Oakland Athletics infielder Abraham Toro (hamstring) suffered a hamstring strain in Friday's game against the visiting Minnesota Twins and will go on the injured list, according to manager Mark Kotsay. In his first game back on Friday against the Twins after injuring his shoulder earlier in the week, Toro suffered a new injury and will now miss more time. Before leaving, the 27-year-old third baseman went 1-for-3 with a walk, run scored and a strikeout in the eventual 6-5 win. Toro has gained some attention in deeper fantasy leagues this year in Oakland with regular playing time at the hot corner. He entered Friday's contest with a .259/.300/.387 slash line with six homers, 24 RBI, three steals and 31 runs scored in 274 at-bats. Some combination of Tyler Nevin and Aledmys Diaz should see work at third base while Toro's hamstring heals.

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Los Angeles Angels left-hander Patrick Sandoval (forearm) left his start early on Friday against the crosstown-rival Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium due to left-forearm tightness, the Angels announced. Sandoval made it only 2 1/3 innings in this one, but he didn't allow a run while giving up two hits, walking two and striking out only one in a no-decision in an eventual 3-2 extra-inning victory. It remains to be seen exactly what the issue is for the 27-year-old southpaw, but forearm injuries usually always lead to a stint on the injured list, so fantasy managers might want to prepare for that. We should know more on his timetable on Saturday. Sandoval entered Friday's game with a 2-8 record, uneven 5.24 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 80 K's in 77 1/3 innings (15 starts). He's walked too many and given up too much loud contact to maintain any kind of consistency for fantasy streamers.

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Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro said on Friday that starting pitcher Michael Wacha (foot) is "on track" to return to the rotation for Saturday's game against the defending-champion Texas Rangers, and the hurler is officially listed as the probable starter. Wacha made a rehab appearance in the Arizona Complex League on Monday as he worked his way back from a fractured left foot, throwing four scoreless innings on two hits and no walks with six strikeouts. The 32-year-old veteran right-hander holds a vanilla 4.24 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 56:20 K:BB through 68 innings (12 starts) for the Royals this year, and fantasy managers might want to take a wait-and-see approach before inserting Wacha back into lineups on Saturday against a dangerous Rangers lineup.

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Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said ahead of Friday's series opener against the crosstown-rival Los Angeles Angels that the club is still deciding what starting pitcher Walker Buehler's (hip) process on the injured list is going to look like. Roberts mentioned that the extra weight and strength Buehler put on this offseason might be impacting his mechanics. Buehler took a comebacker during Tuesday's start at Coors Field against the division-rival Colorado Rockies, and the Dodgers decided they had seen enough after the hurler gave up a season-worst seven runs by sending him to the IL with right hip inflammation on Wednesday. Buehler owns a rough 5.84 ERA (6.04 FIP), 1.51 WHIP, and 31:10 K:BB over eight starts (37 innings), and he may end up spending a considerable amount of time back in the minors on assignment to sharpen up his mechanics. There's a chance we won't see him again until after July's All-Star break.

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Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (elbow) threw five innings on Friday for Double-A Akron, striking out four batters and allowing just one run on four hits. Williams threw 66 pitches and topped out 98 mph with his fastball. Friday marked Williams' fifth appearance in the minor leagues on his rehab assignment from right elbow discomfort, so there's a chance the Guardians deem him ready to rejoin the major-league roster for his 2024 debut in his next start. After posting a promising 3.29 ERA and 1.26 WHIP while striking out 81 and walking 37 through 16 starts (82 innings) during his rookie year a season ago, the 24-year-old former top prospect needs to be stashed in all fantasy leagues with his return appearing imminent.

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San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar (knee) was pulled for a pinch runner in the seventh inning of Friday's game against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers. Profar battled patellar tendinitis in his left knee earlier in June, and he didn't appear to be running well before being lifted for Jose Azocar on Friday. Consider Profar day-to-day until the Padres update his status before Saturday's clash with the Brewers, but a stint on the injured list cannot be ruled out if a prior issue has resurfaced. The 31-year-old veteran switch-hitter has made himself comfortable as San Diego's everyday left fielder and deserves to be a first-time All-Star this year, slashing. 320/.415/.483 with 10 home runs, 48 RBI, 42 runs scored, and four stolen bases through 269 at-bats.

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Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette (calf) took ground balls, hit in batting cages, and ran the bases in Cleveland on Friday ahead of the series opener against the hosting Guardians. Bichette will continue ramping up his activity through the weekend, and he's targeting a return from the injured when first eligible ahead of Tuesday's contest against the division-rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The 26-year-old two-time All-Star infielder is working his way back from a strained right calf, and it doesn't look as if he'll need any kind of abbreviated minor-league rehab assignment before re-entering Toronto's lineup. Bichette has scuffled at the plate for most of the season, but he's a hitting machine when he's locked in, and he was batting an encouraging .286 (36-for-126) with three home runs, eight doubles, 16 RBI, and one stolen base over his last 32 outings before going on the IL.

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San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) resumed baseball activity in mid-June, running the bases, taking light grounders, and doing one-handed drills in the batting cage. Bogaerts is still undergoing regular imaging before he gets clearance to begin ramping up, and although there's still no timetable for his build-up toward a return, Bogaerts expects to begin full batting practice soon and believes he can be back playing in early July. The 31-year-old star infielder appears to be making swift progress in his recovery from a fractured left shoulder, and his optimism means he has a shot to rejoin the Padres sometime around mid-July's All-Star break. Even though Bogaerts was batting a poor .219 (41-for-187) with four home runs, 14 RBI, 23 runs scored, and four stolen bases across 47 contests before getting hurt, he should be stashed in most fantasy leagues.

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The San Diego Padres say that outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (triceps) exited Friday's game against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers with a left triceps contusion. After being hit by a pitch in the third inning, Tatis stayed in the contest for two more frames before he was pulled for Tyler Wade. Although it's promising to hear he's only dealing with a contusion, expect the Friars to proceed with caution with their 25-year-old superstar right fielder, considering he's already managing a quad issue to begin with. Tatis is slashing .279/.354/.468 with 14 home runs, 36 RBI, 50 runs scored, and eight stolen bases over 308 at-bats this season, and he should be viewed as day-to-day before he's re-evaluated ahead of Saturday's meeting with Milwaukee.

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Cincinnati Reds third baseman Jeimer Candelario achieved his second two-homer game of the month in Friday's win over the visiting Boston Red Sox, walloping two solo shots. After belting his first solo blast off Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford to right field to open the scoring and give the Reds a 1-0 lead in first inning, Candelario took the righty yard once more by crushing another solo jack to right field in the third frame. It's been a ridiculous month for the 30-year-old veteran switch-hitter, who's hitting a sizzling .347 (25-for-72) with eight long balls, four doubles, 17 RBI, and three stolen bases over 18 games in June. He's simply one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now, and fantasy managers should enjoy the ride while it lasts.

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Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale was stellar during Friday's start in the Bronx against the hosting New York Yankees, striking out eight and allowing just one run on one hit across five innings for his 10th win of the season. Staked to an early three-run lead, Sale gave up a lone hit, which was a fluky Jahmai Jones triple as left fielder Adam Duvall lost track of a fly ball, with three walks against a team he mostly struggled against back during his Boston Red Sox days. Well on his way his eighth career All-Star nod, the 35-year-old veteran southpaw has a scintillating 2.91 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 107:16 K:BB over 86 2/3 innings (14 starts) for the Braves during his debut season in Atlanta. Sale's next scheduled start comes in Wednesday's clash with the Cardinals in St. Louis.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon was shelled during Friday's start in the Bronx against the visiting Atlanta Braves, surrendering a season-worst seven runs on 11 hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings for his fourth loss of the year. After giving up 14 runs over six starts (34 1/3 innings) in the entire month of May, Rodon has now allowed 15 runs across four appearances (21 2/3 innings) in June. The 31-year-old left-hander will look to regather his early-season form when he takes a 3.86 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 84 punchouts and 25 walks through 88 2/3 frames on the season into his next scheduled showing in Thursday's favorable matchup on the road against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays.

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Houston Astros relief pitcher Kendall Graveman (shoulder) is in the middle of a throwing program with a remote chance that he could make it back in September. Graveman said his Jan. 10 surgery was to fix a torn labrum and clean up his rotator cuff. It was initially believed that the 33-year-old right-handed reliever would miss all of the 2024 season, but he's apparently made good progress and could make it back for the stretch run. Still, fantasy managers in deeper leagues probably don't have the room to stash a holds guy like Graveman. Plus, if he does return late in the year, the Astros probably won't have him pitching in high-leverage situations. He has 24 saves in nine big-league seasons and posted a 3.12 ERA, a 1.31 WHIP, eight saves, 66 K's and 36 walks in 66 1/3 relief innings in 2023 with the Astros and Chicago White Sox.

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Detroit Tigers right-hander Alex Faedo (hip) is scheduled to make his second minor-league rehab appearance on Saturday for Triple-A Toledo. In his first rehab outing on Wednesday, Faedo was able to throw a scoreless inning. If the 28-year-old doesn't encounter any setbacks on Saturday, he could come off the injured list after that and rejoin Detroit's bullpen. Faedo was originally the 18th overall pick in 2017 out of Florida and came up threw the team's minor-league system as a starter before being moved to a full-time relief role this year. In 21 appearances out of the bullpen for the Tigers before his injury, Faedo had gone 3-1 with six holds, a 3.38 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP and 29:13 K:BB in 34 2/3 innings. At best, Faedo is an option in the deepest of holds leagues when he's healthy.

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Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Martin Perez (groin) will start a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis and make a start on Saturday. Perez is getting close to a return to the big-league starting rotation after landing on the injured list in late May with a strained left groin. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw is expected to throw around 75 pitches on Saturday in what is expected to be his only rehab start before rejoining the major-league roster. The soft-tossing Perez has a low fantasy ceiling because of his lack of strikeouts. Before his injury, he had gone 1-3 with a 4.71 ERA (4.68 FIP) and 1.55 WHIP with only 46 strikeouts and 19 walks in 57 1/3 frames over his 11 starts. The 13-year veteran is sporting a weak 18% strikeout rate in 2024 and has a 16.1% strikeout rate in his career.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu (ankle) was back with the team on Friday before their game against the Cincinnati Reds and is likely to be activated from the 10-day injured list on Saturday. Abreu had been seeing notable playing time before his ankle injury and was hitting .272/.344/.485 with an .829 OPS, six home runs, 22 RBI, seven stolen bases and 26 runs scored in 169 at-bats in 53 games in just his second year in the big leagues. His impending return could be bad news for Masataka Yoshida, who also hits left-handed. While Abreu has been a nice surprise off the waiver wire for fantasy managers in deeper leagues, keep in mind that his underlying numbers point to serious regression the rest of the way with an expected batting average of just .230.

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Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (back) said he hopes to begin baseball activities on Monday and it seems like his recovery is still on a positive track. Carpenter is dealing with a pretty serious injury and has been shut down from all baseball activities since late May with a lumbar spine stress fracture in his back. The 26-year-old most certainly will not be back with the Tigers before the mid-July All-Star break but appears to be headed in the right direction with his rehab. The former 19th-round pick in 2019 has a bright future in Detroit and had been starting regularly against right-handed pitching before his injury, hitting an impressive .283 (41-for-145) with a .342 on-base percentage, .914 OPS, eight homers and 29 RBI. Until he's able to return, outfielders Matt Vierling and Wenceel Perez will be ticketed with more playing time in the outfield.

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Texas Rangers right-hander Jon Gray will be moved up to make his next start on Saturday against the visiting Kansas City Royals, according to manager Bruce Bochy. Right-hander Max Scherzer (back, thumb) was supposed to make his 2024 debut on Saturday, but the Rangers have decided to push him back as a precaution to give him at least another day. Gray was originally slated to make his next start on Monday in Milwaukee against the Brewers on seven days of rest. The 32-year-old veteran was hit hard his last time out on Monday against the Mets, giving up a season-high nine earned runs on 11 hits (two homers) while walking none with two punchouts in just three innings. Gray allowed only one earned run in his two previous starts, but he hasn't gone over three innings in any of his three starts since returning from the injured list and will have another tough matchup against KC.

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San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano (thumb) was scratched from Friday's contest against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers as he deals with what manager Mike Shildt called "soreness and bruising" in his left thumb. It's unclear if an injured-list stint will be necessary, but if it is, Kyle Higashioka would be needed to take over starting catching duties in San Diego. In addition to his injury, the 25-year-old Campusano has cooled off at the plate since earlier in the year and is now slashing .234/.282/.371 with five home runs, 31 RBI and 25 runs scored in 205 at-bats as the Friars' primary catcher this year. In 15 games so far in June, he's gone 9-for-35 (.257) with a homer, three doubles, six RBI and six strikeouts. Higashioka might be worth a look in two-catcher leagues if Campusano hits the IL, but he has much less offensive upside.

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Kansas City Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel (back) had to leave Friday's game early in the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers with lower-back tightness. The good news is that before leaving the contest in Texas, Isbel hit his fifth home run of the year, a solo shot in the third inning of starter Nathan Eovaldi. He was replaced in center field by Garrett Hampson. The former third-round pick in 2018 out of UNLV came into Friday's contest hitting a weak .225 (42-for-187) with a .270 on-base percentage and .618 OPS with four home runs, 19 RBI, four stolen bases and 25 runs scored in 62 games in his fourth year with the Royals. Until we know about the severity of his injury, consider him day-to-day. Hampson could get more looks in KC's outfield if Isbel's injury lands him on the injured list.

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