Cincinnati Reds outfielder/corner infielder Spencer Steer is not in the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Jeimer Candelario is serving as the designated hitter and is batting fifth, while Santiago Espinal is playing third base and batting eighth against Brewers left-hander Tyler Alexander. Candelario has never faced Alexander in his career, while Espinal is hitless in just three at-bats. When considering that Steer only played in three spring training games due to a minor shoulder injury, it isn't all that surprising that he's off to just a 1-for-18 start to the 2025 regular season at the plate. The 27-year-old right-handed hitter has yet to play on defense because of his shoulder, either, being limited to DH duties. Candelario hasn't been much better, going 5-for-25 with three RBI, two walks and eight strikeouts in seven games played.

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MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports that Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (rib) caught seven innings in a minor-league rehab game for Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday night and will catch right-hander Spencer Strider's (elbow) rehab start on Friday night. Barring a setback, Murphy is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list in one of the next few days. The 30-year-old veteran should be back with the Braves to make his season debut before the end of this weekend's series in Atlanta against the division-rival Miami Marlins. With Murphy beginning the year on the shelf, catching prospect Drake Baldwin has been serving as the team's primary catcher, with Chadwick Tromp working as his backup. Entering Friday's action, Baldwin has just one hit in his first 18 big-league at-bats and could be sent to the minors following Murphy's return. Murphy should be rostered in all fantasy leagues.

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Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that the team is monitoring right-hander Jack Leiter's (finger) blister issue. It's not a big concern, but the Rangers are considering placing him on the injured list to allow it to calm down. If Leiter goes on the IL, left-hander Patrick Corbin would make his debut in Leiter's rotation spot. The 24-year-old exited his second start of the season on Wednesday versus the Cincinnati Reds with a blister issue on his finger, even though he threw five shutout innings with six strikeouts while allowing just one hit. Landing on the IL, even though it's not a serious injury by any means, would be a bummer considering how well Leiter has pitched in his first two starts. In 10 innings pitched, he's allowed just one earned run on six hits while walking one and striking out 10. It's a big improvement after he held an 8.83 ERA and 1.71 WHIP in his first nine MLB outings (six starts) in 2024.

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Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Tommy Pham (illness) was removed from Friday's game early at PNC Park versus the visiting New York Yankees due to an illness. Pham is being treated and is considered day-to-day. Pham was replaced in left field by Alexander Canario after going hitless in his only plate appearance with a groundout in the second inning. We'd be surprised if the 37-year-old is in the starting lineup for Saturday's second game of the series. In addition to the illness, it's been a rough start to the 2025 season for Pham, who came into Friday's contest hitting .087 (2-for-23) in the early going with a double, three stolen bases, three walks and eight strikeouts in 27 plate appearances over seven games played. Hopefully Pham will be feeling good enough for the start of a new series on Monday against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals.

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Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez (back) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session on Saturday in Clearwater, Florida, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. It's a big step for Suarez, as it will be his first time facing live hitters since he was shut down with lower-back stiffness in spring training camp in the middle of March. If the 29-year-old southpaw is able to avoid a setback with his back this weekend, the Phillies will likely clear him to go on a minor-league rehab assignment. Suarez will likely need several rehab starts, which means he could rejoin Philadelphia's big-league starting rotation and make his season debut by the end of April. He missed around a month in 2024 with the same injury and wasn't the same pitcher the rest of the way after posting a 1.75 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in his first 15 starts. Suarez is a ground-ball pitcher that lacks a ton of fantasy upside with a below-average career strikeout rate.

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Detroit Tigers right-handers Sawyer Gipson-Long (hip, elbow) and Ty Madden (shoulder) are both scheduled to throw bullpen sessions on Saturday. Gipson-Long is recovering from a left-hip labral repair and right-UCL reconstruction, while Madden is rehabbing from a right-shoulder strain. Meanwhile, right-hander Jose Urquidy (elbow) is playing catch out to 105 feet three times a week as he recovers from right-UCL reconstruction. Gipson-Long is on the 60-day injured list after having Tommy John surgery last April and hip surgery last July. Barring a setback, the 27-year-old won't be an option for the Tigers until around the All-Star break in mid-July. Madden, 25, suffered a right rotator-cuff strain in spring training and won't be able to return until at least the end of May while on the 60-day IL.

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Atlanta Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) is scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder next Tuesday, according to manager Brian Snitker. The Braves will have a better idea on the extent of damage in Lopez's shoulder after the surgery. The 31-year-old veteran hurler has already been placed on the 60-day injured list, though, which means he'll be out until at least late May, but it's more likely that we won't see him again until the second half of the season. It's a big blow for the Braves and the veteran Dominican, but the good news for Atlanta's pitching staff is that Spencer Strider (elbow) should make his 2025 debut later this month. In his return to a starting role in 2024 in his first year in Atlanta, Lopez was a first-time All-Star by going 8-5 with a 1.99 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 148 K's and 42 walks in 135 2/3 innings. Expecting him to return to that form in the second half this year is probably asking a lot.

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Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter showed his power in Friday's 7-4 win over the division-rival Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park by going 2-for-5 with two solo home runs and a strikeout. The home runs were Carpenter's first of the 2025 season, and he's now hitting .261 with an .815 OPS in the early going for fantasy managers. The 27-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder played in only 87 games in 2024 due to injuries, but when he was available, he was a consistent producer with a .284/.345/.587 slash line, career-high .932 OPS, 18 home runs, 57 RBI and 37 runs scored in 296 plate appearances. Carpenter's lack of success against left-handed pitching is a problem, though, and it affects his overall fantasy upside for those that have him rostered in mixed leagues.

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Detroit Tigers outfielder Wenceel Perez (back) received the second of two scheduled cortisone injections on Friday, according to MLive's Evan Woodbery. Perez was forced to the injured list to begin the 2025 season due to lumbar-spine inflammation, and there's currently no timetable for his return. With no clear picture on when he might be able to make his season debut, the 25-year-old most likely won't come off the IL until May. When he is healthy, expect him to be an option for a platoon role in center field with Parker Meadows (arm) also out for the foreseeable future. The switch-hitting Dominican can be left to the waiver wire in mixed leagues for now. Last year was his first year in the big leagues, and he hit .242/.300/.383 with a .683 OPS, nine home runs, 37 RBI and nine steals in 112 games played.

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The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant reports that Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (neck) is taking ground balls and has been doing some hitting as he rehabs from neck spasms that landed him on the 10-day injured list. Jung is eligible to be activated from the IL next Tuesday, but it remains to be seen if he'll be back with the big-league squad by then. With the 27-year-old on the shelf, Josh Smith has been serving as Texas' starting third baseman, and he's starting at the hot corner again on Friday and batting seventh against Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Zack Littell. Jung, the former eighth overall pick in 2019 out of Texas Tech, has immense power upside for fantasy managers, but his inability to stay on the field early in his career has become an issue. He was a first-time All-Star in 2023 and hit 23 homers and drove in 70 runs, but he played in 46 games last year due to injuries and didn't take long to get hurt again this year.

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Miami Marlins outfielder Derek Hill (back) remains out of the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Atlanta Braves on the road at Truist Park. With Hill missing his third straight start due to back tightness, the Fish will start Griffin Conine, Dane Myers and Kyle Stowers across the outfield from left to right, respectively. If the 29-year-old Hill will likely be forced to the 10-day injured list if he's unable to return to the lineup by the end of the weekend series in Atlanta. The former first-rounder by the Detroit Tigers in 2014 went 5-for-18 with two doubles, an RBI and a stolen base in five games before injuring his back. Stowers is the only Marlins outfielder in the starting lineup on Friday that has faced Braves right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach before, and he has one hit in just three career at-bats against him.

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Texas Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka will get the start behind the dish on Friday over Jonah Heim in the series opener against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays at Globe Life Field. Higashioka will catch right-hander Tyler Mahle and will bat eighth against Rays right-hander Zack Littell. So far through eight games in 2025, Higashioka and Heim have had four starts apiece, splitting the catching work right down the middle. After a career year in San Diego in 2024, Higashioka has two hits in his first nine at-bats with the Rangers, including one RBI. Heim has looked better so far in a small sample size, batting .308 with two home runs and two RBI in 13 plate appearances. Higashioka will have limited DFS upside in the eight-hole on Friday, but he does have a solo home run in two career at-bats against Littell.

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Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley has been dropped down to fifth in the batting order for Friday's series opener at Truist Park against the division-rival Miami Marlins and right-hander Max Meyer. Riley has hit either second or third for the first seven games of the season, but the Braves are going to change things up as they search for their first win of 2025. The 28-year-old right-handed slugger isn't the only one slumping to begin the year in Atlanta's lineup, but he has gone 3-for-27 with a home run, one RBI, two runs scored, two walks and 11 strikeouts in 29 plate appearances. Second baseman Ozzie Albies will hit second in the lineup. The drop in the order will make Riley less attractive for DFS purposes, although he has hit .400 with a solo home run in a small sample size of five career at-bats against Meyer.

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Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy will retreat to the bench for Friday's series opener in Philadelphia at Citizens Bank Park against the Phillies with left-hander Jesus Luzardo toeing the rubber. Veteran infielder Miguel Rojas will get the nod at the hot corner and will hit eighth against Luzardo, who he has one hit against in just two career at-bats. Muncy has been cold to begin the 2025 season offensively, although he did have a two-run double in Wednesday's walk-off win over the Atlanta Braves. Overall, the 34-year-old veteran has gone just 3-for-25 with a run scored and two RBI in his first seven games, so perhaps a day of rest will do him some good on the road. Rojas, 36, isn't really known for his exploits with the bat, so fantasy managers should look elsewhere at third base in DFS. He has one hit in his first 16 at-bats this year.

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Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider (elbow) is making another minor-league rehab start on Friday for Triple-A Gwinnett, according to 929 The Game's Grant McAuley. Catcher Sean Murphy (rib) is expected to do the catching for Strider as he continues his own rehab assignment. Strider threw 60 pitches over three innings in his first rehab start for the Stripers and may only need to make one more rehab start after Friday's outing as long as he doesn't have a setback with his surgically-repaired right elbow. The 26-year-old had an internal-brace procedure almost exactly a year ago and is getting closer and closer to making his 2025 debut with the Braves. While Strider might be eased in initially in terms of his pitch count by the Braves, he needs to be stashed in all fantasy formats and could be a difference maker for fantasy rotations sooner than later.

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Atlanta Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia is not in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Miami Marlins at Truist Park. Nick Allen will instead make the start at the 6 and bat eighth against Marlins right-hander Max Meyer. Arcia started for the Braves in four of the first five games of the season but will now start on the bench on Friday for his third straight contest. The 30-year-old Venezuelan veteran has struggled at the plate, going 2-for-13 with no walks and five strikeouts in four games played, so the Braves will give Allen another chance. Allen has four hits (one double) in his first 11 plate appearances with an RBI and two stolen bases, but he's more of a defense-first player and should be considered a long shot for much production in DFS on Friday. Allen has never faced Meyer in his MLB career.

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Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe is out of the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting Baltimore Orioles at Kauffman Stadium. MJ Melendez is starting in right field and batting eighth, while Cavan Biggio is serving as the designated hitter and is batting sixth versus Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer. Melendez and Biggio have a combined 10 career at-bats against Kremer without a single hit. The 33-year-old Renfroe could find himself on the bench more frequently in 2025 if his bat is cold, regardless of whether he still has some power in his lumber. He's off to a rough 2-for-18 start with a double, three RBI, three walks and six strikeouts in 21 plate appearances over five contests. Outside of some modest power at this stage of his career with infrequent playing time, Renfroe is really only valuable in AL-only formats.

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Seattle Mariners right-hander Luis F. Castillo was officially called up from the minors on Friday and will make the start in San Francisco against the Giants at Oracle Park. It's the second straight game that the Mariners will start a pitcher named Luis Castillo. The 30-year-old Dominican made his major-league debut back in 2022 with the Detroit Tigers but only appeared in three games in relief that year, although he tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings with no walks and four strikeouts. In his lone start with Triple-A Tacoma this year before being called up, Castillo allowed an earned run on two hits while walking two and striking out two in 5 2/3 frames. Castillo heads to Seattle with a 3.46 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with 415 strikeouts and 131 walks in 11 minor-league seasons. Castillo spent the last two years pitching for Japan. Fantasy managers will want to avoid him in his first big-league start on Friday.

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Washington Nationals infielder Paul DeJong is not in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park. With DeJong starting on the bench, Jose Tena is starting at third base and will hit eighth against D-backs right-hander Brandon Pfaadt. DeJong has gotten off to a slow start in 2025 in his first year in the nation's capital, as he's gone just 4-for-18 with two doubles, two walks and 11 strikeouts in 20 plate appearances over six games played. Tena will get a chance after going 1-for-2 with a strikeout in just two games played in the early going. He has never faced Pfaadt in his career and isn't a recommended lineup option for DFS gamers on Friday. The 31-year-old DeJong should see most of the playing time at the hot corner for the Nats early this season, and he still has some notable pop, but he won't contribute in the average department with a lot of strikeouts.

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The Baltimore Orioles optioned outfielder Dylan Carlson to Triple-A Norfolk after Thursday's game against the Boston Red Sox to make room on the active roster for shortstop Gunnar Henderson (intercostal), who was officially activated from the 10-day injured list on Friday. Carlson is the odd-man out for now with Henderson returning. The 26-year-old former top prospect of the St. Louis Cardinals only played in two games in the early going in his first year in Baltimore and went hitless in six plate appearances with an RBI, run scored, one walk and four strikeouts. In only 96 games in 2024 with the Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays, Carlson slashed just .209/.287/.277 with a career-worst .563 OPS, three home runs and 25 RBI in 265 plate appearances. With a crowded outfield in Baltimore, it's going to be difficult for Carlson to break through in 2025 as a post-hype prospect.

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