Javier Assad will take the place Drew Smyly in the Cubs rotation for now. Plus playing-time updates in the Cincinnati outfield and Washington starting rotation.

Long part of a subpar offense in SEA, J.P. Crawford is now surging in the second half, as the club's middle infield outlook begins to improve. We check in on the Rangers' lineup, Logan O'Hoppe's rehab status, and more...

We have a full day of action today; find out which pitches to start and sit with the daily matchups.

Trevor Story sees his first action in 2023; Rodón, Greinke, Woo to IL; Baty to regroup at AAA, and more.

Grayson Rodriguez owns a 2.55 ERA over his last 3 GS.

Has OF Alex Verdugo gotten a wake-up call? Or might he find himself back in BOS manager Alex Cora's doghouse? Also: Cowser on borrowed time in BAL, rotation depth tested in NYY, Mead's opportunity in TAM and where Schneider fits in TOR.

Kodai Senga will be looking to cool down a white hot Cubs offense.

Robbie Grossman's AB should rise as TEX reconfigures its lineup in the wake of Josh Jung's injury. Plus PT adjustments on Woodruff, B. Marsh, Curry, and more.

We'll finish up the week with Jung, Glasnow, D. Jansen, Marsh, Fraley, and Bichette. Saturday: Well, things heated up quickly. We have Muncy, McClanahan, Buxton, Rizzo, J. Ryan, Stroman, Musgrove, Neto, and J. Naylor. Wednesday: With all the trade-deadline buzz, injury news is leaking out slowly. But we have Syndergaard, J. Turner, D. Germán, and updates on Esteury and Tucupita.

STL, CHC, and MIL all altered their roster in significant ways that will impact playing time significantly for the next two months. Plus, an underperformer that's rarely been talked about in CIN and the shift in depth pitching options in PIT.

Your two-step guide for the first full week of August...