OTW 264 - FAAB #23; August 23, 2026

On The Wire Adam Howe and Kevin Hastings return after a three-week hiatus to catch up on a backlog of injuries and roster moves across the league, headlined by Kade Anderson's MLB debut for Seattle. The bulk of the episode covers hitter and pitcher FAAB targets by category, with an especially long look at closer/bullpen chaos in Kansas City, Chicago, Arizona, and beyond. Kevin closes with a stretch-run pep talk: with five weeks left, it's time to take on more risk if you're chasing, and to protect ratios if you're not. Welcome and News (0:00:00–0:20:00) Cardinals lose two more starters to the IL as Hunter Dobbins and Andre Pallante both hit injured list Players Discussed: Hunter Dobbins, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, Quinn Mathews, Kyle Leahy, Matthew Liberatore Kyle Leahy could see shortened outings and skipped starts down the stretch as innings are managed Players Discussed: Kyle Leahy Yankees get Carlos Rodón back, but Max Fried hits IL and Ryan Weathers deals with forearm discomfort ahead of doubleheader Players Discussed: Carlos Rodón, Max Fried, Ryan Weathers, Elmer Rodríguez, Will Warren, Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole Ryan McMahon hits IL with thumb sprain, Max Schuemann recalled as José Caballero sees increased playing time Players Discussed: Ryan McMahon, Max Schuemann, José Caballero, Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario, Alí Sánchez Giancarlo Stanton suffers rehab setback and is likely done for the season, Aaron Judge unlikely to have fantasy impact in 2026 Players Discussed: Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge Dodgers lose Andy Pages for the rest of the season, recall Alek Thomas to fill in at center field Players Discussed: Andy Pages, <a href="https://pitcherlist.com/player/alek-thomas/"