Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (knee) left Friday night's game against the hosting Los Angeles Dodgers with discomfort in his right knee. Before the team removed him from the contest, Perez hammered a three-run home run to left field off Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone to give the Royals a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning of Friday's loss. He'll be further evaluated ahead of Saturday's showdown in LA, and fantasy managers should deem the veteran slugging backstop day-to-day for now. The 34-year-old Perez has been as good as ever in 2024, slashing a robust .297/.375/.490 with 11 homers, 15 doubles, and 45 RBI covering 249 at-bats (66 games) as KC's everyday cleanup hitter. Freddy Fermin would be worth a look in two-catcher formats if Perez needs to miss more action, batting .294 (35-for-119) over 41 outings this season, and corner outfielder MJ Melendez could also see some work behind the plate in this case.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler enjoyed a special night during Friday's extra-inning victory over the visiting Oakland Athletics, walking it off and also smashing his fifth home run of the season. Before hitting a walk-off single to right field to win the game for the Twins 6-5 in 10 innings, Kepler became Target Field's all-time leader in homers by slugging a three-run game-tying shot off Athletics right-hander Mitch Spence to right-center field to draw the game even at 4-4 in the sixth. The 31-year-old righty masher is Minnesota's primary right fielder against left-handed pitching, limiting his overall fantasy appeal with a .263/.326/.433 triple-slash line alongside 27 RBI, 14 doubles, 21 runs scored, and one stolen bag over 51 appearances (171 at-bats) this season. Despite Friday's heroics, Kepler remains more of an AL-only option.

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Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna kept crushing it in Friday night's win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays, crushing his league-leading 19th home run of the season with three RBI. Taking Rays right-hander Zack Littell deep during the opening frame, Ozuna hammered a three-run homer to right field to put the Braves ahead 3-1 early on Friday. The 33-year-old Dominican slugger has been stellar in 2024, slashing .321/.396/.610 with 60 RBI, 15 doubles, and 41 runs scored over 249 at-bats for the Braves as Atlanta's primary No. 3 batter. He's shaping up as one of the best picks out of the middle rounds of fantasy drafts this past spring. Well on his way to Arlington later this summer for the third All-Star nod of his career, Ozuna's .663 xSLG on Baseball Savant is somehow better than what he's actually slugging.

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Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley revived in Friday night's win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays, tallying three hits with a home run and three RBI in the victory. After lining an RBI double to left field to push the Braves' lead to 4-1 in the first inning, Riley crushed a two-run homer to left field to extend Atlanta's lead to 7-1 in the second inning. The 27-year-old star slugger has been one of fantasy's biggest busts this year, so hopefully Friday's performance gets him back on track. Riley hadn't gone deep since May 3 before this one, now slashing .230/.296/.357 with four long balls, 11 doubles, and 23 RBI over 213 at-bats. He's a .271 hitter with a .496 slugging percentage for his major-league career, so there's plenty of reason to buy low on Riley before it's too late.

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Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias earned Friday's save in the win over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays, recording the final out of the ballgame in the ninth inning. Iglesias needed just three pitches to put this one away for the Braves on Friday, gaining his 18th save of the campaign. The 34-year-old veteran right-hander remains as reliable as any stopper in the game in 2024, compiling a 2.10 ERA and 0.90 WHIP while fanning 17 batters, walking just five, and converting 18 of his 20 save opportunities over 25 2/3 innings as Atlanta's top ninth-inning arm. Despite a career-low strikeout rate, Iglesias doesn't make a habit of lending free passes, and his microscopic 1.3% barrel rate against means his four-pitch arsenal is still as effective as ever.

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Baltimore Orioles third base prospect Coby Mayo (ribs) went 2-for-3 on Thursday evening during his second rehab game with a double and a home run. The 22-year-old has been on the injured list with a fractured rib since May 17 but recently embarked on a rehab assignment on June 13 with High-A Aberdeen. Before the injury, Mayo was on the verge of making his major league debut as he was riding a stellar .291/.359/.605 slash line with 13 long balls, 37 RBI, and three swiped bags. However, he did hold a poor 17:53 BB:K ratio. Once he completes his rehab assignment, the 19th-ranked prospect on MLB.com should be expected to return to Triple-A Norfolk but continue to be on the brink of his major league debut. He should remain stashed in all leagues.

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Houston Astros outfield prospect Joey Loperfido went 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBI in Friday's victory. The 25-year-old recently returned to the minor leagues on June 12 and has already continued his dominance at this level. Through three games, he has tallied five hits with three RBI. Through 37 games at Triple-A this season, the number five ranked prospect in Houston has posted a .276/.365/.577 slash line with 13 long balls, 33 RBI, and nine stolen bases. The Duke product held his own in the majors with a .333/.381/.436 line but struggled to find consistent playing time. However, he has logged 11 starts at first base in Triple-A this season, which could suggest he might become the starting first baseman in Houston, especially after the Astros cut ties with Jose Abreu and now only have Jon Singleton on as their primary first base option. Loperfido should remain stashed in deeper leagues as he should get a more significant opportunity in the majors once he is promoted again.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz posted another dominant outing at Triple-A on Friday evening, where he tossed six one-run frames with eight punchouts and allowed just four hits and one free pass. Baz carried his momentum from his previous outing, where he struck out 10 batters across five one-run innings on June 8. The 24-year-old has now completed his extensive Tommy John recovery process and is on the verge of returning to the major leagues. He has not pitched in Tampa Bay since the 2022 season, where he logged just 27 innings, and should be on his way back to the majors very soon. He is a must-stash candidate in all leagues, as he possesses elite strikeout upside.

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San Diego Padres starting pitcher Matt Waldron produced his fourth consecutive quality start in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Mets. The knuckleballer went seven innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two. It was also the seventh consecutive outing in which he allowed two earned runs or less, a phenomenal stretch in which he's posted a 1.91 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 19.1% K-BB%, and just a single home run allowed over 42 1/3 innings pitched. The righty's season ERA now stands at 3.66 with a 1.18 WHIP and a 23:70 BB:K in 76 1/3 innings (14 starts). Waldron will have a tough test his next time out, taking on the Phillies on the road next Wednesday.

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Minnesota Twins starting pitching prospect David Festa tallied 10 punchouts for the third time this season on Friday. He allowed two runs across five frames with five hits and one free pass. This strong outing brings him to a solid 3.50 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 24:81 BB:K ratio through 54 innings in his first extended look at Triple-A ball. He tossed 12 innings at this level at the end of last summer and held a 2.92 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, and 9:15 BB:K ratio. Festa currently sits at number 100 on MLB.com's prospect ranking list and number five in the Minnesota system. With his strong performance at Triple-A, Festa should reach the majors during the second half of the season and is worth stashing in deeper redraft leagues for the time being.

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San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill went 1-for-3 with a home run in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Mets. It was his sixth home run of the season and third in his last two games. The former first-round draft pick has now hit safely in eight of his last nine games, a stretch in which he's gone 12-for-34 (.353) with four doubles, three home runs, five RBI, six runs scored, and two stolen bases. The left-handed hitter now has a .280-6-27-29-9 line on the season with a .313 wOBA and 108 wRC+.

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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez picked up his ninth quality start of the season in Friday's 5-3 victory over the Orioles. Suarez went six-and-two-thirds innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits and two walks while striking out six, but did not factor into the decision. The lefty now owns a 10-1 record with an impressive 1.77 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and a 21.8% K-BB% over 14 starts and has the second-best odds for the NL Cy Young Award, behind only teammate Zack Wheeler. His next start lines up with the Padres at home next Wednesday.

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Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander went 2-for-5 with his 15th home run of the season in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Orioles. The home run was a big one that knotted the game at 2-2 in the eighth inning, and came off of reliever Matt Strahm, who hadn't allowed an earned run in 27 consecutive appearances prior to Friday. After hitting .211 over the first couple months of the season, Santander has turned it on in June, hitting .273 with six home runs in 14 games. The switch-hitter now owns a .224-15-38-36-0 line with a .335 wOBA and 121 wRC+.

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Philadelphia Phillies reliever Seranthony Dominguez earned his first save of the season in Friday's 5-3 victory over the Orioles. Dominguez picked this one up in the 11th inning after usual closers Jose Alvarado and Jeff Hoffman had already been used. After starting the season with a 7.71 ERA and 1.64 WHIP over his first 16 appearances, Friday's outing marked the righty's 10th straight scoreless appearance in which he's posted a 0.00 ERA, 0.52 WHIP, and a 2:7 BB:K. Dominguez has been good of late, but don't count on too many more save chances unless something were to happen to Alvarado and Hoffman.

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Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Friday's 5-3 win over the Orioles. The first two hits were singles, but the last was a two-run double in the top of the 11th inning that would prove to be the game-winner. Bohm had been scuffling coming into the contest, having gone 4-for-33 (.121) over his last eight games, but overall is having the best season of his young career so far. The 27-year-old owns a .292-6-54-31-2 line with a .350 wOBA and 127 wRC+ on the season, while striking out at a low rate (13.7%) and leading all of baseball in doubles with 24.

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Minnesota Twins outfielders Byron Buxton and Max Kepler are both out of the lineup on Saturday against the visiting Oakland Athletics. Both Buxton and Kepler are swinging hot bats at the moment, but the Twins will give them a day off in the third game of the series. In his last four starts, Buxton has gone 7-for-15 with a homer, triple, six RBI and four runs scored. Kepler, meanwhile, has gone 4-for-7 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored in the first two games of the series. Manuel Margot is starting in center field and is batting eighth, while Trevor Larnach is in right field for the Twins and in the two-hole against A's right-hander Joey Estes. Austin Martin also draws into the lineup in left field and will bat ninth. None of Margot, Larnach or Martin has ever faced Estes in their career.

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Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (undisclosed) has been scratched from his scheduled start on Saturday versus the visiting Detroit Tigers due to undisclosed reasons. Rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti will now make the start in his place. Fantasy managers will want to check back soon for updates on why Verlander isn't making his scheduled start. The 41-year-old veteran hasn't looked great in his two starts in June against the Cardinals and Angels, allowing a combined eight earned runs on 14 hits (three homers) while walking two and striking out only seven. It's possible that he may not be fully, in which case the Astros could consider placing him on the injured list to rest him for a while. In any event, make sure to pull him out of your lineups for Saturday. Arrighetti hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in his last four starts and will have a nice matchup against Detroit.

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Oakland Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers, second baseman Zack Gelof and outfielder Seth Brown are all getting the day off on Saturday against the hosting Minnesota Twins. Kyle McCann is behind the plate and hitting eighth, Abraham Toro is at second base and batting leadoff, and Daz Cameron is in right field and hitting seventh against Twins right-hander Bailey Ober. Langeliers is hitting just .204 on the year but has been heating up of late and has a useful 13 homers and 35 RBI from the catcher position. Gelof is hitting just .188 in 2024 and went 0-for-6 with three K's in the first two games of the series in Minnesota. Brown is also hitting .188 on the year with five homers and 14 RBI. With Toro moving over to the keystone on Saturday, J.D. Davis will draw into the lineup at third base and will bat sixth for Oakland.

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Washington's SP MacKenzie Gore recorded 10 strikeouts in 7 innings with the win in a 8-1 win over the Marlins on Friday, Jun. 14.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez continued his impressive season by earning his fourth victory of the season on Thursday versus a tough Baltimore Orioles lineup. The right-hander earned his eighth quality start of the season by tossing six scoreless innings of two-hit ball. He also issued one walk in the process of striking out eight batters. Lopez has been one of the biggest success stories this season and his conversion back to a starting pitcher has been a big success thus far in 2024. As good as Lopez has been, managers should be aware that the 69 1/3 innings he has thrown this more is already more than he has tossed in any season since 2019, a season in which he threw 184 innings. As big of a success story that he's been this season, managers should consider if his arm will be able to hold up for a full season as he makes for a good sell-high candidate. Next up for Lopez will be a date against a favorable Detroit Tigers offense on Tuesday.

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