Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler is retreating to the bench for a rest day in Friday's series opener in Miami against the hosting Marlins. Seth Brown will get the start in right field for the A's and will hit sixth against right-hander Valente Bellozo. It's a good time for Butler to get a little breather, as he's gone 9-for-52 (.173) with three homers, a double, six RBI, one steal and 23 strikeouts in 12 games over the last two weeks. The 24-year-old especially looks lost against left-handers of late and will sit the bench after going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts in Thursday's win over the Texas Rangers. Overall, he's hitting .244/.316/.415 with five homers, 11 RBI, 18 runs and five steals in 123 at-bats for the A's. With Butler on the bench on Friday, shortstop Jacob Wilson will move up to the leadoff spot. Brown will be avoided by most DFS gamers with a .172/.314/.310 slash line with a solo homer in his 29 at-bats this year.

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The Boston Red Sox activated catcher Connor Wong (finger) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and optioned catcher Blake Sabol to Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move. Wong is immediately back in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener at Fenway Park against the visiting Minnesota Twins and right-hander Joe Ryan, doing the catching and batting seventh. The 28-year-old backstop has recovered from a broken finger that he suffered on April 7 and will return to being Boston's starting catcher, sending Carlos Narvaez to a backup role. Wong broke out in 2024 for the BoSox to the tune of a .280/.333/.425 slash line with 13 home runs, 52 RBI and eight stolen bases in 126 games. He had gone just 2-for-23 with three walks and seven strikeouts in nine games this year before getting hurt, so fantasy managers will be hoping he can turn things around now that he's back.

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Boston Red Sox rookie second baseman Kristian Campbell (ribs) remains out of the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park. Campbell was scratched from Thursday's series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays as a precaution with sore ribs, and now he'll miss his second straight game. The good news is that the 22-year-old infielder's injury isn't considered serious, and he's being deemed day-to-day heading into the weekend. The former fourth-rounder in 2023 out of the Georgia Institute of Technology has settled in nicely as the team's starting second baseman in his first 103 big-league at-bats, batting .301 with four homers, 12 RBI, 18 runs and two stolen bases. David Hamilton will once again start at second and bat eighth on Friday against Twins right-hander Joe Ryan. He represents a low-upside DFS sleeper at the bottom of the lineup.

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Cleveland Guardians outfielder Nolan Jones is back on the bench for Friday's contest on the road in Toronto against the Blue Jays and right-hander Chris Bassitt. It's the second straight day the left-handed hitter has been benched against a righty, with Jhonkensy Noel starting in right field again and batting eighth. Jones was the team's preferred option against righties in right field earlier this year, but the former second-rounder appears to have lost that designation after going 12-for-71 (.169) at the plate with a homer, five RBI, five runs and two steals. The 26-year-old outfielder has gone 12-for-63 (.191) against righties. The problem for Cleveland is that Noel hasn't been much better, slashing .186/.210/.305 with two home runs, eight RBI and eight runs scored in 59 at-bats. Fantasy managers should be staying away from the team's right-field platoon for the time being.

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Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho will take the day off on Friday against the visiting Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre. Myles Straw will draw into the lineup in center field and will bat eighth against Guardians left-hander Logan Allen. The left-handed-hitting Varsho will be rested against the southpaw after returning from the injured list earlier this week. In his first three games played in 2025, the 28-year-old has gotten off to a good start, going 3-for-10 with two home runs, three RBI, two runs scored, three walks and four strikeouts. The two homers are especially encouraging after Varsho had offseason shoulder surgery. Fantasy managers should expect him to return on Saturday against righty Gavin Williams. Although Straw is hitting .304 (14-for-46) this year, he's a low-upside DFS option on Friday and has never faced Allen in his career.

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Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (hamstring) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list on Friday, and outfielder Jorge Barrosa was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Thursday in a corresponding move. Arizona's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the hosting Philadelphia Phillies isn't out yet, but fantasy managers should expect Marte to be back in there against left-hander Jesus Luzardo. The 31-year-old All-Star is finally back with the Snakes since landing on the IL on April 15 with a left-hamstring strain. Although the matchup isn't a great one against Luzardo, fantasy managers will want to get Marte back in their lineups in all redraft leagues. Before landing on the shelf, the Dominican switch-hitter had yet to homer in 26 at-bats, but he was hitting .346 with a .469 on-base percentage and .930 OPS.

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Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas is sitting out of Friday's series opener against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park. Cal Stevenson will start in center field and bat ninth against Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly. Rojas will get a breather after starting the last 14 games in center field after Brandon Marsh (hamstring) landed on the injured list. The 24-year-old Dominican has taken advantage of the extra playing time this year by hitting .305 (18-for-59) with a homer, nine RBI, eight runs scored and four stolen bases. The counting stats are nothing to write home about, but he has been serviceable outfield depth at the bottom of Philly's lineup for those in NL-only formats. Stevenson should be avoided in DFS in the nine-hole against Kelly. He has gone 1-for-6 so far in 2025 with one RBI.

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Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that second baseman Gleyber Torres' hamstring was feeling a little tight, which is why he was removed as a precaution in Thursday's win over the Los Angeles Angels. Torres will not start in Game 2 of the series in Anaheim but was not sent for testing. Torres continued to swing a hot bat in the 10-4 victory against the Halos on Thursday before leaving the game, going 3-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk to raise his season slash line to .300/.360/.475. The Venezuelan infielder has added four home runs, 15 RBI, 13 runs scored and four stolen bases in 80 at-bats in his first year in Detroit as their starting second baseman. Fantasy managers will want to make sure to remove him from their lineups on Friday, but he should be back in there on Saturday. Torres has already been on the injured list once this year.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) is still building strength in his quadriceps muscles, and the Braves don't know exactly when he will begin playing in minor-league rehab games, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Bowman's best guess is that Acuna will begin his minor-league rehab assignment in a couple of weeks. The Braves aren't rushing the 27-year-old former MVP back from his ACL tear last season, even though he was cleared to begin ramping up baseball activities several weeks ago. A return in May has always been the Braves' target for Acuna, but it could be closer to late May, depending on how he's looking when he resumes playing in games. When Acuna is ready to return, he shouldn't be limited in what he can do and is expected to resume right-field duties immediately. While he may not run as much, Acuna can still be a fantasy difference-maker when he's back. Stay patient.

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Cincinnati Reds outfielders Gavin Lux and Jake Fraley are both out of the starting lineup with a left-hander on the mound for Friday's series opener against the visiting Washington Nationals. Santiago Espinal is in left field and is batting fifth, while Blake Dunn gets the nod in right field and is in the nine-hole against Nationals southpaw Mitchell Parker. The Reds will rest Lux after he went hitless in his last 10 at-bats. He's gone just 2-for-19 with an RBI and nine strikeouts against lefties this year. Lux has slashed a strong .317/.410/.426 with an .836 OPS in his first 101 at-bats with Cincy this year, but his counting stats have left plenty to be desired with only one homer, one steal, 15 RBI and 14 runs. Fraley is out of the lineup for the third straight game with the Reds facing a string of lefties. Neither Espinal nor Dunn have faced Parker in their careers.

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Athletics right-handed pitching prospect Gunnar Hoglund has officially been called up from Triple-A Las Vegas and will make his first major-league start in Friday's series opener on the road against the Miami Marlins. Hoglund, who is considered the team's No. 14 prospect per MLB Pipeline, gets his first big-league call-up after posting a strong 2.43 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 30 strikeouts and seven walks in 29 2/3 innings at Vegas in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. The 25-year-old was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates (2018) and the Toronto Blue Jays (2021) in the first round and should have an opportunity to stick in the A's starting rotation moving forward if he performs well in an excellent matchup in Miami on Friday. Hoglund is two years removed from Tommy John surgery and is primarily a fastball-slider pitcher. Take a look at him as a streamer and as a rotation piece in AL-only leagues.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have promoted infielder Liover Peguero from Triple-A Indianapolis. In a corresponding move, the Pirates optioned right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton to Triple-A. Peguero has spent 63 games in Pittsburgh over the past three seasons and held an overall .237/.280/.370 slash line with seven home runs. He spent most of his time in the majors during the 2023 campaign, where he posted a .237/.280/.374 line. Through the start of the Triple-A regular season, Peguero has held a modest .258/.309/.382 line with six doubles and one home run. Fantasy managers should expect Peguero to have a utility role in the big leagues. As a result, he should only be targeted in deeper NL-only formats if he is given opportunities during this stint.

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Boston Red Sox right-handed pitcher Hunter Dobbins is slated to start Saturday's contest against the Minnesota Twins. Dobbins made his MLB debut earlier this season and has performed quite well. Through his first 11 innings of work, Dobbins has posted a 2.54 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP. He has struck out 11 batters and shown strong command, serving up walks at a 4.3 percent rate. He has generated an elite 3.0 percent barrel rate with an 86th percentile xERA and an 82nd percentile xBA. Dobbins is replacing Walker Buehler (shoulder) in the rotation, who is currently day-to-day with a shoulder injury. If Buehler were to hit the injured list, Dobbins should be the top candidate to replace him in the rotation. Dobbins is worth considering as a streaming option facing Minnesota.

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Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (elbow) could return before the end of the month. Shannon Drayer reported that his outlook is "better than what it was initially." Gilbert was placed on the 15-day injured list with a Grade 1 flexor strain. The 27-year-old has yet to resume throwing; however, given this report, Gilbert may not need too much time to ramp up before he is cleared to return. Through his first 30 1/3 innings of work this season, the 27-year-old has posted a strong 2.37 ERA with a stellar 0.79 WHIP. He has tallied 44 punchouts while generating groundballs at a 51.5 percent rate. When Gilbert returns, he will be viewed as a high-end SP1 for the remainder of the campaign. While he remains sidelined, Emerson Hancock and Logan Evans should continue to see opportunities in the rotation.

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Miami Marlins right-handed pitcher Valente Bellozo was recalled ahead of his start on Friday evening against the Athletics. The 25-year-old has already logged eight innings in the major leagues and held a solid 2.25 ERA with a 1.63 WHIP. He struck out six batters and served up four walks. Last summer, Bellozo made his MLB debut and logged 68 2/3 innings to the tune of a 3.67 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP. Bellozo has enjoyed a strong start to the campaign at Triple-A Jacksonville as he has held a stellar 1.40 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP across 19 1/3 innings. Fantasy managers in deeper NL-only formats should consider Bellozo as a streaming option, as he has enjoyed success earlier this season. However, he may not be given an extensive workload, which could limit his upside.

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Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (oblique) was activated off the 10-day injured list prior to Friday's game against the Washington Nationals. In a corresponding move, the Reds placed outfielder Austin Hays (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list. Stephenson has been sidelined through the first month of the campaign but should be in line to make his long-awaited season debut on Friday. Last season, the backstop posted a solid .258/.338/.444 slash line with 19 home runs and one stolen base. Under the hood, he generated a solid 43.9 percent hard-hit rate with a 9.1 percent barrel rate, which were both above the average marks. He also drew walks at a 9.3 percent rate. Fantasy managers should expect Stephenson to operate as the top backstop in Cincinnati for the remainder of the season. However, he is best to fade in DFS this evening facing Mitchell Parker, who enters this contest with a 2.65 ERA.

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The Cincinnati Reds have placed outfielder Austin Hays (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list retroactive to April 29. The Reds activated backstop Tyler Stephenson from the injured list in a corresponding move. Hays has already had a stint on the injured list due to a calf strain and will now face his second absence of the young campaign. Despite his early-season injuries, Hays has enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, posting a stellar .365/.431/.712 slash line with three doubles and five home runs. He has tallied 13 RBI, scored 15 runs, and held a 13:6 K:BB. Under the hood, the 29-year-old has generated a .472 xwOBA, which suggests he should continue to enjoy similar production when he returns to the lineup. While he is sidelined, fantasy managers should expect Tyler Callihan and Blake Dunn to see more opportunities in the starting nine.

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Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes allowed three earned runs on five hits in Thursday's 8-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The 22-year-old fell to 3-3 on the season, striking out two batters while allowing four free passes. Skenes cruised through the first four innings in this one, but ran into trouble in the fifth, letting up a home run to Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson to give Chicago its first run of the game. He'd retire the next two batters, but Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki would jack back-to-back long balls before he could escape the inning. Fortunately, they were all solo shots, but the Cubs would chase him from the mound afterward. It was just the second time this season that the California native struck out fewer than six batters, and the first time he walked more than two. Skenes will look for better results his next time out, which projects to come against the St. Louis Cardinals early next week.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He added two singles, scored twice, struck out, and drew a walk. The 30-year-old stuffed the stat sheet on Thursday, but like most of his teammates, did most of his damage once Pirates starter Paul Skenes exited the contest. Happ has been a run-scoring machine in 2025, collecting 26 in 32 outings -- one behind fellow outfielder Kyle Tucker for fifth-most in the league. He's traded some of his power for contact this season, bolstering a .279 average with an xBA of .297 (88th percentile). Furthermore, the former first-round pick has dipped his strikeout rate to a solid 16.7%. If those figures hold, they'd easily be career-bests.

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