Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) is doing some baserunning on Wednesday for the first time since suffering a Grade 2 sprain of his left MCL three weeks ago. Thomas isn't running at 100 percent yet, but it didn't look like he was at much less than full speed on Wednesday. It sounds as though Thomas is getting very close to embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment, although the Nationals could want to see him play in at least a handful of games given his long layoff. Still, the 28-year-old could return from the injured list before the end of May, barring any setbacks. Thomas was hitting just .184 (16-for-87) with two homers and 10 RBI before his injury, but he also contributed 11 stolen bases in just 22 games and was a 20-20 player in 2023. He should not be floating around on the waiver wire in any fantasy league.

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The plan is for New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (foot) to start a minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday or Friday with Double-A Somerset. LeMahieu will need a decent amount of games in the minors since he hasn't played in nearly two months. However, he did get some more live at-bats at the team's spring training complex on Wednesday. The 35-year-old veteran has yet to play in 2024 due to an injured right foot that just hasn't healed completely. LeMahieu had already started a rehab assignment late in April before playing in just one game before he was shut down. But he's ramped up his baseball activities of late and could finally be on the cusp of making his season debut with the Bombers. When LeMahieu finally returns, he'll likely be eased into playing time at third base in the Bronx. The three-time All-Star will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2023 season in which he hit only .243 (121-for-497) with 15 home runs and 44 RBI.

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San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow) threw a light bullpen session on Monday, marking the first time he'd done so since he was placed on the 15-day injured list after his May 1 start due to right-elbow inflammation. Musgrove is scheduled for another bullpen on Wednesday, with manager Mike Shildt noting that if all goes well, Musgrove is trending toward making his return during the team's series from May 17-20 in Atlanta against the Braves. Musgrove has had a tough season to this point, sporting a 6.37 ERA in eight starts, but his most recent outing was his sharpest, when he gave up just two runs and struck out nine in six innings of work against the Cincinnati Reds. The 31-year-old veteran still has time to turn things around and should be plucked off the waiver wire if he's available in your league, although starting him this weekend if he returns to face the Braves would be a risky proposition.

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Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco will not appeal his automatic 10-day suspension, according to general manager Dana Brown. Blanco will begin serving his suspension on Wednesday and will miss his next scheduled start after his glove was confiscated during his start on Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics when umpires found a foreign substance on his leather. The 30-year-old was ejected after three shutout innings against the A's and now won't be eligible to pitch again until May 26. An already beat-up Astros pitching staff will now be even more thinned out over the next 10 days, although right-hander Jose Urquidy (forearm) is nearing his return. Blanco has been a revelation this year for Houston and fantasy managers, already throwing a no-hitter while sporting a 2.09 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 21 walks and 45 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings over his eight starts.

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Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt made easy work of the Cincinnati Reds during Wednesday's game. The 25-year-old recorded nine strikeouts, allowing two hits, and only one run in a no-decision. The only damage was a solo shot by Santiago Espinal in the fifth inning. Pfaadt will carry a 4.17 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 51/10 K/BB ratio across nine starts into his next outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (groin) was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left-groin strain on Wednesday. Lodolo last pitched on Saturday in a loss to the San Francisco Giants, when he allowed four earned runs on five hits in six innings. He felt the injury following a side bullpen session before that appearance. Over six starts in 2024, Lodolo has gone 3-2 with a solid 3.34 ERA and 0.94 WHIP while striking out 43 with nine walks in 35 innings. It's not considered a major injury, but the Reds wanted to put him on the IL as a precaution, especially since he made just seven starts in 2023 with a stress fracture in his left tibia. Fantasy managers should keep the former first-rounder stashed in all fantasy formats for his high-strikeout upside. The Reds haven't named a replacement for Lodolo's start on Thursday against the Dodgers, but swingman Nick Martinez is expected to get "significant innings" on Thursday, according to manager David Bell.

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Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman came up clutch for his team during Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The switch-hitting smacked a two-run walkoff home run in the ninth to give the O's the win. This marked his second career walkoff blast and his third home run in his last four games. Rutschman continues to prove why he's arguably the best catcher in baseball right now. His OPS has jumped from .781 to .859 over the last three games.

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Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet has looked sharp on the mound over his last few starts. On Wednesday, Crochet recorded six strikeouts over five scoreless innings during the win over the Washington Nationals. He held the Nats hitters to three hits and three walks during this game. Crochet has now posted four straight solid outings after a couple of bad starts to open the season. He'll take a 4.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 70/12 K/BB ratio into his next start against the Toronto Blue Jays.

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Miami Marlins outfielder Bryan De La Cruz has been one of the few bright spots for this team early in the season. On Wednesday, De La Cruz blasted a two-run home run off right-hander Casey Mize during the opening frame. The homer from De La Cruz was enough for the Marlins as they won the game 2-0. De La Cruz now has nine home runs, 24 RBI, and one steal this season. He has put together a nice breakout campaign early in the season.

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Miami Marlins starting pitcher Trevor Rogers posted a solid outing during Wednesday's game against the Detroit Tigers. The southpaw threw five shutout innings, allowing three hits, and a pair of walks in the win. Rogers has struggled throughout most of the season, but hopefully this performance will help him get back on track. He recorded six strikeouts in this game, which is his most since early April. Rogers will take a 5.79 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, and 37/19 K/BB ratio into his next start against the Milwaukee Brewers.

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Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras has quickly become one of the best options behind the plate in baseball. The 26-year-old continued his hot stretch of play during Wednesday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Contreras went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in the blowout win. He blasted a three-run shot off southpaw Martin Perez in the third inning. The Brewers were hammering the ball all game long with five home runs during this game. Contreras has become a top tier option at catcher in both the MLB and in fantasy leagues.

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Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer (elbow, neck, triceps) said he has had MRI exams on his elbow, neck and triceps and all of the imaging has come back clean. Scherzer is going to attempt to play light catch on Wednesday and will learn to manage his neck issue. The 39-year-old three-time Cy Young winner had surgery on Dec. 15 to fix a disc issue in his back and was hoping to return in May, but he was placed on the 60-day injured list on Wednesday and now won't be eligible to return before May 27. A recent thumb injury caused him to be shut down, which essentially assured that he wouldn't make his season debut for the defending champions until June. For now, there's no timeline on Scherzer's return, although his Hall of Fame resume makes him deserving of being stashed in all fantasy leagues.

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The Oakland Athletics placed left-hander Alex Wood (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 13) with left rotator-cuff tendonitis and also optioned left-hander Brady Basso to Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday. In corresponding moves, right-hander Aaron Brooks' contract was selected from the minors and left-hander Hogan Harris was recalled from Vegas. Infielder Darrell Hernaiz (ankle) was also moved to the 60-day IL. The 33-year-old Wood is eligible to return on May 28, but it's unlikely the veteran will make it back by then. His left shoulder was bothering him in his last start on Sunday against the Mariners, but Wood hasn't been very good in his nine starts in 2024, going 1-3 with a 5.26 ERA and 1.78 WHIP with 33 K's in 39 1/3 frames. It's unclear who will take his rotation spot, but Brooks is coming up for a spot start on Wednesday versus the Houston Astros.

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Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (hamstring) went through agility drills on Wednesday less than two weeks after suffering a left-hamstring strain. He also took ground balls. "There is no timeline," according to manager Rob Thomson. However, The Athletic's Matt Gelb writes that Turner doesn't look like a player that will miss another four weeks. It's a good sign for Turner's fantasy managers, but the Phillies could still slow-play the All-Star shortstop to make sure he doesn't aggravate his hammy when he returns. The 30-year-old needs to be stashed in an injured-list spot in all fantasy formats. In the meantime, Edmundo Sosa should continue to see most of the action at the 6 in Philadelphia. Before his injury, Turner was hitting a cool .343/.392/.460 with an .852 OPS, two home runs, nine RBI and 10 stolen bases in 137 at-bats.

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Chicago Cubs middle infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) will stay out of the lineup on Wednesday on the road against the Atlanta Braves. It will be Hoerner's second straight missed game after he was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with left-hamstring tightness. Fantasy managers should consider Hoerner to be day-to-day for now and check back to see if he's playing in Thursday's series opener at Wrigley Field against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. With Hoerner out again on Wednesday, Miles Mastrobuoni will get another start at the 6 and will bat sixth against Braves right-hander Charlie Morton. Mastrobuoni has never faced Morton in his career and should be considered a pretty deep DFS sleeper with low upside. The 28-year-old is 3-for-23 on the year and has only hit one home run with seven RBI and 14 stolen bases in 82 career games.

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Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that outfielder Austin Hays (calf) still has lingering effects from his left-calf injury, which is why he didn't start on Wednesday against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays and was pinch-run for in the walk-off win. The 28-year-old didn't start on Wednesday, but he came off the bench as a pinch-hitter and hit a double before he was pulled for a pinch-runner. Hays just came off the injured list on Monday but apparently isn't healthy enough to serve as anything more than a pinch-hitter off the bench. Even if he were fully healthy after his stay on the IL, Hays would most likely be a bench player for the Orioles anyway given his slow start and with rookie Colton Cowser impressing offensively. Hays entered Wednesday's contest hitting .111 (5-for-45) on the year with no homers, two RBI and four runs scored.

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Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that outfielder Anthony Santander (knee) bruised his knee early in Wednesday's game against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays during a collision with the outfield wall. The injury got worse on Santander's double and slide in the eighth inning, which is why he was pulled from the contest in the ninth. For now fantasy managers should consider the 29-year-old as day-to-day. Santander went 2-for-4 with a strikeout in the 3-2 walk-off win to raise his season average to a weak .220 and his OPS to .745. The Orioles have a scheduled off day on Thursday before they start a series on Friday at Camden Yards against the visiting Seattle Mariners. Fantasy managers will want to check back then to see if Santander is back in action. Santander came into Wednesday's game slashing .212/.293/.438 with seven home runs and 25 RBI for the O's.

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Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (side) remains out of action on Wednesday for the series finale against the visiting Chicago Cubs. Zack Short will continue to start at the hot corner for Atlanta and will bat ninth against Cubs right-hander Javier Assad. This will be the third straight game that Riley has missed after leaving Sunday's loss to the New York Mets with left-side inflammation. It's a day-to-day situation for the 27-year-old from now, and he could be back in the team's starting lineup on Friday for the series opener against the visiting San Diego Padres with a scheduled off day coming on Friday. Short is a light-hitting infielder that should be avoided in fantasy formats, especially hitting at the bottom of the order. The 28-year-old has gone 3-for-22 (.136) this year with no homers, one RBI and one stolen base.

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The New York Mets recalled infielder Mark Vientos, right-hander Grant Hartwig and left-hander Joey Lucchesi from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday and optioned right-hander Jose Butto to Syracuse in a corresponding move. Right-hander Yohan Ramirez and infielder Joey Wendle were designated for assignment. Vientos is playing third base and is batting fifth on Wednesday against Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez. In six career at-bats against Suarez, Vientos has a solo home run. The 24-year-old former second-round pick in 2017 has hit just .211/.260/.368 with 11 home runs and 27 RBI in 84 career games for the Mets and is likely to see some playing time at third base for the Mets when the club faces left-handed pitching. The left-handed-hitting Brett Baty is taking Wednesday off.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. is sitting out on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs for the first time this season. With Acuna retreating to the bench, Adam Duvall will start in right field and bat six and center fielder Michael Harris II will bat leadoff for Atlanta against Cubs right-hander Javier Assad. With a scheduled off day coming on Thursday, Acuna will be back in the lineup on Friday for the start of a series against the visiting San Diego Padres. The reigning National League MVP has been a bit disappointing by his standards through 155 at-bats in 2024, slashing .245/.354/.342 with only three home runs and 11 RBI, but he's also added 14 stolen bases and 33 runs scored and remains a must-start in all formats when he's active. Harris becomes a much more attractive DFS play at the top of the Braves' lineup on Wednesday.

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