Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Friday's 10-4 win over the Angels. The home run was Naylor's 13th of the season, and with his career-high Barrel% of 11.6% he's on pace to eclipse his career-high home run mark of 20 set in 2022. The former first-round draft pick got off to a hot start this season, slashing .321/.387/.605 over his first 22 games but has gone cold the past month despite continuing to hit home runs, slashing just .183/.294/.441 over the last 26 games. Still, overall he's having a solid season, collecting 35 RBI and 27 runs scored with a .358 wOBA and 135 wRC+.

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Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 10-4 loss to the Guardians. The 435-foot blast was Adell's 10th of the year and sixth in his last 14 games, however, it seems he's traded power for average. The 25-year-old hit .327 in April with four home runs, but just .169 in May with six long balls. While Adell has improved his strikeout rates considerably over years past, the former first-round draft pick has had at least one strikeout in 13 straight games and is striking out at a 28.4% rate in May, as compared to 20.7% in April. Hopefully he can maintain his power-hitting going forward and start hitting for average again too, as he was looking like a fantastic early-season waiver pickup.

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Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe went 2-for-4 with a home run in Friday's 10-4 loss to the Guardians. The homer was his fifth of the season, his second in the last three games, and it was the third multi-hit performance in his last five. The 24-year-old has been solid this season, posting a .263-5-24-19-0 line with a .325 wOBA and 109 wRC+. He sits right around the Top-12 for fantasy at the catcher position, although managers hoping for a true breakout have been underwhelmed so far after the backstop belted 14 home runs in just 182 at-bats with a 15.6% Barrel% last season (152 AB, 8.8% Barrel% in '24).

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon pitched six innings of shutout ball in Friday's 8-0 win over the Padres. The lefty allowed just three hits and three walks while striking out two. It was the 31-year-old's fourth straight quality start, improving his record to 6-2 and lowering his season ERA to 2.95. The veteran also has a good 1.18 WHIP, although fantasy managers who were hoping for a return to 33% strikeout rates are surely disappointed. His K-BB% of 14.8% is more in line with 2023's disastrous season, although slightly better as the southpaw has reduced his BB% by more than 2%. Rodon has also lowered his HR/FB% from 15.2% to 10.3%, which has contributed to his success this season. The 2x All-Star will draw the Angels in his next start in Anaheim on Thursday.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander struck out nine batters and picked up the win in Friday's 6-3 victory over the Athletics. The veteran scattered eight hits and hit a batter over six innings of work while walking none. It was the 41-year-old's fourth quality start in seven starts and a nice bounce-back game after giving up four runs in four-and-two-thirds-innings pitched. The righty is now 3-2 on the season and owns a 3.60 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 12.6% K-BB%. Verlander gets a mouthwatering matchup with Seattle his next turn through the rotation on Thursday. The Mariners have the fourth-lowest team batting average on the season and have the most strikeouts in the entire league.

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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitching prospect Tink Hence struck out a season-high 13 batters on Friday across six shutout frames. Hence has been one of the best arms in Double-A this season and is on the brink of moving up to Triple-A. Through 45 innings at Double-A, he has struck out 59 batters with a 2.76 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. His ERA is a bit inflated due to one poor outing where he allowed six earned runs. The top prospect in St. Louis is projected to reach the major leagues this season, according to MLB Pipeline, which means a promotion to Triple-A could be right around the corner. Hence is a top-10 right-handed pitching prospect and is worth stashing in dynasty leagues.

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Oakland Athletics outfielder Miguel Andujar made his long-awaited season debut on Friday, going 3-for-4 with two RBI in a 6-3 loss to the Astros. Andujar is returning from a torn meniscus he suffered just prior to the beginning of the season. The 29-year-old had a strong showing in spring training, going 15-for-42 (.357) with five home runs and didn't strike out even one time. He also had a strong rehab stint where the right-handed hitter went 7-for-18 (.389) including four doubles and struck out just twice. If Andujar can find regular playing time and continue to hit, he could be a worthy waiver-add in fantasy, however, he's played no more than 45 games in a season since 2018. That season, the Dominican hit .297 with 27 home runs for the Yankees.

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Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Kevin Alcantara went 4-4 at the plate on Friday with a double, one RBI, and a stolen base. Alcantara entered this game, hitting a mere .200/.286/.280 line over the past week. This is the 21-year-old first true look at Double-A pitching, as he only appeared in five games at this level last year. This season he holds a solid .248/.298/.376 line with four home runs three stolen bases, but a poor 10:37 BB:K ratio. Alcantara has showcased his strong power and speed combination in the minor leagues before, with a 15/14 season at Single-A in 2022 and a 12/15 season at High-A last year. He is projected to join the major league roster next season but may have a difficult time finding a steady opportunity as the Cubs have three established outfielders on their roster and top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is expected to be the center fielder of the future. Nonetheless, Alcantara could be worth adding in dynasty leagues if he joins Triple-A Iowa this summer.

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Cleveland Guardians catcher David Fry continued his hot hitting in a 10-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. Fry went 2-for-3 with a homer, two walks, two runs, and an RBI in the winning effort. The 28-year-old has been one of the Guardians' most unexpected producers this season as he's hitting .360 with six homers, 22 runs, 19 RBI, and three steals over 86 at-bats while playing all over the diamond. Fry has been red-hot of late, hitting .556 with three homers, eight runs, and seven RBI over his past seven games. Whether the veteran is able to produce consistently over an entire MLB season remains to be seen but Fry is worth a spot on all fantasy rosters until he slows down.

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Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Bryse Wilson turned in an excellent outing in his team's 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Friday. Wilson entered the game in relief with two outs in the first inning and wound up matching his career-high with seven strikeouts in the game. He finished with two earned runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings to earn the win. Wilson now has a 3-1 record, 2.86 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts over 13 appearances (six starts). The veteran right-hander doesn't have big strikeout numbers but he's shown the ability to suppress the opposing team's run production, making him worth a look as a streaming option in deeper leagues moving forward.

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Detroit Tigers right-hander Jason Foley got the final out of a 6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays to earn the save on Friday. With runners on first and third, Foley needed just three pitches to induce a Danny Jansen groundout to secure the win for his team. The 28-year-old has been steady at the back of the Detroit bullpen this season, posting a 2-1 record, 2.41 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings of work while converting 11 of his 12 save opportunities. While he doesn't post big strikeout numbers, Foley has fantasy value as Detroit's primary closer moving forward.

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Cincinnati Reds outfielder Spencer Steer turned in a big game in his team's 9-6 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. Steer went 1-for-4 at the plate with a homer, a walk, two runs, and three RBI in the victory. The veteran's three-run homer came in the first inning off LA starter James Paxton and traveled 390 feet with a 101.1 MPH exit velocity. Steer's batting average of .224 this season isn't great but he's contributing in the other categories with five homers, 24 runs, 34 RBI, and 11 steals across 172 at-bats. Despite the low average, Steer needs to stay in fantasy lineups for his steals and run production alone.

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Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Edward Olivares turned in a big game in an 11-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday. Olivares went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI in the big win over Atlanta. The 28-year-old outfielder is now hitting .250 with five homers, 14 runs, and 16 RBI across 104 at-bats in 2024. He has been swinging a hot bat of late, hitting .348 with a homer and four RBI over his past seven games. Olivares is worth a look in deeper fantasy leagues while he is on this hot streak.

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Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith added to his homer total in a 9-6 loss to the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. Smith went 1-for-5 in the contest with a solo homer in the fifth inning off of Cincy starter Graham Ashcraft. The blast traveled 369 feet and had an exit velocity of 99.3 MPH. Smith continues to solidify his case as one of the top fantasy catchers in the game, hitting .298 with an .850 OPS, six homers, 27 runs, and 33 RBI across 168 at-bats. He sets up as a must-start in fantasy whenever he's in the lineup.

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Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales turned in a big game in an 11-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday. Gonzales went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored, and four RBI in the winning effort. The 24-year-old got the Pirates off to a fast start with a two-run single in the bottom of the first inning and then came back and added a two-run double in the sixth. Gonzales has been swinging a hot bat since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 10, hitting .300 with two homers, seven runs, 13 RBI, and a steal in 50 at-bats. He has plenty of potential and needs to be rostered in deeper leagues moving forward.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. turned in a productive performance in an 11-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. Acuna went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in the loss. The veteran's blast came in the eighth inning, traveling 397 feet with an exit velocity of 103.6 MPH. Off to a slow start this season, by his lofty standards, Acuna is now hitting .247 with four homers, 38 runs, 15 RBI, and 15 steals across 186 at-bats. With that being his first homer in over a week, Acuna will look to stay hot moving forward.

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Miami Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett turned in an excellent performance in a 3-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Garrett threw a complete-game shutout, striking out six, walking none, and allowing just four hits in the win. The veteran lefty appears to be rounding into form after he opened the season on the injured list with a left shoulder impingement. He has now made three starts for Miami this season, with his best effort coming in Friday's shutout win over Arizona. Garrett now has a 1-0 record, 5.30 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings of work. Fantasy gamers will want to check waivers to see if Garrett is available now that he's shown he's over his early-season injury.

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Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Bailey Falter produced a strong outing in Friday's victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves, striking out four and allowing three runs on six hits (one home run) and two walks over 7 1/3 innings for his third win of the season. This was Falter's third consecutive quality start, and this one should be viewed as all the more impressive when you consider Atlanta's buzz saw of a lineup. On the season as a whole, the 27-year-old right-hander owns a serviceable 3.55 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 33:14 K:BB over 58 1/3 frames (10 starts) as a pleasant surprise from Pittsburgh's rotation. Falter will carry a decent level of streaming appeal for fantasy purposes in his next scheduled start against a disappointing Toronto Blue Jays next Friday at the Rogers Centre.

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San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval nearly blew the save in Friday's win on the road over the New York Mets, but he held on to record his ninth save of the year despite a one-run ninth inning. DJ Stewart first doubled to get the tying run to the plate in the ninth, scoring on a Francisco Lindor single. Doval may have been the one to ultimately seal the deal on Friday, but it was Matt Chapman's stunning bare-handed throw to first base to retire Mark Vientos for the final out that completed the adventure. The flame-throwing 26-year-old right-hander features a 3.05 ERA with 27 punchouts through 20 2/3 innings as San Fran's stopper this year, but his 1.50 WHIP is a cause for some concern. Despite the shaky outing, Doval should still be viewed as one of fantasy preeminent closers going forward.

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Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran got back on track in Friday's win over the visiting Texas Rangers, earning his fifth save of the year with one strikeout in the ninth inning. Travis Jankowski walked to get the tying run aboard, but Duran got Marcus Semien to ground out to secure the Twins' 3-2 win. Duran needed a bounce-back effort in the worst way after giving up five runs over his past three appearances, and while the 26-year-old fire-balling right-hander's 4.02 ERA through 10 2/3 innings overall out of Minnesota's bullpen in 2024 leaves a lot to be desired, his 1.03 WHIP is more encouraging. Duran has converted each of his five save opportunities for the Twins as well, and he's starting to get more ninth-inning work following a delayed start to the season.

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