Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer and a stolen base in an 11-7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. Cruz added a pair of runs and three RBI to his line, giving him an excellent evening at the dish. It hasn't been great of late for the talented infielder, who had gone 15 games in a row without a homer and 14 in a row without a steal before this one. Considering those are the two categories that fantasy managers drafted him for, it's been a bit of a disaster lately. That being said, if Cruz can find his stroke he can go on a tear that few other players can, making him a must-roster player even when he isn't doing much well.

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Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts had a big night at the dish on Thursday, getting on base four times and hitting a big three-run homer to put the game out of reach for the Pittsburgh Pirates in what ended up being an 11-7 victory. Betts went 2-for-4 with a pair of walks, two runs scored, and three RBI to round out a terrific stat line. It was good to see the 31-year-old superstar have a big game, as he has been pretty pedestrian for about a month now. Even the best players go through these kinds of slumps though, and he will likely go on a hot streak soon that makes this stretch seem like a tiny blimp.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck was terrific on Thursday, tossing seven innings of two-run ball while coasting to a win in a 14-2 demolition of the Chicago White Sox. He finished with three hits allowed while walking none and striking out nine. Houck has been one of the better stories in both real life and fantasy baseball, as he has come out of nowhere to be one of the best pitchers in the game so far this year. His 1.91 ERA and 0.92 WHIP are Cy Young and fantasy MVP-level numbers, and he now has 11 quality starts in 13 chances.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran went 4-for-5 with a homer in a 14-2 drubbing of the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. Duran set the tone with a lead-off homer in the first inning and the Red Sox didn't let up all night. The 27-year-old is off to a terrific start in June, going 10-for-21 with six runs, two homers, and four RBI. He also has two or more hits in four of five June games. While it's been a productive stretch for the lefty, he needs to steal more bases to be a true standout in fantasy, as his last steal came on May 21 and he doesn't provide enough power to be stealing infrequently.

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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez had a big night on Thursday, going 3-for-5 with a double and a homer in an 11-7 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hernandez added three runs and an RBI to round out his line. It was good to see the 31-year-old get back on track in June after going 0-for-13 in his last three games. These streaks tend to happen for Teoscar, but in the end he always seems to end up with a decent average, solid run and RBI totals, and 25-30 homers. He's on pace to do just that again this year, and that makes him a solid fantasy asset.

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Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (hand) said he had X-rays on his right hand after Thursday's 8-4 win over the visiting division-rival Chicago Cubs, and they came back negative. Stephenson was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning of Thursday's contest but remained in the game and finished 2-for-2 with two singles, a walk and two runs scored to raise his season batting average to .267 and his OPS to .772. The 27-year-old backstop had precautionary X-rays on his hand, but it looks like he's in the clear. Stephenson should be fine to play on Friday in the second game of the series against the Cubbies, but fantasy managers may want to double-check Cincy's lineup. The former 11th overall pick in 2015 out of a Georgia high school isn't flashy but is on pace to set a new career-high in homers if he can stay healthy.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela contributed in a big way to the team's 14-2 pounding of the Chicago White Sox, knocking in four runs with four hits. He finished the day 4-for-6 with a run and four RBI. It is shockingly Raffaela's third game this season with four or more RBI, with an incredible 16 of his 37 RBI coming in those three games. The 23-year-old has showcased his talent throughout the season but hasn't been able to find the consistency needed to be a reliable fantasy option yet. The glimpses of hope we've seen from him make him an intriguing option though, and holding onto him in case he puts it all together isn't a bad idea in deeper leagues.

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Cleveland Guardians outfield prospect Johnathan Rodriguez was sent back down to Triple-A on June 2 after logging his first 12 games in the major leagues (eight starts). However, since his return to Triple-A Columbus, he has been performing very well and should rejoin the major league roster fairly soon. Since Jun 4, Rodriguez has tallied at least two hits in three straight games, including a stellar three-home run game on Thursday evening. Overall through 46 games at Triple-A this summer, the 24-year-old has posted a .301/.399/.526 line ten long balls, 39 RBI, and four swiped bags. He has now logged a cumulative 93 games at the Triple-A level over the past two seasons and could become an everyday major leaguer by the end of the summer.

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Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll showed some signs of life with a 3-for-5 performance in Thursday's victory versus the San Diego Padres. The outfielder hit a double with two singles along the way and scored twice. He also swiped his 10th bag of the season. Carroll's big performance increased his batting average to .201 on the season, one that has been a major disappointment. There hasn't been much to be excited about with Carroll this season, but he has hit .280 over his last 25 at-bats. Hopefully this is finally the game that helps turn his season around, one that has had him mired in a slump since Opening Day. Carroll will look to get on-base for a ninth straight start against Michael King and the Padres.

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New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes continued his impressive season on Thursday versus the Minnesota Twins. Holmes tossed a scoreless ninth inning and allowed one hit with one strikeout to record his 18th save on the season. Holmes has been having a dominant season out of the bullpen for the Yankees and has only allowed four earned runs on the season, all coming in one outing. The right-hander remains one of the best closers in the game and the save opportunities should continue to be there with the Yankees having one of the better teams in the league.

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Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI in Thursday's loss versus the New York Yankees. Correa's homer came off Marcus Stroman in the top of the first inning. Correa has been putting together a solid season for the Twins with a .253 batting average to go along with five homers and 24 RBI in 158 at-bats. Correa's not the offensive threat that he was earlier in his career, but he is still doing to help managers in deeper leagues and more importantly has looked healthy. Correa will look keep it up versus Mitch Keller on Friday evening.

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Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz went 1-for-5 in Thursday's victory over the division rival Chicago Cubs. De La Cruz's lone hit would be a big one, when he blasted a 390 foot, three-run home run off Javier Assad in the bottom of the sixth inning. The star-studded shortstop had a tough month of May, but he has already been loving June and has a mini four-game hit streak. De La Cruz has shown that he is the complete package when everything is coming together and has become one of the better offensive players in all formats with his ability to help across the board. For the season, De La Cruz is now hitting .240 with 11 homers, 29 RBI and 32 stolen bases. Managers should continue to enjoy the excitement and productivity that De La Cruz provides.

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Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene picked up his fourth victory of the season against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. After a tough outing in his previous start, which also came against the Cubs, Greene bounced back. The right-hander threw 6 2/3 innings and allowed five hits, four runs, two walks and recorded eight strikeouts. Greene pitcher well for most of the contest, but a pair of two-run homers by Seiya Suzuki and Christopher Morel would hurt the flamethrower. Greene has been putting together a good season for the Reds and is now 4-2 with 3.61 ERA. Next up for the right-hander will be a date at home versus a tough Cleveland Guardians offense.

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Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss against the Atlanta Braves. The home run would be the fourth of the season for Thomas. The outfielder missed some time earlier in the season with a sprained MCL and has hit .250 with two homers, six RBI and four stolen bases since his return last week. Thomas has a breakout campaign in 2023, while showcasing both power and speed and that hasn't stopped this season. Although he is still shaking off some rust, Thomas remains a viable option in most formats.

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Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss versus the Atlanta Braves. The home run would be his first since May 27. Abrams had a very hot start to the season, but his production dropped off in May, but that could be due to the fact that he has dealt with shoulder soreness. Despite having a rough month of May, Abrams has hit .246 with 10 homers, 27 RBI and eight stolen bases. With his ability to help across the board at the shortstop position, Abrams has become a good buy-low target for managers that are becoming impatient with his recent struggles.

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Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Tyler Kinley recorded a one-out save on Thursday to secures the club's 22nd victory versus the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. Kinley reliever Jalen Beeks, who had recorded the first two outs of the inning via strikeout and pop-up. Kinley allowed a single to Paul Goldschmidt, but was able to get Nolan Gorman to strikeout to end the inning for his third save of the season. The Rockies bullpen has been a mess this season and with limited wins, weather it is Justin Lawrence, Beeks, Kinley or another option, it is recommended to avoid the situation completely.

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Colorado Rockies top prospect Adael Amador continued his recent run of hot hitting on Wednesday, going 2-for-5 with a walk for Double-A Hartford. One of his two hits was a three-run blast, which was the switch-hitter's fifth home run in his last seven games after clubbing just one over his first 37 games. The 21-year-old also stole a base for the fourth game in a row and now has 22 on the year. Despite going 12-for-30 (.400) over his last seven games, Amador's batting average is still .193 on the season. What has not been an issue all season is his patient eye at the plate, walking at a 16.6% rate (19.3% K%) and posting a .342 OBP. He's likely not going to see the majors this year, but with that kind of power-speed combo, he may soon earn a promotion to Triple-A if he can keep up this recent turnaround.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos was busy in Wednesday's win over the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks, reaching base safely six times and hitting his fifth home run of the year. Ramos walked four times on Wednesday, also tagging struggling D-backs left-hander Jordan Montgomery for a two-run homer to center field to give the Giants a 2-1 lead in the third inning. The 24-year-old former first-round pick has carved out a significant role in San Fran's outfield and is worth a look in all fantasy leagues while he's running this hot. Over 26 games this season, Ramos is slashing a potent .304/.407/.511 with five long balls, four doubles, 19 RBI, and one stolen base.

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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola was in top form Wednesday, blanking the Brewers over seven superb innings in a 2-0 win. Nola allowed just two hits, struck out five, and walked none, lowering his season ERA to 2.77. After driving fantasy managers mad in 2023 with inconsistency, Nola has reminded everyone why the Phillies invested in him last offseason, allowing two runs or less in his previous five starts and only allowing more than three runs twice in 13 trips to the mound this season. Nola is a must-start in all formats; with his next outing scheduled at Fenway Park against the Red Sox, Nola should be confidently penciled into all fantasy lineups.

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New York Mets catcher Luis Torrens smashed two home runs in Wednesday's win over the division-rival Washington Nationals, launching his first homers of the year in the victory. Torrens provided a spark on Wednesday, first putting the Mets on the board with a solo shot in the third inning and later taking Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin deep again for his second long ball of the game in the sixth frame. The 28-year-old journeyman backstop is serving as catching depth alongside veteran Tomas Nido for New York at the moment, but it's hard to envision Torrens maintaining consistent playing time once starter Francisco Alvarez (thumb) is reinstated from the injured list, which could happen as early as Tuesday.

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