Boston Red Sox right-hander Garrett Whitlock (elbow) is having the internal-brace procedure on his right elbow on Thursday. After consulting with doctors this week, it was determined that it would be best for Whitlock to undergo the season-ending surgery on his right elbow. We should have a better timetable after he goes under the knife, but the 27-year-old has been optimistic that he'll be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season. It's a huge loss for the Red Sox and fantasy managers alike this year, as Whitlock was looking primed for a breakout campaign before getting hurt. He had gone 1-0 with a 1.96 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 17 strikeouts and seven walks in 18 1/3 innings over four starts. Even if Whitlock is ready to go for Opening Day in 2025, he'll be a risky starting pitching commodity coming off a serious arm injury.

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Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers was 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI and a walk during Thursday's 7-6 win over the Kansas City Royals. Jeffers is now up to 12 homers on the season which ties him with Shea Langeliers for the most among catchers. The 26-year-old has been a fantastic power option for fantasy managers and is slashing .254/.342/.544 with 36 RBI and two stolen bases. Jeffers looks like a legit top-10 catching option at this point and should be rostered in all formats.

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Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino was 2-for-5 with a two-run home run during Thursday's 7-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins. It was Pasquantino's first home run since May 9 and only his second of the month. It has been tough sledding as of late for the 26-year-old as he is batting a paltry .176 over his last 15 games. He also missed Wednesday's game as he was dealing with a shin injury. Pasquantino is slashing .229/.309/.404 with six homers, 35 RBI and 26 runs scored in 2024. The RBI production is helping him stay afloat, but he is in need of a hot streak to regain the trust of fantasy managers.

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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jose Siri is having a series to remember against the Oakland Athletics. The 28-year-old was the hero in Wednesday's win and he brought more theatrics to the park on Thursday. Siri was 2-for-5 with two solo home runs, including a game-tying shot in the ninth inning off of Mason Miller. While the spike in production is nice, Siri is slashing an unsightly .188/.276/.338 this season with a 12:55 BB:K. He does have five home runs and seven steals across 45 games, but he is on base too infrequently to really take advantage of his speed. Siri is probably best left on the waiver wire in the majority of leagues.

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Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. was 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI during Thursday's 7-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins. Witt has been extra productive at the plate lately as he has 19 RBI over his last 15 games. The 23-year-old is undoubtedly one of the best players in all of baseball. He is slashing .309/.363/.548 with nine homers, 40 RBI, 49 runs scored and 16 stolen bases in 2024. Continue to roll him out with confidence on a daily basis if you are lucky enough to own him.

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Oakland Athletics closer Mason Miller is human after all, as he blew his first save of the season on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays. He entered the game in the ninth inning with a 4-3 lead, but Jose Siri took him deep for a solo shot to tie the game. Miller was a perfect 11-for-11 in save opportunities on the season before today. Despite the blemish, there is no denying that the 25-year-old is one of the most dominant relievers in baseball. He is averaging a ludicrous 17.6 K/9 to go along with a 2.08 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. Miller can still be treated as a high-end closer in fantasy.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (thumb) started hitting off of a tee earlier this week. The 30-year-old avoided surgery on his thumb, but he had been fully shut down from swinging a bat. It is nice to see him starting to show progress in his recovery. Yoshida has not played since April 28 and is likely still weeks away from returning. He was slashing .275/.348/.388 with two home runs, 11 RBI, and 12 runs scored at the time of the injury. It will be interesting to see what the Red Sox do when he returns as their other outfielders have been relatively productive in his absence.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger was 2-for-4 with a solo home run during Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. It was Bellinger's first homer since May 10. The 28-year-old has still been productive as of late despite the slight power outage. He is batting .303 over his last 30 games which brings his season slash line to a solid .267/.332/.471. The former MVP has also tallied eight home runs, 26 RBI, 19 runs scored and one stolen base in 2024. Bellinger may not put up the gaudy power stats that he once did, but he is still a quality, top-20 outfielder for fantasy purposes.

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Oakland Athletics reliever Lucas Erceg (forearm) is going to be placed on the injured list with forearm tightness, according to manager Mark Kotsay. The official transaction has not occurred yet but Erceg was already sent back to Oakland for additional testing. The exact severity of the injury should be known in a couple days. It is a tough blow for the Athletics bullpen as Erceg has pitched great as a setup man in 2024. The 29-year-old posted a 2.86 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, two saves, eight holds and 27:8 K:BB across his first 22 innings this season. Austin Adams is the likely candidate to take over Erceg's duties in front of Mason Miller.

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New York Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt was placed on the 15-day injured list on Thursday afternoon, retroactive to May 27, with a right lat strain. Schmidt last took the mound on Sunday against the San Diego Padres and looked no worse for wear during the start. Nevertheless, the 28-year-old will be sidelined for at least two weeks as he recovers from the ailment. It is an unfortunate injury as Schmidt was in the midst of a breakout campaign. He owns a 5-3 record, 2.52 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 67:20 K:BB across 11 starts. He has also not surrendered more than three runs in any outing this season. Right-hander Cody Morris was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as a corresponding move, but it is unclear who will replace Schmidt in the rotation at this point.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) addressed the media on Thursday for the first time since suffering a season-ending ACL tear in his knee on Sunday. Acuna will go under the knife next Tuesday. "It's another opportunity. Who knows, maybe I can come back and win another MVP," Acuna said. Last year's National League MVP became the first player ever to hit 40-plus home runs and steal 70-plus stolen bases in an absolutely amazing 2023 campaign, but now the Braves and fantasy managers will be without him the rest of the way in 2024 after he tore the ACL in his other knee three years ago. The four-time All-Star and former NL Rookie of the Year can be dropped in all single-year fantasy leagues. In Acuna's absence, both Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall are in line for more playing time moving forward in Atlanta.

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Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel (knee) is back at the hot corner and is batting sixth for the Nationals on Thursday in the series finale against the Atlanta Braves and left-hander Ryan Kerr. Senzel fouled a ball off his right knee in Wednesday's contest and had to be removed, but the 28-year-old former first-rounder of the Cincinnati Reds will return the very next day. He has not cleared the fences in the last 22 games while hitting .231 (15-for-65) with three doubles, four RBI, 14 walks and 18 strikeouts in 79 plate appearances in 22 games in the month of May. Senzel has yet to steal a base but has decent enough power to be worth rostering as corner-infield depth in deeper fantasy leagues as the Nationals' regular third baseman when he's healthy.

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The New York Mets designated right-hander Jorge Lopez for assignment on Thursday and recalled left-hander Danny Young from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move. Lopez's actions after being ejected from Wednesday's game, rather than his performance on the mound, have cost him a spot on the team's 40-man roster. The 31-year-old veteran threw his glove into the crowd after his ejection on Wednesday in the loss to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. The nine-year veteran had been decent out of the bullpen for the Mets this year, posting a 3.76 ERA (4.65 FIP), a 1.37 WHIP, two saves, 11 walks and 19 strikeouts in 26 1/3 relief innings. An All-Star as recently as 2022 with the Orioles and Twins, Lopez should draw some attention on waivers in the next couple of days with 29 career saves.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela will take the day off on Thursday against the visiting Detroit Tigers in the series opener. With Rafaela retreating to the bench for this one, Jarren Duran will move over to center field while batting in his typical leadoff spot against Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty. Rob Refsnyder is in left field and batting third, while Wilyer Abreu is in right field and hitting in the two-hole for the BoSox. The 23-year-old Rafaela ended his modest four-game hitting streak on Wednesday in the loss to the Baltimore Orioles when he went hitless in four at-bats. Rafaela is a defensive stalwart already but is batting just .206 (39-for-189) with five homers, 28 RBI, seven stolen bases and 26 runs scored in 55 games in 2024. Both Refsnyder and Abreu have been hot with the lumber so far this season but don't offer much power upside.

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The Chicago White Sox optioned rookie third baseman Bryan Ramos back to Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday. The White Sox will announce a corresponding move before Friday's series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. Ramos, the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will head back to the farm to work on his game after looking a bit overmatched at the plate in his first 15 games. In 48 plate appearances, the 22-year-old went 9-for-46 (.196) with no homers, two doubles, two RBI, one walk and eight strikeouts. Ramos went hitless with five strikeouts in 14 at-bats in five games since returning from a quadriceps injury, and the White Sox feel that he could benefit from a trip back to the minors. With Ramos out of the picture for now in the Windy City, Danny Mendick should be primed for regular duties at the hot corner.

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Los Angeles Angels infielder Miguel Sano (knee) was returned from his minor-league rehab assignment after the burn that he suffered from a heating pad did not heal. Sano took the protection off of a heating pad to make it hotter and burned himself, and he's now headed back to Anaheim with no timetable for a return. The 31-year-old corner infielder initially landed on the injured list with a left-knee injury and now has suffered a setback due to his burn. He'll now get some time to heal up before eventually restarting his minor-league rehab assignment. Before the injury, Sano was hitting .262 (16-for-61) but with just one home run and five RBI in his first year with the Angels. In his absence, veteran Luis Guillorme and Luis Rengifo have been splitting time at third base for the team.

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New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) said he felt good on Thursday after throwing 43 pitches and using his entire arsenal during a live batting practice session. Cole said that the next step is for him to recover from this session before possibly going on a minor-league rehab assignment soon. We'll update you when we know of a potential date and location for Cole to begin a rehab assignment. All signs are pointing toward the reigning American League Cy Young winner pitching in games in the minors soon and making his 2024 debut for the Yankees at some point in June, barring setbacks. The 33-year-old ace has been dealing with right-elbow inflammation since spring training and has had a long recovery process, but fantasy managers are beginning to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

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Seattle Mariners outfielder Luke Raley (lat) is not in the team's starting lineup on Thursday against the visiting division-rival Houston Astros due to a sore lat. Raley will receive the day off to let it calm down, but it remains to be seen if he'll be back in for Friday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. It doesn't sound like a serious injury for the 29-year-old left-handed hitter, so hopefully he'll be back on the field at some point this weekend against the Halos. All four of Raley's homers this year have come in May, a month in which he's hit a strong .292 (21-for-72) with two doubles and nine RBI in 78 plate appearances and 23 games to earn more run in Seattle's lineup against right-handed pitching. Dominic Canzone is starting in left field on Thursday and will hit sixth in the order against Astros rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti.

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New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (hand) is not in the starting lineup on Thursday for the series opener against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. Alonso was pulled from Wednesday's loss to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers after getting hit by a pitch on his right hand in the first inning, but thankfully X-rays and a CT scan on his hand have come back negative. It's excellent news for both the Mets and fantasy managers that the 29-year-old All-Star slugger isn't dealing with a serious injury, but the Mets are playing it safe and keeping him out on Thursday. Alonso should be considered day-to-day for now, and fantasy managers should check back on Friday to see if he's back in there. He's a must-start whenever he's playing. Mark Vientos is handling first and will hit seventh on Thursday, while Brett Baty is at third base and is betting eighth against D-backs right-hander Zac Gallen.

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The Kansas City Royals called up left-hander Daniel Lynch IV from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday to make an emergency spot start against the Minnesota Twins after right-hander Brady Singer had to be scratched from his scheduled start due to an illness. Lynch will be making his second start of the season for the Royals. In his lone start in 2024, the 27-year-old left-hander threw five shutout innings with two walks and six strikeouts in a no-decision on May 5 against the reigning World Series-champion Texas Rangers. Lynch has only thrown seven innings in the big leagues this year, but he's yet to allow a run with six punchouts. At Triple-A Omaha, he's posted a less-exciting 4.76 ERA with 34 K's and 13 walks in 45 1/3 innings of work. Lynch just doesn't have much upside as a fantasy streamer on Thursday's small slate of games.

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