Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (elbow) successfully threw a 50-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday. Williams said he didn't feel any lingering effects following his first bullpen session since receiving an anti-inflammatory injection, and he's scheduled to throw his next bullpen on Friday. The 24-year-old former top prospect is working his way back from discomfort in his right elbow after being shut down in late April, and it remains unclear when he'll resume his rehab assignment at this point. Williams should still be an option in Cleveland's rotation sometime in June, and fantasy managers who can afford the stash should be holding the right-hander after he posted a 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 81:37 K:BB across 82 innings (16 starts) for the Guards in his rookie season in 2023. In the meantime, veterans Carlos Carrasco and Ben Lively will keep battling to hold down spots in the rotation.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs (elbow) threw a two-inning live batting practice session on Wednesday and will next pitch in a Rookie-level Florida Complex League game on Monday. It'll be big step forward in Springs' recovery from last April's Tommy John surgery when the hurler returns to game action on Monday, and considering his rehab assignment is on the verge of beginning, there's a chance he'll be built back up and ready to rejoin Tampa Bay's injury-depleted rotation before the end of June. Over his last three seasons (196 innings), the 31-year-old left-hander owns an outstanding 2.53 ERA (3.14 FIP), 1.03 WHIP, and 231:49 K:BB and can be stashed in deep competitive leagues. Veteran right-hander Zack Littell is functioning as a starter for the Rays for the time being, and he's worthy of streaming consideration when facing a favorable matchup.

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Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (oblique) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week, which could start as early as Monday. This is a very encouraging development for the Braves, who lost Murphy to a strained left oblique all the way back on Opening Day. The 29-year-old All-Star backstop has remained sidelined with the injury far longer than it was originally anticipated, but he's back on course to get back behind the dish for Atlanta sometime in late May if all goes well. Fantasy managers who have been streaming Travis d'Arnaud probably should start making other arrangements, but with the veteran slashing a strong .260/.342/.510 with five home runs, 10 doubles, and 16 RBI over 100 at-bats this year, he remains a hold in two-catcher leagues until Murphy returns.

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Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that second baseman Brandon Lowe's (oblique) visit with a specialist on Tuesday brought "good news," as the infielder's imaging showed he's healing and heading in the right direction. It's just an issue of pain tolerance as Lowe recuperates from a strained right oblique, but he'll return to St. Petersburg for what the Rays hope to be a short stay. Lowe will then resume swinging and return to minor-league rehab games, and the 29-year-old righty masher still appears to be on track to return to Tampa Bay sometime in late May if all goes well. Before going down, Lowe went 5-for-27 with one home run and four RBI in eight games this year and is only a modest fantasy stash. In his absence, Amed Rosario and Richie Palacios have formed a platoon for at-bats at second base.

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Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez (back) is listed as the probable starter for Sunday's matchup against the visiting San Diego Padres. After exiting Monday's appearance against the Chicago Cubs following 71 pitches due to back tightness, Lopez is good to go for his next scheduled start and won't need to miss any time. The hard-throwing 30-year-old right-hander has been a pleasant surprise out of Atlanta's rotation over seven starts in 2024, compiling a 1.34 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 40:16 K:BB in 40 1/3 innings thus far during his first season with the Braves. With that said, Lopez owns a 3.72 xERA on Baseball Savant and could be in for some regression at some point. The Padres entered Wednesday's action ranking fifth in the major leagues in both average (.255) and runs scored (211) covering 45 games.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock (oblique) looked sharp in Wednesday's minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Worcester, throwing 4 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts while allowing just two hits and one walk. After throwing 40 of his 61 pitches for strikes on Wednesday, Whitlock should be good to go for a return to Boston's rotation as early as Monday's series opener against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The 27-year-old right-hander recorded a 1.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 17:4 K:BB through four starts (18 1/3 innings) before suffering a strained left oblique, and he should probably be rostered in the majority of leagues with his return on the horizon. Fantasy managers might want to take a wait-and-see approach before activating Whitlock if he faces the Rays in his first start back, considering the hurler gave up nine runs over 9 2/3 frames (two starts) against Tampa last year.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Jordan Beck belted his first major-league home run in Wednesday's blowout win over the division-rival San Diego Padres, totaling five RBI during a three-hit afternoon. Filling in for the injured Nolan Jones (back) at the moment, Beck hit a two-run double off Padres right-hander Michael King in the second inning before homering in the sixth for two more RBI to get the rout fully underway. The 23-year-old top prospect is still hitting just .235 (12-for-51) with the aforementioned long ball, two doubles, six RBI, and one stolen base across 15 games since his promotion on April 30, so he'll likely need to find more success at the plate in order to avoid being optioned back to the minor leagues when Jones or Kris Bryant (back) rejoin Colorado's outfield in the near future.

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Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) played some catch on Wednesday before the team's game against the visiting Cleveland Guardians. It's the first baseball activity that Jung has done since he had surgery on April 2 to fix a fractured right wrist. It's good progress for the 26-year-old right-handed slugger, but it's just the start for Jung as he looks to overcome his wrist injury. Once he's able to hit live pitching, then Jung could be close to going on a minor-league rehab assignment. Barring any setbacks along the way in his rehab from wrist surgery, Jung could be an option to return as Texas' starting third baseman around the middle of June. The former eighth overall pick in 2019 out of Texas Tech was an All-Star in his first full season last year in Texas, hitting .266 (127-for-478) with 23 homers and 70 RBI in 122 games. Jung has developed a reputation for being injury-prone early in his career, but he should still be rostered in all fantasy formats while he recovers.

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Texas Rangers rookie outfielder Wyatt Langford (hamstring) ran the arc of the infielder before Wednesday's game against the visiting Cleveland Guardians. It comes after Langford said on Monday that he has been able to run at around 85-90 percent intensity as he rehabs from a strained right hamstring that was expected to keep him out for three to four weeks. The 22-year-old fourth overall pick last year out of Florida began swinging a bat last Friday, but the Rangers aren't going to rush their prized outfield prospect back too soon. In his first 31 major-league games before going on the injured list, Langford went 26-for-116 (.224) with a home run, 11 RBI, a stolen base and 13 runs scored. Despite his slow start, Langford's sky-high upside makes him stash-worthy in all fantasy formats.

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The Chicago White Sox acquired outfielder Corey Julks from the Houston Astros on Wednesday in exchange for right-hander Luis Rodriguez. The White Sox then optioned Julks to Triple-A Charlotte, recalled outfielder Dominic Fletcher from Charlotte and designated outfielder Rafael Ortega for assignment. While Julks will head to the minors, he's now in a better situation in Chicago to have a shot at playing time at the big-league level later this year. The 28-year-old former eighth-round pick by the Astros in 2017 out of the University of Houston made his major-league debut in 2023 and went 73-for-298 (.245) with six home runs, 33 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 93 games. In 31 games for Triple-A Sugar Land before the trade, he was hitting .266/.358/.444 with an .802 OPS, five homers, 15 RBI and six steals. If he surfaces with Chicago this summer, he'll be worth grabbing in AL-only leagues for his speed.

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Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) is doing some baserunning on Wednesday for the first time since suffering a Grade 2 sprain of his left MCL three weeks ago. Thomas isn't running at 100 percent yet, but it didn't look like he was at much less than full speed on Wednesday. It sounds as though Thomas is getting very close to embarking on a minor-league rehab assignment, although the Nationals could want to see him play in at least a handful of games given his long layoff. Still, the 28-year-old could return from the injured list before the end of May, barring any setbacks. Thomas was hitting just .184 (16-for-87) with two homers and 10 RBI before his injury, but he also contributed 11 stolen bases in just 22 games and was a 20-20 player in 2023. He should not be floating around on the waiver wire in any fantasy league.

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The plan is for New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (foot) to start a minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday or Friday with Double-A Somerset. LeMahieu will need a decent amount of games in the minors since he hasn't played in nearly two months. However, he did get some more live at-bats at the team's spring training complex on Wednesday. The 35-year-old veteran has yet to play in 2024 due to an injured right foot that just hasn't healed completely. LeMahieu had already started a rehab assignment late in April before playing in just one game before he was shut down. But he's ramped up his baseball activities of late and could finally be on the cusp of making his season debut with the Bombers. When LeMahieu finally returns, he'll likely be eased into playing time at third base in the Bronx. The three-time All-Star will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2023 season in which he hit only .243 (121-for-497) with 15 home runs and 44 RBI.

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San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow) threw a light bullpen session on Monday, marking the first time he'd done so since he was placed on the 15-day injured list after his May 1 start due to right-elbow inflammation. Musgrove is scheduled for another bullpen on Wednesday, with manager Mike Shildt noting that if all goes well, Musgrove is trending toward making his return during the team's series from May 17-20 in Atlanta against the Braves. Musgrove has had a tough season to this point, sporting a 6.37 ERA in eight starts, but his most recent outing was his sharpest, when he gave up just two runs and struck out nine in six innings of work against the Cincinnati Reds. The 31-year-old veteran still has time to turn things around and should be plucked off the waiver wire if he's available in your league, although starting him this weekend if he returns to face the Braves would be a risky proposition.

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Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco will not appeal his automatic 10-day suspension, according to general manager Dana Brown. Blanco will begin serving his suspension on Wednesday and will miss his next scheduled start after his glove was confiscated during his start on Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics when umpires found a foreign substance on his leather. The 30-year-old was ejected after three shutout innings against the A's and now won't be eligible to pitch again until May 26. An already beat-up Astros pitching staff will now be even more thinned out over the next 10 days, although right-hander Jose Urquidy (forearm) is nearing his return. Blanco has been a revelation this year for Houston and fantasy managers, already throwing a no-hitter while sporting a 2.09 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 21 walks and 45 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings over his eight starts.

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Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt made easy work of the Cincinnati Reds during Wednesday's game. The 25-year-old recorded nine strikeouts, allowing two hits, and only one run in a no-decision. The only damage was a solo shot by Santiago Espinal in the fifth inning. Pfaadt will carry a 4.17 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 51/10 K/BB ratio across nine starts into his next outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (groin) was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left-groin strain on Wednesday. Lodolo last pitched on Saturday in a loss to the San Francisco Giants, when he allowed four earned runs on five hits in six innings. He felt the injury following a side bullpen session before that appearance. Over six starts in 2024, Lodolo has gone 3-2 with a solid 3.34 ERA and 0.94 WHIP while striking out 43 with nine walks in 35 innings. It's not considered a major injury, but the Reds wanted to put him on the IL as a precaution, especially since he made just seven starts in 2023 with a stress fracture in his left tibia. Fantasy managers should keep the former first-rounder stashed in all fantasy formats for his high-strikeout upside. The Reds haven't named a replacement for Lodolo's start on Thursday against the Dodgers, but swingman Nick Martinez is expected to get "significant innings" on Thursday, according to manager David Bell.

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Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman came up clutch for his team during Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The switch-hitting smacked a two-run walkoff home run in the ninth to give the O's the win. This marked his second career walkoff blast and his third home run in his last four games. Rutschman continues to prove why he's arguably the best catcher in baseball right now. His OPS has jumped from .781 to .859 over the last three games.

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Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet has looked sharp on the mound over his last few starts. On Wednesday, Crochet recorded six strikeouts over five scoreless innings during the win over the Washington Nationals. He held the Nats hitters to three hits and three walks during this game. Crochet has now posted four straight solid outings after a couple of bad starts to open the season. He'll take a 4.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 70/12 K/BB ratio into his next start against the Toronto Blue Jays.

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Miami Marlins outfielder Bryan De La Cruz has been one of the few bright spots for this team early in the season. On Wednesday, De La Cruz blasted a two-run home run off right-hander Casey Mize during the opening frame. The homer from De La Cruz was enough for the Marlins as they won the game 2-0. De La Cruz now has nine home runs, 24 RBI, and one steal this season. He has put together a nice breakout campaign early in the season.

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Miami Marlins starting pitcher Trevor Rogers posted a solid outing during Wednesday's game against the Detroit Tigers. The southpaw threw five shutout innings, allowing three hits, and a pair of walks in the win. Rogers has struggled throughout most of the season, but hopefully this performance will help him get back on track. He recorded six strikeouts in this game, which is his most since early April. Rogers will take a 5.79 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, and 37/19 K/BB ratio into his next start against the Milwaukee Brewers.

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