Toronto Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt tossed five scoreless innings during Monday's 5-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. He struck out seven batters, gave up five hits and did not issue a walk. It was a solid performance from the veteran right-hander, especially since he almost missed today's start due to a battle with neck spasms. His neck was clearly bothering him throughout Monday's outing and ultimately resulted in an early departure from the game. Bassitt now owns a 4.03 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 56:25 K:BB after the gritty effort. There is no word yet on whether the 35-year-old will make his next scheduled start but it is a situation to monitor for fantasy managers.

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan allowed one run on four hits across seven innings of work during Monday's 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals. He struck out nine batters and did not issue a walk. The Twins bullpen made things closer than they should have been in this one, but Ryan still thankfully came away with the win. The 27-year-old has now produced a quality start in six of his last seven outings. Ryan is quickly becoming a must-start option every time he takes the mound as he now owns a 2.96 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 73/9 K/BB through 11 starts this season. His next projected outing is scheduled for Saturday on the road against the Houston Astros. Fantasy managers should fire him up again with confidence.

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Toronto Blue Jays infield prospect Orelvis Martinez has been struggling at the plate over the last two weeks in Triple-A Buffalo. In 43 plate appearances, he's gone 4-for-37 with only three walks and 16 strikeouts. Interestingly, each of his four hits has been for extra bases (two doubles and two home runs). While he's had trouble making contact, he's been noticeably unlucky when he puts the ball in play. During this stretch, Martinez has a .100 BABIP. The league average BABIP is generally around .300, suggesting that some of his woes resulted from misfortune. Despite this recent slump, he's still having a solid year. In 192 plate appearances, Martinez is slashing .240/.325/.515 with 10 doubles, 12 home runs, and 36 RBI.

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Miami Marlins pitching prospect Max Meyer threw well in three starts at the big-league level to start the 2024 season. In 17 innings, he had a 2.12 ERA (3.71 FIP), 0.82 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts. Despite his success, Meyer was demoted to Triple-A Jacksonville after facing the Atlanta Braves on April 13. Since then, he hasn't been nearly as sharp, posting a 6.86 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 19.2 MiLB innings. One reason for his struggles is that he's given up 10 walks. He's also had some bad luck. Meyer currently has a .392 BABIP in Triple-A. The league-average BABIP is generally considered to be .300, so the rate at which he's surrendering hits on balls-in-play is almost certainly unsustainable. Thus, Meyer could have more success going forward. However, he'll likely need to improve his control before rejoining the Marlins' rotation.

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St. Louis Cardinals infield prospect Thomas Saggese had a solid April in Triple-A Memphis, slashing .272/.333/.407 in 90 plate appearances with five doubles, two home runs, and four stolen bases. However, he's taken a step back in May. In 89 plate appearances, he's slashing .215/.292/.367 with three doubles, three homers, and a stolen base. Part of his decrease in production is that his BABIP went from .333 in April to .255 in May. Whether due to poorer contact quality or lousy luck, far fewer of Saggese's batted balls have resulted in base hits this month. Overall, the former fifth-rounder is slashing .234/.305/.371 with eight doubles, five homers, and five stolen bases. Though he's spent a majority of his games at shortstop, Saggese has also had a few starts at second and third base.

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Houston Astros outfield prospect Pedro Leon has shown tremendous offensive prowess in Triple-A Sugar Land to start the 2024 season. Through 47 games, he's slashing .290/.376/.546 with 15 doubles, 10 home runs, and 12 stolen bases. He also leads the minor leagues with 51 RBI. Currently ranked #27 on the Astros' list of top prospects, it's hard to imagine that he won't ascend the rankings soon. According to MLB.com, he's expected to make his big-league debut sometime this year. If he keeps producing at this rate, there's a chance it could come sooner rather than later.

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Minnesota Twins infield prospect Brooks Lee (back) will continue his rehab assignment at Single-A Fort Myers this week and is on track to rejoin Triple-A St. Paul next week, barring any setbacks with his back injury. For the Florida Complex League team, Lee had nine hits in 20 at-bats with two doubles, so he looks to be just fine. The 23-year-old switch-hitter is the team's No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and was taken with the eighth overall pick in 2022 out of Cal Poly. Lee is working his way back from a herniated disc in his back but should return to St. Paul soon. If he stays healthy the rest of the season, don't be surprised if Lee makes his major-league debut for the Twins later this season. Because of his back injury, Lee has yet to play with St. Paul in 2024.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis (forearm) will pitch in another minor-league rehab game on Tuesday for Triple-A Buffalo in what feels like the last rehab outing that he'll need before being reinstated from the injured list. The 28-year-old reliever gave up three runs (two earned) while striking out six and walking one in 6 2/3 innings in his first three rehab appearances. In what will most likely be a middle-relief/long-relief role in Toronto when he returns, Francis will have very little fantasy value. Before going on the injured list this year, he had gone 2-2 with an 8.59 ERA (5.99 FIP) and 1.70 WHIP with seven walks and 17 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings over five outings (two starts). Francis will always be an option for a spot start, too, if Toronto needs it.

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New York Mets relief pitcher Drew Smith (shoulder) has restarted his minor-league rehab assignment and threw a scoreless innings for High-A Brooklyn on Sunday. Smith is penciled in for a couple more rehab appearances and is due back in the big leagues in around a week. The 30-year-old reliever is nearing a return after suffering a setback with his right shoulder in early May. The former third-round selection by the Detroit Tigers in the 2015 MLB draft out of Dallas Baptist will return to a prominent late-inning bullpen role for the Mets when he's officially reinstated. Before his injury, he had a 2.70 ERA (3.03 FIP), one save, a 1.70 WHIP, seven walks and 11 strikeouts in 10 relief innings. Smith will have some fantasy value in holds leagues.

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Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that outfielder TJ Friedl (thumb) could return from the injured list as soon as later this week or early next week. Friedl has had pretty awful injury luck this year after also missing time with a fractured right wrist. But the 28-year-old has recovered very quickly from his thumb injury and should be back with the big-league club in short order. If he's going to return to Cincinnati this weekend, it will mean that he'll forego a minor-league rehab assignment. When healthy and on the major-league roster, Friedl should see regular playing time against right-handed pitchers, which is bad news for both Jake Fraley and Will Benson. Friedl has gone just 4-for-22 (.182) in six games this year but has plenty of fantasy value after hitting 18 homers, driving in 66 and stealing 27 bases in 2023.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Chad Green (shoulder) could be activated from the injured list as early as Tuesday, according to manager John Schneider. Green has been out since the middle of April with a right-shoulder strain but is ready to return to the big-league bullpen after throwing three scoreless innings for Triple-A Buffalo on his minor-league rehab start. Green opened the season as Toronto's primary ninth-inning guy, but that was with Jordan Romano on the injured list. The 33-year-old reliever could still be valuable in fantasy leagues that count holds, but as long as Romano is healthy, Green will serve in a late-inning setup role for the Jays. Before going on the IL, Green went 1-0 with two saves, a 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 7 2/3 frames.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Conforto (hamstring) could start a minor-league rehab assignment later this week, according to the team. Meanwhile, outfielder Austin Slater (concussion) will start a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday if he is cleared on Monday. Conforto is trying to recover from a right-hamstring strain but was cleared to resume baseball activities last week. The 31-year-old left-handed hitter has been out for more than two weeks and is going to need to prove he can run full speed before he's cleared to play in games at the minor-league level. If Conforto doesn't suffer a setback this weekend, he could return to San Fran's lineup early next week. Conforto's fantasy managers can only hope he'll return and pick up where he left off after he hit .280 (40-for-143) with seven homers and 20 RBI before being put on the injured list.

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San Francisco Giants shortstop Nick Ahmed (wrist) will start taking batting practice in the next few days, according to the team. Ahmed is beginning baseball activities after being out since early May due to a left-wrist sprain. Before the 34-year-old veteran is able to return from the injured list, he'll need to go out on a minor-league rehab start, so he might not be back with the Giants before the end of May this weekend. Until Ahmed is able to return, infield prospect Marco Luciano will continue to play regularly at the 6 in the Bay Area. Ahmed's biggest contributions for the Giants come with his glove, so he's mostly a middle-infield option in NL-only leagues. Before his injury, he hit just .236/.274/.291 with no home runs and 11 RBI in 110 at-bats.

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Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins (hamstring) plans to hit on the field on Monday for the first time since going on the injured list. "I feel as good as I can," Hoskins said. This will be the first time that Hoskins has hit on the field since being placed on the injured list with a right-hamstring strain. The 31-year-old might need to show a little more before the Brewers send him on a minor-league rehab assignment, mainly with running the bases, but it doesn't sound like Hoskins is far off from a return to the starting lineup as the team's primary first baseman. When Hoskins is finally ready to come off the IL, Jake Bauers will lose considerable playing time in Milwaukee. Before landing on the shelf, Hoskins was slashing .233/.340/.474 with an .813 OPS, nine home runs, 27 RBI and 17 runs scored in his attempt at a bounce-back campaign in 2024.

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Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan (hamstring) will start in left field and play six to eight innings for Triple-A Columbus on Monday, according to manager Stephen Vogt. Kwan began his minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday with High-A Lake County and will play in his third straight game on Monday. If the 26-year-old outfielder doesn't have any setbacks with his hamstring on Monday, he could return to the Cleveland lineup later this week, perhaps for the start of a series on Friday at home against the Washington Nationals. Kwan should not be available on any waiver wire, as he's been one of the most consistent hitters in the majors in 2024. He's currently batting .353 (47-for-133) with three home runs, 11 RBI, three stolen bases and 28 runs scored. There's not much power or RBI production, but Kwan is an excellent source of average and on-base percentage.

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Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams (elbow) is expected to make a minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday. Williams is now in the final step of his recovery from right-elbow discomfort that first cropped up for him during spring training. The 24-year-old also had a setback in the first month of the season, which is why he has yet to make his 2024 MLB debut. Given his long layoff, he will almost certainly require multiple rehab starts before the Guardians consider having him rejoin their starting rotation. But if he avoids any further setbacks, Williams could be back well before the All-Star break. The former 23rd overall pick in 2021 out of East Carolina could be worth picking up and stashing now after he had a really impressive 3.29 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with an 81:37 K:BB in his first 16 big-league starts in 2023.

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The Colorado Rockies placed right-hander Justin Lawrence (arm) on the 15-day injured list on Monday with right-arm soreness. In other moves, the Rockies selected the contract of left-hander Josh Rogers from the minors and recalled right-hander Peter Lambert while designating right-hander John Curtiss for assignment. Lawrence hasn't been very good at all for the Rockies in a high-leverage, late-inning role for the Rockies and is now hurt. Overall, he's gone 1-3 with a 5.91 ERA (4.11 FIP), a 1.83 WHIP, two saves, 15 walks and 20 strikeouts in 21 1/3 relief innings in his fourth big-league season. The walks haven't helped one bit, and Lawrence's recent arm injury could explain why he's been even worse recently. At the moment, Tyler Kinley and Jalen Beeks appear to be the team's top options for saves, with Kinley locking down two of the last three saves.

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The Washington Nationals designated outfielder Victor Robles for assignment on Monday in order to make room on the active roster for outfielder Lane Thomas (knee), who has been reinstated from the injured list. It appears the Nationals have finally run out of patience with Robles, who was once one of their prized prospects from the Dominican Republic. Outside of his 17-homer, 28-steal season in 2019, Robles has fell well short of expectations in the organization and has hit just .236/.311/.356 with 31 home runs, 156 RBI, 70 stolen bases and 213 runs scored in his eight years in the league. Before getting cut on Monday, he was hitting just .120 (3-for-25) with no homers, two RBI and four steals in 33 plate appearances this year. It remains to be seen if the 27-year-old will change scenery or stick with the Nats in the minors.

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The Washington Nationals reinstated outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) from the 10-day injured list on Monday and designated outfielder Victor Robles for assignment in a corresponding move. Thomas is back in right field on Monday and is batting in the two-hole against Atlanta Braves veteran right-hander Charlie Morton in his first game back. The 28-year-old will return for the first time since late April due to a Grade 2 MCL sprain and should be thrown back into starting fantasy lineups because of his impressive power/speed combination. Ignore the fact that he hit only .184/.250/.253 with two home runs to begin the year, as he also had 11 stolen bases in 87 at-bats. The former fifth-rounder by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014 needs to be rostered everywhere and will play regularly for the Nats now that he's healthy again.

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In the first game for the Atlanta Braves on Memorial Day on Monday since learning that All-Star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) will miss the rest of the season due to a full ACL tear, outfielder Adam Duvall is covering for him in right field and will bat sixth against the visiting Washington Nationals and rookie left-hander Mitchell Parker. Duvall hit his fourth home run of the season on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and is now set to see a big playing time increase with Acuna out of the picture entirely for the rest of 2024. The former 11th-round pick by the San Francisco Giants in 2010 out of Louisville isn't going to provide much in terms of a useful batting average, but he still has notable pop in his bat and is worth a pickup in deeper mixed leagues now that he should see more of a regular role moving forward. Duvall is currently slashing .207/.305/.378 with four homer and 11 RBI in 33 games.

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