Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) addressed the media on Thursday for the first time since suffering a season-ending ACL tear in his knee on Sunday. Acuna will go under the knife next Tuesday. "It's another opportunity. Who knows, maybe I can come back and win another MVP," Acuna said. Last year's National League MVP became the first player ever to hit 40-plus home runs and steal 70-plus stolen bases in an absolutely amazing 2023 campaign, but now the Braves and fantasy managers will be without him the rest of the way in 2024 after he tore the ACL in his other knee three years ago. The four-time All-Star and former NL Rookie of the Year can be dropped in all single-year fantasy leagues. In Acuna's absence, both Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall are in line for more playing time moving forward in Atlanta.

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Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel (knee) is back at the hot corner and is batting sixth for the Nationals on Thursday in the series finale against the Atlanta Braves and left-hander Ryan Kerr. Senzel fouled a ball off his right knee in Wednesday's contest and had to be removed, but the 28-year-old former first-rounder of the Cincinnati Reds will return the very next day. He has not cleared the fences in the last 22 games while hitting .231 (15-for-65) with three doubles, four RBI, 14 walks and 18 strikeouts in 79 plate appearances in 22 games in the month of May. Senzel has yet to steal a base but has decent enough power to be worth rostering as corner-infield depth in deeper fantasy leagues as the Nationals' regular third baseman when he's healthy.

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The New York Mets designated right-hander Jorge Lopez for assignment on Thursday and recalled left-hander Danny Young from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move. Lopez's actions after being ejected from Wednesday's game, rather than his performance on the mound, have cost him a spot on the team's 40-man roster. The 31-year-old veteran threw his glove into the crowd after his ejection on Wednesday in the loss to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. The nine-year veteran had been decent out of the bullpen for the Mets this year, posting a 3.76 ERA (4.65 FIP), a 1.37 WHIP, two saves, 11 walks and 19 strikeouts in 26 1/3 relief innings. An All-Star as recently as 2022 with the Orioles and Twins, Lopez should draw some attention on waivers in the next couple of days with 29 career saves.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela will take the day off on Thursday against the visiting Detroit Tigers in the series opener. With Rafaela retreating to the bench for this one, Jarren Duran will move over to center field while batting in his typical leadoff spot against Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty. Rob Refsnyder is in left field and batting third, while Wilyer Abreu is in right field and hitting in the two-hole for the BoSox. The 23-year-old Rafaela ended his modest four-game hitting streak on Wednesday in the loss to the Baltimore Orioles when he went hitless in four at-bats. Rafaela is a defensive stalwart already but is batting just .206 (39-for-189) with five homers, 28 RBI, seven stolen bases and 26 runs scored in 55 games in 2024. Both Refsnyder and Abreu have been hot with the lumber so far this season but don't offer much power upside.

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The Chicago White Sox optioned rookie third baseman Bryan Ramos back to Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday. The White Sox will announce a corresponding move before Friday's series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. Ramos, the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will head back to the farm to work on his game after looking a bit overmatched at the plate in his first 15 games. In 48 plate appearances, the 22-year-old went 9-for-46 (.196) with no homers, two doubles, two RBI, one walk and eight strikeouts. Ramos went hitless with five strikeouts in 14 at-bats in five games since returning from a quadriceps injury, and the White Sox feel that he could benefit from a trip back to the minors. With Ramos out of the picture for now in the Windy City, Danny Mendick should be primed for regular duties at the hot corner.

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Los Angeles Angels infielder Miguel Sano (knee) was returned from his minor-league rehab assignment after the burn that he suffered from a heating pad did not heal. Sano took the protection off of a heating pad to make it hotter and burned himself, and he's now headed back to Anaheim with no timetable for a return. The 31-year-old corner infielder initially landed on the injured list with a left-knee injury and now has suffered a setback due to his burn. He'll now get some time to heal up before eventually restarting his minor-league rehab assignment. Before the injury, Sano was hitting .262 (16-for-61) but with just one home run and five RBI in his first year with the Angels. In his absence, veteran Luis Guillorme and Luis Rengifo have been splitting time at third base for the team.

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New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) said he felt good on Thursday after throwing 43 pitches and using his entire arsenal during a live batting practice session. Cole said that the next step is for him to recover from this session before possibly going on a minor-league rehab assignment soon. We'll update you when we know of a potential date and location for Cole to begin a rehab assignment. All signs are pointing toward the reigning American League Cy Young winner pitching in games in the minors soon and making his 2024 debut for the Yankees at some point in June, barring setbacks. The 33-year-old ace has been dealing with right-elbow inflammation since spring training and has had a long recovery process, but fantasy managers are beginning to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

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Seattle Mariners outfielder Luke Raley (lat) is not in the team's starting lineup on Thursday against the visiting division-rival Houston Astros due to a sore lat. Raley will receive the day off to let it calm down, but it remains to be seen if he'll be back in for Friday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. It doesn't sound like a serious injury for the 29-year-old left-handed hitter, so hopefully he'll be back on the field at some point this weekend against the Halos. All four of Raley's homers this year have come in May, a month in which he's hit a strong .292 (21-for-72) with two doubles and nine RBI in 78 plate appearances and 23 games to earn more run in Seattle's lineup against right-handed pitching. Dominic Canzone is starting in left field on Thursday and will hit sixth in the order against Astros rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti.

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New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (hand) is not in the starting lineup on Thursday for the series opener against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. Alonso was pulled from Wednesday's loss to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers after getting hit by a pitch on his right hand in the first inning, but thankfully X-rays and a CT scan on his hand have come back negative. It's excellent news for both the Mets and fantasy managers that the 29-year-old All-Star slugger isn't dealing with a serious injury, but the Mets are playing it safe and keeping him out on Thursday. Alonso should be considered day-to-day for now, and fantasy managers should check back on Friday to see if he's back in there. He's a must-start whenever he's playing. Mark Vientos is handling first and will hit seventh on Thursday, while Brett Baty is at third base and is betting eighth against D-backs right-hander Zac Gallen.

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The Kansas City Royals called up left-hander Daniel Lynch IV from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday to make an emergency spot start against the Minnesota Twins after right-hander Brady Singer had to be scratched from his scheduled start due to an illness. Lynch will be making his second start of the season for the Royals. In his lone start in 2024, the 27-year-old left-hander threw five shutout innings with two walks and six strikeouts in a no-decision on May 5 against the reigning World Series-champion Texas Rangers. Lynch has only thrown seven innings in the big leagues this year, but he's yet to allow a run with six punchouts. At Triple-A Omaha, he's posted a less-exciting 4.76 ERA with 34 K's and 13 walks in 45 1/3 innings of work. Lynch just doesn't have much upside as a fantasy streamer on Thursday's small slate of games.

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Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (knee) is set to begin a minor-league rehab assignment early next week. Before that, Perdomo will play in the Arizona Complex League this weekend. The 24-year-old switch-hitter tore the right meniscus in his knee on April 3 against the New York Yankees after previously tweaking his knee in spring training. He's been out ever since after requiring surgery but could be nearing a return after being named an All-Star in 2023 while finishing second on the team in on-base percentage (.353). After Blaze Alexander got the first shot at the 6 with Perdomo hurt, veteran Kevin Newman has since taken over and has been a solid replacement. When Perdomo returns, the D-backs have made it clear that he will remain the starter at shortstop.

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Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Jeffrey Springs (elbow, lat) threw long toss on Thursday and made 45 throws out to 90 feet, just five days after being shut down. Lat soreness caused Springs to be pulled from his second minor-league rehab outing last Saturday while pitching in the Florida Complex League at the rookie level. The 31-year-old southpaw appears to have made some nice progress since last weekend, though, and he's beginning to ramp up his throwing program once again. We'll update everyone once we know when Springs will be cleared to make another rehab start as he continues to make his way back from Tommy John surgery that he had last April. Springs will be on the fantasy radar when he's healthy. He made only three starts in 2023 before being shut down but he went 9-5 in 2022 with a strong 2.46 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with a 144:31 K:BB in 33 outings (25 starts).

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Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (oblique) is still on a "slow program" due to lingering oblique discomfort. He isn't swinging a bat right now, but manager Dave Roberts hopes Muncy will begin swinging again "soon." The veteran 33-year-old left-handed slugger has started baseball activities, but he's moving at a slow pace, and his return isn't just around the corner despite already being eligible to come off the 10-day injured list. Once he begins swinging, Muncy will eventually be required to go on at least a short minor-league rehab assignment. In the meantime, expect Enrique Hernandez and Chris Taylor to see some playing time at the hot corner for the Blue. When healthy, Muncy is a batting-average drag for fantasy teams, but he has high-end power and plenty of RBI opportunities in the best lineup in baseball. Keep him stashed everywhere.

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Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Zach Eflin (back) was throwing off the mound on Thursday and has a "ramped-up bullpen session" likely scheduled for Sunday in Baltimore, according to manager Kevin Cash. If Eflin comes out of Sunday's session without any setbacks, he could make his return from the injured list to rejoin the starting rotation next week. The 30-year-old veteran is getting close to a return from a lower-back injury that has kept him out the last few weeks on the 15-day injured list. After winning a league-high 16 games for the Rays in his first season with the team in 2023, Eflin had gone 3-4 with a 4.12 ERA (3.65 FIP) and 1.17 WHIP with 44 strikeouts and only four walks in 59 innings over 10 starts before getting hurt. He should be stashed in most fantasy leagues.

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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe (oblique) will play for Triple-A Durham from Friday through Sunday this weekend, and if all goes well and he feels good, he will come off the injured list to rejoin the team on Tuesday against the Miami Marlins. Lowe is on the 10-day injured list for the second time already this year with a mild right-oblique strain, but he's recovered rather quickly from the injury and should be ready to return for fantasy managers next week, barring a setback while playing for the Bulls this weekend. The former 13th overall pick in 2016 out of a Georgia high school has only two home runs and three RBI in 50 at-bats this year while hitting .240, but he needs to be rostered in all fantasy leagues after hitting 20 homers and stealing 32 bases in 2023. Lowe will return to a regular role in Tampa's outfield when he's activated.

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New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso's (hand) CT scan on his right hand came back negative for any fractures, according to a source, and he's considered day-to-day. Alonso was hit by a James Paxton fastball on his right hand in his first at-bat in the loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday and was immediately removed from the game. Initial X-rays came back negative, and now he seems to be in the clear for any kind of significant injury to his hand after his CT scan also came back negative. The Mets haven't released their lineup yet for Thursday's series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect Alonso to be in it. When in the lineup, the 29-year-old Alonso is a must-start in all fantasy lineups for his elite power. He's currently hitting .231 (49-for-212) with 12 homers and 26 RBI.

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Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez went 2-for-4 with a double and his 10th home run of the season in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Twins. The veteran collected two RBI and scored twice as well. The 34-year-old is having a nice season so far, with a .325-10-41-24-0 line along with a .397 wOBA and 156 wRC+. Perez is the second-highest-scoring catcher in fantasy to date, providing fantasy managers who invested in him a bountiful early return on their investment.

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Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins (hamstring), who is currently on the injured list with a right-hamstring strain, is on the cusp of playing baseball. It's to be determined as of Thursday morning whether Hoskins will be on a minor-league rehab assignment at Single-A Wisconsin this weekend or if he'll be activated from the IL to play against the Chicago White Sox. Either way, it looks promising that he'll be active for a return in the series early next week against the former team, the Philadelphia Phillies. It would be a bit surprising if Hoskins joins the Brewers in their series against the White Sox this weekend, but either way, fantasy managers should have him back next week, at the latest, barring a setback on a rehab assignment. The 31-year-old will return to starting duties at first base when he's reinstated.

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The Atlanta Braves said after Wednesday's game against the Washington Nationals that left-hander Ray Kerr will start the series finale on Thursday, not the originally announced right-hander Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez would have been on "regular" four days of rest, which he's only done once this season -- in his last start on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates when he had his shortest outing (4 2/3 innings) and fewest strikeouts (three) of the year. He has had five to six days of rest in all his previous starts in 2024. It's possible that the 30-year-old will be pushed back just one day to Friday in a much better matchup against the Oakland Athletics. Kerr, 29, made his first start of the year on May 24 against the Pirates and allowed five earned runs in four innings for his first loss of the season. He won't be a recommended fantasy streamer against the Nats.

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Cincinnati Reds starting pitching prospect Rhett Lowder was recently promoted to Double-A earlier in May and has gotten off to a rocky start. However, on Wednesday, he posted his best outing, where he tossed four innings of one-run ball with seven punchouts. After posting an 11.39 ERA and 2.12 WHIP through his first starts with Double-A Chattanooga, he began to put those struggles behind him, and Wednesday was a big step in that direction. Lower is the top prospect in the Cincinnati system and is considered the number 24 overall prospect in baseball on MLB Pipeline and, is projected to reach the majors this summer. The former number-seven overall pick should be rostered in all dynasty and keeper leagues and will enter must-stash territory in redraft formats once he reaches Triple-A.

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