Oakland Athletics right-hander Joe Boyle (back) allowed four runs on four hits while walking four and striking out three in 2 1/3 innings in his second minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday. He threw 25 of his 43 pitches for strikes and averaged 100.1 mph with his four-seam fastball, which he threw 28 times. Manager Mark Kotsay said that Boyle feels like he has "turned a corner" with his back injury, which put him on the 15-day injured list on May 6. The 24-year-old didn't even record an out in his first rehab start last week, so Wednesday's outing was definitely an improvement. The A's are probably going to have Boyle make another rehab start or two, but the hard-throwing right-hander is nearing a return. Boyle had struggled in seven starts before his back injury cropped up, posting a 7.16 ERA and 1.73 WHIP with 29 K's and 23 walks in 27 2/3 innings for the A's.

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Oakland Athletics right-hander Paul Blackburn (foot) was still in a walking boot as of Tuesday. Manager Mark Kotsay said that Blackburn will probably be re-evaluated when the team returns to Oakland to open its next homestand on June 4 against the division-rival Seattle Mariners. Blackburn was placed on the injured list with a right-foot stress reaction and doesn't appear to be very close to a return. The 30-year-old's IL stint is retroactive to May 11, but as of right now, it looks like he won't return to the A's until the middle of June. At best, Blackburn will be deep-league streaming option when the matchups are right when he's healthy. Before injuring his foot, he went 3-2 with a 4.11 ERA (4.16 FIP) and 1.15 WHIP with 36 strikeouts and 13 walks in 46 innings over his eight starts.

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Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan (hamstring) appears to be on the verge of being reinstated from the 10-day injured list. The 26-year-old outfielder went 1-for-2 with an RBI, three runs scored, a stolen base and two walks in a minor-league rehab game with Triple-A Columbus on Thursday. Kwan played in two games for High-A Lake County before moving his rehab assignment to Columbus. If the Guardians have seen enough from Kwan in the minors, they could certainly activate him from the injured list in time to return to the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the Washington Nationals. Once he's back, Kwan will be a must-start in all fantasy formats. The former fifth-rounder in 2018 out of Oregon State uses a contact-based approach at the plate and is currently slashing an exceptional .353/.407/.496 with a .903 OPS in 133 at-bats in 2024.

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New York Yankees right-hander Cody Poteet (finger) will make the start on Saturday against the San Francisco Giants after the Yankees placed right-hander Clarke Schmidt (lat) on the 15-day injured list on Thursday. Poteet had been dealing with a blister on his finger at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but manager Aaron Boone said he's good to go for this weekend. The 29-year-old had a quality start and a win in his lone start in the big leagues for the Yankees this year, allowing one earned run while walking none and striking out four in six innings against the Cleveland Guardians on April 13. At Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he's gone 3-0 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with a 38:11 K:BB in 33 1/3 innings over seven starts. Poteet should be sufficiently stretched out and will only be worth a look as a fantasy streamer in much deeper leagues.

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The St. Louis Cardinals placed outfielder Lars Nootbaar (oblique) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 30) with a left-oblique strain on Friday and recalled infielder Jose Fermin from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Nootbaar is most likely going to miss more than 10 days after injuring himself on a check swing during the win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. The oft-injured 26-year-old opened the year on the IL as well due to fractured ribs and has been very frustrating to roster in fantasy. He's still worth holding onto if you have the room in deeper leagues, though, as he was hitting a strong .313/.418/.552 with four home runs in his last 79 plate appearances. Nootbaar's injury will mean more consistent playing time for Alec Burleson and Dylan Carlson, as well as veteran Matt Carpenter.

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St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Giovanny Gallegos (shoulder) will start a minor-league rehab assignment on Friday with Triple-A Memphis. Gallegos is nearing a return to St. Louis' big-league bullpen after being put on the injured list in early May due to a right-shoulder impingement. If the 32-year-old Mexican reliever can avoid any setbacks on his rehab assignment this weekend, he could return to the Cardinals' bullpen early next week. Gallegos will be hoping to be more effective as a late-inning setup man in front of closer Ryan Helsley when he returns, as he had surrendered 12 earned runs on 14 hits (five home runs) while walking seven and striking out 13 in just nine relief innings for the Red Birds before landing on the shelf. The Cardinals aren't going to rush him back until he's ready.

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The New York Mets acquired catcher Luis Torrens from the New York Yankees on Friday in exchange for cash considerations and designated catcher Omar Narvaez in a corresponding move, according to sources. Narvaez was hitting just .154 this year with five RBI in 28 games, while Torrens has spent the 2024 campaign so far with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hitting .279/.339/.469 with an .807 OPS, five home runs and 19 RBI in 30 games played. The Mets are just trying to get by right now at the catcher position with Francisco Alvarez (thumb) still on the injured list. The 28-year-old Torrens will now serve as the direct backup to Tomas Nido with Narvaez out of the picture. Torrens can be ignored in fantasy leagues with a .227 career batting average and 19 home runs in six big-league seasons with three different teams.

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Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch will not be in the starting lineup for Friday's matinee affair against the visiting division-rival Cincinnati Reds. Cody Bellinger is making the start at first base and will bat third, while rookie Pete-Crow Armstrong is in center field and is hitting in the eight-hole against Reds right-hander Graham Ashcraft. Bellinger is swinging a hot bat right now for fantasy managers and has a solo home run in two career at-bats against Ashcraft. The Cubs recalled Crow-Armstrong from the minors on Thursday, which means the 26-year-old Busch could see more frequent time on the bench if the team is adamant about getting Crow-Armstrong consistent playing time. Outside of homering in five straight games early in the season, Busch has disappointed in the month of May and is hitting .208 (15-for-72) with two homers, six RBI and 32 K's in 85 plate appearances.

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The New York Mets optioned right-handed rookie Christian Scott to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, according to sources, further changing their roster a day after designating reliever Jorge Lopez for assignment following his ejection and glove-fling into the stands on Wednesday. In his first five major-league starts this year, Scott had a decent 3.90 ERA while striking out 25 hitters and walking six in 27 2/3 innings. He's expected to return to the big leagues soon, as the stint in the minors aligns with an upcoming stretch in which the Mets have extra days off due to their upcoming trip to London. Scott is considered the team's No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, so fantasy managers should keep him stashed if they have the room. This quick demotion will allow the Mets to limit the 24-year-old's innings a bit before he eventually rejoins the big-league rotation.

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The New York Mets sent struggling third baseman Brett Baty to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, according to sources. The 24-year-old is being sent down to the farm for the second straight season after struggling to stand out given full-time repetitions at third. Mark Vientos had recently taken a share of Baty's at-bats at third base and has made the most of them, hitting .295/.354/.591 with three home runs in 14 games. Baty, meanwhile, is slashing .225/.304/.325 on the year. With Baty heading down to the farm, Vientos will presumably now have third base to himself, while the Mets recalled veteran shortstop Jose Iglesias for additional infield depth. Iglesias will be joining the big-league roster for the first time since signing a minor-league deal in December. Baty should have a chance to come back up to New York and reclaim playing time at the hot corner, but when that may be is unknown.

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Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's victory against the Boston Red Sox. Baddoo was recently recalled from Triple-A Toledo with outfielder Kerry Carpenter (back) being placed on the 10-day injured list. Baddoo has been a popular preseason pick for managers over the past few seasons, but has failed to live up to expectations throughout his career. With Carpenter sidelined, Baddoo should continue to see at-bats versus right-handed pitching, but he will need to string together some good games before managers have reason to take a chance with him. Baddoo will look to keep it going on Friday in a tough matchup versus Tanner Houck and the Boston Red Sox.

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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has had his stay on administrative leave extended to July 14. Franco's original had an end date of June 1. Franco has been on leave since last August with allegations of having an inappropriate relationship with a minor. The extension allows more time for any developments in his case, while he will continue to receive $2 million in salary from the Rays. Authorities have until July 5 to formally charge Franco and there should be plenty of development until then with the case. Franco was one of the young stars on the rise in the big-leagues in 2023, but his off the field allegations have likely ended his career.

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Philadelphia Phillies outfield prospect Justin Crawford went 3-5 at the plate on Thursday with a long ball, one swiped bag, and four RBI to increase his hitting streak to seven games. Throughout these seven games, Crawford has tallied at least two hits and stolen one base in four of them. The former first-round selection got a small taste of High-A ball last summer and logged 18 games with a solid .288/.366/.425 line. This season, he holds a similar .286/.341/.404 line across 39 games. Crawford is ranked as the number four prospect in Philadelphia on MLB Pipeline and is projected to reach the majors sometime in 2026. The 20-year-old is a name to monitor in dynasty leagues as he is showing elite speed and contact skills.

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Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Colin Rea earned a no-decision in Thursday's outing versus the division rival Chicago Cubs. Rea pitched well for the most part and it was a solo home run by Cody Bellinger in the top of the first inning that would be the lone damage against the veteran. Rea's final line on the evening would be five hits, one run, one walk and five strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. Rea has made two good starts in a row, but his season has been inconsistent overall. Rea is best suited as a streamer in favorable matchups and will carry a 3.77 ERA into next weeks starts versus a tough Philadelphia Phillies offense.

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Making his third appearance of the season and first start, Oakland Athletics pitcher Hogan Harris held his own in a no-decision versus the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday. Harris went 5 2/3 innings and allowed four hits, three runs (one earned), three walks and recorded seven strikeouts on the afternoon. Harris has pitched as both a starter and reliever in his career and would be lined up to face the Seattle Mariners next week, if he remains in the rotation. Harris is nothing more than a streamer at this point and can remain on the waiver wire.

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Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's victory versus the Boston Red Sox. The homer gives Greene 10 on the season to accompany 22 RBI and a .234 batting average. The talented outfielder was a popular name amongst the fantasy community entering the season, but has been more inconsistent than managers would prefer. The power is nice, but after hitting .280 with six homers and 14 RBI in April, Greene has hit a weak .208 with three homers and seven RBI in May. Overall, Greene should continue to provide power numbers and his month of April is more accurate of what his numbers should be moving forward.

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Kansas City Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez went 1-for-3 with a walk and solo home run in Thursday's loss against the division rival Minnesota Twins. Melendez crushed a first-pitch fastball 416 feet off Caleb Thielber in the top of the fourth inning to extend the Royals lead to 4-0 at the time, but it would not be enough. With his homer, Melendez picked up his first RBI on the road in 2024. The 25-year-old entered the season with high hopes, but has struggling through the first third of the season with a .176 batting average to go along with five home runs, 13 RBI and two stolen bases. Having catcher eligibility on most platforms helps Melendez, but his overall struggles make him replaceable for a hot bat on the waiver wire this far into the season.

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Washington Nationals starting pitcher Josiah Gray (elbow/forearm) threw a live bullpen session on Thursday. The 2023 All-Star threw 76 pitches in his session and is another step closer to returning to the big-league club. Gray got lit up in his first two starts of the season before being placed on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow/forearm flexor strain. Manager Dave Martinez spoke on Wednesday and would like to see Gray have one more bullpen session in the next five days before the club determines the next move. Gray still has some work to be done, but could be a valuable end of the rotation arm in deeper leagues when healthy.

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New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge continued his hot month of May on Thursday versus the Los Angeles Angels. The slugger went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer in the team's victory and has now hit 12 homers in May. Judge got off to a sluggish start in April, but May has been a complete 180 for the former MVP. Judge is now hitting .273 with 18 homers, 41 RBI and a pair of stolen bases on the season. His month of May will be hard to replicate, but Judge remains one of the best power hitters in the game and being part of a potent offense like the Yankees will continue to help him score and drive in many more runs as the season continues. Judge will look to keep it going as his month wraps up with a matchup versus fireballer Jordan Hicks on the road in San Francisco.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Alexander Canario launched two home runs on Thursday evening, a feat he has accomplished twice this week. The 24-year-old has been swinging a hot bat lately with Triple-A and is nearing a return to the major leagues. Since May 18, the young outfielder has posted a .326/404/.826 line with six home runs, 13 RBI, one stolen base, and a 6:12 BB:K ratio. Canario has gotten a small taste of the majors earlier this spring and last season and held an overall .282/.333/.538 line with two home runs. While he should be back in Chicago later this summer, the Cubs have a surplus of outfielders, which could limit his playing time once again. For now, Canario should be left on waiver wires but could be worth stashing if he is eventually given a full-time role.

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