Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (elbow) said that he felt pain in his right elbow during his second at-bat in Wednesday's loss to the Baltimore Orioles, according to Pete Grathoff of The Kansas City Star. Garcia stayed in the game for a few more innings before eventually hitting the showers early. He was feeling better after the 8-6 loss and expects to play in Friday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Nick Loftin replaced Garcia at the hot corner to close out Wednesday's game. The Royals have an off day on Thursday, which will give the 26-year-old Garcia a bit more time to rest up. The Venezuelan infielder went 0-for-3 at the plate against the O's in the series finale before leaving the game, and he came into Wednesday's action hitting .274 (26-for-95) with two home runs, 10 RBI, 14 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 24 games played. Garcia was a first-time All-Star in 2025 with a career-high 16 long balls and 74 RBI in 160 games played.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (leg) is starting in right field and is batting sixth on Wednesday against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers and right-hander Shohei Ohtani, according to MLB.com. Lee was pulled from Tuesday's series-opening win against L.A. in the sixth inning with a left-leg injury that he suffered while sliding into home plate. The injury turned out not to be very serious, though, and he's back in action a day later. The 27-year-old Japanese native hasn't been much of a fantasy asset in his two-plus years in the big leagues and played in only 37 games in his rookie campaign in 2024 due to injury. He's currently slashing .259/.311/.370 with a homer, nine RBI, and eight runs scored in 23 games played so far in 2026, but he's heating up of late with six multi-hit performances in his last 10 games while going 15-for-39 (.385) with a homer, four RBI, and three runs scored over that span. Lee is only rostered in 10% of Yahoo leagues because of his limited power/speed profile.

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Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe (knee) and first baseman Spencer Horwitz (neck) are both in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game in Texas against the Rangers and right-hander Jack Leiter, according to MLB.com. Lowe is starting at second base and batting second, while Horwitz is at first and batting seventh against Leiter. The left-handed-hitting Lowe didn't play in Tuesday's loss to the Rangers due to left-knee discomfort, and Horwitz was scratched from Tuesday's lineup due to neck discomfort. Neither injury proved to be very serious. The 31-year-old Lowe has gotten off to a pretty nice start in 2026 in his first year in Pittsburgh, slashing .267/.375/.600 with a .975 OPS, seven long balls, 18 RBI, and 12 runs scored in 19 games across 88 plate appearances. For a second baseman in fantasy, he provides a nice power floor that comes with durability concerns. Both Lowe and Horwitz are batting .500 in just two career at-bats apiece against Leiter.

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The Boston Red Sox remain "very likely" to pitch left-hander Payton Tolle in Thursday's series finale against the division-rival New York Yankees, sources told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Manager Alex Cora has declined to officially name a starter for Thursday's game and said that Eduardo Rivera is another candidate to start. The 23-year-old Tolle was skipped in the starting rotation at Triple-A Worcester over the weekend and is believed to be a strong candidate to take the rotation spot of right-hander Sonny Gray (hamstring), who landed on the 15-day injured list after getting injured in his start on Monday. If Tolle doesn't start on Thursday against New York, he could make his 2026 debut this weekend against the Baltimore Orioles. Tolle had an ERA over 6.00 with 19 strikeouts and eight walks in 16 1/3 innings in a small sample size in his MLB debut in 2025, but he's one of the more intriguing young pitching prospects in the game and is worth a stash right now in deep-mixed leagues. The former second-rounder is only rostered in 24% of Yahoo leagues currently.

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The New York Mets haven't considered changing right-handed reliever Devin Williams' role in the bullpen at this point, manager Carlos Mendoza told Max Goodman of NJ.com. Williams' struggles with the New York Yankees last year have carried over into 2026 across town. The 31-year-old veteran and two-time All-Star has allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits (one homer) while walking six and striking out 11 in 6 1/3 innings pitched so far with the Mets for a 9.95 ERA. He took the loss on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins after failing to record an out while giving up two earned runs on a hit and three walks. Williams didn't allow a run in his first five appearances with the Mets, but he's allowed seven runs in just 1 1/3 innings in his last three outings. It sounds like the Mets are going to give Williams some more leeway to work things out, but fantasy managers scrounging for saves already might want to make a speculative pickup on right-handed setup man Luke Weaver.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (forearm) said he's going on the injured list with a Grade 1 flexor strain in his right forearm that he suffered on a swing during Tuesday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to Jeff Wilson of All City DLLS. The good news for fantasy managers, though, is that he's only expected to need 10 days to get healthy again. The Rangers will recall outfielder Alejandro Osuna to replace Langford on the big-league roster. Ezequiel Duran, who got the start in left field on Wednesday with Langford sidelined, should see most of the playing time for the Rangers in the next 10 days in left field. The 24-year-old Langford has plenty of long-term upside because of his power and speed profile, but injuries continue to get in the way for the former fourth overall pick out of Florida in 2023. Fantasy managers should not be thinking of dumping him to the waiver wire. In his first 80 at-bats in 2026, Langford has 19 hits, a homer, four RBI, nine runs scored, and three stolen bases for the Rangers.

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Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (elbow) was pulled from Wednesday's game early after the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles with right-elbow soreness, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Until we have more details about the severity of Garcia's elbow injury, we'll consider him day-to-day. Before leaving the game against Baltimore, he went 0-for-3 at the plate with a strikeout. With an off day coming on Thursday, hopefully Garcia will be ready to return for Friday's series opener in KC against the Los Angeles Angels. He came into Wednesday's action with a .274 batting average (26-for-95) with two home runs, 10 RBI, 14 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 107 plate appearances across 24 games played. The 26-year-old Venezuelan infielder was replaced at third base by Nick Loftin. Garcia is currently rostered in 98% of Yahoo leagues.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (forearm) is not in the team's starting lineup for Wednesday's contest against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates after being pulled from Tuesday's win early with right-forearm stiffness, according to MLB.com. Langford told reporters after Tuesday's game that he felt the tightness on a swing. He will undergo an MRI exam on Wednesday. It's bad timing for Langford, as he was the team's hottest hitter before the injury, going 7-for-14 in the three-game series against the Seattle Mariners over the weekend. In his first 80 at-bats of the 2026 season, the 24-year-old former fourth overall pick in 2023 out of the University of Florida has hit .238 (19-for-80) with a homer, three doubles, two triples, four RBI, nine runs, and three stolen bases in 20 games. Ezequiel Duran will make the start in left field and hit ninth on Wednesday against the Pirates and right-hander Braxton Ashcraft. Even if Langford requires a trip to the injured list, he should be stashed in all fantasy leagues due to his power/speed upside.

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Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that outfielder Roman Anthony (back) is dealing with a sore back and is day-to-day, according to Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald. Anthony came down with some back tightness on Tuesday and is not in the starting nine for Wednesday's game against the division-rival New York Yankees with a left-hander on the mound. Fantasy managers will want to check back to see if Anthony is ready to return for Thursday's series finale. With Anthony out on Wednesday, Andruw Monasterio is serving as the team's designated hitter. The 21-year-old Anthony was as advertised in his major-league debut in 71 games in 2025, slashing .292/.396/.463 with an .859 OPS, eight homers, 32 RBI, 48 runs, and four steals in 303 plate appearances, but he's gone only 18-for-80 (.225) so far in 2026 with a homer and four RBI in 22 games played in his first full big-league season. It's too early to panic about Anthony, and hopefully, he can avoid a trip to the injured list.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Nathan Church had another hit on Wednesday in the team's 4-1 loss to the hosting Miami Marlins, and he's now gone 8-for-20 with a double, home run, three RBI, four runs scored, and three steals in the last six games to boost his season average to .236 and his OPS to .659. He now has two home runs, eight RBI, nine runs scored, three stolen bases, three walks, and 15 strikeouts in 21 games played in the early going of his first full major-league season. The 25-year-old former 11th-round selection out of UC Irving in 2022 went 10-for-56 (.179) with a homer, eight RBI, and nine runs scored in just 27 games in his major-league debut with the Red Birds in 2025. Because Church has yet to face a left-handed pitcher, his fantasy value in mixed leagues is limited. However, if Church continues to hit, he could see his role increase in St. Louis' outfield. Right now in Yahoo leagues, Church is only rostered in 1% of leagues.

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New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Foul Territory on Wednesday that shortstop Anthony Volpe (shoulder) has had "zero issues" with his surgically-repaired left (non-throwing) shoulder over the last couple of months. "Realistically, he's still 10 days [or] two weeks away, I would think," Boone said. Volpe played most of last year with a torn labrum in his left shoulder, but he still managed to hit 19 home runs, drive in 72 runs, and steal 18 bases in 153 regular-season games. He has gone 6-for-15 with a home run and two stolen bases in his five minor-league rehab games with Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Volpe is getting very close to making his 2026 season debut, but the Yankees aren't going to rush him back, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to be back until the calendar flips to May. The 24-year-old is only rostered in 8% of Yahoo leagues right now, but that number should increase in the coming weeks as he nears reinstatement from the 10-day IL. Volpe should take over starting duties at the 6 in the Bronx from Jose Caballeros when he's ready.

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The Boston Red Sox announced on Wednesday that they transferred first baseman Triston Casas (abdomen, knee) to the 60-day injured list. The move opens up a 40-man roster spot for left-hander Eduardo Rivera, who is being called up from Triple-A Worcester. Casas spent the offseason and spring training recovering from knee surgery, and he started the 2026 regular season on the 10-day injured list. His move to the 60-day IL means he won't be eligible to be reinstated until late May. In addition to his knee rehab, the left-handed slugger suffered a strained left abdominal muscle earlier this month that has kept him out of action. In both dynasty/keeper and single-year fantasy baseball formats, Casas is losing value by the day. Whenever he's ready to make his season debut, Casas won't be guaranteed regular playing time, and most of his at-bats will most likely come at designated hitter with Willson Contreras locked in at first base. Casas is only 1% rostered in Yahoo leagues these days.

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After an atrocious start to the season, Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor appears to be coming around. The left-handed hitter went 6-for-59 (.102) over the season's first 15 games without a single extra-base hit, however, over the last eight games, he is 9-for-29 (.310) with four extra-base hits (two doubles, two home runs). In all, he's produced a .170/.253/.261 slash line with a .237 wOBA and 51 wRC+, not even close to his career line of .269/.329/.447 with a .332 wOBA and 115 wRC+ that he came into the season with. The good news is that he is still striking out at a better-than-average rate (16.2 percent), making more contact (80.6 percent) than he did last year, and both his xBA (.229) and xwOBA (.291) are much higher than his actual stats. Given his recent turnaround, he appears headed in the right direction, and the stats point to brighter days ahead.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman will not be available for Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Angels after pitching three times in four days, but manager John Schneider said the team will "use the off day to talk about (role) with him," according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. "We'll re-evaluate everything, talk with him, and see how he's doing. He's going through it, obviously, a little bit." Hoffman was credited with his first hold of the year in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Angels, but he was pulled from the game after just one-third of an inning, having allowed an earned run on two hits, two hit-by-pitches, and a strikeout. Louis Varland came on to replace him and closed the door by inducing a double-play groundout. Fantasy managers scrounging for saves in the early going in 2026 should look to pick Varland up off the waiver wire immediately. Hoffman has strikeout upside -- he's fanned 24 in just 10 2/3 innings, but he's also allowed 11 runs (nine earned) while walking six and blowing three saves already. He's a very volatile option for saves in fantasy who might be on the verge of a bullpen demotion.

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The Philadelphia Phillies placed catcher J.T. Realmuto (back) on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with a lower-back injury, league sources told Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Realmuto had missed two games before returning on Tuesday. In a corresponding move, the Phils are calling up Garett Stubbs from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and he will split time behind the plate with Rafael Marchan. Despite dealing with back and foot injuries in the first couple of weeks of the 2026 season, Realmuto managed to hit .259/.344/.352 with a home run, four RBI, and five runs scored in his first 54 at-bats. It's more bad news for the Phillies, though, who have lost seven straight games to dig themselves a sizeable hole early on. It's only the third time in Realmuto's eight years with the Phillies that he has landed on the IL. Marchan has started the year 2-for-31 at the plate with a homer and seven strikeouts, while Stubbs hit .289/.413/.632 in 46 plate appearances at Triple-A before his call-up. Fantasy managers should be looking to avoid the catching situation in Philly with Realmuto sidelined.

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Colorado Rockies closer Victor Vodnik has been solid so far this season and is a name to consider when searching the waiver wire for saves. The right-hander blew his first save opportunity of the season back on March 29, but made seven straight scoreless appearances after that, during which time he tallied three saves. His last outing did not go so well, allowing two earned runs on three hits, a walk, and a wild pitch, but thankfully, it was a non-save situation, and his job appears to be secure. With the Rockies showing some fight lately, including taking two of four from the mighty Dodgers, they certainly appear to be capable of winning more games than they did a season ago (.375 winning percentage compared to .265), which should mean more save chances for their closer. The 26-year-old is the owner of a 3.60 ERA, and while a WHIP of 1.80 and K-BB% of 2.1 percent are not fantasy-friendly, he does not appear to have competition for the role at the moment, and the 6-foot hurler can be found in over 90 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

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New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (calf) was officially activated from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday, and he's serving as the designated hitter while batting second in his return on Wednesday against the visiting Minnesota Twins and left-handed pitching prospect Connor Prielipp, who is making his MLB debut. It will be Soto's first game back with the Mets since he strained his right calf on April 3 against the San Francisco Giants. They are desperately hoping that the 27-year-old four-time All-Star and six-time Silver Slugger winner can help them break a 12-game losing streak. Fantasy managers are hoping that Soto's calf injury won't disrupt his hot streak at the plate to begin the 2026 season, as Soto was slashing .355/.412/.516 with a .928 OPS, a home run, five RBI, and three runs scored in his first eight games before getting hurt. Soto might need to knock a little rust off at first since he didn't go on a minor-league rehab assignment, but fantasy managers should be putting him back into their lineups sooner rather than later.

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New York Mets starting pitcher Freddy Peralta had a phenomenal 2025 campaign with the Brewers, but he's been unable to replicate that success so far this season in Queens. The right-hander owns a 4.05 ERA through five starts, and his K% is down 3.2 percent from last year to 25.0 percent. On the bright side, his WHIP of 1.09 is nearly identical to last season, and a 3.78 xFIP suggests maybe he's pitched better than what the results show. The 29-year-old gets a chance to right the ship his next time out, which is scheduled for this Friday at home against the Rockies, a team that has the fifth-worst runs-per-game average (3.83) and strikes out the second-most in baseball (9.54 K/game). Fantasy managers should remain patient with the two-time All-Star.

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New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that left-hander David Peterson will stay in the bullpen for the next turn through the starting rotation after the team recalls right-hander Christian Scott to make the start on Thursday, according to SNY. Peterson tossed 3 2/3 scoreless innings in a loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday as a bulk reliever, but overall, he's sporting a 5.40 ERA and 1.67 WHIP with 22 strikeouts and 10 walks in 23 1/3 frames over his five appearances (four starts) early in 2026. The 30-year-old southpaw was a first-time All-Star in 2025, when he went 9-6 with a 4.22 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 150:65 K:BB in 30 starts (168 2/3 innings). But if Scott pitches well in New York after his call-up, Peterson could easily shift to more of a full-time, long-relief role out of the Mets' bullpen. He is only rostered in 16% of Yahoo leagues and probably isn't worth holding in shallow-mixed fantasy leagues at this point.

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Athletics outfielder Colby Thomas was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Wednesday, with Denzel Clarke (foot) heading to the injured list. The former third-round draft pick has been hitting well for the Aviators, slashing .309/.397/.574 with five home runs through 17 games. The right-handed slugger has also shown modest year-over-year improvements in strikeout (24.4 percent) and walk rate (10.3 percent) in the early going, both of which he struggled with in his first go-round in the majors last season (37.1 percent K%, 5.3 percent BB%). The 25-year-old has big power, hitting 31 home runs in 2024 and another 24 in 2025 between Triple-A and with the Athletics. Thomas is worth a look for his home run potential in deeper leagues, although he'll need to get regular at-bats to make it worthwhile, so keep an eye on how the A's deploy him; he is not in the lineup for Wednesday's day game in Seattle.

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