pederson’s deal. The Blue Jays and Yankees remain contenders, sharpening the drama for the stretch run. Lowe’s signing could flip a few fantasy angles in Boston’s lineup as the postseason looms.

For fantasy managers, Lowe’s addition is a speculative buy with big upside if the scenery unlocks his power. If he taps back into his Texas-era form, he could contribute as a source of pop and run production in a competitive lineup, especially in deeper formats where lefty power and position flexibility matter as rosters tighten for the playoff chase.