Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) threw 10 fastballs off of the mound's rubber on Saturday. He is expected to return from forearm surgery sometime around midseason after not pitching at all in 2023. The Astros have had terrible luck with injuries to their rotation so far this season, so McCullers would likely jump back into a starting spot when he returns. He is not a priority stash at this point, but fantasy managers with IL space in deeper leagues could scoop him up if he is available.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Luis Garcia (elbow) threw another bullpen session this weekend as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery. He began throwing bullpen sessions in April and has not suffered any setbacks yet. His next step in the rehab process will be a stint in the minors, but the Astros are taking things slow with the young right-hander. The expectation is that he'll be able to return to the majors near midseason. Garcia was impressive in his last full campaign as he posted a 15-8 record, 3.72 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 28 starts in 2022. He is someone for fantasy managers to keep an eye on as he gets closer to his return date.

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Los Angeles Dodgers closer Evan Phillips (hamstring) was placed on the injured list earlier on Sunday afternoon and it has been revealed that he is dealing with a grade 1 hamstring strain. The Dodgers are hopeful that Phillips can return after his 15-day stint of being sidelined. The 29-year-old has been the primary ninth-inning option for manager Dave Roberts so far this year as he has already notched eight saves. In his absence, expect the Dodgers to adopt a committee approach featuring Daniel Hudson, Alex Vesia, and Joe Kelly among others.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot was forced to leave Sunday's game against the New York Mets after taking a 107 MPH ball off of his leg, but thankfully, his x-rays came back negative. He is now considered day-to-day and may be able to make his next start. The 26-year-old owns a 3.68 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 41:11 K:BB through seven appearances. Pepiot should remain on fantasy rosters as it looks like he avoided any significant injury.

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Cincinnati Reds third baseman Jeimer Candelario was scratched from Sunday's lineup with a bruised left shin. Instead, Santiago Espinal will man the hot corner on Sunday as the Reds look to avoid a three-game sweep against the Baltimore Orioles. Candelario has been off to a disappointing start, with his new team hitting just .190/.274/.360 with three home runs. While the extent of the injury is not known, Espinal should be expected to play third base for the time being. Espinal could be a sneaky play in DFS today as he will face Dean Kremer, who enters Sunday with a 4.19 ERA.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Jose Urquidy (forearm) is expected to begin a rehab assignment after logging another bullpen session on May 7. The 29-year-old tossed 30 pitches of live BP earlier in the week on May 1 and was scheduled to do so again on Sunday, May 5, but will now do so on May 7. Urquidy has yet to see the mound this season due to a right forearm strain but should be back on the mound before the end of the month. He posted a 5.29 ERA and 1.43 WHIP in 63 innings last season with 43 strikeouts and is best left for DFS and streaming in deep leagues.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot left Sunday's game against the New York Mets early after taking a 107 mph hit ball to his left leg. The extent of his injury is still not known, but he was able to walk off the mound on his own. Pepiot was replaced by Manuel Rodriguez. The 26-year-old was off to a strong start to the season with a 3.12 ERA and stellar 0.87 WHIP across 34 innings with 38 strikeouts. Taj Bradley is a candidate to replace Pepiot in the rotation, as he is on the verge of completing his rehab assignment. Pepiot should remain stashed on your roster for the time being.

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Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick (hamstring) was seen running prior to Saturday's game and will do so again on Sunday, as per manager Joe Espada. Espada emphasized that the team hopes to "get him out playing here soon" in a rehab stint. Espada further stated that McCormick is "feeling better." The 29-year-old was placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to April 28 with right-hamstring discomfort. He has struggled at the plate to open the season, but fantasy managers hope he once again showcases his strong power and speed combination he flashed last year with 22 long balls and 19 swiped bags. McCormick should remain rostered in most formats as he is nearing his return.

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Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Evan Phillips (hamstring) has been placed on the injured list retroactive to May 4 with a right hamstring strain. In a corresponding move, the Los Angeles Dodgers activated relief pitcher Blake Treinen (lung) from the injured list. Phillips has been one of the best relief pitchers in the early part of the season, posting a dominant 0.66 ERA and 1.02 WHIP across 13 innings. The 29-year-old has been the primary ninth-inning option and has tallied eight saves so far. As a result, Daniel Hudson, Alex Vesia, and Joe Kelly are all options to receive save opportunities while Phillips is sidelined.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier (neck) tossed three innings in his rehab start with Double-A on Saturday. He allowed three earned runs, three hits, two free passes, and struck out three. He threw a total of 68 pitches. After being scratched from a scheduled start on April 21 and hitting the injured list, Javier seems to be complete with his recovery process and should be expected to rejoin the Astros rotation next week. As a result, Spencer Arrighetti will most likely lose his spot. The 27-year-old has a 1.54 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 23 innings with 18 strikeouts this season and should be rostered in all formats.

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Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Ryne Nelson (elbow) is slated to return to action and start Sunday in the final game of a three-game set against the San Diego Padres. Nelson was battling a right elbow contusion after being hit by a line drive in mid-April. The 26-year-old did not need a rehab appearance and is returning directly to the Arizona rotation. Nelson carries a 4.60 ERA and 1.53 WHIP with 13 strikeouts across 15 innings into Sunday's matchup against the Padres and is probably best to fade in DFS and should be used as a streamer in the right matchups in most formats.

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Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Max Muncy is out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers have rewarded Muncy with a day off after his three-homer game on Saturday. This seems like a fitting time given the Dodgers are up against tough left-hander Max Fried. In his absence, Enrique Hernandez will cover third base and bat fifth on Sunday.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Joey Wiemer (knee) is looking at missing multiple weeks of action after suffering an injury earlier in the week. The young outfielder was placed on the 10-day injured list after hurting his knee on Friday. The organization has given a timetable of two or three weeks for Wiemer. This is good news as Wiemer will avoid surgery and only miss a few weeks of action. Jackson Chourio, Blake Perkins, and Sal Frelick figure to all see increased playing time while Wiemer and Christian Yelich (back) recover.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (back) has reportedly been progressing well throughout the weekend. The veteran outfielder has been able to swing a bat, throw, and run without issues. The 32-year-old recently had a setback with his back issue but appears to be back on track now. The hope is that Yelich will be back in the lineup around mid-May. In the meantime, Jackson Chourio will cover left field and bat ninth during Sunday's game against Javier Assad. The rookie outfielder figures to continue seeing more at-bats with Yelich sidelined. Both Blake Perkins and Sal Frelick will see more playing time as well.

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New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (shoulder) threw a successful 32-pitch bullpen session on Saturday. The right-hander is progressing well and has faced live hitters twice this week. The organization is likely going to wait a few days before deciding on what to do next. Barring any setbacks, Senga will likely go on a rehab assignment soon. Currently, Senga is on track to return in late May, which means fantasy managers won't have to wait too much longer.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (leg) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Kansas City Royals. The rookie outfielder was forced to exit early during Saturday's game after suffering an injury while running the bases. As a precaution, the Rangers are going to hold Langford out of this game. For now, it sounds like Langford is day-to-day, so he should be able to avoid a trip to the injured list. In the meantime, Corey Seager will serve as the designated hitter, while Josh Smith covers shortstop during Sunday's game.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson (shoulder) has been activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Sunday's game against the Chicago White Sox. The 25-year-old has been sidelined since crashing into a wall during spring training. He'll make his season debut on Sunday, batting fifth and covering center field versus lefty Garrett Crochet. The former top prospect has struggled at times in the big leagues, so fantasy managers should take a wait-and-see approach here.

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Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Max Muncy went 4-for-5 with three home runs and four RBI in Saturday's 11-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. The 33-year-old blasted a two-run shot off Bryce Elder in the second inning for his first homer of the game. He took Tyler Matzek deep in the seventh inning for his second homer. Muncy hit the trifecta, hitting a solo shot in the eighth inning off Jackson Stephens. The three home runs in a single game was a career-high. The veteran slugger is now up to eight long balls on the season, slashing .262/.369/.551 with 22 RBI and 20 runs scored. Muncy will look to build on Saturday's career performance in the series finale against the Braves and should be started in all league formats.

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Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar is on the bench for the first time this season on Sunday against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Tovar started the Rockies' first 33 games of the year and is currently hitting .258/.303/.379 with three home runs, seven doubles, 12 RBI, three stolen bases and 13 runs scored in 143 plate appearances to start his third season in the big leagues. The day off comes at a good time, as the free-swinging 22-year-old shortstop has struggled at the plate of late, going 5-for-39 (.128) with no homers, no RBI, two walks and 16 strikeouts in his last nine games since April 24. The Rockies have a scheduled off day on Monday, so Tovar will next play on Tuesday against the visiting San Francisco Giants. Alan Trejo is at the 6 on Sunday and is hitting ninth against Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter.

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Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe (hand) is not in the team's starting lineup on the road in Cleveland on Sunday against the Guardians. Unsurprisingly, O'Hoppe will begin the game on the bench after leaving Saturday's loss with a right-hand contusion. Matt Thaiss will catch right-hander Griffin Canning in the series finale and will bat sixth against Guardians right-hander Carlos Carrasco. For now, fantasy managers will want to consider O'Hoppe day-to-day heading into Monday's series opener in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. The 24-year-old backstop is off to a decent start in 2024, hitting .260/.317/.396 with two homers and 11 RBI in 96 at-bats. Thaiss, a former first-rounder in 2016 out of Virginia, doesn't have a homer yet in 24 at-bats this year but isn't a bad low-cost DFS option at the position for Sunday's slate of games.

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