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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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez smashed his 12th home of the year in Friday's loss on the road to the Cincinnati Reds, adding a double and two walks in the defeat. Hernandez tried to make things interesting in the ninth inning, smashing a solo home run to right field off Reds left-hander Brent Suter to cut the deficit to 9-6, but it wasn't enough as the team fell in the high-scoring affair. The 31-year-old veteran slugger is slashing a prolific .254/.329/.487 with 12 big flies, 38 RBI, 31 runs scored, and three stolen bases through 197 at-bats (53 games) as an everyday corner outfielder in the heart of LA's star-studded lineup this year. Hernandez will remain a great fantasy play across the board through the weekend series against the Reds, now hitting .393 with two blasts and four RBI in eight games versus Cincinnati since 2023.

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Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore dominated the Seattle Mariners in Friday's victory, throwing seven innings of one-run ball on four hits and one walk with eight strikeouts for his third win of the campaign. Make it three straight quality starts for Gore, who has given up greater than two runs just two times over his 10 starts in 2024. The 25-year-old former No. 3 overall pick sports a steady 3.04 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 53 1/3 innings overall for the Nationals, fanning 62 batters and walking 17 this season. With that said, Gore might be better suited on fantasy benches against the vaunted Atlanta Braves lineup when his next scheduled start rolls around on Wednesday.

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Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez went yard twice in Friday's win on the road against the Los Angeles Angels, walloping his 13th and 14 home runs of the season. After crushing a Patrick Sandoval sinker for a two-run home run to make the score 4-1 Guardians in the third inning, Ramirez tagged Sandoval for another long ball to extend the Cleveland's lead to 7-2 in the fourth. Over his last 18 games, the 31-year-old fantasy superstar is batting .329 with nine round-trippers, 24 RBI, and three stolen bases as the engine to Cleveland's offense. Ramirez should continue beating up on the Halos this weekend; in 24 games against the Angels since 2021, he's hitting a scalding .353 with 10 bombs, 23 RBI, 20 runs scored, and seven steals.

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Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India halted a slump in Friday's win over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers, mashing his third home run of the season. India smacked a grand slam to left field off Dodgers left-hander Alex Vesia, giving the Reds a 9-5 lead in the fifth inning. Entering Friday's action just 1-for-21 in his last seven outings, India raised his triple-slash line to what's still a weak .223/.335/.318 to go with three homers, 15 RBI, 16 runs scored, and four stolen bases over 185 plate appearances (44 games) as Cincy's everyday second baseman this season. India's playing time is still locked in until Noelvi Marte (suspension) returns later this summer, and he's now batting .302 with two long balls, seven RBI, five runs scored in 12 games versus the Dodgers since 2022 with two more outings against LA on tap this weekend.

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San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey sunk the New York Mets in Friday's win on the road, blasting a go-ahead grand slam to give his team a 7-6 lead in the eighth inning. Bailey got a hold of a fastball from Mets right-hander Reed Garrett on a 2-0 count with the bases loaded in a high-leverage spot, cranking his fourth home run of the year. The 24-year-old switch-hitting backstop is now hitting .301 (28-for-93) with four long balls, six doubles, 16 RBI, and two stolen bases in 30 games as San Fran's top catcher following the trade of Joey Bart earlier this year. With a unique skill set, Bailey is certainly worth a look as an option for fantasy managers in deep two-catcher leagues with the way he's performing for the Giants right now.

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Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera (shoulder) has been shut down from throwing for five to seven days. Cabrera's rehab from a right shoulder impingement found a hitch in the road when he didn't recover well from last Friday's bullpen session, so the Marlins will err on the side of caution with the former top prospect. At this point, fantasy managers should probably not be expecting Cabrera to be an option until late June at the earliest. The hard-throwing 26-year-old right-hander has all the talent to develop into an upper-echelon fantasy starter with 31 punchouts through 21 1/3 innings this year, but his lack of control has always prevented him from reaching his full potential. With a 7.17 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over three starts, Cabrera isn't looking like the most convincing stash in redraft leagues right now.

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Washington Nationals starting pitcher Josiah Gray (elbow/forearm) will throw a two-inning live batting practice on Saturday. It's been a longer absence than originally anticipated for Gray, who was placed on the 15-day injured list back on April 9 due to a right elbow/forearm flexor strain. A May return isn't a reasonable expectation at this stage, as Gray will likely need a handful of minor-league rehab appearance before he rejoins Washington's rotation. Considering the 26-year-old former top prospect has yielded 13 runs over 8 1/3 innings (two starts) in 2024, the club is likely in no hurry to push him back into the fray. Rookie southpaw Mitchell Parker has been a nice surprise for the Nats this year, posting a 3.32 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 32:8 K:BB across seven starts (38 innings), and he's worth streaming in fantasy in favorable conditions.

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Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said starting pitcher Gavin Williams (elbow) threw a live batting practice session on Friday and will throw another one in a few days. Barring any setbacks, Williams will begin a minor-league rehab assignment before the end of May. Williams has not yet made his 2024 regular-season debut due to an extended absence with discomfort in his right elbow, but he's finally tracking toward rejoining Cleveland's rotation before the end of June. Due to the long layoff, he figures to need multiple rehab appearances before doing so. The 24-year-old former top prospect registered a promising 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 81:37 K:BB across 82 innings (16 starts) for the Guardians during his rookie season in 2023, and Williams' upside to contribute across the board in fantasy means he deserves to be stashed in the majority of leagues.

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Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black said before Friday's game versus the visiting Philadelphia Phillies that outfielder Nolan Jones (back, knee) is still a few days away from resuming full baseball activities. Jones was running and stretching at Coors Field on Friday, but he's still not ready to take swings. After heading to the injured list on April 30 with a strained lower back, Jones then experienced swelling in his knee during his minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Albuquerque last weekend and remains without a clear timeline for a return at this point. Even though the speedy 26-year-old slugger was slashing a miserable .170/.243/.277 with one home run, seven RBI, 11 runs scored, and two stolen bases through 26 games (94 at-bats) as Colorado's everyday left fielder before hitting the shelf, his five-category upside when healthy makes him worth stashing in all fantasy leagues.

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Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said prior to Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels that outfielder Steven Kwan (hamstring) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment at High-A Lake County on Saturday. Kwan is also scheduled to play on Sunday, so he could be ready to come off the injured list as early as Monday's series opener against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Vogt did say the team will take it "a day at a time" in determining the length of Kwan's rehab stint, though. Before suffering a strained left hamstring, the 26-year-old contact specialist was batting a scorching .353 (47-for-133) with three home runs, 11 RBI, 23 runs scored, and three stolen bases over 32 games as Cleveland's everyday leadoff hitter, and he needs to be stashed in all leagues with a return on the horizon.

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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (groin) threw another bullpen session ahead of Friday's game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Although Eovaldi is close to returning to the mound, the club's training staff hasn't decided if he will need a brief minor-league rehab assignment before returning to the major-league action. The hard-throwing 34-year-old is working his way back from a strained right groin, and he appears to have a chance to rejoin Texas' rotation as early as Sunday's series finale against the Twins with the Rangers' pitching staff so shorthanded at the moment. Eovaldi was 2-2 with a sharp 2.61 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 44:19 K:BB over seven starts (41 1/3 innings) before getting hurt, and his return should come before the end of May if all continues to go well in his recovery in the coming days.

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Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) will continue rehabbing his knee in the minor leagues and will be re-evaluated after the weekend, per Nationals manager Dave Martinez. Thomas is currently with Double-A Harrisburg but could also make his way to Triple-A Rochester. The righty has been recovering from a sprained MCL for the past month. Washington's offense is in need of some offensive firepower, scoring over three runs just three times in their past nine games. Thomas had been performing well below his norms prior to his injury, but if he returns to his .783 OPS from 2023 it'd be a great help to a desperate Nationals offense. Fantasy managers should be prepare for his return in the next week or so under the assumption that no setbacks happen over the weekend.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Jose Urquidy (forearm) exited his rehab start early on Friday. Urquidy had thrown just 56 pitches in his start. Urquidy attempted a warmup pitch, lobbed it in and then walked off the mound. He was also seen flexing his hand and fingers before the trainers visited him. This is a bad sign for the right-hander who was very close to rejoining an Astros rotation that's desperately needing help. Urquidy has also been battling injuries for much of the past two seasons and missed the majority of the 2023 season. Fantasy managers should stand pat on Urquidy's status and hope for the best when doctor's evaluate his arm. Regardless, it doesn't seem like the right-hander will be joining the Astros' rotation any time soon.

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Kansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey exited Friday night's game against the Tampa Bay Rays with low back tightness according to the team. Massey was replaced in the bottom of the 6th inning after going two-for-three with a three-run home run in the Royals 8-1 victory. Massey had been having a very solid month of May for the upstart Royals, hitting for a .906 OPS. The lefty should be considered day-to-day until more info is released on the seriousness of his back tightness. If Massey is forced to miss much time, Adam Frazier should be expected to pick up playing time against righties while Garrett Hampson should find time against lefties.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (elbow) will throw another live batting practice on Saturday per Yankees manager Aaron Boone. Cole threw a live batting practice on Tuesday without setbacks so another positive session on Saturday would be a great sign for the Yankees' ace. When Cole is able to return from the injured list at the end of May he will likely need multiple rehab starts before being able to rejoin the Yankees' rotation. New York has surprisingly been able to succeed without Cole pitching at all this season, finding themselves atop the AL East with a 35-17 record and a three game lead over the Baltimore Orioles. This gives a little bit more cushion for Cole to not rush his return and take his time. Fantasy managers should continue stashing the Cy Young winner on their bench until he's active, likely at some point in late June or early July.

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Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means (forearm) will be seeking a second opinion on his throwing elbow according to Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. On Thursday the Orioles placed Means on the 15-day injured list with a forearm strain, the same strain that caused him to miss the beginning of the season. Given that the forearm injury is now causing concern for his throwing elbow, it's not a great sign for the lefty. Means could likely stay on the injured list for much longer than 15 days if the second opinion delivers similar news as the first opinion. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect Means to be active any time in the near future.

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Los Angeles Angels shortstop Zach Neto (elbow) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. The 23-year-old was removed early during Wednesday's game due to soreness in his elbow. Neto underwent an MRI that showed inflammation, which means Neto hopefully avoided a more serious injury. The plan is for Neto to throw during warmups to test out his elbow. He hasn't been placed on the injured list yet, so hopefully he's able to avoid the stint.

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