New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes did not give up a run on his way to picking up the win in Wednesday's 7-3 victory over the Mariners. It was the second straight start that Cortes did not allow an earned run, and in Wednesday's outing, the lefty went five innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out six. The win pushed his record to 3-4 on the year and lowered his ERA to 3.29. The southpaw also sports a 1.07 WHIP and a solid 18.2% K-BB%. The 29-year-old will draw the Angels in his next start which will be next Tuesday in Anaheim.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu went 2-for-4 with a home run and walk in Wednesday's 8-5 win over the Rays. The home run was a two-run shot in the sixth, which gave the Sox plenty of breathing room, putting them ahead 8-3 at the time. It was Abreu's fifth home run of the season and pushed his RBI total up to 20. The 24-year-old has also scored 20 times and stolen seven bases, so he's been plenty productive when he's been in the starting lineup. The left-handed hitter is slashing .275/.357/.486 with a .367 wOBA and 133 wRC+ on the year.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Brayan Bello went six innings Wednesday, allowing three earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out six in an 8-5 victory over the Rays. It was just the righty's second quality start of the season in eight starts, but he's now 5-2 on the year with a 4.04 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and a 13.7% K-BB%. He's slated to square off against the Orioles in divisional matchup on the road next Tuesday. The 25-year-old faced them in early April, going five-and-a-third innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out three batters.

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Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta made a quality start but took the loss Wednesday in a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Marlins. Peralta allowed a solo home run to the first batter he saw, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and that was the difference in the ballgame. Peralta went seven innings allowing just four hits and a walk while striking out seven. It was a much-needed bounce-back game from the 27-year-old, as he had allowed three earned runs or more in four of his last five starts, including five earned his last time out. The righty now has a 3.81 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and a strong 23.0% K-BB% on the season. He'll take on the Cubs in his next start next Monday at home.

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Texas Rangers top pitching prospect Jack Leiter pitched well in his return to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday. Leiter struggled in his previous start at the big-league level, but has found success at Round Rock this season. In his return to Round Rock, the 24-year-old tossed five scoreless frames with just two hits allowed and six strikeouts with two walks. Albeit a level lower, Leiter bounced back in a nice way and continues to find plenty of success on the farm where has a 2.37 ERA. The big leagues haven't been as kind to the teams top pitching prospect this season, but Leiter will get more seasoning in Triple-A and still has a bright future ahead of him. Leiter will likely get more opportunities in Texas this season, but is a better option in dynasty leagues than redraft leagues for now.

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The Boston Red Sox have promoted pitching prospect Luis Perales to Double-A Portland. Peralaes, 21, is the clubs No. 9 prospect according to MLB.com. The 6'5 right-hander pitched very well in High-A with a 3.42 ERA in seven starts and an impressive 46 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings. Signed out of Venezuela in 2019, Perales has an electric arm that can reach up to 99 MPH with his fastball. The downside to his outstanding fastball is that he has struggled with developing his secondary pitches. At such a young age, Perales has plenty of time to continuing developing and managers shouldn't worry about his name for a couple of seasons.

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Kansas City Royals' SP Cole Ragans recorded 12 strikeouts in 6 innings with the win in a 8-3 win over the Tigers on Wednesday, May. 22.

Cleveland Guardians first base prospect Jhonkensy Noel blasted three solo home runs for Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday, bringing his season total to 12. The slugger is a career .251 hitter in the minors, but the power is real after he hit 32 long balls between High-A and Double-A as a 20-year-old in 2022 and 27 homers last season at Triple-A as a 21-year-old. It's possible the 22-year-old sees some time in Cleveland this season at some point, and his power should put himself into the season-long conversation once he gets the call. But it could come at the expense of average, as he's currently sporting nearly a 26% strikeout rate in 2024 at Triple-A, and that probably won't get better at the big-league level.

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Miami Marlins closer Tanner Scott earned his sixth save of 2024 in Wednesday's win over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, fanning one and allowing one hit before locking down the shutout victory. William Contreras singled to get Christian Yelich to the plate and make things interesting in a one-run ballgame, but Scott got Yelich to ground out to wrap this one up. The 29-year-old left-hander remains manager Skip Schumaker's preferred ninth-inning man despite the return of fellow southpaw A.J. Puk to Miami's bullpen, and he hasn't surrendered an earned run in 14 straight appearances with five saves during this span. Scott owns a dicey 22:18 K:BB through 21 innings overall, however, and he could be on the move at July's trade deadline with many anticipating for the Marlins to host a fire sale later this summer. That makes Scott a sell-high piece in fantasy leagues.

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Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto broke out at the dish in Wednesday's blowout win over the visiting Texas Rangers, belting his first home run in 14 games since April 28 with three RBI in the rout. After smashing a solo homer to left field to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead in the third inning, Realmuto knocked a two-run single to left field to up the lead to 8-2 during the sixth. The 33-year-old perennial All-Star has been regularly batting second in Philly's lineup since Trea Turner (hamstring) went down, and while he's hitting an excellent .350 (21-for-60) in May, Realmuto only has five RBI and zero stolen bases over 14 games this month. Realmuto will clash with Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney in Thursday's series finale, and the veteran backstop is batting .360 (18-for-50) with two long balls, three doubles, and six RBI against left-handed pitching this year.

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Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager clubbed his eighth home run of the year in Wednesday's loss on the road to the Philadelphia Phillies, adding a single and two walks in the blowout defeat. Seager smashed a solo shot to left-center field in the seventh inning, cutting the Rangers' deficit to 10-4. The 30-year-old All-Star slugger is still recovering from a painfully slow start to the season, but he's starting to look the fantasy stalwart we've come to expect over the years. Over his last 17 games, Seager is hitting .313 with six big flies, 11 RBI, and nine runs scored. A daunting task awaits Seager in the form of Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler in Thursday's series finale, but the veteran infielder has gone 5-for-14 with a double and an RBI in 14 career plate appearances against Wheeler.

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Miami Marlins outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. launched his seventh home run of the year in Wednesday's win over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, helping lift his team to victory. Chisholm wasted no time getting Miami on the board, drilling a leadoff homer to right field off Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta to give them a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Despite the last-place Marlins' struggles, the dynamic 26-year-old slugger has managed to stay healthy and go about his business while slashing .254/.329/.429 with seven round-trippers, 25 RBI, 26 runs scored, and nine stolen bases through 210 plate appearances (50 games) as the engine to Miami's offense. A three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks is on deck starting on Friday. In five games against Arizona in 2023, Chisholm hit a mere .176 (3-for-17) with no extra-base hits and zero RBI.

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Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo twirled a gem in Wednesday's victory over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers, striking out four batters and allowing just three hits (all singles) and no walks over a career-high eight scoreless innings for his second win of the season. It was the longest start of Luzardo's career, and he's now posted back-to-back scoreless outings for the Marlins after retiring 17 straight batters at one point on Wednesday. The 26-year-old left-hander has fared far better over his past four starts than he did during his first four starts to begin the campaign, turning in a 1.40 ERA and 25:4 K:BB since April 20. His hot streak will face a tough test when Miami takes on the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday, when Luzardo is next scheduled to take the ball, but it's hard to sit the former top prospect in fantasy with the way he's throwing right now.

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San Diego Padres second baseman Luis Arraez slapped his first home run of the year in Wednesday's victory on the road against the Cincinnati Reds, flexing some pop while going 4-for-5 with two RBI in the win. Not known for his power, Arraez got the scoring started on Wednesday with a leadoff homer in the first inning off Reds right-hander Nick Martinez, later adding three singles. The 27-year-old two-time batting champion is now riding a ridiculous seven-game multi-hit streak, hitting .391 (27-for-69) with three doubles, six RBI, eight runs scored, and three stolen bases in 16 games overall since joining San Diego, and he should get more work at second base with Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) on the injured list. Arraez next gets Cincinnati righty Frankie Montas during Thursday's series finale. In six plate appearances against Montas in his career, Arraez is 3-for-6 with a double.

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New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto put up his second two-homer game of the season in Wednesday's win over the visiting Seattle Mariners, going 2-for-4 with three RBI in the victory. Soto tagged Mariners pitcher Bryce Miller for a two-run jack to score Anthony Volpe in the third inning before going deep once more to make it a 5-0 ballgame in the sixth. On the season as a whole, the 25-year-old perennial Silver Slugger is slashing an elite .313/.409/.569 with 13 home runs, 40 RBI, 37 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 195 at-bats over 51 outings as New York's everyday No. 2 batter. Soto will next face M's right-hander Luis Castillo in Thursday's series finale. In 13 plate appearances against Castillo in his career, Soto is 2-for-8 with a homer, an RBI, and five walks.

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Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (shoulder) is scheduled to undergo an MRI this week to see how his strained right shoulder is progressing. It's possible that he could begin a throwing program relatively soon if everything looks good, manager Torey Lovullo said on Wednesday. Kelly remains without a clear timetable for a return from the injury, and he isn't eligible to be activated from the 60-day injured list until late June. The 35-year-old veteran right-hander carries a 2.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 21:6 K:BB over 24 2/3 innings (four starts) for the D-backs while sitting on the shelf, and he's still worth a stash for fantasy managers who can afford the roster spot. With Kelly sidelined, Ryne Nelson and Logan Allen will help eat innings in Arizona's rotation.

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Atlanta Braves pitching prospect AJ Smith-Shawver will be recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to make his 2024 debut on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The 21-year-old right-hander is the Braves' top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he could have a shot to stick around as Atlanta's No. 5 starter if he impresses in the series finale. He's worth a speculative pickup in redraft fantasy leagues for his upside and high-end prospect pedigree, but he also hasn't looked very good in the minors this year, posting a 6.10 ERA and 1.52 WHIP with 17 walks and 35 strikeouts in 31 innings over eight starts for Gwinnett. Smith-Shawver made six appearances in his MLB debut in 2023 and had a 4.26 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 20:11 K:BB in 25 1/3 frames. He has an electric pitch mix but is still a work in progress. The young righty will face a Cubs team that ranks 17th in OPS (.691) that has the ninth-most strikeouts in the league.

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Tampa Bay Rays minor league shortstop Carson Williams is a consensus top prospect both within the Rays' organization and Major League Baseball as a whole. He's been a prominent name in the minors ever since being selected in the first round of the 2021 draft. He displays spectacular skills in the field, where he uses his reliable glove and impeccable arm strength to challenge opposing hitters and runners. He is also a pure hitter, strong runner, and even capable of producing occasional power. Last week, Williams put on a show, going 8-for-18 with three homers, six RBI, five walks, and three strikeouts. Tampa Bay, which has a variety of needs within its infield, could promote Williams to Triple-A or the majors as he continues to swing a hot bat.

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After a 2-for4 night at Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday, Cleveland Guardians infield prospect Juan Brito has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, going 18-for-52 (.346). Not only that, six of the games have been multi-hit efforts, and 10 of his 18 hits during this stretch have gone for extra bases (six 2B, four HR). Brito is the Guardians' sixth-ranked prospect according to MLB.com's top prospects list and has Brito with a 2024 ETA. The Guardians are winners of six straight and sit atop the AL Central standings, but no thanks to Brayan Rocchio's offense, their current shortstop which seemingly would be Brito's clearest path to playing time. Brito has played 2B, 3B, and SS this season, but Andres Gimenez and Jose Ramirez have him blocked at 2B and 3B. Brito's hot stretch is nice, but for fantasy he is probably off the season-long radar as his power and speed potential aren't impactful enough to warrant a roster spot at this point.

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Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried threw his second complete game of the season in Wednesday's victory on the road over the Chicago Cubs, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits with a season-high nine strikeouts en route to his fourth win of the year. Fried needed 105 pitches to go the distance in Wednesday's masterful performance, carrying a bid for a perfect game into the sixth inning before Ian Happ's leadoff double broke it up. Even though it's been an up-and-down campaign for the 30-year-old star left-hander, he owns a strong 3.38 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 48:20 K:BB with a career-best .197 average against through 10 starts overall (58 2/3 frames) for the Braves in 2024. Monday's series opener at home against the division-rival Washington Nationals marks Fried's next projected start. He gave up two runs over 9 1/3 innings (two starts) with a 9:1 K:BB against Washington in 2023.

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