Detroit Tigers outfielder/infielder Matt Vierling was busy on Wednesday, going 4-for-8 with two home runs, three runs scored, and five RBI across two games of a doubleheader with the hosting Pittsburgh Pirates. Vierling increased the Tigers' lead with a fifth-inning three-run homer in Game 1, later continuing his hot hitting with a solo home run in the third inning of Game 2. The big day raised his triple-slash line to .289/.320/.503 with seven homers, 28 RBI, and 22 runs scored through 159 at-bats this year. The 27-year-old utility man is worth riding in fantasy while he's hot at the dish, but Vierling doesn't seem like much of a long-term solution in Detroit's low-scoring offense.

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Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith put on a power display in Wednesday's blowout win over the hosting New York Mets, going 3-for-5 two solo home runs. Smith launched his eighth and ninth homers on Wednesday, first belting a solo home run to left field to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the second inning and later smacking a go-ahead home run to left-center field to give the team a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning . The 29-year-old slugging backstop is now slashing .296/.360/.516 with nine home runs, 14 doubles, 36 RBI, and 32 runs scored over 186 at-bats (49 games) as LA's primary option behind the dish. Continue to roll with Smith in all fantasy leagues.

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San Francisco Giants shortstop Marco Luciano (hamstring) exited Wednesday's game against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies with tightness in his right hamstring. Luciano exited in the third inning of Wednesday's series finale and is considered day-to-day, as the Giants will use Thursday's off-day to determine the severity of the injury. San Fran's No. 1 prospect for 2024, the 22-year-old slugging infielder has gone 9-for-24 (.375) with two doubles, one triple, and six runs scored over 10 games but is currently stuck on the weak side of a platoon with the lefty-hitting Blake Wisely for at-bats at shortstop. Until his playing time increases, Luciano isn't a fantasy option even in the deepest of redraft leagues. He may even head back to the minor leagues when veteran Nick Ahmed (wrist) comes back from the injured list.

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Chicago Cubs pitching prospect Cade Horton (back) exited Wednesday's start with Triple-A Iowa due to back soreness. Horton gave up a two-run homer in the first inning on Wednesday and returned to the mound for warmups prior to the second, but he departed under his own power after tossing several pitches. Horton was making his fifth start for Iowa and ninth overall in 2024 after tearing up the Double-A competition earlier this season. The 22-year-old right-hander is Chicago's No. 1 prospect and MLB's No. 18 prospect for 2024, per MLB Pipeline, and he's struck out 40 batters over 34 1/3 innings. It remains to be seen if Horton is dealing with a significant setback, but his major-league debut could be delayed a bit as a result. Even so, Horton is unlikely to be called up until he improves on his 7.50 ERA and 1.56 WHIP at the Triple-A level.

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Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel (knee) exited Wednesday's game against the division-rival Atlanta Braves in the second inning with an apparent knee injury. Senzel fouled a ball off his right knee before drawing a walk in his first at-bat of the game, and he appeared to be in pain before he was removed from the contest. Utility man Ildemaro Vargas pinch-ran for Senzel and took over at third base for the Nats. The 28-year-old lefty-mashing Senzel hasn't been a consistent member of Washington's lineup this year, slashing a middling .224/.336/.402 with five home runs, 13 RBI, and 13 runs scored in 126 plate appearances (34 games) as a part-time player at the hot corner. Vargas would be worth a look in NL-only leagues if Senzel needs to miss time, slashing .301/.387/.409 with 10 doubles, 11 RBI, and four stolen bases over 93 at-bats.

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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah (elbow) left Wednesday's game against the hosting Chicago White Sox due to right elbow discomfort in the second inning after striking out three over 1 2/3 scoreless innings of work. There was nothing obvious as to why Manoah needed to exit the contest at first, but there wasn't much discussion on the mound before he departed and Trevor Richards took over. Manoah should be deemed day-to-day ahead of his next projected start that lines up for Tuesday against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles, but there's a chance he may need to either miss a turn in the rotation or head to the injured list. It's not what you want to hear after the inconsistent 26-year-old right-hander didn't rejoin Toronto's rotation until early May due to soreness in his right shoulder, but he's got a solid 3.70 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 26:8 K:BB through 24 1/3 frames (five starts) this season.

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X-rays came back negative on New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso's right hand on Wednesday, but the Mets won't have CT-scan results until Thursday. They still need to confirm there is no break after Alonso was hit in the hand in the first inning of Wednesday's loss in the first inning by Los Angeles Dodgers lefty James Paxton. Alonso isn't out of the woods just yet and could still require a trip to the injured list, but for now, he's avoided a serious hand injury. The 29-year-old should be considered day-to-day for now but he shouldn't be expected to be in the starting lineup for Thursday's series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, even if his CT scan also comes back negative. After Alonso left, Mark Vientos slid to first from third base, and Brett Baty entered the game off the bench to play third base for the Mets. Check back for more updates on Alonso on Thursday.

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Colorado Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber (arm) will take his normal spot in the team's starting rotation and toe the rubber on Sunday in Los Angeles against the first-place Dodgers this weekend. It's great news for the Rockies and Gomber's fantasy managers after he needed to be scratched from his last scheduled start on Monday against the Cleveland Guardians due to general arm soreness. The 30-year-old will be well-rested, but the matchup in LA against the best lineup in the game is one to shy away from, at least in DFS. Gomber has looked great so far in 2024 for the Rockies, recording a fine 2.76 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with a 41:17 K:BB in 58 2/3 innings and 10 starts. As is the case with most Rockies pitchers, Gomber has been slightly better on the road than at hitter-friendly Coors Field, but keep in mind the Dodgers sport the second-best OPS (.758) in baseball.

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San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish (hamstring) left his start early on Wednesday against the Miami Marlins with left-hamstring tightness. Darvish is currently undergoing testing, and we should have a better idea of whether he'll be forced to miss his next scheduled start after we receive those results. Before being pulled, the 37-year-old Japanese hurler gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits while walking one and striking out two to take his third loss of the season. Until we know more, fantasy managers may want to prepare for a possible trip to the injured list for Darvish. If Darvish is forced to miss a few starts, Randy Vasquez could be in line to join SD's rotation for a bit. Heading into Wednesday's game, Darvish had been solid this year, going 4-2 with a 3.04 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 51 K's in 53 1/3 innings over 10 starts.

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The Toronto Blue Jays have released their probable starting pitchers for their three-game weekend series against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates that starts on Friday, and right-hander Chris Bassitt (neck) is listed as the team's starter for Sunday's series finale. Bassitt will make his next start after having to leave his last start early on Monday against the Chicago White Sox after he battled through neck spasms for five scoreless innings. The 35-year-old veteran has been great for the Blue Jays and fantasy managers of late and will carry 12-inning scoreless streak into a strong matchup at home against Pittsburgh. The Pirates rank 26th in major-league baseball with a .661 OPS. Bassitt has gone 5-6 this year with a 4.03 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 56 K's in 60 1/3 frames over 11 starts.

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Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (shin) is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins. Pasquantino collided with Twins outfielder Byron Buxton on Tuesday and was forced to leave the game early, but he avoided any structural damage and should be considered day-to-day with a left-shin injury. With Pasquantino sitting out, Nick Loftin will play first base for the Royals and bat sixth against Twins right-hander Bailey Ober. Fantasy managers will need to bench Pasquantino on Wednesday and check back on Thursday to see if he's in there for the series finale in Minnesota. Loftin comes into the start with a .265 average (9-for-34) and six home runs, and he's still looking for the first home run of his big-league career in his 35th game dating back to last season.

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Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber kicked off Wednesday's game with a bang. The left-handed slugger blasted a leadoff home run off left-hander Kyle Harrison to begin the game. The 31-year-old slugger would also add an RBI single later in the game as the Phillies would grab the 6-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. Schwarber has been hitting much better lately so fantasy managers should ride with him through this hot stretch.

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Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll put together a strong day at the plate during Wednesday's game against the Texas Rangers. The 22-year-old stud outfielder went 3-for-5 with a double during Wednesday's loss. This was Carroll's first three-hit performance of the season and his ninth multi-hit game through 52 games. Carroll has started slow out of the gate but everyone knows what kind of potential he has at the plate. Fantasy managers should stick with him through this rough patch.

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St. Louis Cardinals infielder Masyn Winn has been hitting the cover off the ball lately. His hot stretch at the plate continued during Wednesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Winn pushed his hitting streak to 18 games with a three-hit performance here. The rookie infielder is now slashing .309/.358/.400 on the season. Fantasy managers should continue starting Winn in basically all fantasy formats while he's on this hot streak.

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Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager continued his power surge during Wednesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The left-handed slugger blasted a home run for the third straight game on Wednesday. It marked Seager's eighth home run in his last eight games. The 30-year-old has been on a tear, Seager raised his OPS from .681 to .828 during this eight game span. Seager is a must-start fantasy player in all fantasy formats right now.

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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal looked sharp on the mound during Wednesday's start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The southpaw struck out eight batters over seven shutout innings in the victory. He followed up one of his worst starts of the season with one of his best on Wednesday. Skubal only allowed four hits as he made easy work of the Pirates below average lineup. He has a 7-1 record with a 2.01 ERA and an 80/11 K/BB ratio over 67 innings this season.

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Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes showed his dominance during Wednesday's game against the Detroit Tigers. The 22-year-old recorded nine strikeouts over six strong innings of work. Skenes allowed two runs while giving up three hits during the victory. The right-hander has looked as advertised through his first few big league starts. He'll carry a 2.45 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and a 30/5 K/BB ratio into his next start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill (knee) has been placed on the 10-day injured list ahead of Wednesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. The move is retroactive May 26 as the 28-year-old has been dealing with the issue for a few days now. The team is hopeful that it'll be a minimal stint on the injured list for O'Neill. Fantasy managers should hold onto him considering how well he was slugging the ball before the injury. In a corresponding move, Enmanuel Valdez has been recalled from Triple-A. In the meantime, Rob Refsnyder will serve as the designated hitter on Wednesday.

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Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad went 1-for-4 on Tuesday night against the Gwinnett Stripers, extending his hitting streak to eight games. Throughout this streak, he's slashing .419/.500/.774 with five doubles, two home runs, and nine home runs in 37 appearances. After a brief stint with the O's, he was demoted in the middle of May. Since his return to Triple-A Norfolk, he's slashing .348/.421/.674 with six doubles, three homers, and 14 RBI in 58 plate appearances. For the time being, Kjerstad will likely continue to dominate in minors. Given how many talented outfielders the Orioles have, it's uncertain when he'll see big-league action again.

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Tampa Bay Rays infield prospect Junior Caminero (quadriceps) was placed on the injured list Wednesday afternoon in the minors, resulting from a quad strain he suffered on the last play of Tuesday night's game. He's expected to miss the next four to six weeks. Caminero had been playing well at Triple-A Durham. In 153 plate appearances, he was slashing .261/.333/.478 with six doubles, eight home runs, and 24 RBI. He was expected to rejoin the Rays in the near future, but now he'll miss at least the next month, which is tough news for any fantasy managers that have already been stashing him in 2024. Per MLB Pipeline, Caminero is the Rays' top prospect and the No. 3 overall prospect in baseball.

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