Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. went 2-for-5 with a home run in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Dodgers. The home run came in the eighth inning and knotted the game up at 2-2, although the Braves would go on to lose in extras. For managers that drafted the reigning MVP first overall, he's been a disappointment for fantasy with just two home runs and eight RBI on the year. The 26-year-old has scored 30 times and has stolen 13 bases, so it hasn't been all bad. Hopefully Acuna can up the power production going forward, although it could be a tall task Saturday against Tyler Glasnow and his league-leading 53 strikeouts.

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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages collected four hits in Friday's 4-3 win over the Braves, including a walk-off RBI single in the eleventh inning. Pages was the only Dodger with more than one hit in the game and he's now riding a nine-game hit streak that includes three doubles and two home runs. The 23-year-old is now slashing .333/.354/.567 through his first 60 MLB at-bats with three home runs, 11 RBI, and 12 runs scored. He's been an excellent waiver wire addition for fantasy, but it will be interesting to see what they do once Jason Heyward is healthy, although with Pages hitting from the right and Heyward hitting from the left, it could make for a good platoon situation.

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San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. had three hits in five at-bats and drove in three runs in Friday's 7-1 win over the Diamondbacks. One of the hits was a two-run home run, his seventh of the year. It was the fourth time he's collected three hits in a game in 2024, although you might not know it from his .246 batting average. Despite the low average, the 25-year-old is having a solid season with a .333 OBP, .455 SLG, and 131 wRC+. In addition to his seven home runs, the former All-Star has 20 RBI, 20 runs scored, and four stolen bases so far so he's been a multi-category contributor for fantasy.

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Detroit Tigers second/third base prospect Jace Jung broke out of his power slump on Friday by launching his fifth home run of the season. Jung had gone without tallying a long ball for ten games. In his first season at Triple-A, the 23-year-old has posted a solid .257/.373/.486 line with one swiped bag and 25 RBI in 30 games. Jung is on pace to fall just short of 28 home run count from last season, which he tallied across High and Double-A, but he has maintained a very similar batting average this season. The number four prospect in the Detroit pipeline and 54th overall should be expected to reach the majors this season and is worth monitoring closely in deeper redraft formats.

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Baltimore Orioles catching prospect Samuel Basallo has been showcasing his elite power potential this past week and added another home run on Friday. Basallo is now up to five home runs on the season and has hit four of them in his past four games. The 19-year-old has a .256/.284/.456 stat line with two stolen bases and 14 RBI in his first full taste of Double-A. He played only four games at this level last year and spent the majority of his time with Single and High-A, hitting a combined .313/.402/.551 with 20 home runs. The 16th-ranked prospect in baseball is beginning to show his incredible power at Double-A but needs to show more consistency at the plate to reach Triple-A this summer. He should be rostered in all dynasty and keeper formats but will have a hard path to seeing relevancy in redraft this year.

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Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve went 1-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and stole his seventh base of the season in Friday's 5-3 win over the Mariners. The steal was No. 300 for his career, and along with his 2000+ career hits as well as a career batting average over .300, he joins some of the best names to play the game of baseball in Derek Jeter, Paul Molitor, Willie Mays, and Roberto Alomar. Now slashing .348/.411/.576 on the season, his wRC+ of 185 is fifth-best thus far, and the 33-year-old is the top-scoring second baseman in fantasy aside from Mookie Betts who is eligible at the position.

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Seattle Mariners catching prospect Harry Ford extended his hitting streak to eleven games in Friday's doubleheader. In the first game, Ford knocked a double, and in the second game, he tallied his fourth-round tripper of the season and laced another double, his eighth of the season. After tallying just one hit in his first five games at Double-A this season, Ford has posted a strong .256/.413/.488 stat line with four swiped bags and 22 total hits in 23 games. The 21-year-old has fully adjusted to Double-A pitching and could be up with Triple-A Tacoma by the end of the summer. The second overall prospect in the Seattle system and 35th overall prospect should be rostered in all dynasty leagues but will not be relevant in redraft until next season.

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Kansas City Royals first baseman Salvador Perez went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 7-1 victory over the Rangers. It was the eighth time he's gone deep this season and the three RBI put him at 30, good for third-most in all of baseball. The 33-year-old is having a fantastic season thus far, slashing .351/.413/.605 with a .438 wOBA and 184 wRC+. After an 86 wRC+ season last year, the veteran has cut down his K% to a measly 10.3% and his Contact% of 83.2% is his best since 2015. The 8x All-Star has hit safely in 25 of the 32 games he's played and has 11 multi-hit efforts. Ranking behind only William Contreras for top fantasy catcher, Perez is looking like an early AL MVP contender and probable All-Star.

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Seattle Mariners shortstop prospect Cole Young launched his first Double-A home run with a grand slam on Friday evening. After hitting 11 long balls across Single and High-A last summer, it took Young 23 games to tally his first in Double-A this season. The 20-year-old has a .245/.336/.337 stat line with six stolen bases in his first month of Double-A games. Young opened the campaign with an impressive nine-game hitting streak but then tallied just five hits in his next nine games. The top prospect in the Seattle system seems to have bounced back lately, not just in power production but also in knocking six hits in his past three games. MLB Pipeline projects Young to reach the majors in 2025, but he could make a push for a late-season promotion and is well worth holding onto in dynasty leagues.

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Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young (back) left Friday's game early against the Toronto Blue Jays with back spasms. He's getting treatment, and the team will see how he's doing on Saturday. Young was hitting leadoff in Friday's game for the first time since April 19, going 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored in the eventual 9-3 victory before departing early. If the 24-year-old continues to swing the bat well, he could find himself atop Washington's batting order more often against left-handed pitchers as a right-handed swinger. Young raised his batting average to .311 and his OPS to .732 on the year with the one-hit night. It doesn't sound like his injury is very serious, but if the back spasms linger and Young is forced to the injured list, the Nats could bring up outfield prospect James Wood, who is hitting .314/.422/.461 at Triple-A Rochester.

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Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano recorded his first win of the 2024 regular season in Friday's 6-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians, firing six scoreless innings on five hits and one walk with three strikeouts. The Angels gave Soriano plenty of run support on Friday, and he most notably escaped from a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning with no damage. It was a great rebound performance after Soriano was chased for four runs and couldn't get through two innings in his last appearance at home against the Minnesota Twins. With the effort, the 25-year-old right-hander now sports a decent 3.77 ERA and 1.29 WHIP while fanning 26 and walking 15 over 28 2/3 frames (seven appearances) for the Halos this year. Soriano will aim to build on this showing in Wednesday's projected start on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are scoring a pathetic 2.4 runs per game over their last 22 contests since April 9.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitchers Jeffrey Springs (elbow) and Drew Rasmussen (elbow) are both scheduled to throw in an extended spring game around May 20. The Rays' rotation is arguably ruined by injury more than any other in baseball, but at least two of their key arms progressing toward a return at some point later this summer. Springs is likely closer to doing so in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and barring any setbacks, he could be in line to rejoin Tampa Bay's rotation by July's All-Star break. Rasmussen, on the other hand, is a weaker stash in fantasy leagues because his return from a hybrid internal brace procedure last July is not expected to arrive until the final months of the year. Over his last three seasons (196 innings), Springs owns a 2.53 ERA (3.14 FIP), 1.03 WHIP, and 231:49 K:BB and can be stashed in deep competitive leagues.

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Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Cal Quantrill silenced the Pittsburgh Pirates in Friday's 3-1 victory, tossing 7 2/3 scoreless innings of three-hit ball with no walks on a season-high nine strikeouts en route to his first win of the year. Although he's not known for his bat-missing stuff, Quantrill dominated Pittsburgh for his longest start of the 2024 regular season on Friday and a big bounce-back effort after surrendering six runs in his last appearance at home versus the Houston Astros. The soft-throwing 29-year-old right-hander improved his ERA to 4.31 with a 1.29 WHIP and 26:14 K:BB over 39 2/3 frames (seven starts) this season from Colorado's rotation. Despite the strong showing, Quantrill still won't be the most exciting streaming option for fantasy purposes in his next projected start on Thursday at Coors Field against the division-rival San Francisco Giants.

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New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty erupted for nine total bases in Friday's 10-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, going 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. Baty homered to deep right field in the second inning to score Jeff McNeil and Tyrone Taylor and give the Mets a temporary 3-0 lead before going yard to right field once more in the ninth to make things interesting late. It's been an up-and-down season for Baty, but the 24-year-old former top prospect is producing a respectable .271/.340/.385 triple-slash line with three long balls, two doubles, 13 RBI, and 13 runs scored over 96 at-bats (30 games) for the Mets during his second full year in the major leagues. He's only a viable fantasy option for those in NL-only leagues, holding limited upside while batting in the lower part of New York's lineup, but Baty's certainly worth watching in all leagues.

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Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby (knee) has been dealing with a right knee issue, manager Scott Servais said following Friday's 5-3 road loss to the division-rival Houston Astros. Servais said that it's not a major problem, but it's one that the team is monitoring. It likely explains why the M's opted to turn to their bullpen with Kirby pitching well on just 88 pitches through six innings, as the hurler had given up only one run on four hits and zero walks with three strikeouts for a no-decision on Friday. The 26-year-old right-hander's status is worth keeping an eye on ahead of his next scheduled start, which tentatively lines up for Wednesday against the surging Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Over his last four starts, Kirby holds a 1.13 ERA with a sparkling 28:2 K:BB across 24 innings, but the Twins are scoring 7.3 runs per game during their current 11-game winning streak.

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Miami Marlins starting pitcher Braxton Garrett (shoulder) is scheduled to throw six innings or 75 pitches at the club's Florida Complex League in rookie ball on Monday. Although Garrett tossed five scoreless innings of one-hit ball on 61 pitches with Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday, his next appearance will not come with the major-league roster as some may have anticipated. The Marlins appear to be taking a cautious approach with Garrett, who has previously experienced "dead arm" on his way back from a left shoulder impingement. He's looking at a mid-to-late May return to Miami's rotation. Unheralded rookie Roddery Munoz will get at least one more turn in the big-league rotation, carrying an impressive 2.45 ERA (3.77 FIP), 0.72 WHIP, and 14:3 K:BB over 11 innings (two starts), but he'll have his work cut out in his next projected start on Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Taj Bradley (pectoral) made his second and perhaps final minor-league rehab appearance on Friday with Triple-A Durham, throwing six scoreless innings of two-hit ball on two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. After throwing 94 pitches in this outing, Bradley's next appearance could very well come with the big-league club as he enters the final stages of his recovery from a strained right pectoral. While the 23-year-old former top prospect mostly floundered during his first taste of major-league action with a 5.59 ERA and 1.38 WHIP over 23 starts during his rookie year last season, he struck out 129 batters and walked only 39 across 104 2/3 frames. If Bradley's next start comes with the Rays, he would likely be making his 2024 regular-season debut at home next Friday versus the division-rival New York Yankees, where a wait-and-see approach would be recommended from a fantasy perspective.

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Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (oblique) swung off a tee in Seattle during the team's series earlier this week against the Mariners. Murphy felt good, and he's going to keep building up from there. There was originally some hope that Murphy would have been over his Grade 1 left oblique strain, which he suffered back on March 29, by early May, but there's no clear timeline for his return at this stage of his recovery. The 29-year-old All-Star backstop probably won't be back with the Braves until the mid-to-late portion of May. In Murphy's stead, former All-Star Travis d'Arnaud has operated as Atlanta's primary catcher and is worth streaming in all fantasy formats in the meantime. d'Arnaud is slashing a robust .282/.358/.592 with five home runs, seven doubles, 16 RBI, and 12 runs scored in 81 trips to the plate (25 games) this year.

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Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo (elbow) is scheduled to make a minor-league rehab start with Single-A Jupiter on Sunday in Port St Lucie. After tossing 22 pitches in Thursday's bullpen session, Luzardo has a target of four innings and 60 pitches for Sunday's appearance as he works his way back from tightness in his left elbow. Assuming all goes well there, and he only needs one outing in the minors before rejoining Miami's rotation, Luzardo is a candidate to start at some point during next weekend's three-game series at home versus the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. With the 26-year-old former top prospect struggling to a 6.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP while fanning 27 batters and walking 13 through 26 innings (five starts) for the Fish this season, Luzardo would be a risky fantasy play across the board if he faces this difficult matchup for his first start back.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich's (back) goal is to return to play before the end of the team's current road trip, which runs until Wednesday's series finale against the Kansas City Royals. Yelich had already been doing better running and throwing before having his best session yet swinging the bat in the cage before Friday's game versus the division-rival Chicago Cubs, giving him a chance to re-enter Milwaukee's lineup in the middle of next week. A strained lower back has kept Yelich on the shelf since mid-April, but the 32-year-old star outfielder is returning first-round value on a .333/.422/.744 triple-slash line with five home runs, 11 RBI, seven runs scored, and two stolen bases in 46 plate appearances (11 games) this year. Until Yelich returns, the switch-hitting Blake Perkins is worth a look for fantasy managers in NL-only leagues for his decent power/speed combination.

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