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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Baltimore Orioles infield prospect Coby Mayo (undisclosed), the team's No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was removed from the game on Thursday with Triple-A Norfolk as a precaution after he collided with part of the third base dugout. It's unclear exactly what type of injury Mayo is dealing with, but it doesn't sound serious. Fantasy managers stashing Mayo in their leagues will want to check back for more information later on Thursday or on Friday. The 22-year-old former fourth-round selection by the O's in 2020 entered Thursday's game with a strong .282/.353/.594 slash line with a .947 OPS, 13 home runs, 37 RBI, three steals and 29 runs scored in 41 games for the Tides. Mayo has been pushing for his first big-league promotion, but this injury could set him back some. The stacked nature of Baltimore's big-league roster will make it hard for Mayo to carve out significant playing time if he does get the call at any point in 2024.

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Oakland Athletics left-hander Ken Waldichuk (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday in Los Angeles with Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Waldichuk will miss the rest of the 2024 season and probably won't be a candidate to return to games until around midseason in 2025. The 26-year-old southpaw was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his left elbow last October and underwent a minor surgery last year with hopes that he could avoid Tommy John surgery. That didn't end up being the case, so Waldichuk will be shut down for the foreseeable future. The former fifth-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2019 out of Saint Mary's has recorded a 5.28 ERA (5.10 FIP) and 1.49 WHIP with 81 walks and 165 strikeouts in 175 2/3 innings over 42 appearances (29 starts) in his two major-league seasons in Oakland.

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Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong and outfielder Tyler O'Neill will not be in the team's starting lineup on Thursday against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Reese McGuire will catch Cooper Criswell and will bat seventh, while Rob Refsnyder will start in left field and hit in the No. 3 spot against Rays right-hander Zack Littell. Wong is hitting a remarkable .340/.370/.530 with five home runs and 15 RBI in his first 100 at-bats in 2024, but with an xBA of .340, he leads all of baseball with the biggest different in actual average and xBA, so fantasy managers should expect some eventual regression in that department. He also has an wOBA of .391 and an xwOBA of .309. O'Neill could use a day off after striking out seven total times in the last two games to drop his season line to .256/.371/.554 with a .924 OPS, 10 home runs and 16 RBI in 121 at-bats.

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Philadelphia Phillies middle infielder Bryson Stott and outfielder Johan Rojas will both retreat to the bench on Thursday against the visiting New York Mets. With Stott out, Whit Merrifield will make the start at second base and bat sixth against Mets left-hander Jose Quintana. Cristian Pache will play center field for the Phillies and bat out of the nine-hole. Despite hitting .294 (10-for-34) against southpaws this year, Stott will get the day off to rest. He's been hot to start the month of May while picking up offensively slack with Trea Turner (hamstring) out, as Stott has gone 14-for-34 (.412) with a homer, 12 RBI and five stolen bases since May 3. He should be back at second base on Friday for the start of a series against the visiting Washington Nationals. Merrifield has struggled to hit this year, batting .188 (15-for-80) with two homers, four RBI and four steals.

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New York Mets outfielder Harrison Bader and catcher Tomas Nido are both taking the day off on Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Tyron Taylor is getting the start in center field and is batting fifth, while Omar Narvaez is doing the catching and will hit ninth against Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker. So far this month, Bader is 8-for-34 (.235) with a double, no RBI, four walks and 11 strikeouts in 11 games to drop his season line to .265/.312/.316. The former third-round pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015 out of Florida has been pretty mediocre offensively to this point, but he's been known to go on streaks and could heat up at any moment for the Mets. Taylor has a hit and an RBI in three career at-bats against Walker and has gone 22-for-81 (.272) in the early going with two homers and three steals.

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The New York Mets optioned left-hander Joey Lucchesi to Triple-A Syracuse after Wednesday night's game and recalled left-hander Josh Walker from Syracuse in a corresponding move. In his spot start on Wednesday versus the division-rival, Lucchesi didn't fare well, allowing five runs over 4 1/3 innings of work while walking four and striking out two to take the loss. The 30-year-old southpaw was making his season debut for the Mets, but now he'll head back to the minors to serve as starting pitching depth for the organization. Walker, 29, will give the Mets' bullpen a fresh arm. He made his big-league debut last year and had an 8.10 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in just 10 innings. So far in 2024, Walker has tossed three shutout innings in relief while walking one and striking out three for the Mets.

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The Oakland Athletics acquired right-hander Brandon Bielak from the Houston Astros on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations. The move comes after the Astros had designated Bielak for assignment. The 28-year-old will stay in the American League West and will take his 5.71 ERA and 1.76 WHIP in 17 1/3 relief innings to the Bay Area. Bielak has spent all five of his big-league seasons with the Astros since debuting in the big leagues in 2020. Over that time, he's posted a 4.65 ERA (5.25 FIP), a 1.52 WHIP, one save, 85 walks and 155 strikeouts in 191 2/3 innings over 70 appearances (21 starts). Bielak has some starting experience, but he's unlikely to be used as anything more than a spot starter with the A's when their rotation needs some help.

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The Los Angeles Angels reinstated infielder Luis Rengifo (illness) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and optioned infielder Niko Goodrum and right-hander Davis Daniel to Triple-A Salt Lake after Wednesday night's game in a corresponding move. Rengifo missed over a week with a viral illness that caused painful blisters on his feet. Now that the 27-year-old is recovered, he should return to everyday duties at third base for the Halos, starting on Friday for their series opener against the Rangers in Texas. Rengifo is due some regression after starting the year with a .330/.378/.462 slash line with two home runs and nine stolen bases in 28 games, but the fact that he's going to play regularly makes him at least a middle-infield bench option in deep-mixed fantasy leagues. He's most useful for his speed in AL-only formats.

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Houston Astros right-hander Luis Garcia (elbow) threw another bullpen session on Wednesday as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery that he had in May of 2023. Garcia started throwing bullpens in April and is taking a slow progression to eventually go out on a minor-league rehab assignment. The expectation is that he will be able to rejoin Houston's starting rotation at some point in the middle of the season. The 27-year-old will mostly likely not be activated from the injured list until the second half of the season after the All-Star break in mid-July. When healthy, Garcia has been quite intriguing for fantasy managers because of his ability to create plenty of swings and misses. However, given his long layoff, you should temper expectations for him in 2024 as he returns from Tommy John surgery.

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Houston Astros infielder Zach Dezenzo (wrist), the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, was limited in major-league camp during spring training with a wrist injury and remains on a slow rehab plan. Dezenzo appeared in 31 games last year at High-A Asheville and 63 games for Double-A Corpus Christi, where he hit .257 with 14 home runs and 41 RBI as a third baseman. The 24-year-old opened the year on Corpus Christi's seven-day injured list. Despite the power he displayed at Double-A last year, Dezenzo also struck out nearly 30 percent of the time. He has above-average raw power from the right side of the plate that could allow him to hit 30-plus home runs over a full season. Dezenzo's primary goal right now is just getting healthy, though.

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Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick (hamstring) played in his second straight minor-league rehab game on Wednesday with Double-A Corpus Christi and went 0-for-4 as the designated hitter. McCormick went 0-for-2 in five innings in center field on Tuesday after going 2-for-5 in his first rehab game on Sunday for Triple-A Sugar Land. He'll have the day off on Thursday before playing for Corpus Christi again on Friday. If the 29-year-old outfielder comes out of Friday's game fine, there's a good chance the Astros will reinstate him from the injured list and have him available for Saturday's contest against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers. When he returns to the majors, McCormick will continue to battle for playing time in Houston's outfield as a platoon option. Through his first 72 at-bats in 2024, he's hit .236 (17-for-72) and is still searching for his first home run.

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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (hip) has started a spring training-type progression at the team's spring complex in Port Charlotte, Fla., which will take about two weeks before he starts getting into games. Manager Kevin Cash said the team received a "very good report" from Walls' visit with Dr. J.W. Thomas Byrd on April 1. But given the amount of time that Walls has missed, it's likely he'll have to recreate a progression similar to spring training when he returns to game action. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 20 after having surgery on Oct. 27 of last year to fix a labral tear and to relieve discomfort from an impingement in his right hit. It's something that Walls had been dealing with for more than a year. It's unclear what Walls' role will be when he eventually returns to the majors, but it's likely to be a bench role.

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New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (foot) will do a full workout on Thursday at Double-A Somerset with the expectation being that he will start his minor-league assignment on Friday. LeMahieu went on a rehab assignment in the minors last month before being shut down after just one game due to renewed soreness in his right foot, so hopefully this time around he'll be able to get through a handful of games and then be activated from the injured list in order to make his 2024 debut in the Bronx. The Yankees surely won't rush the 35-year-old veteran back to the majors, but when he's ready, he figures to be the team's primary option at the hot corner despite a disappointing performance at the plate in 2023.

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Washington Nationals outfield prospect Dylan Crews went 3-for-5 at the plate on Wednesday with two doubles and four RBI. After starting off slow at Double-A with a .224/.296/.367 slash line through April, the top prospect in Washington has bounced back with a strong showing through the first half of May. Since May 1, the 22-year-old has a .303/.400/.636 line with one long ball and a solid 6:10 BB:K. This is an excellent sign for the former LSU Tiger, as he is now clearly settled in at Double-A and showcasing his elite talent. MLB Pipeline ranked Crews as the No. 7 prospect in all of baseball in their updated rankings earlier this month and projects him to reach the major leagues this season. The former No. 2 overall selection in the 2023 MLB draft should be rostered in all keeper and dynasty leagues and could be worth stashing in redraft formats when he is promoted to Triple-A.

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