San Francisco Giants outfielder Austin Slater (head) left Friday night's loss to the Cincinnati Reds with concussion-like symptoms, according to the team. Slater crashed into the center field wall while trying to make a catch in the first inning. The Giants placed outfielder/Jorge Soler (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list before Friday's game, so if Slater's head injury is serious enough to send him to the shelf, too, the Giants outfield depth will be tested. Slater went hitless in his only at-bat as the Giants' leadoff hitter on Friday before being replaced by Michael Conforto. If Slater requires a trip to the seven-day concussion injured list, it would open up more opportunities for Heliot Ramos in San Fran's outfield. Slater, 31, only has 49 plate appearances this year and has recorded five hits (no homers) while walking eight times and striking out 12 times.

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Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer (back, thumb) said that he was given a cortisone injection in his right thumb after undergoing additional tests on Wednesday. Scherzer is feeling better after the injection and apparently isn't dealing with any kind of ligament damage after he passes strength tests with his thumb. The 39-year-old three-time Cy Young winner's timetable has been pushed back due to this setback with his thumb, but the good news is that he was scheduled to play catch on Friday for the first time since reporting discomfort in his right thumb and forearm. The Rangers aren't going to rush Scherzer back, so fantasy managers might have to wait until early June now to get him back into their starting lineups.

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Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo (forearm) said he experienced some tightness in his right forearm in his season debut on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics due to the long layover between the fourth and fifth innings, but manager Scott Servais said he thinks Woo will be fine to make his next scheduled start. The 24-year-old was making his first start of 2024 after being activated from the 15-day injured list. Before departing as a precaution in the eventual 8-1 win over the A's, the second-year starter looked good, tossing 4 1/3 shutout innings with one walk and three strikeouts. Woo gave up just one hit. He lines up to make his next start on Wednesday in a tough matchup against the upstart Kansas City Royals. Woo won't have a ton of fantasy upside as a streamer for that one, but he deserves to be considered as a back-end fantasy starter in deeper leagues.

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The Philadelphia Phillies pinch hit for outfielder/designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (back) in the ninth inning of their 8-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday because of a sore back. Schwarber said he felt his back tighten up on his last swing in the seventh inning. He went 2-for-5 with two RBI in the victory but said, "I'll probably take tomorrow off just to make sure we're good to go." The Phillies have yet to release their lineup for Saturday's game in Miami, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect Schwarber to be in it. Kody Clemens pinch hit for Schwarber on Friday night and could get the starting nod on Saturday to give Schwarber a day to rest his back. Schwarber is still hitting only .217 (33-for-152), but he's added nine home runs and 25 RBI and will continue to be an elite source of power for fantasy managers as long as he stays healthy.

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The Tampa Bay Rays reinstated relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks (arm) from the 15-day injured list on Saturday and optioned right-hander Edwin Uceta to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. Fairbanks is ready to return to the big-league bullpen in Tampa after appearing in two minor-league rehab games for Durham. The 30-year-old has been dealing with a nerve issue in his right arm, which may have contributed to his rough start in 2024. In seven innings before landing on the injured list, he was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA, 2.29 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in eight appearances. Fairbanks also had three saves and should immediately take over as the team's closer now that he's back. Jason Adam, who was serving as the Rays' closer with Fairbanks out, will go back to a high-leverage setup role in Tampa. Fairbanks should be rostered in all fantasy formats despite his bad start in 2024.

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The Miami Marlins activated left-hander Jesus Luzardo (elbow) from the 15-day injured list on Saturday and optioned right-hander Eli Villalobos to Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move. In his lone minor-league rehab start for Single-A Jupiter, Luzardo tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings with one walk and six strikeouts on May 5. The Marlins will throw the 26-year-old southpaw right back into their starting rotation on Saturday to take on the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Most fantasy managers should be hesitant to do the same with Luzardo and throw him right back into their starting lineups, as the Phillies rank second in baseball with a .762 team OPS, behind only the Dodgers. Luzardo has opened the year 0-2 with a 6.58 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 27:13 K:BB in his 26 innings, too.

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Toronto Blue Jays outfielders Kevin Kiermaier (illness) and George Springer (illness) remain out of the starting lineup on Saturday against the visiting Minnesota Twins for the second straight day as they remain under the weather. Daulton Varsho is back in center field and is batting second, while Cavan Biggio is in right field and is hitting eighth in the batting order against Twins rookie right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson. Davis Schneider is back in left field and in the leadoff spot for the Jays. Fantasy managers need to keep both Kiermaier and Springer benched for another day and check back to see if they're feeling good enough to play in the series finale on Sunday. Nobody in Toronto's lineup has faced Woods Richardson in their careers.

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Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta has been reinstated from his five-game suspension and is making the start on Saturday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Peralta was given a five-game suspension for throwing at Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jose Siri on April 30. The 27-year-old likely went through his in-between-starts routine this week after last starting on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, so he shouldn't have his workload limited in any way on Saturday in a good matchup against St. Louis. The Cardinals currently have the fourth-worst OPS (.631) in all of baseball. Only the offenses of the White Sox, Marlins and Pirates are worse. Peralta is 3-1 on the year with a 3.49 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 50 K's in 38 2/3 innings over his seven starts. Start him on Saturday against St. Louis.

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San Diego Padres designated hitter Luis Arraez went 1-for-4 with a single and an RBI in Friday's 2-1 win over the Dodgers. While he had just one hit, it was a big one, as it came in the bottom of the ninth in a tie ball game and drove in the winning run. It was the perfect ending to his first home game as a Padre. The two-time batting champion is now hitting .311 on the season with a .358 OBP. He'll help fantasy managers in batting average and runs scored (27 runs scored in 2024), but doesn't hit for power and doesn't steal bases. Hopefully there will be more RBI opportunities in San Diego (only seven so far) than there were in Miami.

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Seattle Mariners second baseman Josh Rojas went 2-for-5 with a stolen base in Friday's 8-1 win over the Athletics. It was the 29-year-old's fifth multi-hit game in his last seven, going 13-for-30 (.433) during that stretch, including a double, a triple, and two stolen bases. The left-handed hitter is now slashing .351/.417/.526 on the season with a .413 wOBA and 175 wRC+. He may not hit for power but with the way he's hitting, walking (10.0%), and picking up a few stolen bases along the way, there should be plenty of run-scoring opportunities hitting leadoff. That is of course dependent on the rest of the Mariners lineup picking up the pace at the plate, as they lead the entire league in strikeouts as a team and they have the seventh-worst team batting average. Rojas could be a decent waiver add as he's eligible at both 2B and 3B for owners holding onto the likes of Gleyber Torres and Ke'Bryan Hayes.

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Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Owen Caissie extended his hitting streak to four games with a base hit on Friday evening. In May, Caissie has a .258/.452/.452 line with a strong 10:8 BB:K ratio. Through his first 36 games at Triple-A this season, the 21-year-old has an impressive .281/.428/.438 line with three long balls and four swiped bags. The former second-round selection is making his case to see time in the major leagues later this summer. However, he is in a bit of a logjam with Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki returning from injuries, Ian Happ having an everyday role in left field, and the recent promotion of top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong. Nonetheless, the third-ranked prospect in the Cubs system should be rostered in all dynasty leagues and is becoming a worthy stash candidate in deeper redraft formats.

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Seattle Mariners shortstop Dylan Moore went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and five RBI in Friday's 8-1 win over the Athletics. It was a bright spot in an otherwise rough season so far for Moore. Through Monday's game, the 31-year-old was hitting .192 with two home runs and six RBI, but over his last three games while filling in for the injured J.P. Crawford at shortstop, the right-handed hitter is 5-for-11 (.455) with one home run and six RBI. Hopefully he can keep it up over the next week or so until Crawford returns. Moore will get RHP Joey Estes (7.20 ERA, 1.40 WHIP in two career starts) and LHP Alex Wood (5.30 ERA, 1.74 WHIP) this weekend against the A's.

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Houston Astros outfield prospect Jacob Melton began the season in a bit of a cold stretch with a poor .217/.290/.327 line with just one home run through the opening 15 games of the season at Double-A. Since then, the 23-year-old has an impressive .326/.375/.698 line with four long balls and 13 RBI. Melton launched his fifth home run of the campaign on Friday evening. MLB Pipeline considers Melton to be the top prospect in the Houston system. He is projected to reach the major leagues in 2025 but should see time in Triple-A later this summer, making him an interesting stash candidate in dynasty leagues.

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Miami Marlins outfield prospect Jakob Marsee hit his first home run in the Miami system on Friday evening. Marsee was included in the package that sent Luis Arraez to San Diego on May 3. Across 28 games at Double-A this season, with both the San Diego and Miami affiliates, he has a .177/.360/.333 line with three home runs and a strong 26:27 BB:K ratio. However, the 22-year-old has been showcasing his power potential in May with two long balls and a .529 SLG. Marsee is ranked as the tenth overall prospect in the Miami system and could see time in the Triple-A later this summer, which opens the door for a potential 2025 major league debut.

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow turned in another dominant performance in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Padres but was unable to factor into the decision. Over seven frames, the righty allowed just one hit, a solo home run off the bat of Luis Campusano, and walked two while striking out 10 batters. It was the fourth time he's struck out 10 or more batters this season, and now has a sterling 2.53 ERA (2.52 FIP), 0.86 WHIP, and an elite 26.7% K-BB%. The 30-year-old's six wins are good for second-best in the majors and he's looking like a true Cy Young contender. The former fifth-round MLB draft pick will face the Giants on the road in his next outing, whom he faced earlier this season, going six innings allowing four hits, two walks, and three earned runs while striking out seven.

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San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King threw seven scoreless innings in Friday's 2-1 victory over the Dodgers, striking out 11 but did not factor into the decision. King allowed just two hits and also walked three in the outing. It's the righty's second consecutive start where he did not allow a run, pitching six scoreless against the Diamondbacks his last time out. This is more what fantasy managers were looking for when they drafted the pitcher after posting a low ERA, low WHIP, and a strong K-BB% last season for the Yankees. Over his first seven starts in 2024, the 28-year-old posted a 5.00 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 11.7% K-BB%, and 2.50 HR/9, including two outings in which he allowed a total of seven home runs and one outing where he walked seven batters. Hopefully these last two have got him back on track, and he'll look to keep rolling his next time out at home against a struggling Rockies team who strike out third-most in the majors.

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Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe exited Friday's game for Triple-A Durham after one at-bat. The team says the move was precautionary, but there was no indication as to why he was removed from the game. Lowe is working his way back from an oblique injury suffered earlier in the regular season. The 29-year-old began the rehab assignment on Tuesday and had collected two hits (a double and a grand slam) in five at-bats. The left-handed hitter had also collected three walks. Lowe was expected to rejoin the big league club within the next week or so, but it's unclear whether or not this latest issue will delay his return.

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Arizona Diamondbacks second basemanKetel Martehit his third home run in his last six games, a 400-foot boomer toright centerfield in the third inning of Friday's 4-2 loss against the Baltimore Orioles. Marte's homer, his eighth of the season, cut the deficit 2-1 and proved to be his only hit of the night in five at-bats. He continues to be a more effective hitter when playing under the lights as Marte, who started as the team's designated hitter on Friday, is hitting .321/.370/.519 (.889 OPS) at night compared to hitting just .244 during the day, albeit with a stellar .556 slugging percentage and an OPS of .859. DFS players should consider adding Marte to their lineups when he gets the chance to play after dark. Overall, Marte is off to a great start this season, slashing .295/.345/.538 with eight home runs, 19 RBI, 28 runs, and a stolen base over 174 plate appearances.

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Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Taj Bradley (pectoral) fanned seven New York Yankees in his 2024 debut on Friday but took the loss in the team's 2-0 defeat at Tropicana Field. Reinstated from the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, the 23-year-old allowed one earned run on four hits over his six innings while also walking a pair of batters. Bradley tossed 93 pitches, with 59 crossing home plate for strikes. Bradley's fastball topped out at 99.2 mph. He is projected to remain in the Rays rotation and will make his next start this Wednesday when the Rays visit the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

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Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson homered during Friday's 4-2 win over the New York Mets, snapping a stretch that saw the All-Star go 26 straight games without going deep. Olson had not homered since he went deep off Diamondbacks hurler Ryne Nelson in the second inning of a 5-2 win over Arizona on April 7. The home run, just Olson's fourth of the season, was only the fifth hit he had recorded in the month of May, entering Friday's game with a .190/.290/.190 slash line in 21 at-bats prior to Friday. Despite his recent struggles, Olson remains a must-start in all league formats. Overall, the 30-year-old slugger is slashing .202/.311/.372 with four home runs, 18 RBI, and 16 runs across 151 plate appearances in 2024.

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