Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz will retreat to the bench on Wednesday for the series finale on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. This will be the first time that De La Cruz will take a day off. He's slowed down offensive since the calendar flipped to May, going 10-for-46 (.217) with a homer, two RBI, eight stolen bases and 18 strikeouts in 12 games played. Despite the recent slump so far in May, De La Cruz is a must-start in all fantasy formats when he's active, as he currently leads all of baseball with 26 stolen bases in just 42 games played, and he also has nine home runs and 21 RBI. Santiago Espinal is starting at the 6 and is hitting eighth in place of De La Cruz on Wednesday against Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt.

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San Diego Padres designated hitter Luis Arraez is not in the starting lineup on Wednesday with the team facing Colorado Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber in the series finale. With Arraez getting a day to rest, Manny Machado is serving as the DH and is hitting cleanup, while Donovan Solano is at third base and batting sixth. Outfielder Jurickson Profar moves back up to the leadoff spot. Arraez is hitting .303 (54-for-178) on the year and is 13-for-41 (.317) with two doubles, no home runs, four RBI, a stolen base and five runs scored in his first 10 games with the Friars. Fantasy managers should expect him back in the lineup on Friday for the series opener in Atlanta against the Braves. Profar, who has been on a heater so far this year with a .324/.416/.520 slash line with a .936 OPS, will have increased DFS value back in the leadoff spot against a pitcher that he's hitting .375 against in his career with two RBI in eight at-bats.

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The Cincinnati Reds placed left-hander Nick Lodolo (groin) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 12) on Wednesday with a left-groin strain and recalled left-hander Sam Moll from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move. Lodolo got a late start to the 2024 season due to an injury dating back to last year and now finds himself back on the injured list after making six starts. The 26-year-old southpaw and former seventh overall pick in 2019 out of Texas Christian University was solid in his six starts, though, posting a 3.34 ERA (2.90 FIP) and 0.94 WHIP with nine walks and 43 strikeouts in 35 innings. Given Lodolo's high strikeout upside, fantasy managers will want to keep him stashed in an IL spot while he recovers from his groin strain. In the meantime, swingman Nick Martinez figures to benefit the most from a secured rotation spot for at least the next two weeks.

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Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners. This will be only Garcia's second game of the season starting on the bench. In his absence, veteran Adam Frazier will start at third base and hit out of the leadoff spot for KC against Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo. Garcia has been productive for the upstart Royals in 2024, hitting .239/.288/.369 with four home runs, 25 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 20 runs scored in 192 plate appearances. He's riding a modest four-game hitting streak in which he's gone 4-for-17 (.235) with an RBI and two steals. Frazier will have more DFS upside as a sleeper on Wednesday out of the leadoff spot, but he's never faced Woo in his career and has gone just 15-for-84 (.179) on the year with a homer and eight RBI.

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Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco plans to appeal his automatic 10-game suspension after he was ejected during his start on Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics in the fourth inning after umpires determined his glove had a foreign substance on it. Manager Joe Espada said that Blanco had a mixture of rosin and sweat on his glove hand, which is illegal under league rules. Depending on when his appeal is heard, Blanco may be able to make his next scheduled start. Before being ejected on Tuesday against the A's, the 30-year-old Dominican hurler had tossed another three shutout innings and is now 4-0 on the season with a sparkling 2.09 ERA (4.00 FIP) and 1.06 WHIP with 21 walks and 45 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings over his eight starts. He's been a must-start in all fantasy leagues but will likely be forced to miss a start soon.

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Colorado Rockies first baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant (back) started his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Albuquerque on Tuesday and went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored while playing five innings of defense at first base. Manager Bud Black said the plan is for Bryant to join the Rockies in San Francisco against the Giants on Friday. Tuesday was the first time that the 32-year-old former MVP has played in a game since going on the shelf with a lower-back strain a month ago. The Rockies will mostly likely ease Bryant back into action if he indeed joins the big-league club this weekend in San Francisco. Bryant hasn't been able to stay healthy since joining the Rockies and was hitting just .149/.273/.255 in 13 games this year before he landed on the injured list.

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Colorado Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland (elbow) joined the team on their West Coast trip and continues to up the intensity of his pre-game throwing sessions in the outfield, according to manager Bud Black. Freeland is "a week or 10 days away from getting back on the mound," according to Black. The veteran southpaw will also need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before he's cleared to rejoin the starting rotation. The Rockies are bringing Freeland back slowly from his strained left elbow, and he's not particularly close to coming off the 15-day injured list. Even if Freeland doesn't have a setback, fantasy managers in NL-only leagues that are holding onto him shouldn't expect him back until June. In four starts before his elbow injury, Freeland was 0-3 with an elevated 13.21 ERA and 2.55 WHIP with nine strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings pitched.

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Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz (hand) will rest in the series finale on Wednesday in San Diego against the Padres after leaving Tuesday's contest in the third inning with left-hand soreness. Diaz had similar issues flare up before, according to manager Bud Black, indicating a longer absence isn't expected. And with a scheduled off day coming on Thursday, Diaz could be back in the lineup for the series opener on Friday in San Francisco against the Giants. In his lone plate appearance on Tuesday, the 33-year-old backstop struck out. With Diaz resting on Wednesday, Jacob Stallings will likely get the start behind the dish against Padres right-hander Michael King. Diaz has been one of the best hitting catchers in baseball so far in 2024, as he's slashing .299/.342/.423 with three home runs and 21 RBI in 137 at-bats.

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Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday as they take on the Chicago White Sox. Abrams will get the day off against a left-handed pitcher after playing in both games of a doubleheader in Chicago on Tuesday. It's the first time that the 23-year-old emerging superstar has been out of the team's lineup since April 8. With Abrams starting on the bench, Nasim Nunez will make the start at shortstop and will bat ninth for the Nats against White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet. DFS gamers should look elsewhere at the shortstop position on Wednesday. Abrams is in the midst of a breakout campaign in his second full season in D.C. He's currently hitting .263/.326/.494 with an .819 OPS, seven home runs, seven doubles, a league-leading four triples, 20 RBI, eight stolen bases and 26 runs scored in 38 games played.

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Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll is taking the day off on Wednesday against the visiting Cincinnati Reds and left-hander Andrew Abbott. The D-backs will give the struggling Carroll a day off in a lefty-lefty matchup after he's gone just 3-for-28 in his last seven games. Last year's National League Rookie of the Year has really struggled at the plate in his second full season in the big leagues, as he's currently slashing a disappointing .193/.284/.255 with two home runs, 14 RBI, eight stolen bases, 19 walks and 31 strikeouts in 183 plate appearances over 41 games played. Fantasy managers that paid a pretty penny for Carroll in drafts are hoping the 23-year-old can turn things around soon. Jake McCarthy is playing center field on Wednesday and will hit eighth against Abbott. McCarthy is hitting .291 (25-for-86) this year with a homer, 11 RBI and three steals, but he's a low-upside DFS option in the eight-hole.

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Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson is hitting in the cleanup spot on Wednesday as he faces the visiting Toronto Blue Jays and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. This will be the first time in 2024 that Henderson has hit anywhere in the lineup besides leadoff. The 22-year-old left-handed hitter got off to a hot start in April but has been a bit quiet so far in May. On the year as a whole, he's hitting .264 (42-for-159) with 12 home runs, 27 RBI, six stolen bases and 30 runs scored in 40 games in just his third MLB season. Since the calendar flipped to May, he's gone just 8-for-42 (.191) with two homers and three RBI. Henderson is hitting .317 (19-for-60) with four of his 12 homers against southpaws this year, so don't sit him just because he's cooled off and is facing a left-hander on Wednesday. Third baseman Jordan Westburg is hitting leadoff for the O's.

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Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang, outfielder Christian Yelich and first baseman Jake Bauers are all getting the day off on Wednesday with a left-hander on the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Joey Ortiz is starting at second base and is batting third, rookie Jackson Chourio is in left field and is batting eighth, and Owen Miller is manning first base and is hitting seventh against Pirates left-hander Martin Perez. Turang has been hot of late and has served as Milwaukee's leadoff hitter the previous seven games, batting .296 with two steals and three RBI. Yelich has been hot all year and has picked up where he left off since returning from the injured list with a back injury, as he's gone 10-for-25 (.400) with three RBI since May 8. Ortiz, who's hitting .261 with three homers and 11 RBI in 92 at-bats this year, could be worth looking into as a DFS sleeper on Wednesday in the three-hole.

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Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi is getting the start on Wednesday in Baltimore against the Orioles. Right-hander Chris Bassitt was scheduled to start Tuesday's contest before it was postponed, and rather than just pushing Bassitt back a day, the Jays have elected to let Kikuchi take his turn in the rotation on normal rest. The 32-year-old Japanese left-hander has had a solid year to this point for Toronto, going 2-3 with a 2.64 ERA (2.59 FIP) and 1.05 WHIP with nine walks and 46 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings over his eight starts. He's allowed more than three runs in an outing just once in his eight starts and went a season-high eight innings while giving up just two runs his last time out in a tough-luck loss against the Twins last Friday. Kikuchi has been a must-start in fantasy lineups in 2024, but he's up against a tough matchup in the O's on Wednesday on the road.

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Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer (illness) is back in Wednesday's lineup against the Baltimore Orioles. Springer has been under the weather of late and missed a couple games over the weekend before returning to Sunday's contest. The 34-year-old veteran was feeling sick again on Tuesday, though, and was set to be held out again before the game was postponed due to inclement weather. He's back in right field and is hitting in his customary leadoff spot against Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish. Fantasy managers may want to keep Springer on the bench despite his return, as he's gone just 5-for-31 (.161) in eight games so far in May and is hitting an even .200 (29-for-145) on the year to this point with only three home run, six RBI, six stolen bases and 13 runs scored in his first 37 games played. In his career against Bradish, Springer is hitting .412 with a 1.236 OPS, a homer and three RBI in 17 at-bats.

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Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Justin Turner (illness) is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles. Turner was under the weather on Tuesday and was scheduled to sit out, but the contest in Baltimore was postponed due to inclement weather. However, the 39-year-old veteran is still feeling bad on Wednesday and will not play. The Blue Jays have a scheduled day off on Thursday, so perhaps Turner is feeling good enough to play on Friday in the series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. The left-handed hitting Daniel Vogelbach is serving as the DH on Wednesday and will hit seventh against Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish. On the year to this point, Turner is slashing a modest .250/.321/.411 with four home runs, 16 RBI and 17 runs scored in his first 36 games with Toronto.

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Chicago White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader versus the Washington Nationals. Jimenez has begun to heat up with seven hits over his last 27 at-bats, but his solo home run on Tuesday are his only counting stats in that time. For the season, Jimenez is hitting .221 with five homers and 12 RBI in 113 at-bats. The power has never been a question for Jimenez, but his plate discipline and health have been huge concerns throughout his career. As long as he remains healthy, Jimenez offers good power to managers in all formats, but he is also a strong sell-high candidate when he starts heating up with him only playing more than 84 games twice in his career.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Aaron Civale tossed a no-decision in Tuesday's loss versus the Boston Red Sox. Civale went five innings and allowed five hits, three runs, zero walks and struck out six on the evening. Civale has been off to a very rocky start this season, but it was the first time since April 16 that he was able to get to through a minimum of five innings. The right-hander drew a lot of hype heading into this season, but he let managers down with a 2-3 record to go along with an ugly 5.83 ERA over his first nine starts. At this point, the 28-year-old is best served as a streamer. He will look to keep improving with his next matchup set to come against the division rival Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday.

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Boston Red Sox rookie shortstop/outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's victory against the Tampa Bay Rays. Rafaela really struggled in April with a .167 batting average, but he has turned it on in May thus far with a .275 batting average to accommodate his two homers and six RBI. Overall, the 23-year-old is hitting .211, but he has four homers and 23 RBI with four stolen bases. Managers that remained patient with Rafaela are starting to be rewarded and he is worth rostered in mixed leagues as he continues to improve and has good eligibility at shortstop and outfield.

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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe went 2-for-4 with a walk in Tuesday's extra innings loss to the Boston Red Sox. One of Lowe's hits would be a solo home run off Nick Pivetta in the top of the first inning. The homer would be the first of the season for Lowe, who returned from the injured list last week. Since his return, Lowe has gone 8-for-25 with three runs scored. Lowe has hit second or third in every game since his return and could provide managers with a good blend of speed and pop moving forward after hitting 20 homers and swiping 32 bags in 2023. He is worth rostering in most formats.

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Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson went 1-for-4 with a home run in Tuesday's victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Benson's homer would come with one runner on and would break a 2-2 tie in the top of the fifth inning to be the eventual game-winning hit. Benson was a hot name heading into the season, but has struggled with a .193 batting average. That being said, he has shown some power with five longballs and 13 RBI. He has also been productive on the basepaths with 8 stolen bases. With TJ Friedl (thumb) landing back on the 10-day injured list, Benson's playing time remains safe. Although he hasn't been helping with batting average, Benson has shown the power and speed that makes him worth rostering in deeper mixed leagues.

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