Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder James Outman went 2-for-5 with a home run Thursday evening. In his past seven games at Triple-A Oklahoma City, the 27-year-old has launched three long balls and held a strong .594 SLG. The Sacramento State product was demoted to Triple-A on May 27 after getting off to a slow start in the majors. Through his time in the minors this season, Outman has performed exceptionally well with a .291/.419/.563, seven long home runs, five swiped bags, 18 RBI, and a 19:31 BB:K ratio. In 36 games in the majors in the early part of the season, Outman struggled with a .147/.250/.266 line, which is why he was optioned. However, with his recent play at Triple-A he could rejoin the Dodgers fairly soon and could be worth adding in deeper redraft leagues as he should provide a solid combination of power and speed.

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Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Chris Stratton came in for the last two outs of a 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics, picking up his fourth save in the process. Stratton came in with runners at first and second with one out in the ninth and retired both A's hitters to escape the jam. Usual closer James McArthur was used to escape a jam in the seventh, so he was unavailable. Based on McArthur's recent usage, it looks like the Royals could be moving to a committee approach in their bullpen. McArthur would likely still be the most likely to get saves if that were to happen, but they would certainly be spread out more evenly and would make for a frustrating situation for fantasy managers.

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Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo was solid against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday, pitching into the seventh inning and picking up his 12th quality start of the year in a 3-2 win. Lugo cruised through six innings before running into trouble in the seventh, where he allowed a two-out, two-run homer. The 34-year-old allowed six hits and three walks while striking out eight in his 6 IP. He hasn't been quite as good in June as he was in April and May, but he has still pitched at least six innings in all four June starts and has given up only two runs in two of those starts. He remains a solid pitcher for fantasy but should still be considered a sell-high, especially after a good start like this one.

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Kansas City Royals catcher Freddy Fermin had a huge day on Thursday, going 3-for-4 with a pair of solo homers in a 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics. Fermin had Mitch Spence's number in this one, tagging him for homers in the second and fourth innings. The 29-year-old is actually putting together a pretty solid season, slashing .303/.352/.447 with four homers in 132 at-bats. The Royals have also been playing Fermin more lately, even opting to DH him today. If he can get consistent playing time he could be worth a look in two catcher leagues.

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Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ryne Nelson put together a very nice start on Thursday, earning his fifth win in a 5-2 victory over the Washington Nationals. Nelson tossed seven strong innings, allowing just three hits with two strikeouts and zero walks. The swing-and-miss stuff wasn't there in this one, but it is his second consecutive start of six-plus innings with two or fewer runs allowed. The 26-year-old still has poor numbers for the season and shouldn't be rostered in many leagues, but he could make for a decent streamer if the matchup is right. He is lined up to face the Minnesota Twins next week, so he won't hold much streamer appeal for that one.

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St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan had a big game on Thursday, going 3-for-4 with a homer, a run, and three RBI in a 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants. Donovan smacked a two-run homer in the first inning to put the Cards in front early, then singled home the game-winning run in the fifth. The 27-year-old has been alright this season, slashing .258/.327/.402 with 33 runs, seven homers, and 36 RBI in 271 ABs. Since he doesn't run much, his utility in category leagues is limited to deeper formats.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos went 1-for-5 with a homer, a run, and three RBI in a 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. Ramos has been electric since his call-up in early May, slashing .307/.382/.553 with 17 runs, 10 homers, and 35 RBI in just 150 at-bats. He has worked his way into an integral spot at the top of the Giants lineup and is unlikely to be moved out of that spot if he can keep hitting well. Selling high could be an option for fantasy managers, but his underlying metrics are excellent and outfield is a weak position, so hanging onto him and hoping this is who Ramos truly is could be the best option.

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St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley tossed a clean ninth inning to secure a 6-5 win over the San Francisco Giants. Helsley ran into a bit of trouble, allowing a walk and a single, but got out of it without damage. The 29-year-old now has a league-leading 25 saves and has blown only one, which came in his first opportunity of the season back in March. Helsley should continue to be an elite fantasy option and provide solid ratios, strikeouts, and plenty of saves the rest of the way.

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Oakland Athletics right-hander Paul Blackburn (foot) was scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Thursday, June 20, but there is still no timetable to return. This was the first time that Blackburn has thrown off a mound since being put on the injured list on May 13 with a right-foot stress reaction. The fact that there's still no timetable for his return means that fantasy managers in deeper leagues shouldn't expect him to return to Oakland's starting rotation until after the All-Star break in mid-July. The 30-year-old is going to need to throw multiple bullpens before facing live hitters and then going on a minor-league rehab assignment. Barring a setback, the former 56th overall pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2012 should be back before both Ross Stripling (elbow) and Alex Wood (shoulder). In eight starts (46 innings) before his injury, Blackburn had a 4.11 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 36 K's.

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Oakland Athletics rookie shortstop Darell Hernaiz (ankle) advanced in his rehab process from a strength and fitness program to a hitting progression in the week of June 17. However, there is no timetable for when he might be ready to go on a minor-league rehab assignment. Hernaiz landed on the injured list with a left-ankle sprain and most likely won't be back before the All-Star break in mid-July despite already shedding his walking boot in the first half of June. There's no reason to rush the 22-year-old, who struggled in his first taste of major-league pitching this year before getting hurt. In 29 games played, Hernaiz went 12-for-66 (.182) with no home runs, six RBI, one steal, six walks and 16 strikeouts in 75 plate appearances. He should get another shot in the big leagues once he's healed up, but it remains to be seen if he'll see consistent playing time.

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Oakland Athletics left-hander Alex Wood (shoulder) received a platelet-rich plasma injection during the week of June 10 and remains shut down from throwing without a timetable to resume. Wood was moved to the 60-day injured list on June 9 after originally landing on the 15-day IL on May 13 with left rotator-cuff tendonitis. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw certainly isn't going to be ready to return to the A's rotation before the All-Star break and could even be out until some point in August or later. Wood didn't look too good before his injury in his first year in Oakland, either, going 1-3 with a 5.26 ERA (5.28 FIP) and 1.78 WHIP with 33 strikeouts and 19 walks in 39 1/3 innings over nine starts. Never much of a strikeout artist in his career, Wood had a career-low 17.3% strikeout rate in 2023 and sits at 17.7% this year.

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Oakland Athletics right-hander Ross Stripling (elbow) will graduate from throwing on flat ground with his first bullpen session on Tuesday, June 25. Stripling will likely throw at least a few bullpen sessions before the team comes up with a plan for a minor-league rehab assignment. The 34-year-old veteran has built up his arm enough at this point that he's been cleared to throw off a mound. He's not going to be back in Oakland's rotation until at least July, and it remains to be seen if it will come before or after the All-Star break in mid-July. The A's probably aren't going to rush him back, though, considering he went 1-9 with a 5.82 ERA and 1.59 WHIP with just 35 strikeouts in 55 2/3 frames over his first 11 starts with the team in 2024. An aging pitcher with a career-low 13.9% strikeout rate on one of the worst teams in baseball should only be rostered in AL-only leagues when he's healthy.

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Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said on Tuesday that outfielder Esteury Ruiz (wrist) is continuing to go through a strengthening program and is expected to begin baseball activities around 10 to 12 days after that. Ruiz sprained his wrist around a month ago and went on the injured list. He hasn't done much since then besides strengthening and isn't going to be back with the A's until July, most likely after the All-Star break in the middle of July. The 25-year-old speedster broke out in 2023 and led all of baseball with 67 stolen bases, but he's already been demoted to the minors in 2024 and is now dealing with a serious injury. In only 29 games to this point, he's hit .200 (11-for-55) with two homers, eight RBI and only five stolen bases. Ruiz won't be guaranteed regular playing time when he's fully healthy, either.

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Oakland Athletics left-hander Kyle Muller (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Sunday, June 23. If all goes well during that 30-pitch session, Muller is expected to join Triple-A Las Vegas for the start of a minor-league rehab assignment the week of June 24. The 26-year-old southpaw began his throwing program all the way back on June 6 and is nearing game action as he attempts to return from the injured list and rejoin Oakland's bullpen around the end of this month. Thirteen of his 21 appearances last year came in a starting role, but all 13 of his outings this year before his injury came in relief. In his 33 2/3 innings, Muller allowed 16 runs (13 earned) and 33 hits (five homers) while walking seven and striking out 24. His well below-average career 17.8% strikeout rate makes him pretty useless in fantasy as a reliever.

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Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera (shoulder) made his first minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday, throwing three innings with four strikeouts. Cabrera allowed one earned run on one hit and one walk on Wednesday, pouring in 30 of his 49 pitches for strikes. He's likely going to need at least another appearance or two in the minors before the Marlins think about activating him from the injured list, considering Cabrera produced a miserable 7.17 ERA and 1.59 WHIP over his five starts this season. The 26-year-old former top prospect can miss bats in bunches; he's got 31 punchouts through 21 1/3 innings. If Cabrera can sharpen up his control on the farm, he still has a chance at mixed-league fantasy relevance during the second half of the season.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz made his ninth start with Triple-A Durham following Tommy John surgery on Thursday, striking out six over three scoreless innings of work. Baz did give up four hits and three walks on Thursday, but this was still an excellent follow-up performance to his last outing on Friday, when he punched out eight across six frames of one-run ball. The 25-year-old former top prospect looks to be ready to roll when the Rays inevitably recall him from the minor leagues later this summer, but the tricky part is trying to figure out when that might happen. Baz is a bit tougher to stash in redraft fantasy leagues, since he cannot be put on an injured-list spot at this point, and Tampa Bay seems to be comfortable with the five-man rotation they currently employ.

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Oakland Athletics second baseman Zack Gelof continued to find his groove in Thursday's narrow loss to the visiting Kansas City Royals, clobbering his eighth home run of the year. It was also a third consecutive game with a homer for Gelof, who knocked a two-run shot to center field off Royals right-hander Seth Lugo to tie the game at two runs apiece in the seventh inning. It's about time for fantasy managers to think about adding Gelof from waiver wires where he may be available, considering the 24-year-old former top prospect was a second-half hero in 2023 and is now hitting a healthy .263 (15-for-57) with five round-trippers, four doubles, 10 RBI, and three stolen bases in the month of June to get his batting average back up over the Mendoza line (.202) on the season as a whole.

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New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge picked up right where he left off in Thursday's blowout loss to the division-rival Baltimore Orioles, adding his 27th home run of the season. It just another day at the office for Judge, who made his return to New York's lineup on Thursday after sitting out just one game following Tuesday's hit-by-pitch on his hand. Before hitting an RBI single in the fifth inning, he lined a two-run homer to right-center field to cut the Orioles' lead to 8-3 in the third frame. Since jump-starting his season back on May 4, the 32-year-old former American League MVP hasn't turned back, batting an otherworldly .399 with 21 long balls, 49 RBI, and 45 runs scored over his last 41 games.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (side) left Thursday's game at Rickwood Field against the St. Louis Cardinals due to a side injury. Yastrzemski exited the contest in the fourth inning, and he was replaced in the lineup by Austin Slater. Fantasy managers should deem Yastrzemski day-to-day until a more specific diagnosis is revealed, but the outfielder does have a day off on Friday to recuperate before this series with the Cardinals resumes on Saturday in St. Louis. The 33-year-old left-handed hitter hasn't made a big impact for the Giants since bursting onto the scene back in 2019 and 2020, slashing just .224/.304/.406 with 17 extra-base hits, 28 RBI, 43 runs scored, and one stolen base over 192 at-bats in 2024. Slater would see an uptick in ABs if Yastrzemski is forced to miss additional action.

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New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga (shoulder, triceps) threw a successful bullpen session on Wednesday, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. Senga has been sidelined since spring training with shoulder and triceps injuries, but if all goes well, the 31-year-old Japanese hurler could move to facing live hitters sometime early next week. He was excellent in his rookie year in 2023 and was the team's most consistent pitcher, leading the Mets in wins (12), strikeouts (202), innings (166 1/3) and starts (29), and he also had an ERA just under 3.00. It's why he deserves to remain stashed in all fantasy formats despite the fact he's yet to pitch in 2024. The Mets aren't rushing their ace back, though, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to be ready to join the rotation until the second half of the season.

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