Baltimore Orioles outfield/second base prospect Connor Norby is currently on a nine-game hitting streak with Triple-A Norfolk. During this stretch, he's slashing .412/.535/.706 with seven doubles, a home run, five RBI, and eight walks over 43 plate appearances. In total, he's hitting .292/.380/.518 on the season, with 14 doubles, eight homers, 29 RBI, and 22 walks over 195 plate appearances. Throughout the 2024 season, Norby has been alternating between second base, left field, and right field. The Orioles are stacked with young talent, making it hard for Norby to reach the big-league roster. However, they could be preparing him for a potential utility role when he's ultimately promoted.

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Cincinnati Reds outfielder Spencer Steer (ankle) is back in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the visiting San Diego Padres and right-hander Michael King, playing first base and batting sixth in the order. A sore ankle kept Steer out for the last two games, but he'll return for fantasy managers on Wednesday in the second game of the series. The 26-year-old right-handed hitter will be hoping to get on track at the plate after last appearing on Sunday as a pinch-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers. With Christian Encarnacion-Strand (wrist) currently on the injured list, Steer is likely going to continue seeing most of his playing time at first base. Steer is batting .224 (36-for-161) with four homers, 31 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 161 at-bats on the year. He remains useful in all fantasy formats for his power/speed combination in a dangerous Reds lineup.

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Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jake Fraley (hand) is not in the team's starting lineup for the second game of the series on Wednesday against the visiting San Diego Padres. Fraley was hit by a pitch on his right hand in the first inning of Tuesday's win over the Friars and was forced to leave the contest. The good news is that X-rays came back negative, but Fraley will take a seat for this one and yield right-field duties to Nick Martini, who was recalled from the minors on Tuesday. Martini is hitting seventh in the batting order against Padres right-hander Michael King. Fantasy managers that have been deploying Fraley in starting lineups will need to bench him and check back on Thursday to see if he's active for the series finale. Martini comes into Wednesday's game hitting just .177 (14-for-79) with three homers and 15 RBI this year for the Reds.

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Detroit Tigers right-hander Shelby Miller (elbow) completed a successful bullpen session on Tuesday. It was the first time that he had thrown off a mound since going on the injured list on May 13 with right ulnar nerve inflammation. The 33-year-old veteran will need to slowly build his arm back up with several more bullpen sessions before he's cleared to face live hitters in batting practice sessions or on a minor-league rehab assignment. Given the fact that Miller is now in a relief role, it shouldn't take him as long to return, which means he has a shot to come off the injured list before June. Miller isn't really on the fantasy radar at all and is currently 3-4 in 2024 with a 4.41 ERA (4.37 FIP) and 1.04 WHIP with six walks and 15 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings pitched in 15 appearances out of Detroit's bullpen.

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Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal (groin), outfielder Jack Suwinski and first baseman Rowdy Tellez are all sitting on Wednesday with the team facing San Francisco Giants left-hander Blake Snell, who is making his first start off the injured list. Joey Bart will do the catching and bat seventh, Michael Taylor is in center field and hitting ninth, and Connor Joe is at first base and batting third against Snell. Grandal left Tuesday's game against the Giants late with left-groin soreness. The Pirates have catcher Grant Koch on the taxi squad, so there's a chance the 35-year-old veteran could land on the injured list. With Henry Davis currently in the minors, Bart would become the team's primary backstop if Grandal is forced to miss more time.

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Detroit Tigers right-hander Kenta Maeda (illness) threw a bullpen session at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday and is lined up to start on Saturday or Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Maeda is attempting to return to the Tigers' starting rotation after landing on the injured list with a viral illness in mid-May. The 36-year-old veteran pitched in a minor-league rehab game last week and appears to be feeling good enough to rejoin the team this weekend. The matchup against Toronto isn't a bad one, but fantasy managers should still be very hesitant to throw Maeda back into the fire as a streamer this weekend. In seven starts before going on the shelf, the Japanese hurler went 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.40 WHIP with only 23 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings pitched.

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Detroit Tigers right-hander Reese Olson (hip) didn't throw his bullpen session on Wednesday and will instead throw his bullpen on Thursday at Comerica Park before he returns to the rotation to start against the Toronto Blue Jays this weekend. Olson was hit on his right hip by a comebacker in his last start on Monday against the Kansas City Royals, but the injury wasn't serious enough to cause him to miss his next turn through the rotation this weekend in a better matchup against Toronto. The 24-year-old former 13th-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018 has been outstanding for the Tigers and his fantasy managers so far this year, despite being 0-5. Olson is currently sporting a 2.16 ERA (2.82 FIP) and 1.06 WHIP while walking 16 and striking out 43 in 50 innings over his nine starts in just his second MLB season. Leave him in your starting lineups this weekend.

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Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick will get the day off in Wednesday's series finale against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. McCormick came off the injured list on Tuesday and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in the team's extra-inning win over the Halos, and he'll take a seat in just his second game back in the matinee affair. After a career year in 2023 in which he hit .273/.353/.489 with an .842 OPS, 22 home runs, 70 RBI and 19 stolen bases in 115 games, McCormick has started off slow in 2024 and is currently hitting just .227 (17-for-75) with no homers, eight RBI and two steals in 86 plate appearances over 22 games played. He'll be replaced in left field on Wednesday by Mauricio Dubon, who is hitting eighth against Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson. Dubon has two hits and an RBI in four career at-bats against Anderson but will be a low-upside sleeper in DFS lineups in the eight-hole.

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Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz is out of the team's starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. In his place, Victor Caratini will do the catching for right-hander Hunter Brown and will bat in the nine-hole for the Astros against Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson. With a scheduled day off coming on Thursday for Houston, fantasy managers should expect Diaz to be back in there on Friday for a series opener in Oakland against the Athletics. Diaz is currently slashing .264/.297/.385 with three home runs, 22 RBI and 18 runs scored in 174 at-bats as the Astros' primary catcher in 2024. The switch-hitting Caratini has gone 16-for-64 (.250) this year as the backup with two homers and 11 RBI. He's hitless in three career at-bats against Anderson and should be avoided in DFS lineups.

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Houston Astros first baseman Jose Abreu will remain in West Palm Beach and play Florida Complex League games on Wednesday and Thursday before reporting to Triple-A Sugar Land this weekend, according to manager Joe Espada. It was reported earlier this week that Abreu could rejoin the big-league roster by Friday for the series opener against the Oakland Athletics, but it looks like that won't be the case. The 37-year-old veteran Cuban slugger agreed to head to the minors after starting the 2024 season with a lowly .099 average (7-for-71) with no homers, three RBI and 18 strikeouts in his first 22 games. He's played in four games in the FCL so far, going 6-for-18 (.333) with two doubles and two RBI. When Abreu does return to the Astros, it could just be in a platoon role at first base with the left-handed-hitting Jon Singleton.

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Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe will head to the bench for Wednesday's contest as the Royals go for the sweep against the visiting Detroit Tigers in the series finale. Renfroe has gone 6-for-24 (.250) with a homer and five RBI in his last seven games since May 12, but overall he's been bad this year with a .160/.236/.282 slash line with four home runs, 18 RBI and 15 runs scored in 144 plate appearances over 43 games played in his first year in KC. With Renfroe on the bench, Dairon Blanco is getting the start in right field and will bat seventh against Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal. Blanco has three hits and two RBI in six career at-bats against Skubal. The 31-year-old Cuban outfielder has been useful for his speed this year in AL-only leagues, as he has 11 thefts in just 44 at-bats in 2024.

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Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (oblique) went 1-for-3 with a 449-foot home run, two runs scored and a walk in his first minor-league rehab game on Tuesday night for Triple-A Gwinnett while playing seven innings behind the plate. Not only was it a good sign to see the 29-year-old hit a no-doubt blast to straightaway center field in this one, he also stayed in the game longer than expected at catcher, so he must be feeling pretty good after suffering a Grade 1 left-oblique strain on March 29. In addition to his monstrous long ball, Murphy threw out the only runner that attempted to steal on him. Murphy will get Wednesday off before starting again on Thursday. He's likely to play in a couple more rehab games before coming off the injured list later this weekend. Murphy will probably be eased back in with the Braves, but his impending return is going to mean less playing time for Travis d'Arnaud.

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Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe is getting a breather on Wednesday in the series finale against the Astros in Houston. Matt Thaiss will do the catching for left-hander Tyler Anderson and will hit sixth in the batting order versus Astros right-hander Hunter Brown. With a scheduled off day coming for the Halos on Thursday, expect O'Hoppe to be back in action on Friday for a series opener back at home against the visiting Cleveland Guardians. The 24-year-old backstop has been solid offensively for the Angels so far this year, slashing .257/.317/.392 with four home runs, 22 RBI and 18 runs scored in 148 at-bats. Thaiss, a former first-rounder, has gone just 7-for-35 (.200) with no homers and three RBI in limited playing time as the backup to O'Hoppe in 2024.

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Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz is taking the day off during Wednesday's matinee contest for the series finale against the visiting Minnesota Twins. With Ruiz on the bench, Riley Adams will do the catching for right-hander Jake Irvin and bat eighth against Twins rookie right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson. Ruiz dealt with a pretty serious illness early this year that caused him to lose over 10 pounds, so perhaps that's why he's been such a disappointment so far in 2024. The 25-year-old switch-hitting Venezuelan backstop is slashing .160/.198/.236 with only two home runs, seven RBI and seven runs scored in 106 at-bats. Adams has been slightly better, going 16-for-69 (.232) with two home runs and six RBI. The 27-year-old will be a low-upside sleeper in DFS at catcher.

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New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty is back on the bench on Wednesday in the series finale in Cleveland against the Guardians against a right-handed pitcher. Mark Vientos is getting another start at the hot corner in his place and is hitting sixth against Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie. Baty, who is hitting .228 (31-for-136) on the year with three home runs and 15 RBI, is quickly losing playing time at third base to Vientos, who homered on Tuesday night, amidst his offensive struggles. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter has just two hits and 12 strikeouts in his last 26 plate appearances in nine games since May 10. At this point, not even Baty's stellar defensive play at third can save him from losing playing time. It's still early in the year but Baty currently has lost the hold on the starting job at third in New York.

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Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar had a big night despite his team losing on Tuesday night versus the Oakland Athletics. The 22-year-old went 2-for-5 on the evening with both of his hits being solo homeruns. Tovar has had a rollercoaster of a season, but has caught fire over the past two week with 18 hits over his last 54 at-bats to go along with four homers and nine RBI. Tovar is aggressive at the plate and draws his fair share of strikeouts, but he has also been making good contact. The Rockies will be home for six straight games after their series with the Athletics on Thursday and should be all lineups as he continues to swing a hot bat.

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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jon Gray will undergo a MRI after being removed early from Tuesday's start with a right groin injury. The veteran tossed five innings on 75 pitches before being pulled from the game. Manager Bruce Bochy said that Gray was experiencing tightness in his right groin and it wasn't worth it to keep pushing Gray and potentially injure him more. It seems like the move to remove Gray was more of a precaution than anything, but his MRI will determine the true extent of his injury. Bochy expect Gray to be able to make his next start versus the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. If Gray does miss time, Jack Leiter would be an option for a spot start.

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Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner returned to the lineup on Tuesday after missing the previous six games with a hamstring injury and made an immediate impact versus the Atlanta Braves. Despite only having one hit in five at-bats, it was a huge one in the bottom of the 10th inning to walk it off for the Cubbies with a RBI single. Hoerner is a strong middle infield option with ability to help across the board with a .267 batting average accompanied by two homers, 13 RBI and five stolen bases. He will look to keep things going in Game 2 of Chicago's series versus the Atlanta Braves and Max Fried on Wednesday.

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Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker put together a monster game against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday evening. Tucker went 2-for-4 with three runs, one walk and two homeruns to help lead the Astros to their 22nd victory of the season. The Astros have struggled this season, but Tucker has been doing his part for the club and fantasy managers. On the season, Tucker has hit .293 with 17 homers, 36 RBI and nine stolen bases to go along with a shiny 1.074 OPS. Tucker is putting up some of the best numbers of any player in the game this season and has the most homeruns in the league. He should continue to make fantasy managers happy moving forward.

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Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz had a big night in Tuesday's victory versus the San Francisco Giants. Cruz went 3-for-5 on the evening with two doubles, one single and a RBI. The 6'7 shortstop brought plenty of thunder with the bat as his three hits were recorded at 121.5 mph, 120.4 mph, and 116.3 mph. Cruz has been hitting the ball hard this season, but has been up and down in the production department. Overall, Cruz has hit .260 with seven homers, 19 RBI and four stolen bases. Cruz has the ability to help across the board and Tuesday's showing is a perfect example of that, he just needs to be more consistent. Regardless, he remains a starting shortstop in most formats moving forward.

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