Cleveland Guardians left-hander Logan Allen took the loss in an 8-2 defeat at the hands of the Houston Astros on Thursday. Allen allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings while striking out five and walking one as his record fell to 3-2 on the year. Most of the damage came via a two-run homer off the bat of Jon Singleton in the sixth inning. It has been a slow start to the season for the lefty as Allen now has a 5.11 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP across 37 innings of work. That being said, Thursday's start against the Astros provides a slight glimmer of hope for the southpaw who broke out as a rookie in 2023. He will look to keep it going in his next start, which is slated to come on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers at home.

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Baltimore Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish allowed one run on four hits over 4 2/3 innings in a 7-2 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday. Bradish struck out five and walked two while taking a no-decision in the outing. It was an encouraging start for Bradish, who was activated from the 15-day injured list earlier in the day on Thursday after missing the start of the 2024 season after spraining the UCL in his right elbow during spring training. Bradish needs to be rostered in all leagues moving forward after he posted a 2.83 ERA and 168 strikeouts across 168 2/3 innings of work for the Orioles in 2023.

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Washington Nationals left-hander Mitchell Parker pitched well in a 7-0 loss to the Texas Rangers on Thursday. Parker allowed three runs on six hits over five innings while striking out five and walking two while settling for a no-decision in the outing. The 24-year-old rookie has been excellent across his four starts for the Nationals this season, compiling a 2-1 record, 2.53 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts across 21 1/3 innings of work. He is worth a look as a potential streamer in deeper leagues moving forward.

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Houston Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti turned in a solid performance in an 8-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday. Arrighetti allowed two runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings while striking out six and walking three but had to settle for a no-decision. The outing was a welcome sight for Arrighetti, who has struggled in 2024, posting a 8.27 ERA and a 1.96 WHIP across four starts. Fantasy managers will need to see a few more performances like Thursday's out of Arrighetti before they can trust him as a potential streaming option. His net start is scheduled to come on Wednesday on the road against the New York Yankees.

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San Francisco Giants left-hander Kyle Harrison turned in a quality performance in a 3-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Harrison allowed one run on three hits over five innings of work while striking out seven and walking five but had to settle for a no-decision in the contest. Harrison struggled a bit with his control in issuing five free passes but was able to work around the walks on the way to lowering his ERA to 3.79. Harrison now has a 2-1 record and 38 strikeouts over 38 innings of work in 2024. He will look to keep it going in his next start, which is scheduled to come on Tuesday on the road against the Colorado Rockies.

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Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jorge Mateo turned in a big game in a 7-2 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday. Mateo went 1-for-2 with a homer and two RBI in the win over Baltimore's division rivals. He was also hit by a pitch in the win. Mateo's solo shot came in the fourth inning off Carlos Rodon and traveled 425 feet with an exit velocity of 105.5 MPH. The blast goes down as Mateo's first of the season, to go along with a .268 average, seven runs, three RBI, and four steals. Known more for his speed, Mateo has reached double-digit homers just once in his career, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect a power surge out of him in the coming weeks.

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Colorado Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in a 5-4 loss to the Miami Marlins on Thursday. Stallings kicked off the scoring for the Rockies with a three-run blast off Edwin Cabrera in the second inning, but it wasn't enough for the Rockies as they fell to Miami in extra innings. Stallings has been swinging a hot bat as the backup catcher in Colorado as he's batting .345 with one homer, four runs, and five RBI across 29 at-bats. That being said, he will need to see more consistent playing time to work his way into the conversation as a fantasy option.

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Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve turned in a productive game in an 8-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday. Altuve went 3-for-5 with a run, an RBI, and two stolen bases in the win over Cleveland. The veteran infielder has been hot at the plate of late as he's hit safely in eight of his past 10 games and has four multi-hit games to his name over that span. Overall, Altuve is batting .352 with seven homers, 23 runs, 11 RBI, and six steals over 31 games this season.

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Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle put together a big game in a 7-2 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday. Mountcastle went 2-for-4 with a homer, two runs, and two RBI in the win over Baltimore's AL East rivals. The veteran's homer was a solo shot off of Carlos Rodon in the third inning. The blast traveled 405 feet and had an exit velocity of 107 MPH. Mountcastle is off to a solid start in 2024, hitting .290 with five homers, 18 runs, and 16 RBI across 107 at-bats thus far.

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Kyle Harrison issued five walks but still managed to throw five innings of one-run ball in a 3-1 win against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Harrison didn't pick up the win as San Francisco went ahead for good in the seventh, but Harrison had a solid start nonetheless. He allowed just three hits and struck out seven to round out his line. The 22-year-old rookie has allowed three or fewer runs in six of his seven starts this season. If Harrison can put it all together, he's got major upside that warrants being rostered in most leagues.

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Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner went 1-for-4 with a pair of walks in a 7-6 loss to the New York Mets on Thursday. Hoerner didn't run much early in the season, swiping just one base in April. That caused some panic among his fantasy owners, who expected much closer to the 43 stolen bases Hoerner picked up in 2023. Those owners will be happy with the last two games though, as the speedster picked up three steals to bring his season total to four. If he keeps running at that pace, there is no reason to worry about Hoerner.

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Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish threw 4 innings of one-run ball in his first start of the 2024 season against the New York Yankees on Thursday. Bradish didn't pick up the win as he didn't go five innings, but he was solid and gave his team a good chance to win. He gave up four hits and two walks while striking out five in the shortened outing, throwing 84 pitches. Bradish should get back to a normal workload soon and will hopefully return to his 2023 form where he posted a 2.83 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 168 strikeouts in 168 IP. The 27-year-old should be universally rostered in fantasy.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti was solid in an 8-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday. Arrighetti didn't end up getting the win with the Astros doing most of their damage late in the game, but he spun 5 frames of two-run ball and looked better than he has in any start this season. The 24-year-old gave up four hits and three walks while striking out six to round out his line. He has some prospect pedigree and is worth keeping an eye on in fantasy leagues as he has shown strong swing-and-miss stuff despite poor results early in his career.

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Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Blake Treinen (lung) was used as the opener in Triple-A Oklahoma City's game on Thursday, throwing a perfect inning with two strikeouts. Treinen has looked good in his past two appearances, allowing just one hit and accumulating three strikeouts and zero walks. With five rehab appearances under his belt, he might be ready to make his 2024 season debut soon for the Dodgers after bruising his lung early in Spring Training. The veteran will be a welcome addition to the Dodgers bullpen and should see a decent share of work late in close games, making him a solid add in saves-plus-holds leagues.

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Houston Astros designated hitter/outfielder Yordan Alvarez continued his slump at the dish on Thursday, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in an 8-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians. Alvarez is now 0-for-17 with seven strikeouts and zero walks in his last four games. Fortunately for the 26-year-old, the Astros have won three of those games anyway. Alvarez is down to a .244/.312/.439 triple-slash line to go with 18 runs, 18 RBI, and a modest seven homers. They aren't terrible numbers by any means, but they certainly aren't what fantasy managers were hoping for when they drafted the slugger with a top-20 pick in most cases. Alvarez will likely turn things around and end up being one of the best four-category contributors in fantasy, but this stretch is frustrating nonetheless.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson (shoulder) went 2-for-3 with a home run in a rehab game with Triple-A Memphis. Carlson was playing in his second rehab game and was used as the designated hitter in this one after playing in center field on Wednesday. He will likely need a decent amount of time to get himself ready for a return to the majors, as he hasn't yet played in a game for the Cardinals this year after suffering a sprained left shoulder in Spring Training. The 25-year-old doesn't have much fantasy appeal, but he was once a well-regarded prospect and is still young, so a post-hype breakout is possible.

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Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena increased his hitting streak to five games as he tallied two hits in Thursday's victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Pena tallied his first hit of the game in the fourth inning with a ground ball to second base and then swiped second base but was unable to score. Later in the sixth, Pena ripped his first triple of the campaign to score Gabriel Arias. The shortstop would then score twice, courtesy of a Jon Singleton blast in the same frame and sacrifice fly in the seventh. Pena has a solid .333/.375/.467 line, and his underlying metrics suggest he could be in for a big summer with a .324 xBA. The former World Series MVP should be rostered in all formats and remains a solid DFS option.

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Texas Rangers relief pitcher David Robertson tallied his 10th hold of the season and is now tied for the most in baseball with Nationals pitcher Hunter Harvey and Cardinals pitchers JoJo Romero and Andrew Kittredge. Robertson entered in the seventh inning with two outs to face Ildemaro Vargas with a runner on first and was able to retire him. Then, the 39-year-old remained in the game to pitch the eighth inning. He surrendered a leadoff walk to Jacob Young but then retired the next three batters via two strikeouts and a groundout. The veteran reliever carries a stellar 1.08 ERA and 0.84 WHIP across 16 2/3 innings with 20 punchouts. Robertson remains an elite option for holds and should be considered next in line to receive ninth-inning duties in Texas.

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Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim tallied two hits for the seventh time of the season to lead the Rangers to a series victory over the Washington Nationals. Heim laced a single to left field in the second frame and was able to cross home plate via an Ezequiel Duran double. The 28-year-old then knocked an RBI single in the eighth inning to score Nathaniel Lowe to increase the Texas lead. During the young season, Heim has proven to be a solid batting average contributor with a .263 AVG, which is on pace to be a new career-high. Heim remains a strong second catcher in two-catcher leagues and is a sneaky play in DFS due to the strong lineup around him.

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There has been speculation that Oakland Athletics rookie closer Mason Miller, who has the most pitches at 102-plus mph (19) this year, could be dangled at this summer's trade deadline. Rival executives are split on whether the A's would actually dare trade their biggest start with a move to Sacramento coming next year. Miller has topped out at 103.7 mph and is an "elite" closer that should bring "a prospect package worth pursuing." A rival executive envisions a bidding war that could make a Miller trade irresistible for the A's. "They may want to cash in while stock is so high." The 25-year-old former third-round pick in 2021 out of Gardner-Webb University has been lights-out in 2024 with a 1.26 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, eight saves and 29 K's in 14 1/3 innings, although a trade to a contender wouldn't necessarily mean he'd stay in a closer's role.

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