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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Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that right-handed pitching prospect Landon Knack will be called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to make the start the first game of the Freeway Series at home against the Los Angeles Angels. Knack, who is the club's No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will be making just his fifth major-league start after debuting earlier this year. In his first four starts, the 26-year-old held his own with a 2.61 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP, 16 strikeouts and six walks in 20 2/3 innings pitched. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues may want to hold off spending too much waiver-wire money on him, though, as he could head back to the minors after Friday's start. However, the matchup at Dodger Stadium against the Halos may be too hard to pass up for DFS gamers given how well Knack has pitched so far in his rookie season.

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San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt said that right-hander Yu Darvish's (groin) next start will be with the Padres. Darvish came out of his minor-league rehab outing on Wednesday night feeling good after missing three weeks with a left-groin strain. There's no definitive date for his next start in the big leagues, but it will presumably be during the series against the visiting Washington Nationals that runs from Monday, June 24, through Wednesday, June 26. The results weren't great for Darvish in his rehab outing on Wednesday with High-A Fort Wayne, but the main takeaway is that his groin feels good. In 3 1/3 innings, he allowed six earned runs on seven hits (one homer) while walking one and fanning three. The 37-year-old Japanese hurler has been serviceable for fantasy managers with a 3.20 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in his 11 starts, but he's been on the injured list twice and has a career-low 23.1% strikeout rate.

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Colorado Rockies rookie infielder Adael Amador (oblique) is dealing with a mild oblique strain after being pulled early from Thursday's series finale against the visiting division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. According to manager Bud Black, Amador suffered a similar injury in May while playing for Double-A Hartford. Before leaving the eventual 5-3 loss in the eighth inning, Amador went 1-for-3. The plan has been for the 21-year-old to head back down to the minors once Brendan Rodgers (hamstring) returns from the injured list, but Amador may be put on the IL himself before Rodgers is able to rejoin the major-league roster. The Rockies' top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, has looked overmatched at the plate in the early going, as he entered Thursday's contest 5-for-32 (.156) with no homers, one steal, one walk and six strikeouts in his first nine major-league games.

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New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres (groin) left Thursday's blowout loss to the visiting Baltimore Orioles in the sixth inning with tightness in his right groin. However, manager Aaron Boone said he doesn't expect Torres' groin to be anything serious. It sounds like the Yankees pulled Torres as more of a precaution, and the nature of the score (the game ended 17-5) probably had something to do with it, too. Before departing Torres went 1-for-2 with his seventh home run of the year, a solo shot in the second inning. Even though the 27-year-old's injury is deemed minor, there's a chance he won't be in the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Atlanta Braves. After hitting 20-plus home runs each of the last two years, Torres has been a big disappointment for fantasy managers in 2024, as he entered Thursday's action hitting just .219 (60-for-274) in 76 games played.

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The Los Angeles Angels placed right-hander Jose Soriano (abdomen) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to June 17) on Thursday with an abdomen infection and also outrighted infielder Cole Tucker to Triple-A Salt Lake. The move comes after Soriano was scratched from his scheduled start to begin the week on Monday. The hard-throwing 25-year-old will now miss at least the next two weeks. In just his second year in the big leagues in 2024, the Dominican hurler has given up a lot of loud contact and currently stands at 4-5 with a 3.48 ERA (3.89 FIP) and 1.17 WHIP with a 60:28 K:BB in 72 1/3 innings over his 14 appearances (12 starts) for the Halos. He's been much better on the road than home at Angel Stadium. If he recovers quickly, Soriano could be back in the Angels' rotation before the All-Star break in mid-July.

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After being recalled by the Milwaukee Brewers from Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday, infield prospect Tyler Black will make the start at first base and will bat seventh in the series opener on Thursday night against the San Diego Padres and rookie right-hander Adam Mazur. The team's No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, made his major-league debut earlier this year but played in only seven games and went 5-for-22 (.227) with no home runs, two stolen bases and a run scored. It's unlikely that the 23-year-old sees more playing time this time around as long as Rhys Hoskins and Joey Ortiz stay healthy at first and third base, respectively, but Black could be worth grabbing off the waiver wire in deeper fantasy leagues for his speed on the basepaths. In 53 games at Nashville this year, Black hit .275/.375/.483 with an .858 OPS, nine homers, 41 RBI and 11 stolen bases.

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Milwaukee Brewers left-handed pitching prospect Robert Gasser (elbow) has elected to have season-ending surgery on his left elbow. Gasser is looking at being out at least the next 12 months, although it's unclear at this time exactly what type of surgery he'll be having. Dr. Keith Meister will perform the procedure on Monday in Dallas, Texas. The 25-year-old rookie southpaw will need surgery to fix UCL damage in his elbow and will miss the rest of this year and most likely at least half of the 2025 campaign as a result. The team's No. 4 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, made his first five big-league starts in 2024 before his injury and looked good, going 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 16 strikeouts and just one walk over 28 innings pitched. The left-hander's upside makes him worth stashing, but only in dynasty/keeper leagues.

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Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis continued his incredible start to the season by launching his ninth home run of the season on Thursday afternoon. The former number-one overall pick missed a majority of the season with a strained right quadricep he suffered on Opening Day. However, in the small 15-game sample size, he has posted an incredible .377/.452/.925 slash line with 13 RBI and has gone only six games this season without hitting a home run. Lewis has battled injuries all throughout his career and has logged only 85 total games in the majors over the past three seasons. During this span, he has held a .319/.380/.613 line with 26 home runs. The 25-year-old is a top option at the hot corner for the remainder of the season and a valuable asset in dynasty formats.

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Cleveland Guardians outfielder Will Brennan went 3-for-4 on Thursday with two home runs and a double to lead the Guardians to a victory over the Seattle Mariners. Brennan got things started with a solo shot in the second inning against Seattle ace Luis Castillo. Then, in the fourth, he hit his seventh double of the season. To cap things off, in the eighth, he hit his second solo shot of the afternoon off Trent Thornton to give the Guardians a three-run lead. Through 64 games this season, the Kansas State product has posted a .251/.307/.405 line with seven long balls and three stolen bases. Brennan should continue to serve as the everyday right fielder in Cleveland and is worth a look in deeper points leagues as he holds a stellar 12.4% K rate.

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St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera (back) is not in Thursday's lineup as he is dealing with a back issue, as per Katie Woo of The Athletic. He should be considered day-to-day for the time being. As a result, Pedro Pages will be behind the dish this evening and will bat in the eight-hole. Herrera has been a bit of a time split with Pages as of late but has continued to produce with a solid .327/.377/.469 slash line through June. Pages has launched two home runs in his past six games and has begun to find his footing at the major league level after getting off to a slow start. Both Pages and Herrera will lose playing time once Willson Contreras (forearm) returns next week and one of them could be optioned to Triple-A. Pages is worth a look this evening in DFS as he will face Giants right-hander Keaton Winn, who enters this match with a hefty 6.66 ERA.

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San Francisco Giants second baseman Thairo Estrada is not in Thursday's lineup as the Giants open a three-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Estrada has made 14 consecutive starts and will give keystone duties to Brett Wisely this evening. During this stretch, the 28-year-old has struggled with a .211/.250/.316 slash line with just one home run and eight RBI. Through 71 games this season, Estrada has posted a modest .240/.272/.396 line with nine long balls. Wisely will bat in the leadoff spot and has held a strong .299/.321/.442 line through 25 games this season. The 25-year-old infielder is worth a look in DFS this evening as he will face Andre Pallante, who has posted a high 5.56 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 11 innings this month.

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Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jake McCarthy went 3-for-4 on Thursday with two runs and two stolen bases. All three of his hits on Thursday afternoon were singles, and he is now riding a three-game hitting streak. Through 64 games this season, the 26-year-old is holding a strong .298/.378/.422 slash line with three home runs and 12 swiped bags. The Virginia product has taken a major step forward this season as he posted a mediocre .243/.318/.326 line with two home runs and 26 stolen bases last summer. He currently operates on the strong side of a platoon, rotating within the three outfield spots but receiving the majority of time in right field. However, he has made eight starts against southpaws this season. McCarthy is a solid depth outfielder in five outfielder leagues and should provide a substantial stolen base output throughout the summer and should also stabilize your batting average. He is also worth a look at in favorable matchups in DFS.

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Texas Rangers right-handed pitching prospect Jose Corniell (elbow) is set to have season-ending surgery on the UCL in his right elbow. Corniell hasn't been able to pitch at all this year and now probably won't be able to get back on the mound until around midseason in 2025. It's a serious setback for the 20-year-old after he initially went on the seven-day injured list with Double-A Frisco back in early April. In 23 outings (17 starts) with Single-A Down East and High-A Hickory in 2023, Corniell went 8-3 with a solid 2.92 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 119:31 K:BB in 101 2/3 innings pitched. The team's No. 7 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, was projected for a potential 2025 MLB debut, but we can probably push that back at least a year now after the news of UCL surgery. When he recovers, Corniell could become a back-end starter for Texas or a potential high-leverage, late-inning reliever.

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Washington Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray (elbow) will make another minor-league rehab start next week, this time with Triple-A Rochester. In his latest rehab start for Double-A Harrisburg on Wednesday, Gray got up to 79 pitches and got through five innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits while walking three and fanning five. If the 26-year-old makes it out of his next rehab appearance unscathed, it's likely that his next start will come in the big leagues for the Nationals. The former second-rounder in 2018 by the Cincinnati Reds only made two starts before landing on the injured list and went 0-2 with a 14.04 ERA and 2.40 WHIP while striking out nine in 8 1/3 frames. His elbow may have been the culprit, though, so fantasy managers shouldn't completely dismiss him after he made his first All-Star appearance in 2023.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (neck) left the game early on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays with neck spasms. Kepler appeared to get hurt while sliding head-first into first base. He was replaced by Manuel Margot in left field, with Trevor Larnach moving to right field. Before leaving the contest early, Kepler went hitless in his lone at-bat to drop his season average to .251. Until we know more about the 31-year-old's status, he should be considered day-to-day. Fantasy baseball managers will want to check back to see if he's back in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener in Oakland against the Athletics. If Kepler's injury is serious enough to force him to the injured list, Margot would likely be the biggest beneficiary in Minnesota's outfield. In addition to his injury, Kepler has struggled in June, going 11-for-57 (.193) with two homers, eight RBI and 17 K's in 15 games played.

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Colorado Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland (elbow) will come off the 60-day injured list this weekend and make the start on Sunday against the visiting Washington Nationals, according to manager Bud Black. In his third and final minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday, Freeland allowed two earned runs on two hits while walking four and striking out four in four innings of work. The 31-year-old southpaw only threw 67 pitches in that outing, so fantasy managers considering streaming him right away in deeper leagues should be very hesitant to do so. The start will also be at hitter-friendly Coors Field, and Freeland wasn't effective at all earlier this year before his injury, going 0-3 with a brutal 13.21 ERA, 2.55 WHIP and only nine strikeouts in 15 2/ innings over his four starts. At best, Freeland is a deep-league streaming option away from Coors in the right matchups.

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St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (elbow) is not in the team's starting lineup for Thursday's Negro Leagues tribute at Rickwood Field in Alabama against the San Francisco Giants. Veteran Brandon Crawford will make the start at third base in Arenado's absence and will bat seventh against Giants right-hander Keaton Winn. Arenado was hit by a pitch on his elbow in Wednesday's contest, and while X-rays returned negative for any significant damage to his arm, he's not aiming to return to the starting lineup until Saturday's game against the Giants after an off day on Friday. Like many of St. Louis' hitters in 2024, Arenado has disappointed most of his fantasy managers this year, but he's been slightly better in June by hitting .270 (17-for-63) with a homer, three doubles, six RBI and a stolen base in 17 games played. Crawford is nearing the end of his career and is a poor DFS replacement at the hot corner.

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New York Yankees outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez (oblique) will miss up to eight weeks with what manager Aaron Boone is now calling a significant oblique strain. It's a tough break for the Yankees, Dominguez and fantasy managers that have been stashing the team's top prospect all year in single-season formats with hopes that he'd take over as New York's primary center fielder by the second half of the season. The 21-year-old recently finished his rehab assignment while recovering from Tommy John surgery last year, but then he suffered a serious oblique injury while playing for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. With another significant injury setback, there's now a chance we won't see Dominguez at all in 2024 until perhaps the tail end of the year.

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Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg (hip) is back in the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale in the Bronx against the division-rival New York Yankees and right-hander Luis Gil, playing second base and batting sixth in the order. Ramon Urias will get another start at third base and will bat out of the nine-hole. Westburg bruised his left hip in Tuesday's game and missed the contest on Wednesday. The 25-year-old has been a lineup regular for the O's this year at either second or third base, and he's hitting a useful .277/.331/.502 with an .833 OPS, 11 home runs, 42 RBI, six stolen bases and 37 runs scored in 253 at-bats in a strong Orioles lineup. He's cooled off a bit in June, though, going 15-for-64 (.234) with three homers, three doubles, two triples, eight RBI, one steal and 14 strikeouts in 16 games.

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