Kansas City Royals right-hander Brady Singer (illness) was scratched from his scheduled start on Thursday against the Minnesota Twins due to an illness. In a corresponding move, the team recalled left-hander Daniel Lynch from Triple-A Omaha and optioned right-hander Carlos Hernandez to Omaha. Lynch will serve as the emergency spot starter for the Royals on Thursday. The 27-year-old Singer should be able to take his next turn in the starting rotation, but fantasy managers will want to monitor the situation. Even if Singer does make his next start, he could be a little more risky in fantasy lineups his next time out. The former 18th overall pick in 2018 out of Florida so far is having the best season of his career, going 4-2 with a 2.63 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with a 64:19 K:BB in 61 2/3 innings over his 11 starts. For a resurgent and young Royals squad, Singer has been a must-roster in all fantasy leagues.

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Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (shin) is back in the starting lineup on Thursday against the Minnesota Twins and right-hander Chris Paddack, serving as the designated hitter and batting cleanup. Pasquantino left Tuesday's game early after colliding with Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, and he wasn't included in the starting lineup on Wednesday. But the 26-year-old left-handed slugger will be back in action on Thursday after just one day off. Salvador Perez will get a day off from catching and will play first base, with Freddy Fermin catching and batting eighth for KC. Pasquantino has never faced Paddack in his career and has been ice-cold at the plate lately. He hasn't homered since May 9 and has gone 6-for-43 (.140) with eight RBI and 13 strikeouts in 13 games since May 14.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil threw a season-high eight innings of one-run ball on his way to earning his seventh win of the season in Wednesday's 2-1 victory over the Angels. The righty allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out nine batters, culminating in his sixth straight quality start. Gil finishes out a fantastic May winning all six of his starts with a 0.70 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and a 22.7% K-BB% during the month. He'll get a favorable matchup his next time out too, drawing the Twins at home on Tuesday. Minnesota has the ninth-lowest team batting average and is middle-of-the-pack in terms of team strikeouts.

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The Chicago Cubs recalled outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong from Triple-A Iowa ahead of Thursday's game against Milwaukee. He'll start in center field and bat eighth against Brewers right-hander Colin Rea. The Cubs optioned Luis Vazquez back to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Crow-Armstrong spent three weeks in Chicago before being sent back down on May 20. During that time the 22-year-old went 13-for-55 (.236) with four extra-base hits (one HR), nine RBI, four runs scored, and five stolen bases. The former first-round draft pick is a career .295 hitter in the minors but has yet to see that success carry over to the majors, as he also went 0-for-14 in a brief 2023 stint with the Cubs. If he can figure it out, he'll be a threat to steal a ton of bases, so managers in redraft leagues should keep a close eye out for signs of a breakout.

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Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI in a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins. After recording only one home run and seven RBI in April, Velazquez found his power stroke in May, with five home runs and 11 RBI recorded. His .221 batting average lies right around his .224 career average, but if you require some power in your lineup, Velazquez is a solid add. His 19 RBI are little to be desired, but he makes for a solid deeper league add especially while he's hitting in the middle of a Royal's lineup that is much improved this season.

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Atlanta Braves pitching prospect Spencer Schwellenbach fared well in his big-league debut on Wednesday versus the Washington Nationals. The right-hander tossed five innings and allowed five hits, three runs, one walk and struck out five batters. The 23-year-old fared well through four scoreless innings to open the game, but outfielder Lane Thomas hit a three-run homer in the top of the fifth inning to give the Nationals the lead and eventual victory. Overall, Schwellenbach pitched well, but it has not been confirmed if he will remain in the rotation or not. Should the Braves stick with the youngster, Schwellenbach would be lined up to face the Boston Red Sox on the road. If the Braves commit to Schwellenbach, he is worthy of rostering in deeper leagues.

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After making his big-league debut in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader, the Detroit Tigers have sent pitching prospect Keider Montero back to Triple-A Toledo. It was an expected move for the club's No. 7 prospect, according to MLB.com. Montero worked 4 1/3 innings in his debut and was a bag of mixed results. Montero recorded five strikeouts, but also allowed five hits, four runs and one walk. Montero, 23, remains a bright spot on the farm for the Tigers, but will need an injury or two to make an impact at the big-league level in 2024. Montero can safely remain on the waiver wire.

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Washington Nationals outfield prospect Jeremy De La Rosa completed his rehab assignment in Single-A and has been activated to from the 7-day injured list. De La Rosa was assigned to High-A Wilmington on Wednesday and went 1-for-4 with a double in his season debut. The 22-year-old was removed from the club's 40-man roster prior to the season after dealing with a flurry of injuries and struggling offensively since signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2018. De La Rosa will need to improve his numbers if he wants to reach the potential that many scouts saw from him as a teenager, but for now can be left on the waiver wire in all formats.

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The Boston Red Sox recalled infielder Enmanuel Valdez on Wednesday to take the roster spot of outfielder Tyler O'Neill (knee) with the later being placed on the 10-day injured list. Valdez, 25, made will be making his second stint with the Red Sox this season and made his debut in 2023. Valdez performed well in 49 games for the BoSox in 2023 with a .266 batting average and six homers, but has struggled in 29 games this season for the big-league club with a .156 batting average and two homers in 29 games. Valdez has graduated from the Red Sox prospect lists, but it wasn't too long ago that he was one of the more exciting names on it. The infielder is likely to serve a bench role and offers minimal value. He is best left on the waiver wire for time being.

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Bailey Ober (5-3) picked up the loss Wednesday night, giving up six runs in five innings with four strikeouts, no walks, and nine hits in a 6-1 loss against the Kansas City Royals. The big blow of his day was a four-run third inning in which he gave up a three-run homer to Nelson Velazquez, moving his ERA up on the season to 4.89. After having a 1.48 ERA in April, Ober struggled to the tune of a 5.46 ERA in May. He's also given up seven home runs in five starts this month compared to no home runs in April. Things won't get any easier as his first start of June will be against a hot Bronx Bombers, a team that leads the MLB in long balls this season.

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Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks (1-2) picked up the win after the Rays walked it off for a 4-3 victory in the ninth inning Wednesday night. Fairbanks was able to work around a leadoff double to Miguel Andujar to give up no runs and didn't even need a strikeout to do so. Since Fairbanks has returned from the injured list, he's been excellent, with a 0.63 WHIP in eight scoreless innings of work and eight strikeouts. Before his IL stint, the right-hander had allowed seven earned runs in only six innings pitched while blowing multiple saves. It was unclear whether he would return to the closer role upon activation, given how well Jason Adam has performed this season, but Fairbanks seems to have locked down the closer role for himself once again. Fairbanks is worth starting in most leagues, but you can expect manager Kevin Cash to throw Adam into the closer role occasionally.

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Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson smacked a grand slam on Wednesday night versus the Boston Red Sox, going 1-for-4 in a 6-1 victory. Henderson crushed his 18th home run on the season and has continued to provide plenty of power out of the leadoff spot for the Orioles. Despite his power consistency, his overall consistency with the bat has taken a huge dip in May, with a .218 batting average after batting a solid .280 in April. To this date, the 22-year-old has a modest .254 batting average, along with those 18 long balls, 41 RBI, and seven stolen bases on the season. If he can get that batting average back up into the .280 range or higher next month, Henderson should be right back at the top of the American League MVP race.

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Kansas City Royals outfielder Nelson Velazquez swatted his seventh home run of the year, a three-run homer, Wednesday night while going 2-for-4 with a second run scored in a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins. After recording only one home run and seven RBI in April, Velazquez found his power stroke in May, with five home runs and 11 RBI recorded. His .221 batting average lies right around his .224 career average, but if you require some power in your lineup, Velazquez is a solid add. His 19 RBI are little to be desired, but he makes for a solid deeper league add especially while he's hitting in the middle of a Royal's lineup that is much improved this season.

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Kansas City starting pitcher Seth Lugo (9-1) picked up his ninth win Wednesday, allowing one run on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks in a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins. The ninth win leads the American League in that category and ties him for the MLB lead with Philadelphia Phillies starter Ranger Suarez. Safe to say, Lugo has been a bargain for the Royals after signing the veteran right-hander to a three-year $45 million contract in the offseason. He currently lies at the top in wins, ERA, and innings pitched on the season while having an impressive 1.01 WHIP as well. His next start will put him against the red-hot Cleveland Guardians next Tuesday, whom he has yet to match up against this season.

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Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames clubbed his ninth homer of the season of the two-run variety while going 2-for-3 with an RBI single and another run scored in a 10-6 win over the Chicago Cubs Wednesday night. Adames is currently riding an eight-game hit streak in which he's gone 12-for-31 with two home runs and 10 RBI. The 28-year-old has been productive out of the cleanup spot this season for the Brewers with his .255 batting average, nine home runs, and 39 RBI. That RBI total is tied for 10th in MLB this season. The hot-hitting shortstop will look to continue his hitting streak with matchups against the Chicago White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies to begin the month of June.

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Washington Nationals' SP MacKenzie Gore recorded 10 strikeouts in 5.1 innings getting the win in a 7-2 win over Atlanta on Wednesday, May. 29.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (elbow) is scheduled to toss live batting practice again on Thursday in Tampa Bay, manager Aaron Boone said prior to Wednesday's game against the hosting Los Angeles Angels. It'll be Cole's third session facing hitters, with a two-inning, 30-pitch outing set to follow on Saturday. Cole still has a chance to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list sometime in June as long as he starts a minor-league rehab assignment sometime in the next week or two. The 33-year-old reigning American League Cy Young Award winner is obviously a must-stash fantasy asset, but the Yankees will have a tough decision to make regarding the odd man out when their ace returns from right elbow discomfort. Right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil have done an admirable job in New York's rotation, and they remain close to must-roster players at this point in time.

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Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ty Blach threw seven strong innings in Wednesday's victory over the visiting Cleveland Guardians, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts for his second win of the campaign. After giving up two runs on three hits and two walks in the first inning for the brunt of the damage to his ledger, Blach found a groove with six scoreless innings from that point on. The 33-year-old veteran left-hander will bring an ordinary 4.15 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and a 17:7 K:BB across 34 2/3 innings (five starts) into his next scheduled start against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field on Tuesday. Severely lacking swing-and-miss stuff, Blach is nothing more than a low-upside fantasy streamer under the most favorable conditions.

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Philadelphia Phillies shortstop prospect Aidan Miller went 2-for-3 with a walk for Single-A Clearwater on Wednesday. Miller's two hits both went for extra bases, one for a double and the other for a grand slam, finishing the day with four RBI and two runs scored. The 19-year-old is having a fine season thus far, slashing .319/.437/.569 with five home runs, 25 RBI, 25 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases. The 2023 first-round draft pick appears poised for a promotion, although he won't see the big leagues for a couple of years. Still, with a good power-speed combo, dynasty managers need to have him on their radar.

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Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano logged his eighth save of the year with one strikeout in the ninth inning of Wednesday's win over the hosting Chicago White Sox, but not before he allowed a solo home run in the victory. Romano served up a solo homer to White Sox catcher Korey Lee, but he still locked down the save fairly comfortably on Wednesday. The hard-throwing 31-year-old right-hander has gone 8-for-9 on save chances this season, but fantasy managers will want to see him sharpen up on his 6.59 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 13:4 K:BB over 13 2/3 innings after the hurler's late start to the campaign due to injury. While Romano is still Toronto's preferred ninth-inning man, he'll need to cut down on the homers if he wants to avoid losing out on save opportunities, as he's already given four long balls.

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