The New York Mets announced on Wednesday that they have placed right-handed reliever Edwin Diaz (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list with a right-shoulder impingement. In a corresponding move, left-hander Josh Walker was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. In his first year back from a knee injury that caused him to miss all of 2023, Diaz has struggled, posting a 5.40 ERA (4.58 FIP), a 1.25 WHIP, five saves, seven walks and 30 strikeouts in 20 innings out of the bullpen. Before landing on the IL, Diaz was temporarily removed from the closer role after a three-outing stretch in which he gave up seven earned runs on seven hits (two homers) while walking three and blowing two saves. He also blew his fourth save in his last appearance against the Giants. It remains to be seen when he'll be able to return to the Mets, let alone be rewarded with save chances again. In the meantime, Reed Garrett and Adam Ottavino could both factor into ninth-inning duties.

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Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman has a planned day off on Wednesday against the visiting Boston Red Sox. With Rutschman getting a breather, James McCann will do the catching for right-hander Corbin Burnes and will bat ninth against Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford. Wednesday will be only the fourth day off of the season for Rutschman, who typically serves as the designated hitter on days that he's not behind the plate. The 26-year-old switch-hitting backstop is one of the best overall hitters in the league and is currently slashing .299/.336/.479 with an .815 OPS, 10 home runs, 37 RBI and 29 runs scored in 211 at-bats in 2024. The former first overall pick in 2019 out of Oregon State is an elite fantasy catcher. McCann is a weak DFS play at catcher with just one homer and a .203 average in 79 at-bats for the O's.

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While X-rays on Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg's right hand/wrist came back negative, he is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the visiting Boston Red Sox. Fantasy managers will need to remove Westburg from their starting lineups on Wednesday, but he's feeling a lot better and should have a good chance to return for Friday's series opener against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays after a scheduled off day on Thursday. The 25-year-old was hit in the right hand by a pitch in Tuesday's loss to Boston and should be considered day-to-day for now. Ramon Urias is at third base for the O's on Wednesday and will bat eighth against Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford. Urias will be a poor choice for DFS lineups in the eight-hole while also coming into Wednesday's game with a .194 average and just one homer in 62 at-bats this year.

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New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty and outfielder DJ Stewart are both on the bench on Wednesday for the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers with left-hander James Paxton on the hill. Mark Vientos will handle third-base duties and hit cleanup, while Tyrone Taylor will play left field and bat sixth against Paxton. The struggling Baty has been in a strict platoon with Vientos of late and will head back to the bench with the club facing a southpaw on Wednesday. If the 24-year-old cannot figure it out at the plate soon, he could star losing even more playing time to Vientos, who has an impressive 1.085 OPS since being called up from Triple-A Syracuse on May 15. Against a lefty, Vientos will be a popular DFS value play on Wednesday.

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Miami Marlins shortstop Tim Anderson will head to the bench for Wednesday's matinee game in San Diego against the Padres. With Anderson starting on the bench, Vidal Brujan will make the start at shortstop and will bat eighth, with Otto Lopez making the start at the keystone and hitting seventh against Padres right-hander Yu Darvish. Anderson has gone 5-for-24 in the seven games he's played since returning from the injured list, continuing to struggle at the plate since falling apart in his final season with the Chicago White Sox in 2023. The 30-year-old former All-Star is now slashing a weak .199/.235/.219 in his first year in Miami with no home runs, six RBI, three steals and 10 runs scored in 146 at-bats. Neither Lopez nor Brujan have a ton of fantasy appeal for DFS lineups near the bottom of a bad Marlins lineup.

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Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes and catcher Yasmani Grandal are both starting on the bench for the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday against the hosting Detroit Tigers. Jared Triolo will take over at third base and bat seventh, while Grant Koch will do the catching for rookie right-hander Paul Skenes while batting in the nine-hole against Tigers rookie right-hander Keider Montero, who is making his MLB debut. Hayes returned from the injured list on Tuesday and played in his first game back in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader, going 0-for-2 with a walk while playing all eight innings at the hot corner. It makes sense that the Pirates would rest the 27-year-old in the second game of their twin bill after he just returned from the IL. Hayes should be back in there to start Friday's series in Toronto against the Blue Jays.

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Both Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux and outfielder Jason Heyward are sitting on Wednesday against the New York Mets with left-hander David Peterson on the mound. Mookie Betts will slide over to second base, allowing Miguel Rojas to enter the lineup at shortstop while hitting eighth in the batting order. Teoscar Hernandez shifts to right and Miguel Vargas will start in left field and bat in the nine-hole. It will be the second straight game on the bench for Lux after he sat out the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader. Lux has had a tough year in 2024, hitting just .205/.256/.281 with one homer and 12 RBI in 146 at-bats. Heyward has been even worse after missing a good chunk of time due to a back injury. The 34-year-old veteran is hitting .184 (7-for-38) with a homer and four RBI. It's hard to justify using either Rojas or Vargas in DFS lineups at the bottom of LA's lineup.

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San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey is not in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies in the series finale. The Giants are also holding left-handed-hitting outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and infielder Brett Wisely out in this one. Curt Casali is doing the catching and is batting ninth, Tyler Fitzgerald is in center field and is hitting eighth, and Marco Luciano is at the 6 and is batting second against Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez. Bailey has missed some time this year due to a concussion but is hitting a strong .299 (32-for-107) for the Giants and fantasy managers, adding four home runs, 19 RBI and 15 runs scored along the way. Luciano, one of the Giants' top prospects, will be the most attractive DFS piece on Wednesday, especially after going 9-for-23 (.391) since his call-up.

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Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez will start on the bench for Game 2 of the second game of a doubleheader on Wednesday against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Zach McKinstry will make the start at shortstop in his place and bat eighth against Pirates rookie right-hander Paul Skenes. Baez heads to the bench after going hitless in three at-bats with a walk and a run scored in the 8-0 Game 1 win. While the 31-year-old has been better in the month of May, he's still impossible to recommend in most mixed fantasy leagues as one of the worst regulars in baseball. The Puerto Rican veteran came into Wednesday's games hitting a poor .203/.228/.278 with a homer, 23 RBI, six stolen bases and 13 runs scored in 158 at-bats. McKinstry, who has gone 14-for-73 (.192) this year with no homers, should be ignored against the hard-throwing Skenes.

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San Diego Padres relief pitcher Jeremiah Estrada struck out the side against Miami on Tuesday night to extend his strikeout streak to 13 straight, a streak which remains active. This breaks the modern MLB record by Jose Alvarado, which dates back to 1961 when complete play-by-play data became reliable. Estrada has established himself as one of the best relievers in baseball, ascending far from his being a waiver claim back in November. A stellar fastball, splitter, and slider form an overwhelming arsenal that he commands well. Only he and Mason Miller have K-BB rates above 40% among 261 relievers (min. 10 IP). Fantasy teams seeking strikeouts and ratio help would be wise to scoop up Estrada, who is currently rostered in 22% of Yahoo leagues, even if Robert Suarez is locked in as San Diego's closer.

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New York Yankees outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez (elbow) played five innings in center field on Wednesday with Double-A Somerset, his first time playing the field on his minor-league rehab assignment after serving as the designated hitter the first two weeks. In his 10 rehab games with Somerset and Single-A Tampa, Dominguez has gone 12-for-39 (.308) with two home runs and six RBI as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery last September. The Yankees aren't going to rush the 21-year-old back to the big leagues, though, with manager Aaron Boone already saying that Dominguez will be sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when his rehab window is up. Eventually, the guy they call the Martian is expected to be the starting center fielder in the Bronx in the long term, and he has tons of fantasy upside.

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St. Louis Cardinals right-handed reliever Keynan Middleton (forearm) is headed for further testing on his forearm and could need UCL replacement or repair surgery on his right arm. It would be a tough blow for Middleton and the Cardinals after the free-agent signee was expected to be an integral piece of the team's bullpen this year. Middleton has yet to pitch in 2024 because of persistent pain in his arm. The 30-year-old is set to undergo an MRI exam on Friday, so we should know more then on whether he'll have to miss all of the 2024 season. He signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Cardinals in free agency back in February. If Middleton needs to go under the knife, not only would he miss all of this year, but he probably wouldn't be ready to go for the start of the 2025 season, either.

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The Philadelphia Phillies are resting catcher J.T. Realmuto for their matinee game on Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants. With Realmuto getting a day of rest, Garrett Stubbs will do the catching and bat eighth against Giants left-hander Kyle Harrison. Realmuto is currently riding an impressive 17-game hitting streak, going 26-for-74 (.351) during that span with two home runs, five doubles, a triple, six RBI, four walks and 16 strikeouts in 78 plate appearances to raise his season slash line to .284/.327/.454 with a .780 OPS, seven home runs and 20 RBI in 196 plate appearances. The 33-year-old All-Star remains one of the best hitting catchers in baseball. Stubbs has only six hits in his 43 at-bats this year as Realmuto's backup and should be avoided in DFS lineups.

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Philadelphia Phillies outfielders Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas will retreat to the bench for Wednesday's series finale against the San Francisco Giants with left-hander Kyle Harrison on the mound. With Marsh getting a breather, utility man Whit Merrifield will make the start in left field and will bat seventh against Harrison, who he has never faced in his career. Cristian Pache is in center field and is batting ninth. The lefty-hitting Marsh has really struggled in limited at-bats against lefties in 2024, going 5-for-36 (.139) with no homers and 18 strikeouts in 43 plate appearances compared to a .297 average (35-for-118) with all six of his long balls against righties. Merrifield does have both of his long balls in 2024 off of lefties, but he's also hitting just .181 (17-for-94) on the year with just four RBI and six stolen bases in 29 games played.

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New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo is taking a seat for Wednesday's series finale against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers with a left-handed pitcher on the bump. As a result, Tyrone Taylor will get the start in left field and will bat sixth in the order against Dodgers southpaw James Paxton. Nimmo has struggled this year so far to a .215 batting average (40-for-186), but he has still provided a solid on-base percentage (.357) while taking 33 walks in 227 plate appearances. He's gone 10-for-47 (.213) against lefties with two of his seven home runs on the year. Taylor's calling card is his speed and defense in the outfield for the Mets. He's currently batting .234/.259/.336 with two homers, 16 RBI and six stolen bases in 107 at-bats for New York. Taylor has never faced Paxton in his career and has only seven hits in 40 at-bats against lefties in 2024.

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Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien is taking his first day off of the year and his first since May of 2022 for Wednesday's matinee game against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. With Semien on the bench, Ezequiel Duran is at the keystone and is batting ninth, while outfielder Travis Jankowski is serving as the designated hitter and batting leadoff against Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson. Semien isn't hurt, but he's been a little banged up after colliding with teammate Adolis Garcia back on May 18. The 33-year-old will also have the day off during the team's travel day on Thursday before returning to action for Friday's series opener against the Marlins in Miami. Semien is currently slashing .249/.302/.425 with nine homers and 34 RBI in 233 at-bats. Jankowski will have some DFS sleeper appeal in the leadoff spot for Texas.

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Texas Rangers right-hander Jose Urena (ankle, foot) said all is good with his left ankle/foot after he was hit by a comebacker in his last start on Friday against the Minnesota Twins. Urena will be good to make his next scheduled start on Friday for the start of a series against his old team, the Miami Marlins. The 32-year-old veteran shouldn't be facing any pitch-count limitations on Friday in what is one of the better matchups a pitcher could ask for, so fantasy managers shouldn't overlook Urena as a streaming option. Urena has been surprisingly solid in his four starts for the Rangers and is 1-4 overall with a 3.53 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 30 strikeouts in 43 1/3 innings over 14 outings (four starts). However, with Nathan Eovaldi back and Jon Gray (groin) potentially returning from the injured list next week, Urena could move back to the bullpen after his start on Friday.

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Oakland Athletics right-hander Luis Medina (knee) gave up two earned runs on four hits while walking two, hitting two batters and striking out six in 3 2/3 innings in his third minor-league rehab start on Tuesday with Triple-A Las Vegas. Medina made his first start in the Arizona Complex League on May 15 and gave up six runs over two innings while striking out three. He followed that up by throwing 2 1/3 innings (42 pitches) for Vegas on May 22, allowing five runs on four hits with one walk and a strikeout. The 25-year-old made some notable improvements in his third rehab start but will probably require a few more starts in the minors before the A's consider moving him to their big-league roster. When healthy, Medina's nasty fastball-slider combination can make him a worthwhile deep-league streamer.

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After seeing team doctors in Oakland on May 14, Athletics left-hander Alex Wood (shoulder) was diagnosed with rotator-cuff tendonitis in his left shoulder and was expected to be shut down from throwing for at least 10 to 14 days from that date. Manager Mark Kotsay said on Tuesday that the plan is for Wood to begin playing catch on Saturday, June 1. His 15-day injured list placement is retroactive to May 13. The time off from throwing looks like it has been good for the 33-year-old veteran southpaw, but Wood still has a ways to go before he's pitching in live games and is on the cusp of a return from the IL. In the meantime, he belongs on the waiver wire in standard-sized mixed fantasy leagues. Before his shoulder injury, Wood had gone 1-3 with a 5.26 ERA and 1.78 WHIP with 33 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings over his first nine starts with the A's.

From RotoBaller

Oakland Athletics right-hander Ross Stripling (elbow) landed on the injured list on May 25 with a right-elbow flexor strain one day after his start against the Houston Astros. Manager Mark Kotsay said on Tuesday that Stripling will not throw for seven to 10 days and the team will re-evaluate him after that period. It's already been a tough first season for Stripling and the A's, as the veteran pitcher was 1-9 with a 5.82 ERA (3.98 FIP) and 1.59 WHIP with 12 walks and 35 strikeouts in 55 2/3 innings over his 11 starts before landing on the injured list. Stripling currently leads the league with his nine losses and also leads the league with 77 hits allowed. Even if Stripling gets past his elbow issue and returns to Oakland's starting rotation, fantasy managers in mixed leagues should look elsewhere.

From RotoBaller