Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (oblique) is restarting a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Saturday and could return from the injured list to rejoin the Rays on Monday against the Boston Red Sox. Lowe played in four rehab games with Durham before suffering a setback, but he's back on track and should be back in the big leagues unless he suffers another setback this weekend. The 29-year-old left-handed hitter originally landed on the injured list on April 12 with a strained right oblique. At least against right-handed pitching, Lowe will return to second base duties for the Rays when he's ready to be reinstated. The former third-round selection in 2015 out of Maryland was an All-Star in 2019 and had a career-high 39 dingers in 2021, but he's had trouble staying healthy and has played in over 100 games in two of his six MLB seasons.

From RotoBaller

Chicago Cubs middle infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) was still feeling his hamstring issue on Thursday and was held out of the lineup again in Friday's loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's still being considered day-to-day and is hoping to avoid a stint on the injured list. Manager Craig Counsell said, "If it's still lingering, then it's on the table." Hoerner has now missed four straight games and could land on the IL if he's unable to play in either of the final two games in the weekend series against Pittsburgh. Regular shortstop Dansby Swanson (knee) is also on the IL, so the Cubs have been getting by with Miles Mastrobuoni at shortstop and Nick Madrigal at second base. Hoerner, a former first-rounder in 2018 out of Stanford, deserves to be stashed in most fantasy leagues if he is placed on the IL. He's currently hitting .269/.361/.391 with two homers, 12 RBI and five steals in 2024.

From RotoBaller

The Los Angeles Dodgers optioned outfielder James Outman to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday to make room on the active roster for outfielder Jason Heyward (back), who was activated from the 10-day injured list. Outman impressed with 23 home runs, 70 RBI and 16 stolen bases in his first full big-league season in 2023 with the Blue, but he hasn't been able to replicate that so far in 2024, slashing .147/.250/.266 with three homers, 10 RBI and two stolen bases in 36 games. Rookie sensation Andy Pages basically took over the strong side of a platoon with Outman in center field before Outman's demotion on Friday. The demotion is good news for fantasy managers that swooped on Pages quickly. The 27-year-old Outman will now need to make some adjustments in the minors before he'll get another opportunity against right-handed pitching in the big leagues.

From RotoBaller

Boston Red Sox rookie outfielder/infielder Ceddanne Rafaela is sitting out on Friday on the road in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Rafaela has played as the team's center fielder and shortstop so far in just his second year in the big leagues, showing just how athletic he is on the diamond. He's not as advanced at the plate, though, and is hitting just .201 (30-for-149) with four home runs, 23 RBI, four stolen bases and 18 runs scored. Rafaela has been a bit better in May with a .234 average (11-for-47) with two homers and six RBI in 14 games played. With Rafaela getting a day of rest in the series opener at Busch Stadium, David Hamilton is getting the start at shortstop and will hit in the nine-hole against Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson. Hamilton isn't a recommended DFS play at the position.

From RotoBaller

The Los Angeles Dodgers activated outfielder Jason Heyward (back) from the injured list on Friday and optioned outfielder James Outman to the minors in a corresponding move. Heyward is right back in the starting lineup on Friday, playing in right field and batting eighth against Cincinnati Reds right-hander Frankie Montas. The 34-year-old left-handed hitter landed on the injured list all the way back on April 3 with lower-back tightness and had some setbacks during his recovery. He was hitless in six at-bats with Triple-A Oklahoma City on a two-game minor-league rehab assignment and had gone just 3-for-14 with two RBI for the Dodgers to open the season before landing on the shelf. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues should expect Heyward to be on the strong side of a platoon in right field now that he's healthy.

From RotoBaller

Texas Rangers right-handers Dane Dunning () and Nathan Eovaldi (groin) were scheduled to throw bullpen sessions on Friday. If all goes well with Dunning's bullpen, he could return from the injured list next week to pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies. Dunning was put on the 15-day injured list on May 8 with a strained right rotator cuff, but he also threw a bullpen on Tuesday and is approaching his return to the starting rotation. He's been up and down so far this year and would make for an extremely shaky streaming option without going on a minor-league rehab assignment if he faces the Phillies next week. Eovaldi's bullpen will mark his first time throwing off the mound since suffering a right-groin strain on May 3. The 34-year-old isn't going to come off the IL when eligible on Saturday, but the hard-throwing right-hander deserves to be stashed in all fantasy leagues after his strong start to 2024.

From RotoBaller

Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez is getting a day off on Friday in the series opener in Milwaukee against the Brewers. With Alvarez out, Yainer Diaz will serve as the team's designated hitter and will bat fifth against Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta. Alvarez has been disappointing by his standards and has gone just 13-for-56 (.232) with one home run, two RBI and 15 strikeouts in 62 plate appearances in the first 15 games in the month of May. We'd expect the 26-year-old left-handed slugger to turn things around sooner than later at the plate, and he'll get a day off to clear his head on Friday. Diaz, 25, makes for a decent DFS play in the five-hole against a pitcher he's never faced in his career. In 159 at-bats so far in 2024, Diaz is slashing .270/.302/.390 with three home runs and 21 RBI for the 'Stros.

From RotoBaller

The Los Angeles Dodgers placed third baseman Max Muncy (oblique) on the 10-day injured list on Friday with a right-oblique strain. Muncy didn't play the series opener on Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds, and now we know why. Given the nature of the injury and the fact that Muncy is on the wrong side of 30, he's almost certainly going to miss more than 10 days as he tries to recover from this injury. Muncy isn't helping fantasy teams at all with his batting average, but his power and run production make him worth stashing in all fantasy formats. He currently has nine home runs and 28 RBI in 167 plate appearances in 2024. The Dodgers called up infielder Miguel Vargas from the minors on Friday, and both he and Enrique Hernandez could share playing time at the hot corner for the next several weeks with Muncy out.

From RotoBaller

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that outfielder Evan Carter (back) will be available off the bench on Friday versus the Los Angeles Angels. Carter is dealing with lower-back inflammation and has not played since May 10, but it's a good sign that he's at least available to play later in the series opener against the Angels. The 21-year-old lefty swinger received a cortisone injection in his back on Monday and could be ready to rejoin the starting lineup this weekend on either Saturday or Sunday. After an impressive showing in his rookie season in 2023 while helping the Rangers win their first championship, Carter is struggling in his first full campaign, batting .216/.303/.416 with five homers and 15 RBI in 142 plate appearances. Carter's upside makes him stash-worthy in all leagues, though. Ezequiel Duran is starting in left field again and will bat seventh against Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson.

From RotoBaller

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Joc Pederson (rest) has been scratched from the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Detroit Tigers. Manager Torey Lovullo said that Pederson is fine and that he just decided he would rather use him off the bench. The assumption is that the D-Backs decided to play matchups with left-handed Tarik Skubal on the mound for Detroit. Jake McCarthy will start in his place in right field while Randal Grichuk will function as the team's designated hitter on Friday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly.

From RotoBaller

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock (elbow) is scheduled to undergo additional testing on Monday. This is frustrating after Whitlock looked strong during his latest minor league rehab outing on Wednesday. The plan was for Whitlock to return to the team next week, but that looks like it has changed. The 27-year-old will now have more testing done due to elbow soreness. Fantasy managers will need to be patient as the team should provide another update following his evaluation.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (shoulder) is reportedly scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery. The expectation was that Lee would miss significant time after crashing into the wall last weekend. The rookie outfielder will need season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. This is an awful blow to the Giants roster as Lee was only able to play in 37 games during his first season with the Giants. The expectation is that Luis Matos will get significant playing time with Lee out of the picture for the rest of 2024.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Keaton Winn (forearm) has been placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday. Giants manager Bob Melvin told reporters earlier in the week that Winn was dealing with a mild strain and he'd likely be placed on the injured list. As a result, right-hander Mason Black has been recalled from Triple-A Sacramento. The hard-throwing righty has made two lackluster starts for the Giants this season. Black has all the tools to be a legitimate option at the big league level. He has a favorable matchup against the Colorado Rockies lineup, but remains a shaky streaming choice.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jorge Soler (shoulder) has been activated from the injured list on Friday. The slugging outfielder is back in the lineup after missing time due to a lingering shoulder issue. He'll serve as the designated hitter and bat leadoff against right-hander Ryan Feltner on Friday. Soler has been off to a slow start this season but hopefully some time off helped him get back on track. Fantasy managers who have Soler rostered should make sure to get him back in their lineups on Friday.

From RotoBaller

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes made his second career start against the Chicago Cubs. His debut last week was a bit underwhelming, but Skenes made easy work of the Cubs lineup this time around. The right-hander struck out the first six batters he faced to begin the game. Skenes would punch out a total of 11 batters over six innings of no-hit baseball on Friday. The Pirates didn't want to push anything, so they did pull Skenes out of the game instead of letting him go for the no-hitter. The Cubs would eventually score off the bullpen, but the Pirates still took the game 9-3. Skenes is everything as advertised and is looking like an elite fantasy option.

From RotoBaller

Baltimore Orioles third base prospect Coby Mayo (ribs) is expected to miss multiple weeks of action. The organization announced that Mayo has suffered a fractured rib when he crashed into the dugout during Thursday's game. This is a shame considering Mayo has been crushing the ball in Triple-A this season. He's slashing 291/.359/.605 with 13 homers, 37 RBI in 42 games with Triple-A Norfolk this season. It shouldn't be long before the 22-year-old is up on the big league roster. However, this injury is going to push back that timetable a bit.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder/outfielder Miguel Vargas is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 24-year-old is hitting the cover off the ball in the minors. Right now, Vargas is slashing .295/.437/.583 with eight homers, 38 RBI in Triple-A. Vargas has been playing almost exclusively in left field during this time in Triple-A. It's uncertain if the team plans to keep Vargas in the outfield or move him back into the infield. It's worth noting that outfielder Jason Heyward (back) is expected to be activated from the injured list soon. It'll be interesting to see how the Dodgers work Vargas into the lineup. Vargas has notoriously been great in the minors but struggled once he gets called up to the MLB. We'll see if this time is going to be different.

From RotoBaller

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (hand, oblique) has a locker room in Baltimore for the team's series this weekend against the Orioles, but he did not make the trip with the club on Thursday as originally planned. Crawford was still experiencing swelling and soreness in his right hand after getting hit by a pitch in his final minor-league rehab game on Wednesday. It appears as though the Mariners plan on the 29-year-old coming off the injured list to play this weekend, but it won't happen on Friday for the series opener at Camden Yards. Dylan Moore is making another start at the 6 and will hit leadoff against Orioles left-hander John Means. When Crawford does return, he'll return to his starting duties at shortstop while moving Moore back to a utility role. Crawford has started the year hitting under .200 with just two homers and nine RBI in 86 at-bats.

From RotoBaller

San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano is taking the day off for the series opener on Friday in Atlanta against the Braves. With Campusano taking a day to rest, Kyle Higashioka will do the catching for right-handed knuckleballer Matt Waldron while hitting ninth against Braves left-hander Max Fried. The 25-year-old Campusano has been solid for the Padres in his first full season as their primary catcher. Through his first 40 games in 2024, he's hitting .267 (36-for-135) with three home runs, 24 RBI and 18 runs scored in 144 plate appearances. He'll almost certainly be back behind the plate for the second game of the series on Saturday. Higashioka isn't much of a hitter and should be avoided in DFS formats. The former Yankee backstop has gone 6-for-33 with a homer and two RBI so far this year.

From RotoBaller

Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup on Friday versus the Baltimore Orioles. It will be Polanco's third straight missed game due to right-hamstring soreness. The 30-year-old is considered day-to-day and will next have a chance to return to the lineup on Saturday. In his absence, Josh Rojas will make another start at second base and will bat sixth, while Luis Urias starts at the hot corner and bats ninth against Orioles left-hander John Means. Polanco has yet to get going at all really in 2024 with a slash line of just .192/.298/.308 with five home runs and 13 RBI in 146 at-bats. Rojas is exceeding everyone's expectations offensively this year and has gone 16-for-46 (.348) in 12 games in May. However, he's had only 11 plate appearances against lefties in 2024.

From RotoBaller