New York Mets reliever Reed Garrett collected his third save of the season on Thursday, tossing a clean ninth inning in a 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Garrett allowed a walk but got through the inning fairly easily otherwise. With Edwin Diaz being placed on the IL and struggling mightily before that, Garrett should be in line for save opportunities for at least a little while. Unfortunately, Garrett has had his own performance issues recently, allowing seven runs (six earned) in his last 2 IP before tonight. That said, it is a good sign that the team is still confident enough in the 31-year-old breakout to give him the opportunity to save this one. He is still a solid add in any leagues where saves matter in the hopes he can bounce back to his early-season self.

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Washington Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan collected his 15th save of the season on Thursday, slamming the door on the Atlanta Braves to secure a 3-1 win. Finnegan allowed just a walk and struck out one in his inning of work. The 32-year-old has been excellent as the Nats closer this year, going 15-for-17 in save opportunities while pitching to a 1.64 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He is now fifth in the majors in saves and should remain a solid relief pitcher option in fantasy leagues.

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Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman went 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple, two runs, and two RBI on Thursday, driving the Astros to a 4-0 win over the Seattle Mariners. It was another positive step for Bregman, who has slowly been rounding into form in May. He now has 12 runs, five homers, and 15 RBI on the month, a big step up from his April numbers. The 30-year-old vet is normally a solid source of power and counting stats while providing a decent average, and he appears to be heading for that kind of outcome again. The buy-low window is closing quickly on Bregman, but it's still worth a shot as his overall numbers still aren't good.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon had a nice outing on Thursday, throwing six innings of three-run ball against the Los Angeles Angels. Rodon allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out five. Although it's a solid line, the lefty's night could've been much better. He had allowed just one run heading into the seventh, where he allowed two hits and a walk before coming out of the game. Two more runs would then come in to score, making Rodon's line look worse than his performance showed. Still, Rodon has now posted five quality starts in a row and is 7-2 on the season, so fantasy managers should be quite happy with the results.

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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty tossed 6 masterful innings against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, earning the win in a 5-0 victory. Flaherty allowed no runs on just one hit and one walk while striking out. The 28-year-old is in the midst of a career renaissance that has him looking like his 2019 self. While he holds a good but not great 3.46 ERA, it comes with a 1.00 WHIP and 90 strikeouts in 67 IP, putting him near the top of the leaderboards in those categories. He is still not owned in all leagues, which needs to be corrected. If he can keep pitching like he has been, the sky is the limit for Flaherty.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta got back on track Thursday, tossing 5 solid frames against the Detroit Tigers in a 5-0 loss. Pivetta allowed just two runs on three hits and two walks and managed to strike out nine. Although he took the loss, it was a step in the right direction for the 31-year-old after a rough start last time out. He still holds a decent 4.08 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 42 strikeouts over 35 IP on the season and should be rostered in most leagues. He may have been dropped in shallower formats after his last start, so scan your waiver wire if you play in one of those leagues.

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Both Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora and outfielder Tyler O'Neill (knee) are optimistic that his stint on the injured list will be on the shorter end. O'Neill is nursing inflammation in his right knee after an MRI on Wednesday showed no structural damage, and he's eligible to return from the 10-day IL as soon as Wednesday's game against the visiting Atlanta Braves. The speedy 28-year-old slugger was hitless in his last 15 at-bats before hitting the shelf, and nine of his 11 home runs on the campaign for the Red Sox came back in April. O'Neill is also hitting a mere .159 (13-for-82) with two homers, six RBI, and 10 runs scored over his last 22 games, but he's still a fine stash in fantasy for his upside in the power department and everyday role in Boston's outfield when healthy.

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New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor went 4-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lindor was seeing the ball well today, which he seems to be doing more and more of lately. He is now riding a nine game hit streak and has improved his average from .193 to .225 in the process. Although it hasn't been an ideal start to his season, Lindor still has nine homers and seven steals, so at least he has been providing something for fantasy managers. Expect his numbers to continue improving as he regresses over the summer.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti gave the team's injury-plagued rotation a lift in Thursday's start against the division-rival Seattle Mariners, throwing six scoreless innings on two hits and three walks with eight strikeouts for his third win of the season. It was easily Arrighetti's best start in the major leagues thus far, achieving a career-high figure in punchouts. Even so, the 24-year-old rookie right-hander still carries a weak 5.98 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and 51:23 K;BB through 43 2/3 frames (nine starts) for the Astros this season. Arrighetti is slated to toe the rubber next on Tuesday in a favorable matchup at home against the St. Louis Cardinals, so his strikeout upside will make him a reasonable streaming option in fantasy on the heels of his most encouraging MLB performance.

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Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (elbow) made his first minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Columbus on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits (one home run) and two walks with two strikeouts over 1 1/3 innings of work. Williams' velocity was fine, but another big takeaway from Thursday's outing is that he was only able to reach 32 pitches. That likely means Williams is going to require around five appearances in the minors before he's stretched out enough to rejoin the major-league rotation, meaning his 2024 debut with the Guardians is unlikely to arrive until sometime in late June. In the meantime, veteran right-hander Ben Lively has helped fill in with a 2.80 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 43:14 K:BB across 45 innings (eight starts) as a starter for Cleveland in 2024 and will be a prime streaming candidate in fantasy for Saturday's scheduled appearance at home versus the Washington Nationals.

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Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas (rib) has made significant progress in his recovery from torn cartilage in his left rib cage. Casas was scheduled to be examined on Thursday by the team's medical staff, and the Red Sox should have a better idea of when he'll be cleared to start swinging following that evaluation. He's been doing other baseball activities recently, including taking grounders and throwing, and Casas might have a chance to return to Boston when he's first eligible to come off the 60-day injured list on June 21. The 24-year-old former top prospect was slashing a promising .244/.344/.513 with six home runs, three doubles, 10 RBI, and 12 runs scored through 90 plate appearances (22 games) before going down, and he should be stashed in most fantasy leagues with a late-June return being the expectation.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back, knee) completed his work at Coors Field with a full session of batting practice, fielding, and baserunning ahead of Wednesday's matchup with the visiting Cleveland Guardians. Jones finished by practicing diving back into first base on pickoff moves, and he is scheduled to join Triple-A Albuquerque to resume his minor-league rehab assignment on Friday. His original rehab assignment for a strained lower back was halted when he hurt his left knee on May 17. Barring any setbacks this weekend, expect Jones to return to the Rockies as early as Monday's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds. The 26-year-old slugger was slashing a poor .170/.243/.277 with one home run, seven RBI, 11 runs scored, and two stolen bases through 26 games (94 at-bats) before getting sidelined, but his five-category upside when healthy at a hitter-friendly ballpark makes him worth stashing in all fantasy leagues.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole's (elbow) next outing could come in a minor-league rehab game on Tuesday, assuming he bounces back from Thursday's live batting practice session well. No matter what level Cole begins his rehab assignment at, the fact that he's on the precipice of returning to game action is a major step forward in his throwing program as he builds his arm back up from right elbow discomfort. If he indeed gets an appearance in the minors on Tuesday, it puts the hard-throwing 33-year-old fantasy superstar firmly on track to rejoin New York's rotation before the end of June. The first-place Yankees certainly aren't going to rush their ace back into the fray, but it's fair to wonder if there's more of a sense of urgency to get Cole back now with upstart right-hander Clarke Schmidt (lat) heading to the injured list with an indefinite absence on Thursday.

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Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said on Wednesday that both starting pitchers Cristian Javier (forearm) and Jose Urquidy (forearm) are "getting opinions from other doctors." Espada said earlier this week that both pitchers were examined by doctors on Monday, but their imaging results haven't been disclosed. Javier was unable to throw a scheduled bullpen session on Sunday due to right forearm discomfort, and he was then placed on the injured list for the second time this season. Urquidy, on the other hand, has missed the entire season with a right forearm strain and was close to rejoining Houston's rotation before suffering a setback during a minor-league rehab assignment. This could lead to a pretty significant development for the two hurlers, who both currently have no clear timetable for a return to the Astros. Although Urquidy isn't a must-stash fantasy player, we'd recommend holding onto Javier until more is known.

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Atlanta Braves starting pitching prospect Hurston Waldrep has tallied at least seven strikeouts in each of his past three starts. Through his other six outings this season, he never surpassed five punchouts. Besides his increase in strikeouts, after opening the season with ten earned runs in his first two starts, he has given up just six earned runs in his previous seven starts. Through this stretch, he has posted an incredible 1.28 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 12:41 BB:K ratio. Waldrep has logged 59 total innings at the Double-A level the past two seasons and will be moved up to Triple-A fairly soon. The Florida product is projected to reach the majors this summer and is worth stashing in dynasty leagues.

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Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (hamstring) exited Thursday's start against the hosting New York Mets in the first inning due to a strained right hamstring. After throwing his sixth pitch of the game, Gallen walked off the field before recording a single out. It needs to be noted that Gallen dealt with tightness in the same hamstring back in late April, so a stint on the injured list may very well be incoming here if the D-backs want to proceed with caution with their ace. The 28-year-old right-hander has been rock-solid in Arizona's rotation when healthy, posting a 3.12 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 60:15 K:BB over 57 2/3 frames (11 starts) this year. Gallen tentatively lines up next for Tuesday's start at home against the division-rival San Francisco Giants, but it's likely that either Logan Allen will rejoin the rotation or Slade Cecconi will be recalled from the minor leagues if Gallen needs to head to the IL.

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Chicago Cubs third base/shortstop prospect Matt Shaw extended his hitting streak to three games with another two-hit showing on Wednesday. Even though Shaw has posted a poor .228/.339/.337 line through May, the 22-year-old has begun to find his footing this season. Through his past thirteen games, the number three prospect in the Chicago system has posted a much improved .292/.370/.438 line with two home runs, three swiped bags, and a 6:10 BB:K ratio. Shaw opened the 2023 campaign with the Rookie League and was able to finish the year by playing 15 games with Double-A. The former first-round pick has remained with Double-A Tennessee ever since but should be expected to join Triple-A Iowa in the coming months. The Maryland product is projected to reach the Northside in 2025 and could be worth stashing in dynasty leagues as the summer progresses.

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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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