New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge walloped his ninth home run of the year in Thursday's 4-3 loss to the visiting Houston Astros, leaving the yard for the second time in as many days and the third time in the past four outings. Judge's gargantuan 473-foot blast to center field made it a one-run ballgame in the eighth inning, but the Yankees ultimately couldn't rally against All-Star closer Josh Hader. The 32-year-old fantasy superstar's bat has certainly woken up following a slow start to the campaign, now batting .372 with five home runs, 12 RBI, 10 runs scored, and one stolen base over his last 12 games. Judge looks to keep his foot on the gas during a three-game set against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays beginning on Friday, but in 13 games against the Rays since 2023, he's hitting just .146 with two blasts and five RBI.

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The Los Angeles Angels placed infielder Luis Rengifo (illness) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday, retroactive to May 6. Rengifo hasn't appeared since last Friday's win over the Cleveland Guardians due to a viral infection, and his absence leaves a considerable void in the Angels' infield. The versatile 27-year-old righty-hitter was slashing a strong .330/.378/.462 with two home runs, six doubles, 11 RBI, and a career-high nine stolen bases through just 91 at-bats (28 games) for the Halos in 2024. The club is hopeful it'll be a short stint for Rengifo. Veteran Luis Guillorme was just acquired on Thursday and already made his way into Anaheim's patchwork lineup against the Kansas City Royals, but he carries little to no fantasy appeal despite an everyday role likely headed his way.

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Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryan Pressly (back) made his first appearance since last Friday in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the New York Yankees, giving up a home run and one walk with one strikeout while recording two outs. Making his first appearance in six days after experiencing soreness in his lower back, Pressly wasn't sharp in the eighth inning while throwing just 10 of his 22 pitches for strikes and serving up a monstrous home run to Aaron Judge late on Wednesday. While the 35-year-old veteran reliever has taken a backseat to All-Star closer Josh Hader in the saves department, he's not helping his cause with a poor 5.65 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 22:6 K:BB, and two blown saves over 14 1/3 innings out of Houston's bullpen this year. Even in fantasy leagues that count holds, Pressly is barely worth hanging onto right now.

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Houston Astros closer Josh Hader secured Thursday's save, recording four outs with one strikeout for his fourth save of the season in the 4-3 win over the New York Yankees. Hader relieved Ryan Pressly in the eighth inning and got lefty-hitter Anthony Rizzo to pop out to end the frame. Gleyber Torres lined a single to get the tying run aboard in the ninth, but Hader managed to sit down the next three hitters in order. It was awful start to the year for Hader in his Astros debut season, but he's gotten back on track with a 2.16 ERA and 1.08 WHIP while striking out 14, walking three, and converting each of his three save opportunities over his last seven appearances (8 1/3 innings). It looks like the 30-year-old three-time National League Reliever of the Year's buy-low window in fantasy has closed for the time being.

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Cleveland Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter (foot) doesn't need surgery on his broken left foot, and the medical team is working through the next steps for him. DeLauter reported pain in his left foot on April 25, which is the same foot that he had surgically repaired last year, and the team announced on Sunday that a CT scan revealed a fracture in his fifth metatarsal bone. The 22-year-old former first-round pick is Cleveland's No. 1 prospect for 2024, per MLB Pipeline, and his indefinite absence could delay his major-league debut that wasn't likely to arrive until 2025 to begin with. It's a big hit to his fantasy stock for dynasty managers. DeLauter was already struggling with Double-A Akron this season, slashing .197/.296/.295 with one home run, three doubles, three RBI, and one stolen base over 71 plate appearances (16 games) after crushing four homers in 25 Cactus League at-bats with the Guardians in spring training.

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St. Louis Cardinals infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman (wrist) is continuing tee work with increased intensity. After being transferred to the 60-day injured list on Sunday, Edman has still yet to fully go through baseball activities after undergoing wrist surgery in October. Although the speedy 29-year-old switch-hitter still has a chance to return in late May when first eligible for reinstatement, he still needs to go through what will likely be a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment after missing all of spring training. In the interim, top prospect Masyn Winn is functioning as St. Louis' primary shortstop. Winn is slashing only .265/.333/.357 with seven extra-base hits, seven RBI, 10 runs scored, and five stolen bases through 98 at-bats (33 games) this season, however, and he isn't worth rostering in the majority of fantasy leagues at the moment.

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Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (hip) has resumed hitting after suffering a minor setback with his right hip flexor strain while rehabbing in Arizona. Manager Pedro Grifol says Robert is back up to running at 70 percent intensity, and the center fielder will continue to ramp up his activity. Robert is about a week away from taking the next step in his recovery, which could be a minor-league rehab assignment, and he'll play some backfield games before doing so. While the dynamic 26-year-old slugger could get into rehab games in mid-May, barring any setbacks, fantasy managers should be prepared to be without Robert until late May with the last-place ChiSox likely in no hurry to rush him back. Veteran Tommy Pham is working as Chicago's primary center fielder and worth considering in AL-only leagues, slashing a serviceable .295/.326/.477 with two home runs, two doubles, six RBI, and four runs scored in 44 at-bats (11 games) this year.

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Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (quad) saw doctors again for another checkup on Wednesday, and his latest MRI still showed some inflammation in his strained right quad. Lewis started sprinting on Wednesday alongside up to 80 swings in the batting cage a day, jogging on the warning track, and taking fielding drills hit directly to him, but there's still a lack of a concrete timeline for him to be cleared to ramp up his baseball activities. With the Twins exercising ample levels of caution with the 24-year-old former No. 1 overall pick, Lewis' return to major-league roster is not expected to arrive before June. In the meantime, super-utility man and switch-hitter Willi Castro is bouncing around the diamond to help fill in for Minnesota and worth rostering in most fantasy leagues. In 21 games since April 17, Castro is batting .363 with two home runs, 12 RBI, 12 runs scored, and five stolen bases.

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Baltimore Orioles infield prospect Jackson Holliday hit his first home run since returning to Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday. This was his third home of the season at Triple-A, and is riding a solid .309/.482/.531 line through 21 games. After tallying just two hits in ten major league games in April, Baltimore decided that it was best for their top prospect to build more confidence and return to Triple-A for the time being. Since returning, the 20-year-old has gone hitless in just five of his eleven games and looks to be comfortable at the plate again. However, fantasy managers may need to wait a bit longer to see Holliday back in the major leagues due to the crowded infield the Orioles currently have and the several other budding stars in their system who are vying for playing time.

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Colorado Rockies starting pitching prospect Chase Dollander struck out 10 batters on Thursday and allowed just two runs across five innings in a no-decision. Dollander has been showcasing his elite strikeout potential all season, and Thursday was no different. On the season, the 22-year-old has 43 strikeouts in just 24 1/3 innings at Double-A. He has a 2.59 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and has offered only 10 free passes. Dollander is considered the second-best prospect in the Rockies pipeline and the 46th-best overall prospect on MLB Pipeline. The former ninth overall selection in the 2023 MLB draft is still several years away from his major-league debut but is worth monitoring in dynasty leagues, as he has the potential to develop into one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball.

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Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Nick Gonzales is expected to be recalled from the minors on Friday. The 24-year-old is hitting .358 with four home runs over 30 games in the minors this season. He played in 35 games with the Pirates last season, but will hopefully get a longer stint this time around. Fantasy managers might want to use a wait-and-see approach here, but Gonzalez has all the skills to be a reliable hitter at the highest level.

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San Francisco Giants shortstop Nick Ahmed (wrist) was forced to exit early during Thursday's game against the Colorado Rockies. The veteran infielder left the game after an awkward swing early during the contest. The hope is that it's a minor injury and Ahmed won't require a trip to the injured list. If he misses time, former top prospect Marco Luciano could be recalled to take his spot on the roster. Fantasy managers will need to stay tuned for another update on Ahmed.

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Milwaukee Brewers rookie outfielder Jackson Chourio (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This appears to be a routine rest day for the rookie outfielder. Chourio has looked better lately, going 6-for-19 over the last week. In his absence, Christian Yelich, Sal Frelick, and Jake Bauers will cover the outfield during Thursday's game against Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray.

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez looked sharp on the mound during Thursday's game against the Seattle Mariners. The right-hander went 6 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, and striking out 10 batters in the win. Lopez didn't walk anyone and threw over 60 of his pitches for strikes in this game. He'll take his 3.89 ERA into his next start against the New York Yankees. Despite a tough matchup, Lopez remains a must-start in fantasy formats.

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Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Cal Quantrill put together a fairly strong outing during Thursday's game against the San Francisco Giants. The right-hander allowed only one run over six innings of work during Thursday's victory. Quantrill also gave up five hits and walked three batters, but he was able to work around the traffic. This is now back-to-back quality outings for Quantrill as he lowers his ERA to 3.94 on the year. We'll see if he can keep the good times rolling against the San Diego Padres during his next start.

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Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert came into Thursday's game with a stellar 1.69 ERA over 48 innings of work. That was quickly raised as the Minnesota Twins jumped on Gilbert for five runs in the first frame. It was an awful outing for Gilbert as nothing seemed to go his way. He finished his day after four innings, allowing eight runs on nine hits in the loss. This was a bad day for Gilbert, but he should bounce back against the Kansas City Royals in his next start.

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Colorado Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland (elbow) felt good after playing catch on Thursday, according to manager Bud Black, and he will continue to build up his left arm with a throwing program. Freeland went on the 15-day injured list on April 19 (retroactive to April 16) for a left-elbow strain and is trying to work his way back to Colorado's starting rotation. There's no current timetable for the 30-year-old southpaw's return to the big leagues, but he's not going to be rushed and is going to have to pitch better to be considered by fantasy managers in most leagues. Before going on the shelf with his left-elbow injury, Freeland was not good at all, going 0-3 with a 13.21 ERA and 2.55 WHIP with eight walks and nine strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings over his four starts. With a career 4.53 ERA and 6.7 K/9, there's almost zero upside with Freeland.

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New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said relief pitcher Nick Burdi (hip) is expected to come off the injured list and rejoin the bullpen on Friday for the start of a series in Tampa against the Rays. Burdi was put on the injured list on April 19 with right-hip inflammation but is now ready to return to the Bronx. The 31-year-old struck out all three batters he faced in his only inning of work with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in his line minor-league rehab outing. Burdi isn't really on the fantasy radar in a middle-relief role for the Yankees, but he's been lights-out so far, tossing 6 1/3 shutout innings with a win, five walks and eight strikeouts in seven appearances out of the bullpen.

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St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (forearm) underwent successful surgery on Wednesday on his fractured left forearm and he's hoping to return by the All-Star break. Manager Oliver Marmol said that Contreras will likely be out for 10 weeks. The 31-year-old All-Star backstop was hit by a swing from New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez this week and will now likely miss the rest of the first half of the season. Because of the lack of depth at the catching position in fantasy, Contreras needs to be stashed for now in all formats. In his absence, Ivan Herrera will be St. Louis' primary catcher, with prospect Pedro Pages backing him up. Herrera currently is hitting .232/.276/.377 with three home runs, 11 RBI and seven runs scored in his first 69 at-bats in 2024.

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Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo (elbow) will come off the injured list to make his 2024 debut on Friday against the Oakland Athletics at home. While the A's offense has certainly heated up recently, it's still a plus matchup for Woo's first big-league start of the year. The 24-year-old has been on the injured list since the beginning of the year due to right-elbow inflammation. In his three minor-league rehab starts with Triple-A Tacoma, Woo threw 11 1/3 shutout innings with no walks and 17 strikeouts, so he appears to be in great form and will be in play as a deep-league streaming option right away in his first start back. With Woo returning to Seattle's rotation, Emerson Hancock is expected to head back to the minors.

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