The Toronto Blue Jays have released their probable starting pitchers for their three-game weekend series against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates that starts on Friday, and right-hander Chris Bassitt (neck) is listed as the team's starter for Sunday's series finale. Bassitt will make his next start after having to leave his last start early on Monday against the Chicago White Sox after he battled through neck spasms for five scoreless innings. The 35-year-old veteran has been great for the Blue Jays and fantasy managers of late and will carry 12-inning scoreless streak into a strong matchup at home against Pittsburgh. The Pirates rank 26th in major-league baseball with a .661 OPS. Bassitt has gone 5-6 this year with a 4.03 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 56 K's in 60 1/3 frames over 11 starts.

From RotoBaller

Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (shin) is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins. Pasquantino collided with Twins outfielder Byron Buxton on Tuesday and was forced to leave the game early, but he avoided any structural damage and should be considered day-to-day with a left-shin injury. With Pasquantino sitting out, Nick Loftin will play first base for the Royals and bat sixth against Twins right-hander Bailey Ober. Fantasy managers will need to bench Pasquantino on Wednesday and check back on Thursday to see if he's in there for the series finale in Minnesota. Loftin comes into the start with a .265 average (9-for-34) and six home runs, and he's still looking for the first home run of his big-league career in his 35th game dating back to last season.

From RotoBaller

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber kicked off Wednesday's game with a bang. The left-handed slugger blasted a leadoff home run off left-hander Kyle Harrison to begin the game. The 31-year-old slugger would also add an RBI single later in the game as the Phillies would grab the 6-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. Schwarber has been hitting much better lately so fantasy managers should ride with him through this hot stretch.

From RotoBaller

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll put together a strong day at the plate during Wednesday's game against the Texas Rangers. The 22-year-old stud outfielder went 3-for-5 with a double during Wednesday's loss. This was Carroll's first three-hit performance of the season and his ninth multi-hit game through 52 games. Carroll has started slow out of the gate but everyone knows what kind of potential he has at the plate. Fantasy managers should stick with him through this rough patch.

From RotoBaller

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Masyn Winn has been hitting the cover off the ball lately. His hot stretch at the plate continued during Wednesday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Winn pushed his hitting streak to 18 games with a three-hit performance here. The rookie infielder is now slashing .309/.358/.400 on the season. Fantasy managers should continue starting Winn in basically all fantasy formats while he's on this hot streak.

From RotoBaller

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager continued his power surge during Wednesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The left-handed slugger blasted a home run for the third straight game on Wednesday. It marked Seager's eighth home run in his last eight games. The 30-year-old has been on a tear, Seager raised his OPS from .681 to .828 during this eight game span. Seager is a must-start fantasy player in all fantasy formats right now.

From RotoBaller

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal looked sharp on the mound during Wednesday's start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The southpaw struck out eight batters over seven shutout innings in the victory. He followed up one of his worst starts of the season with one of his best on Wednesday. Skubal only allowed four hits as he made easy work of the Pirates below average lineup. He has a 7-1 record with a 2.01 ERA and an 80/11 K/BB ratio over 67 innings this season.

From RotoBaller

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes showed his dominance during Wednesday's game against the Detroit Tigers. The 22-year-old recorded nine strikeouts over six strong innings of work. Skenes allowed two runs while giving up three hits during the victory. The right-hander has looked as advertised through his first few big league starts. He'll carry a 2.45 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and a 30/5 K/BB ratio into his next start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

From RotoBaller

Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill (knee) has been placed on the 10-day injured list ahead of Wednesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. The move is retroactive May 26 as the 28-year-old has been dealing with the issue for a few days now. The team is hopeful that it'll be a minimal stint on the injured list for O'Neill. Fantasy managers should hold onto him considering how well he was slugging the ball before the injury. In a corresponding move, Enmanuel Valdez has been recalled from Triple-A. In the meantime, Rob Refsnyder will serve as the designated hitter on Wednesday.

From RotoBaller

Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad went 1-for-4 on Tuesday night against the Gwinnett Stripers, extending his hitting streak to eight games. Throughout this streak, he's slashing .419/.500/.774 with five doubles, two home runs, and nine home runs in 37 appearances. After a brief stint with the O's, he was demoted in the middle of May. Since his return to Triple-A Norfolk, he's slashing .348/.421/.674 with six doubles, three homers, and 14 RBI in 58 plate appearances. For the time being, Kjerstad will likely continue to dominate in minors. Given how many talented outfielders the Orioles have, it's uncertain when he'll see big-league action again.

From RotoBaller

Tampa Bay Rays infield prospect Junior Caminero (quadriceps) was placed on the injured list Wednesday afternoon in the minors, resulting from a quad strain he suffered on the last play of Tuesday night's game. He's expected to miss the next four to six weeks. Caminero had been playing well at Triple-A Durham. In 153 plate appearances, he was slashing .261/.333/.478 with six doubles, eight home runs, and 24 RBI. He was expected to rejoin the Rays in the near future, but now he'll miss at least the next month, which is tough news for any fantasy managers that have already been stashing him in 2024. Per MLB Pipeline, Caminero is the Rays' top prospect and the No. 3 overall prospect in baseball.

From RotoBaller

Baltimore Orioles starting pitching prospect Cade Povich has been excellent through 10 starts with Triple-A Norfolk. In 53 2/3 innings, he's posted a 2.35 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts. He performed especially well in April, posting a 1.03 ERA, a 0.76 WHIP, and 40 strikeouts over 26 1/3 innings. He took a step back in May, but he was still impressive, finishing this month with a 3.62 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings. There's a solid chance of Povich making his MLB debut in 2024. Considering his success in Triple-A, he could be pitching in the majors by the end of the summer.

From RotoBaller

Free-agent outfielder Ramon Laureano signed a minor-league deal with the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. The Braves are adding some outfield depth with Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) out for the season with a torn ACL. The 29-year-old Laureano will most likely be assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett and will be major-league bench depth, at best, if he gets called up to Atlanta eventually. Both Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall will see more playing time with Acuna out for the remainder of the season. Laureano, formerly a 16th-round pick by the Houston Astros in 2014 out of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, has hit the 20-homer mark once in his previous six MLB seasons (back in 2019 with the A's) and has struggled to find a regular role since leaving Oakland. In 31 games with the Guardians this year before becoming a free agent, he went 10-for-70 (.143) with a homer and four RBI.

From RotoBaller

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) is swinging a lighter bat right now, but manager Bruce Bochy said "he looks great." After watching Jung hit on Wednesday, Bochy said, "You'd think he was going to be ready in a couple of days." After visiting with the doctor that performed the surgery on his broken right wrist in early April on Tuesday, the 26-year-old was cleared to resume swinging a bat this week. Fantasy managers will be happy to hear that he's progressing nicely, but Jung still has a ways to go before he rejoins the Rangers' lineup as their starting third baseman. For now, Jung will continue to go through baseball activities while hoping to eventually go on a minor-league rehab assignment sooner than later. When Jung returns, he'll be a must-start in fantasy lineups for his power upside in a strong Texas lineup.

From RotoBaller

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the visiting Kansas City Royals. It appears to be a normal day of rest for Buxton as the Twins look to keep the oft-injured veteran outfielder healthy. Willi Castro is making the start in center field and will bat seventh for the Twins against Royals veteran right-hander Seth Lugo. Castro has one hit in two career at-bats against Lugo and has been a useful utility man for the Twins this year, hitting .247 (45-for-182) with four homers, 16 RBI, seven stolen bases and 26 runs scored so far. The Puerto Rican is mostly useful for his speed in deeper fantasy leagues. After getting on base four times and stealing a base on Tuesday, Buxton is now slashing .254/.308/.426 on the year with three homers, 15 RBI and two thefts in 122 at-bats.

From RotoBaller

Milwaukee Brewers right-handed reliever Trevor Megill (elbow) might need a few days to let his right elbow calm down after he took a comebacker off of it in his appearance on Tuesday night in the loss to the division-rival Chicago Cubs, but the good news is that he has avoided being placed on the injured list for now. X-rays on the 30-year-old's elbow came back negative for any breaks, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to be available for any save chances for at least a few days. In the meantime, Elvis Peguero, Joel Payamps and Bryan Hudson could all be in the mix to be used if a save situation arises in the next couple of days. With Devin Williams (back) still on the injured list, Megill has emerged as Milwaukee's preferred closing choice and has pitched to a 2.57 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with his first eight saves in 2024.

From RotoBaller

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (side) was removed from Wednesday's win over the Cincinnati Reds early in the bottom of the eighth inning after he appeared to strain something in his left side on a check swing in the top of the seventh inning. Nootbaar stayed in the game for an inning before eventually being replaced by Dylan Carlson in right field. Before departing, the 26-year-old went 2-for-4 with two singles and a strikeout to raise his season average to .234 with a .741 OPS. For a player that has already had his fair share of injuries early in his career, this isn't a good sign and could easily send him back to the injured list after he got a late start to the 2024 season. If Nootbaar's injury keeps him out for 10 days or more, Carlson will get a boost in playing time. Check back for more news on the specific nature of Nootbaar's injury.

From RotoBaller

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (hand) was removed from Wednesday's contest against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers after he was hit by a pitch from left-hander James Paxton on his right hand in his first at-bat of the game. It's not good, but we will know more after Alonso undergoes testing on his injured hand. At the very least, fantasy managers should expect the right-handed slugger to miss Thursday's series opener against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks if his tests come back negative for any broken bones. It's the last team a struggling Mets team needs is to lose their best power bat in the middle of the lineup. After Alonso left, Mark Vientos shifted across the diamond from third to first and Brett Baty came off the bench to play the hot corner for the Mets. Check back for an update on Alonso soon.

From RotoBaller

The New York Mets announced on Wednesday that they have placed right-handed reliever Edwin Diaz (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list with a right-shoulder impingement. In a corresponding move, left-hander Josh Walker was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse. In his first year back from a knee injury that caused him to miss all of 2023, Diaz has struggled, posting a 5.40 ERA (4.58 FIP), a 1.25 WHIP, five saves, seven walks and 30 strikeouts in 20 innings out of the bullpen. Before landing on the IL, Diaz was temporarily removed from the closer role after a three-outing stretch in which he gave up seven earned runs on seven hits (two homers) while walking three and blowing two saves. He also blew his fourth save in his last appearance against the Giants. It remains to be seen when he'll be able to return to the Mets, let alone be rewarded with save chances again. In the meantime, Reed Garrett and Adam Ottavino could both factor into ninth-inning duties.

From RotoBaller

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman has a planned day off on Wednesday against the visiting Boston Red Sox. With Rutschman getting a breather, James McCann will do the catching for right-hander Corbin Burnes and will bat ninth against Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford. Wednesday will be only the fourth day off of the season for Rutschman, who typically serves as the designated hitter on days that he's not behind the plate. The 26-year-old switch-hitting backstop is one of the best overall hitters in the league and is currently slashing .299/.336/.479 with an .815 OPS, 10 home runs, 37 RBI and 29 runs scored in 211 at-bats in 2024. The former first overall pick in 2019 out of Oregon State is an elite fantasy catcher. McCann is a weak DFS play at catcher with just one homer and a .203 average in 79 at-bats for the O's.

From RotoBaller