Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (neck) is expected to avoid the injured list after leaving Thursday's game early due to neck spasms. Kepler felt his neck tighten up when he was in the on-deck circle in the first inning. He then tried to bunt for a base hit and attempted a head-first slide into first base before being pulled. "It's a little stiff when I look to my right, but the docs and trainers said it's just muscular and it should clear up within a couple days," said Kepler, who will travel with the Twins to Oakland for their upcoming road trip. Fantasy managers will have to check back later to see if Kepler is back in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the A's and right-hander Joey Estes. The 31-year-old left-handed hitter remains a decent source of power in deeper fantasy leagues when he's active against right-handed pitching.

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The New York Mets have tweaked their starting rotation slightly, moving right-hander Luis Severino up to Sunday's contest at Wrigley Field against the Cubs, with left-hander David Peterson being pushed back. Severino will now get a better matchup, as he was previously slated to start against the first-place New York Yankees on Tuesday. Peterson will now likely start early next week in a tougher matchup against the Bombers. Severino allowed a season-high six earned runs on eight hits while walking one and striking out one in 6 1/3 innings his last time out against the Rangers. Overall, he's been serviceable with a 3.52 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 84 1/3 innings and 14 starts, but he's also carrying a career-low 17.4% strikeout rate. Peterson is a perfect 3-0 with a 3.97 ERA and 1.41 WHIP with only 12 K's in 22 2/3 innings over his four starts for the Mets in 2024.

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The Kansas City Royals reinstated outfielder Hunter Renfroe (toe) from the injured list on Friday and optioned catcher Austin Nola to Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. Renfroe spent the minimum 10 days on the injured list while dealing with a bruised toe. The 32-year-old veteran slugger should be back in the starting lineup for Friday's contest against the Twins in Minnesota. Fantasy baseball managers in deeper leagues will be hoping he can pick up where he left off prior to his toe injury, as Renfroe had gone 7-for-18 with two home runs, two doubles and six RBI in six games before landing on the IL. Overall, though, Renfroe has mostly struggled in 2024, batting an even .200 (34-for-170) with only six home runs, 26 RBI and 22 runs scored for the Royals.

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Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen plans on playing beyond the 2024 season. "In my mind, this isn't my last year," McCutchen said. "As long as my body holds up and I'm not embarrassing myself out there, I wanna keep going." It was uncertain if he'd even return to Pittsburgh after last season when the 37-year-old veteran had season-ending surgery on his Achilles. But McCutchen has been healthy this year and has bounced back, as he currently leads the team in home runs with 10. His chase rate (97th percentile) remains elite, and he's also in the 78th percentile in walk rate. His expected slugging percentage is in the 90th percentile. Since moving to the leadoff spot in April, McCutchen has a .279 average in 41 games, with only former batting champion Luis Arraez (.340) being better in the National League. He ranks fourth in baseball among leadoff men with an .837 OPS.

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The Toronto Blue Jays reinstated rookie right-hander Yariel Rodriguez (back) from the 15-day injured list on Friday and optioned right-hander Ryan Burr to Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move. Rodriguez will jump right into Toronto's rotation and make the start on Friday versus the Guardians in Cleveland. The 27-year-old will be a pretty risky fantasy streamer in his first game since going on the injured list in late April with thoracic spine inflammation. Rodriguez threw 79 pitches in his final minor-league rehab appearance, but the Blue Jays will most likely continue to be careful with his workload in his first major-league season. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him go only several innings before Bowden Francis comes in as the bulk reliever. The Guardians rank 11th in baseball in team OPS at .724.

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Baltimore Orioles second base prospect Connor Norby went 3-for-5 with a home run on Thursday evening. This was his first round-tripper since returning to Triple-A Norfolk on June 13. Norby has only gone hitless once since returning and holds a solid .333/.379/.481 line. Norby only appeared in four major league games during his small debut stint, where he tallied three hits and a home run. Over the past three summers, the former second-round pick has logged 205 games at the Triple-A level and performed exceptionally well with a .294/.365/.501 line with 35 home runs, 137 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. The East Carolina product should be expected to return to the majors later this summer but may be limited in playing time as the Orioles have an abundance of infielders in Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Jorge Mateo, and top prospect Jackson Holliday. Nonetheless, Norby should remain stashed in all dynasty leagues for the foreseeable future.

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Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski will serve as the opener for Friday's series opener against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. This will be Mlodzinski's third time serving as the team's opener on the year. In his two "starts" in 2024, he's gone 2 2/3 innings while allowing no runs against the Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies, with his last start coming on June 14. The 25-year-old won't be a streaming option in fantasy, though, and will most likely be relieved in a bulk role by Luis Ortiz. In his second year in the big leagues for the Pirates, Mlodzinski has gone 1-2 with a 4.42 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with only 17 strikeouts and nine walks in his 18 1/3 innings pitched in 13 appearances. Fantasy managers can continue to ignore him.

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Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch will start Friday's series opener against the visiting New York Mets at Wrigley Field on the bench with left-hander Jose Quintana on the mound. In just 26 at-bats against left-handers this year, Busch has eight hits but hasn't gone deep against them. He'll take a seat anyway in favor of Patrick Wisdom, who will start at first and bat fifth against Quintana. Busch is currently riding a eight-game hitting streak in which he's gone 11-for-25 (.440) with a homer, two doubles, three RBI, three walks and six strikeouts in 28 plate appearances. In his first full season in the big leagues in 2024, Busch has provided some decent power as a corner-infield option in deep-mixed leagues with his nine home runs. Wisdom could be a smart sleeper choice for DFS lineups, as he's hitting .286 with a home run and RBI in seven career at-bats against Quintana.

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The New York Mets placed catcher Luis Torrens on the paternity list on Friday and recalled catcher Joe Hudson from the minors in a corresponding move. Torrens will now be away from the team for the next one to three days, so Hudson will serve as the team's backup behind Francisco Alvarez over the weekend. The 28-year-old Venezuelan took over the backup duties from Tomas Nido this year and has only played in nine games in the Big Apple this year, going 8-for-24 (.333) with three home runs and five RBI in 26 plate appearances. He'll only become relevant in two-catcher leagues if Alvarez misses more time with an injury. In his seven years in the big leagues, Torrens has slashed .230/.292/.366 with 22 homers and 84 RBI.

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The Houston Astros are recalling outfield prospect Joey Loperfido from Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of Friday's series opener against the Baltimore Orioles, according to a source. Loperfido made his major-league debut earlier this year and held his own with a .333/.381/.436 slash line with an .817 OPS, a homer, double, five RBI and a stolen base in just 15 games played. He could have extended run in the big leagues this time around. The 25-year-old has plenty of power and speed to make him worth a look in mixed fantasy leagues as long as he's playing, but beware that his high strikeout rate probably means his average will eventually come down. Loperfido hit .272 (44-for-162) with 13 homers, 33 RBI and nine steals at Sugar Land in 39 games and is Houston's No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

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New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil will take a seat on the bench on Friday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field with left-hander Shota Imanaga on the mound. Given McNeil's struggles this year, he's now fallen into the strong side of a platoon at the keystone in New York with veteran Jose Iglesias, who is at second and batting eighth on Friday against Imanaga. McNeil is hitting just .219/.286/.305 with three home runs, 15 RBI, three stolen bases and 27 runs scored in 233 at-bats in 2024. He's actually been better against left-handers, going 18-for-72 (.250) against them with one of his three home runs, while he's batting .205 against right-handers. The two-time All-Star has taken a hard fall this year after winning a batting title in 2022 with the Mets.

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Chicago Cubs infield prospect Matt Shaw extended his hitting streak to seven games on Thursday evening by going 2-for-4 with a double and home run. In this stretch, the former 13th overall pick has been riding a stellar .414/.455/.690 slash line with two home runs. Before he began this streak, he posted a poor .150/.227/.250 line in his previous ten games. It is a great sign to see the top prospect battle through a slump and return to form fairly quickly. The Maryland product has now logged 77 games at Double-A over the past two summers and has a strong chance of being promoted to Triple-A Iowa very soon. Shaw is ranked as the 42nd overall prospect on MLB.com and remains on pace to make his major league debut next summer.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil got roughed up in Thursday's loss versus the Baltimore Orioles. The right-hander entered the contest as part of the AL Cy Young discussion, but the Orioles weren't bothered by that and knocked him out of the game after recording four outs. In his brief time on the mound, Gil allowed eight hits, seven runs, two walks and struck out one. Gil has been so dominant this season that he was due for a bad outing, so managers should not be worried about his bump in the road. With his bumpy start, Gil still owns an impressive 2.77 ERA as he gets ready to face the New York Mets next week.

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Texas Rangers infield prospect Justin Foscue (oblique) went 1-for-2 with two walks for Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday. The 25-year-old saw his rehab assignment moved to Triple-A as he continues to progress in his return from an oblique strain. Foscue had just gotten the call-up to the Rangers when he suffered his injury in early April. The No. 2 prospect for Texas is a pure hitter with good plate discipline. As he continues his rehab assignment it will be interesting to see if a spot opens for him at the major league level. First, he will have to show he is back to full health, but any potential return to the big leagues could be in a utility role.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfield prospect Garrett Mitchell (hand) was 2-for-4 with an inside-the-park home run for Triple-A Nashville on Thursday. On a rehab assignment, Mitchell is hitting .269 with three homers and six RBI in six games for Nashville. The 25-year-old is rounding back into form after missing a good portion of the season with a fractured bone in his left hand. If he has a few more games like the one on Thursday, he should push for a return to Milwaukee soon. His plus speed makes him an intriguing waiver-wire addition in leagues of all sizes upon his return to the Brewers.

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson earned his fourth quality start of the season versus the Tampa Bay Rays in a no-decision on Thursday. Woods Richardson tossed six innings and allowed four hits, two runs, two walks and struck out six on the afternoon. The former Top-100 prospect didn't have much hype entering the 2024 season, but he has become a member of the Twins rotation and performed well in the role. He has had some bumps in the road along the way, but overall is 2-1 with a respectable 3.26 ERA in 12 starts. The right-hander doesn't offer enough strikeouts to be a must-roster, but he can still be valuable in deeper mixed and strong streaming option in the right matchups. Woods Richardson is lined up to face the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday followed by the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox, giving him three favorable matchups before the All-Star break.

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San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a walk in Thursday's victory versus the Milwaukee Brewers. Machado's first hit of the game came in the bottom of the first inning when he sent a pitch from Bryse Wilson 348-feet for his seventh homer of the season. Machado has been a bit banged up this season, recently missing a few games with a hip injury. For the season, Machado is now hitting .253 with seven homers, 36 RBI and five stolen bases. Machado's .684 OPS is a career low for the six-time All-Star, with injuries likely the biggest cause for that. Regardless, Machado has still had a solid season and should remain rostered in all formats.

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San Diego Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth went 2-for-5 with two run and a home run in Thursday's victory versus the Milwaukee Brewers. Cronenworth's biggest hit of the night was the biggest of the game as he hit a 401-foot home run off Joel Payamps to the bleachers to win the contest. The versatile infielder has spent most of his time at second base this season and has recovered well after a disappointing 2023 campaign. He has now topped his home run total from last season and is hitting .254 with 11 homers and 47 RBI and should be rostered in most formats.

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San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. went 4-for-5 with two runs and a solo home run in Thursday's victory versus the Milwaukee Brewers. Tatis absolutely crushed a 446-foot homer off Bryse Wilson in the bottom of the fifth inning that had an exit velocity of 111.8 MPH. Tatis continues to be one of the best offensive players in the world, while putting a big smile on managers' faces that drafted him this season. On the year, Tatis is now hitting .280 with 14 homers, 36 RBI and eight stolen bases. Managers should continue to enjoy rostering one of the best players in the game.

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Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson continued him MVP campaign on Thursday versus the division rival New York Yankees. Henderson went 3-for-5 with a walk, three runs and RBI in a 17-5 victory. Unlike Corbin Carroll in Arizona, there has been no sophomore slump for Henderson and if anything, the 22-year-old has improved off his notable rookie campaign. Henderson wasn't a first-round pick in drafts coming into the season, but he has returned top-10 value with a .279 batting average that is accompanied by 22 homers, 50 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Henderson continues to not only be valuable in redraft leagues, but should be an asset for years to come in dynasty leagues.

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