Athletics infielder Miguel Andujar will make the start at third base and bat fifth in Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Texas Rangers and right-hander Tyler Mahle. This will be Andujar's first start at third base in the big leagues since 2021 with the New York Yankees. The 30-year-old veteran probably won't see enough time at the hot corner to gain eligibility there in fantasy, but the A's have the option to play him there occasionally with Tyler Soderstrom moving to left field once in a while. Andujar is hitting a strong .316 (25-for-79) through his first 22 games with two home runs, 10 RBI and nine runs scored. The Dominican utility man has gone 10-for-23 with a homer, double and triple in six games in the last 14 days. He has never faced Mahle in his career.

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Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers is getting the day off on Thursday in the series finale against the division-rival Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Jhonny Pereda will do the catching for left-hander Jeffrey Springs and will hit ninth against Rangers right-hander Tyler Mahle. Langeliers will get a normal day of rest after catching each of the last four games. The 27-year-old right-handed power bat has hit .243 (25-for-103) with six home runs, 14 RBI, 14 runs scored and a stolen base in his first 27 games of 2025. After a stretch of three straight hitless appearances, Langeliers is currently carrying a three-game hitting streak. He's gone 5-for-23 with a homer, two RBI, a walk and six strikeouts in his last six games going into Thursday. Pereda will be a DFS sleeper to ignore against a pitcher that has looked great in the early going in 2025. Pereda has gone 4-for-17 on the season with no homers and one RBI.

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Athletics infield prospect Max Muncy extended his current hitting streak at Triple-A to six games on Wednesday. In this contest, Muncy went 4-for-5 with a double. Across his first six games at the Triple-A, Muncy has posted an impressive .414/.400/.655 slash line with four doubles and one round-tripper. Muncy was able to break camp with the MLB roster, with Zack Gelof missing time. However, through his first 21 games in the MLB, Muncy posted an underwhelming .176/.211/.279 slash line with just one home run. During this stretch, he generated a low .248 xwOBA with a low 25.5 percent hard-hit rate. Fantasy managers should expect the No. 6-ranked prospect in the system to return to the big leagues later this summer, especially if he continues this steady production. For now, he is worth stashing in deeper AL-only formats.

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Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang (illness) is back at second base and batting in his customary leadoff spot for Thursday's series finale against the hosting Chicago White Sox and right-hander Sean Burke. Turang was scratched from the lineup on Wednesday due to an illness, but he's feeling better a day later and should be returned to all starting lineups in fantasy. The 25-year-old former first-rounder has been one of the most productive second baseman through the first month of the 2025 season, as he enters Thursday's contest in Chicago with a .317/.368/.408 slash line, a .777 OPS, three home runs, 15 RBI, 28 runs scored and eight stolen bases for the Brew Crew in 120 at-bats. In his last seven games, Turang has gone 10-for-29 with a double and four RBI. He has never faced Burke in his MLB career.

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Miami Marlins infield prospect Deyvison De Los Santos went 2-for-4 with a home run during Wednesday's contest against Triple-A Durham. This was De Los Santos' second home run over his last three games and second multi-hit game during this stretch. Over his last 13 games, De Los Santos has posted a .327/.375/.577 slash line with two doubles, one triple, three home runs, and one stolen base. However, prior to this stretch, the infielder held a modest .245/.321/.286 line with just two doubles over his first 14 games of the Triple-A campaign. Last summer, the 21-year-old flashed elite power upside at the Triple-A level and appears to be turning the corner after his slow start. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on his progression as he should be in the mix to make his MLB debut in the coming weeks.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is getting the day off for Thursday's series finale in Chicago against the hosting White Sox. Catcher William Contreras will get a day off his feet and serve as the designated hitter while batting cleanup, and Eric Haase will do the catching and hit ninth against White Sox right-hander Sean Burke. Coming off offseason back surgery, Yelich has struggled at the plate so far in 2025, batting .220/.333/.385 but he does have five home runs, 23 RBI, 14 runs scored and six stolen bases in his 109 at-bats. He's gone hitless in his last two outings and has six hits in his last 29 plate appearances with four RBI, a steal and a run scored in his last six games. While Yelich's average is down compared to what we've come to expect of him, he's still producing. Expect him back in action for Friday's series opener versus the division-rival Chicago Cubs.

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Cleveland Guardians outfielders Nolan Jones and Angel Martinez are both getting a day off on Thursday against the division-rival Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Jhonkensy Noel is starting in right field and batting fifth, while Daniel Schneemann gets the start in center field and is hitting out of the six-hole against Twins right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson. Jones is hitting just .171 (12-for-70) on the year with a homer, five RBI and two steals, so it's possible the 26-year-old left-handed hitter could start losing more playing time against right-handed pitching. Martinez is hitting .333 (19-for-57) but hasn't homered and has only five RBI. The Dominican outfielder has seen most of the playing time in center with Lane Thomas (wrist) on the injured list. Noel and Schneemann have faced Woods Richardson a combined seven times and haven't recorded a single hit.

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Baltimore Orioles catching prospect Samuel Basallo went 2-for-5 with a home run during Wednesday's contest against Charlotte. This game snapped a five-game power drought for the budding star. The 20-year-old has dealt with a lingering hamstring and elbow injury during the start of camp and has held a modest .229/.317/.486 slash line. Across 12 games, Basallo has gone deep just three times and held a 5:5 K:BB. Last season, the top prospect in Baltimore made his Triple-A debut and posted a .229/.267/.370 slash line with three long balls across 21 games. Earlier in the summer, Basallo logged 106 games at Double-A, where he posted a .289/.355/.465 slash line. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to his progression at Norfolk, as he should be in the mix for his MLB debut later this summer.

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The Chicago White Sox announced on Thursday that rookie infielder Chase Meidroth (thumb) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and infielder Gage Workman (hip) was placed on the 10-day IL with a right-hip flexor strain. Meidroth is starting at shortstop and is batting leadoff for Thursday's contest against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Chad Patrick. It's nice that Meidroth is back for the Pale Hose and hitting leadoff in his first game back, but he didn't go on a minor-league rehab assignment at all, and this will be just his 10th game in the big leagues. In nine games after being called up early in the 2025 season, the 23-year-old middle infielder has gone 7-for-26 with an RBI, stolen base, four runs scored, five walks and four strikeouts. Meidroth, Jacob Amaya and Brooks Baldwin could all see action at the 6 going forward in Chicago.

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St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Gordon Graceffo logged six innings of one-run ball on Wednesday against Triple-A Norfolk. In this outing, Graceffo allowed just two hits and served up one free pass. He struck out one. This was another strong outing for Graceffo as he allowed two runs across five innings of work in his previous start. Before this stretch, Graceffo allowed eight runs and eight hits over his first two starts of the Triple-A season. The No. 16-ranked prospect in the St. Louis system had a brief eight-inning stint in the majors earlier this season but struggled as he allowed seven runs and 10 hits. Fantasy managers should expect Graceffo to be in the mix to return to St. Louis if he continues to turn the corner at the top level of the minor leagues. However, when he does get the call, he may be deployed exclusively out of the bullpen.

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Kansas City Royals outfielders Kyle Isbel and Hunter Renfroe are both starting on the bench for Thursday's tilt against the hosting Tampa Bay Rays. Drew Waters will start in center field and bat ninth, while Mark Canha gets the nod in right field and is hitting seventh against Rays right-hander Shane Baz. Isbel did have two hits in Wednesday's win over Tampa, but he's gone 6-for-31 (.194) with six RBI, a steal, no walks and five strikeouts in his last 11 games played. Renfroe, meanwhile, will probably continue to lose playing time in the Royals outfield after starting the year with a .167 average (11-for-66) with no home runs and only four RBI. Waters and Canha will both be low-upside DFS plays on Thursday, and neither player has faced Baz in their careers. Canha hasn't homered yet but has gone 9-for-26 with two RBI and five runs scored in his limited playing time.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Victor Scott II is not in the team's starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds. Jose Barrero is drawing the start in center field for the Red Birds and will hit ninth against Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott. After playing both of the wins in the team's doubleheader on Wednesday in Cincy, Scott will get the day off to rest before a three-game weekend series against the New York Mets starts on Friday. As the team's starting center fielder, the 24-year-old has been productive through the first month, slashing .271/.336/.406 with two home runs, 14 RBI, 14 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in 28 games played. DFS managers should be looking to stay away from Barrero in the nine-hole. He has appeared in two games for St. Louis but has yet to record a plate appearance.

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New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (illness) is back in left field and is hitting sixth in Thursday's series finale against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks and right-hander Zac Gallen. Nimmo missed the last two games due to an illness, but he's feeling better now and will start against the D-backs in the series finale. The 32-year-old former first-rounder was feeling good enough to appear as a pinch-hitter in Wednesday's loss. Nimmo went 4-for-6 on Monday with two home runs, a double and nine RBI in the win over Arizona before falling ill on Tuesday. He's currently hitting just .216 (24-for-111) on the year with six long balls, 21 home runs and 13 runs scored for fantasy managers. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues will want to get him back into their lineups against Gallen, who he is hitting .143 against in seven career at-bats.

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Cincinnati Reds outfielder Austin Hays (hamstring) remains sidelined for Thursday's series finale against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park. Santiago Espinal is starting in left field and will hit fifth against Cardinal left-hander Matthew Liberatore. Hays injured his left hamstring while running the bases on Monday and will now miss his third straight game as a result. The Reds remain hopeful that the 29-year-old can avoid a trip to the injured list, but that stance could change if he's unable to return during a three-game weekend series against the visiting Washington Nationals. Fantasy managers want Hays back in the lineup as soon as possible, as he's gone 19-for-52 (.365) early on with five homers, 13 RBI and 15 runs scored for the Reds. Espinal is also hitting over .300 in 64 at-bats in 2025 but has yet to homer. He's hitless in just three career at-bats against Liberatore.

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The Cincinnati Reds announced on Thursday that they optioned right-handed reliever Alexis Diaz to Triple-A Louisville and recalled right-hander Luis Mey from Louisville in a corresponding move. Diaz's 2025 season has gone from bad to worse after he surrendered five earned runs on four hits while walking one in his inning of work in the 6-0 loss in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals. The 28-year-old's slider was flat, and he allowed back-to-back-to-back homers in the disastrous outing. Through six relief innings for the Reds this year, the Puerto Rican hurler has surrendered eight earned runs on eight hits (four homers) while walking five and striking out three. Diaz also struggled with his mechanics in spring training and opened the season on the injured list, so nothing has really gone right. Emilio Pagan will continue on in Cincy's closer role for the foreseeable future.

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Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI in Wednesday's 7-2 romp over the Nationals. Realmuto tacked on the final run of the game with a solo home run in the eighth inning off Eduardo Salazar. The long ball was Realmuto's second home run of the season and his first since April 15. On the year, the 34-year-old catcher is hitting .237 with eight RBI and a .297 wOBA. Realmuto still has some juice left in his bat at a thin catcher position, but he isn't an elite option any more at this point in his career. He's servicable in mixed leagues but not a must-play if other options with higher ceilings are available.

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Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler went 2-for-5 with a single and a grand slam in Wednesday's 7-1 victory over the Texas Rangers. The 24-year-old was part of a big ninth inning for the A's, as the team scored six runs on the back of two home runs to put away the Rangers. His grand slam was merely insurance at that point, as teammate Brent Rooker put the team up by two runs six batters before Butler hit the dish. It was his fifth long ball of 2025 -- matching his steal total in addition to 18 runs scored and 11 RBI. The New Jersey native hasn't been quite as hot as he was to close out last season, but he's been effective from the leadoff spot yet again. Encouragingly, he's increased his BB% into the double digits (10.3%), and figures to be a boost in all five categories as long as he sustains the gains he bolstered in late 2024.

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Athletics outfielder/designated hitter Brent Rooker went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Texas Rangers. He added a single and struck out twice. Rooker's eighth long ball of the season -- a two-run blast -- came in the top of the ninth inning to give the A's a 3-1 lead. The righty slugger has been hot of late, collecting three multi-hit efforts in his last four appearances and at least one hit in five of six. Over that stretch, he's 8-for-21 (.381) with four extra-base hits (three doubles), four RBI, and four runs scored. After swiping 11 bags a season ago, seeing him with a goose egg in that category is mildly disappointing. Still, the power is there, and he's underperforming his .285 xBA by nearly 30 points (.258).

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Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor broke open a close game in the seventh inning with a three-run home run on Wednesday night. The game was scoreless coming into the inning, and Cleveland had scratched out one run before Naylor's three-run shot opened up a 4-0 lead. The team held on to win 4-2, with Naylor's homer proving to be the difference in the contest. It was his only hit of the day, as he went 1-for-3 with three RBI. On the season, the 25-year-old backstop is hitting just .191 with his four homers and a .300 wOBA. His batting average makes him hard to carry as a catcher in mixed leagues, but his power does make him viable as a DFS punt play when the Guardians are facing pitchers who are vulnerable to left-handed hitters.

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St. Louis Cardinals catcher/first baseman Willson Contreras went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI in the second game of his team's doubleheader sweep in Cincinnati. Contreras connected on his three-run blast in the first inning against rookie Chase Petty. The Cardinals won the first game of the twin bill 6-0 and cruised to a 9-1 win after Contreras' shot set the tone for Game 2. On the season, Contreras is hitting .222 with three home runs and a .288 wOBA. He has reached base safely in 13 straight games and is quickly putting his rough start to the season in his rearview mirror and becoming the solid, proven bat he was drafted to be coming into the season. If someone bailed early and he's on waivers, he's a great pickup and is a good bat with lingering catcher eligibility in most formats.

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