What to say about Thursday's action, huh? I could go on here about Chris Sale's diminished fastball velocity and the Red Sox's dismissal of it, Julio Rodriguez's 5-for-5 performance and 13-point jump in batting average over the past two days, Keibert Ruiz's 3-for-3 effort and quick ascension as a must-start Fantasy catcher, or Triston Casas' home run off a left-hander and sixth straight against one.

But the biggest news from Thursday was the late-night announcement of Masyn Winn's promotion.

The Cardinals have called up one of the top shortstop prospects at a time when shortstop isn't such an easy position to fill off the waiver wire. Winn isn't a surefire Fantasy standout, with his greatest tool being his arm and his biggest highlights coming on the defensive end, but he has greatly improved his offensive game the past two years. His strikeout rate at Triple-A Memphis this year was only 16.8 percent, helping him to a .288 batting average, but his biggest strides came in the power department with 10 homers over his final 28 games. He batted .363 (41 for 113) during that stretch.

Those strides give him the sort of across-the-board skill set that could pay off big in Fantasy, with one potential outcome being Randy Arozarena-like production. Of course, more prospect call-ups than not have disappointed this year, but if nothing else, the at-bats should be there for Winn with Nolan Gorman currently sidelined and Brendan Donovan out for the year.

Well ... they'll be there for a while, anyway. The Cardinals will want to make sure Winn doesn't exceed 130, though, keeping his rookie status intact for next season. A high finish for him in Rookie of the Year voting next year could score them a bonus draft pick. It's why, if I'm looking for shortstop help off the waiver wire, I'm prioritizing the Twins' Royce Lewis, who recently came off the IL, over Winn. But Winn still makes for a fine choice and figures to be the better base-stealer of the two, if that's your top priority.

Cole Ragans, Royals

Ragans needs a good start against the Cubs over the weekend for this recommendation to hold, but he has shown serious upside with the Royals already, introducing a slider to give him a full arsenal of swing-and-miss pitches. And he couldn't ask for a better matchup in Week 22 than the Athletics.

Chase Silseth, Angels

Silseth is running neck-and-neck with Cole Ragans for top breakout pitcher of the second half, having also seen better results because of an improved slider. Considering his good work against lineups like the Braves and Astros, you can expect more of the same at the Mets this week.

Seth Lugo, Padres

Lugo has generally been reliable this year, a recent blip against the Dodgers notwithstanding, so he seems like a safe choice against a Marlins lineup that ranks in the bottom six in runs scored despite its recent acquisitions. He'll first need to get past the Diamondbacks this weekend, though.

Zack Gelof, 3B, Athletics

Zack Gelof has two four-hit games in the past week and has only gotten better and better since joining the team for the start of the second half. His combination of a high strikeout rate and a low max exit velocity could bring him down to size eventually, but not with the Athletics having the best hitter matchups this week.

Marcell Ozuna, OF, Braves

Marcell Ozuna enters the weekend on a 14-game hitting streak in which he's batting .340 (17 for 50) with two homers, but he's basically been a stud since May 1 and shouldn't be as available as he is still. The Braves matchups in Week 22 are decent enough, but really, he's beyond matchups.

Chas McCormick, OF, Astros

As with Marcell Ozuna, this Chas McCormick pick is less about the player's schedule for this week and more about him being good enough for long enough that he should no longer be available anywhere. He looked like he might be slowing down at the start of August but enters the weekend batting .500 (7 for 14) with two home runs.

Luis Castillo, Seattle Mariners (SEA)
Start 1 : @ Chicago White Sox (CHW)
Start 2 : vs Kansas City Royals (KC)

Clayton Kershaw SP / Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD)
Start 1 : @ Cleveland Guardians (CLE)
Start 2 : @ Boston Red Sox (BOS)

Blake Snell SP / San Diego Padres (SD)
Start 1 : vs Miami Marlins (MIA)
Start 2 : @ Milwaukee Brewers (MIL)

Andrew Abbott SP / Cincinnati Reds (CIN)
Start 1 : @ Los Angeles Angels (LAA)
Start 2 : @ Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI)

Jordan Montgomery SP / Texas Rangers (TEX)
Start 1 : @ Arizona Diamondbacks (ARI)
Start 2 : @ Minnesota Twins (MIN)

• Tim Anderson will begin serving his five-game suspension Friday. Lenyn Sosa is expected to be called up in his place.
• Ryan Helsley will resume his rehab assignment Friday at Triple-A, which is a little surprising. He was just pulled off his rehab Wednesday with renewed discomfort in his forearm.
• Nolan Gorman was placed on the IL with a lower-back strain. He received a pain-killing injection on Thursday.
• Lars Nootbaar was cleared of any structural damage after undergoing medical testing. He took a foul ball off family jewels Wednesday. Our thoughts are with you, Lars.
• Jarred Kelenic had the walking boot from his fractured left foot removed Wednesday and resumed some baseball activities. He's 57% rostered and should be back some time in early September.
• Bryan Woo is on track to rejoin the Mariner's rotation early next week against the White Sox. He's 44% rostered.
• Mason Miller struck out two and gave up no hits over two scoreless innings in his rehab start Wednesday at Single-A. 
• Mark Vientos was placed on the IL with left wrist tendinitis, retroactive to August 16.
• Michael Brantley played left field in his second rehab game Thursday. He hasn't played in a Major League game since June 26, 2022. He's 11% rostered.
• Javier Baez is expected to return from the bereavement list Friday.
• Joey Lucchesi will be called up Friday to start for the Mets.