Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (knee) continued to ramp up his activity ahead of Thursday's game against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field, including fielding ground balls. After a period of rest, recovery, and treatment, Swanson did some light running and agility work and played catch before Wednesday's series finale against the Atlanta Braves and seems to be progressing well in his recuperation from a sprained right knee. The 30-year-old star infielder is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list as early as Saturday's contest against Pittsburgh, though it's unclear if he'll need a brief minor-league rehab assignment before the Cubs activate him. Although Swanson was slashing a meager .209/.285/.341 with four home runs, 12 RBI, 20 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 37 games (129 at-bats) as Chicago's everyday shortstop before the injury, he's a must-stash player in all fantasy leagues.

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Los Angeles Dodgers, shortstop/outfield prospect Wilman Diaz, tallied two hits and stole three bases on Wednesday to lead Single-A Rancho to a victory. During the season, Diaz posted a .200/.305/.289 line with nine total stolen bases and no home runs. The 20-year-old has flashed his elite speed throughout his time in the minor leagues and is on pace to steal double-digit bases in consecutive years. In the batter's box, this performance will hopefully help Diaz break out of his May slump as he has hit for a mere.133/.257/.133 line. Diaz could force a promotion to High-A later this summer but should be left on the waiver wire in all dynasty leagues for the foreseeable future.

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Texas Rangers left-hander Brock Burke (hand) has been sent to the Arizona Complex League Rangers in the Rookie league on a minor-league rehab assignment. Burke is scheduled to pitch for the ACL Rangers in Thursday's game against the ACL Padres at Peoria Sports Complex. Burke is trying to recover from a broken right (non-throwing) hand that landed him on the injured list on April 13. The 27-year-old southpaw had allowed five earned runs on nine hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out five in three innings out of the Texas bullpen earlier this year before going on the shelf. Since he's currently on the 60-day injured list, Burke will not be eligible to return to the team's big-league bullpen until June 12. When healthy, Burke isn't on the fantasy radar in a middle-relief role.

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Boston Red Sox shortstop prospect Marcelo Mayer has been on fire to begin the season but has been especially dominant through the early part of May. Since May 1, the 21-year-old has a .314/.379/.529 line with one home run, 11 RBI, three stolen bases, and a 6:9 BB:K ratio. On the season, the top prospect in Boston has posted a .310/.359/.496 slash line. After struggling through 43 games at Double-A last season, Mayer has begun to find his footing and is making a case to be moved up to Triple-A very soon. MLB Pipeline projects him to reach the major leagues this season and could become a stash candidate later in the summer if he continues to dominant minor league pitching.

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Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker (foot) was forced to leave his start early on Thursday against the visiting division-rival New York Mets after he was hit by a line drive on his left foot. Before leaving the contest early, Walker allowed two earned runs on four hits (one homer to Pete Alonso) while walking two and striking out one in 3 1/3 innings pitched. The Phillies are likely to do some tests on Walker, at which point we should have a better idea of the severity of his injury and whether it will cause him to miss his next start. The 31-year-old got a late start to the season due to injury and came into Thursday's start with a 4.82 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with 15 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings over his first three starts. After giving up two more runs on Thursday, Walker's ERA now stands at 4.91.

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The Los Angeles Angels acquired right-hander Roansy Contreras from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations, according to sources. The Pirates had designated Contreras for assignment last Saturday. The 24-year-old Dominican hurler went 1-0 with the Pirates with a 4.41 ERA (5.01 FIP) and 1.65 WHIP with eight walks and 16 strikeouts in 16 1/3 relief innings over 12 outings out of the bullpen this year before being traded to the American League. In his four big-league seasons in Pittsburgh, Contreras has made 53 appearances, with 30 of them coming in a starting role, so he could become an option to make some spot starts for the Halos eventually. Contreras has a career 4.83 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with weak 20.2% strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate. Fantasy managers can continue ignoring him.

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For the second straight day on Thursday, Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (hamstring) went through a full agility workout at Citizens Bank Park while taking ground balls and also hitting inside in the cages. It has only been 13 days since he injured his left hamstring and is progressing at a surprising pace given the original timetable of around six weeks. The 30-year-old All-Star is making fantastic progress, but the Phillies will probably pump the brakes on him returning too soon and aggravating his injury, especially given the nature of Turner's game on the basepaths. However, if Turner continues to progress at this pace, he'll surely beat his projected six-week timetable, which is great news for his fantasy managers. Edmundo Sosa will continue to work as the Phillies' starter at the 6 until Turner returns from his hamstring ailment. Keep Turner stashed in all fantasy formats.

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Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Emmet Sheehan (elbow) underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on his UCL on Wednesday. The procedure was performed successfully by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. Sheehan was cleared to face hitters in late March but then was shut down in the middle of April when he had a setback with his right elbow. The 24-year-old will now miss all of the 2024 season and probably will not be able to return for the Dodgers until around midseason in 2025. It's a big blow for one of the Dodgers' promising young arms after he made his big-league debut in 2023, going 4-1 with a 4.92 ERA (4.85 FIP) and 1.19 WHIP while walking 26 and striking out 64 in 60 1/3 innings over his 13 outings (11 starts). Sheehan can now be safely dropped by any fantasy managers in deeper redraft leagues that were hanging onto him in an IL spot.

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New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said that right-hander Kodai Senga (shoulder) is getting closer to a return and being sent on a minor-league rehab assignment. "We all feel better about it here than we would have 5-6 days ago," Stearns said on Thursday. The front-office executive also said Senga had a good bullpen session recently where the Japanese hurler felt like he made some strides. There's no set date for when Senga will go on a rehab assignment, but that's the next step in his recovery after he took a step back recently in his rehab to deal with some mechanical issues. The 31-year-old looks to have moved past those issues and could be on the cusp of making his 2024 debut, although fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if the Mets want to see him make a handful of minor-league starts first. Senga should be stashed in all fantasy leagues.

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Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen and infielder Jared Triolo are both out of the lineup on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. McCutchen went 3-for-4 with a home run in Wednesday's loss to the Milwaukee Brewers and has been better in May so far, batting .250 (11-for-44) with two home runs and three RBI to raise his season line to .211/.317/.358 in 142 plate appearances. With McCutchen out, Bryan Reynolds will serve as the designated hitter and bat second, while Edward Olivares will serve as the cleanup hitter while starting in right field against Cubs left-hander Justin Steele. Triolo has just two hits in his last 39 plate appearances and could start losing more playing time if he doesn't pick things up offensively soon. Nick Gonzales is starting at third base and is batting fifth, while Alika Williams draws into the lineup at the keystone and will hit ninth.

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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages will be hitting the bench for the first time since his major league promotion on Thursday. The 23-year-old has been a lineup lock for just over the past month in Los Angeles. As a result, Teoscar Hernandez will move over to right field and bat cleanup, which opens up left field for Chris Taylor, who will bat seventh. Pages has performed exceptionally well in his first taste of the majors with a .260/.300/.440 line with four long balls and one swiped bag and should be expected to return to the starting lineup on Friday. Both Hernandez and Taylor are viable options in DFS today, as the Reds will have a bullpen game this evening with southpaw Brent Suter serving as the opener.

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Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India (migraine) is not in the starting lineup on Thursday with a migraine. He was also held out of Wednesday's lineup for the same reason. The 27-year-old should still be considered day-to-day. As a result, Santiago Espinal will get the starting nod at the keystone and bat in the eight-hole. Espinal has been swinging a hot bat as of late with a .400/.438/.600 line across his past five games with one home run. However, he has a tough task tonight in Tyler Glasnow, who enters Thursday with a 2.53 ERA and 73 punchouts across 57 innings, and is best to fade him in DFS this evening.

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Los Angeles Dodgers backstop Will Smith will be getting the day off on Thursday as the Dodgers open a four-game set against the Cincinnati Reds. Smith has started each of the past six games and holds an overall .315/.381/.479 line with four home runs. Instead, Austin Barnes will serve as the catcher for Tyler Glasnow and will bat in the nine-hole. The 34-year-old is best to fade in DFS as he enters Thursday with a .219/.359/.250 slash line with no home runs and has only appeared in 13 games this season.

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Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy is not in Thursday's lineup as the Reds will opt to start southpaw Brent Suter. The 33-year-old has only made seven starts this season against left-handed pitchers. Muncy has been showcasing his elite power once again this season with nine long balls and a .475 SLG through 40 games. As a result, Kike Hernandez will occupy the hot corner. Hernandez enters Thursday's game with a modest .220/.278/.305 line with just two home runs. However, Hernandez will bat in the five-hole and is worth considering in DFS as he will be right in the middle of a potent Dodgers lineup. He will face Brent Suter, who enters Thursday with a 3.86 ERA; however, he is only likely to pitch a few frames as he will serve as the opener in a bullpen game for Cincinnati.

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New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe hit his sixth home run of the season and swiped his ninth base of the season on Thursday. The 23-year-old wasted no time as he launched a lead-off home run, which ended up being the game-winning run. Then, in the second inning, he hit a single and stole second base. After struggling in his rookie season last year, the former top prospect is clearly beginning to find his footing at the major league level. Across 44 games this season, he has posted a .273/.348/.432 slash line, which is significantly higher than his .209/.283/.383 line last year. Volpe was a 20/20 player last season and is on pace to repeat that feat this season. He has also consistently batted in the leadoff spot of a great Yankees lineup behind Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, which has done wonders for his counting stats. Volpe should continue to be a mainstay in your fantasy lineup all summer and is a solid choice in DFS in any matchup.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt tossed an eight-inning gem on Thursday afternoon as he kept the scoresheet clean and only allowed three hits with eight punchouts to clinch a series sweep over the Minnesota Twins. Schmidt never ran into any trouble, as all three hits were scattered throughout the afternoon. This was Schmidt's longest and most productive outing of the young season, which lowered his ERA to a solid 2.84 and his WHIP to 1.24. The 28-year-old has now won consecutive games and has struck out at least six batters through his three starts in May. Schmidt is rostered in just over half of fantasy leagues at 51% and should continue to be deployed in most matchups. He is tentatively scheduled to face the Seattle Mariners next Tuesday, May 21, which should be an excellent opportunity for Schmidt to continue to tally punchouts as the Seattle bats have struck out the most times in baseball.

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New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (illness) was scratched from Thursday's lineup against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies due to a stomach bug. Fantasy managers should consider Nimmo to be day-to-day and check back on Friday to see if he's available to play in the series opener in Miami against the Marlins. With Nimmo out, DJ Stewart is playing left field and is batting fifth, while outfielder Tyron Taylor is moving up to the leadoff spot with Harrison Bader getting a day to rest. The move makes Taylor more attractive as a DFS sleeper play for Thursday's slate against Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker. Nimmo is hitting a disappointing .215/.361/.396 on the year with six home runs, 27 RBI and 21 runs scored in 149 at-bats, but his xwOBA of .422 means he's an excellent buy-low candidate who has been squaring balls up regularly without much to show for it so far in 2024.

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Chicago Cubs middle infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Hoerner will miss a third straight game after being scratched from Tuesday's contest versus the Atlanta Braves with left-hamstring tightness. The 27-year-old remains day-to-day, but if his absence extends into the weekend against Pittsburgh, the Cubbies may have to consider placing him on the injured list. It would be bad news for Chicago's middle infield, as Dansby Swanson (knee) is already on the shelf with knee soreness. Miles Mastrobuoni is making another start at the 6 on Thursday and is hitting eighth against Pirates rookie right-hander Jared Jones. Both Mastrobuoni and Nick Madrigal, who is playing second, are weak DFS plays as middle infielders.

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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca is out of the starting lineup again on Thursday against the Red Sox in Boston at Fenway Park. Jose Siri is starting in center field again and is batting ninth against Red Sox right-hander Cooper Criswell. DeLuca has now been on the bench in three of the last four games as the Rays mix Siri back into center field on a more regular basis. It hasn't helped that both Josh Lowe and Jonathan Aranda have returned to the Rays recently. The 25-year-old DeLuca recently started nine games in a row in Tampa's outfield and is hitting .281 (9-for-32) with a homer, 10 RBI and two stolen bases in just 12 games in 2024. DeLuca could get another shot if an injury opens up more playing time, but for now, he appears to be the odd man out.

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Oakland Athletics first baseman Tyler Nevin and catcher Shea Langeliers are both getting a day off on Thursday in Houston against the Astros. Tyler Soderstrom will start at first base and bat cleanup, while Kyle McCann is doing the catching and will bat fifth against Astros right-hander Cristian Javier. Nevin had a nice little run in April but has gone 3-for-39 so far in the month of May, which has given Soderstrom more chances at first base. Soderstrom, meanwhile, has taken advantage by going 6-for-19 with a homer and three RBI in just six games played. This will be a regular off day for the 26-year-old Langeliers in a matinee affair. Langeliers has been much better in May, going 13-for-42 (.310) with three home runs and 11 RBI in 12 games to raise his season slash line to .218/.272/.496. McCann will be a DFS sleeper at catcher while he carries a .351 average (13-for-37) on the year with three home runs and eight RBI in just 15 games played.

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