Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said his level of concern with two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani's knee injury is "not high," and that he feels good about Ohtani being back in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener versus the Chicago White Sox, according to Jack Harris of The California Post. Ohtani first felt something in his knee/hamstring area after a stolen base attempt on what ended up being a foul ball earlier in Thursday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Roberts said the decision to pull Ohtani from the game early was him being proactive. The Dodgers will see how the four-time MVP feels on Friday, but the expectation is that he'll be available to play. Before leaving the eventual 8-6 win, the Japanese superstar went 2-for-2 at the plate with his 13th home run of the year, two runs scored, and two walks to boost his season average to .305 and his OPS to .964. Ohtani got off to a slow start offensively by his standards to begin 2026, but he has rebounded nicely and continues to be one of the best hitters in the game.

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New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga (arm, back) fared well in his minor-league rehab start on Thursday with Double-A Binghamton, allowing an earned run on a solo home run while walking one and striking out five in six innings to pick up the victory for the Rumble Ponies. Senga was originally scheduled to make his fourth rehab start on Tuesday, but he was scratched due to ulnar-nerve irritation in his right arm. Not only did Senga still get on the mound this week, but he delivered his best rehab performance so far on Thursday evening, throwing 51 of his 75 pitches for strikes. It's unclear what will be next for the 33-year-old Japanese native, but most likely, the Mets will want to see him make at least one more start down on the farm before considering him an option to rejoin the big-league rotation. In five starts in 2026 before going on the 15-day injured list, Senga gave up 21 runs (20 earned) while walking 13 and striking out 23 in 20 innings pitched. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues can afford to take a wait-and-see approach with Senga, who is currently rostered in only 12% of Yahoo leagues.

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Colorado Rockies backup catcher Brett Sullivan was productive at the bottom of the Rockies' batting order in Thursday's 9-3 loss to the visiting Chicago Cubs at Coors Field, going 3-for-4 at the plate with two solo home runs to boost his season average to .231 and his OPS to .664. It was the first multi-homer game of Sullivan's career, and the 32-year-old veteran backstop is now up to three home runs on the season in 33 games played. With the strong performance in the series finale, Sullivan nearly doubled his career home run total, as he entered play on Thursday with only three homers in his first 75 major-league games since debuting in 2023 with the San Diego Padres. He entered Thursday with a weak .207/.247/.310 slash line, a .558 OPS, one homer, and nine RBI in his 94 plate appearances this year in his first season in Denver. Sullivan will continue to see infrequent starts behind stud starting catcher Hunter Goodman, so fantasy managers should continue to ignore him in all formats.

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Baltimore Orioles infielder Coby Mayo has fallen into a cold spell at the plate recently. Over the last week, Mayo is 3-for-21 at the plate, but fantasy managers shouldn't run away. Over the last 10 games, Mayo has smacked four of his nine home runs on the season. The 24-year-old is struggling right now, but the power potential is legitimate. The O's are likely going to stick with Mayo through this slump and let him get everyday at-bats at the big league level. There isn't a ton of value right now, but Mayo could be someone worth stashing in deep leagues as a potential power source.

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Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Martin Perez was supposed to take the mound against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. That game was postponed due to weather. Instead, Perez is expected to take the mound for the series opener against the New York Mets on Friday. The veteran southpaw is an intriguing streaming option given his recent success. Over the last three starts, Perez owns a 3.45 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, with nine strikeouts over 15.2 innings of work. He also has strong career numbers against the Mets, with a 3.09 ERA across 43.2 innings against the Mets in his career. The lack of strikeouts will likely keep his overall ceiling lower, but Perez remains a fairly trustworthy option at the moment.

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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Shane Bieber (elbow) was outstanding on the mound during his rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday. Bieber tossed six shutout innings, allowing five hits, while striking out four batters. This was his second rehab start, and Bieber was much more successful during this outing. The right-hander threw 62 pitches, so the Jays will likely want to increase that number before activating him off the Injured List. The expectation is that Bieber will need at least one more rehab start before rejoining the Jays roster. He has been sidelined all season while rehabbing an elbow injury. Bieber is looking like a strong stash candidate with his return to the mound on the horizon.

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski (hamstring) was forced to make an early exit from Thursday's outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wrobleski took a line drive off his leg during the fifth inning of this game. After a visit from manager Dave Roberts, Wrobleski would exit the game. The southpaw has been diagnosed with a right hamstring contusion. Before leaving, Wrobleski allowed four earned runs on six hits with one strikeout over 4.2 innings of work. It's unclear at the moment if Wrobleski will be ready in time for his next start. Fantasy managers should check back for another update on his status shortly.

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Cleveland Guardians outfielder Nolan Jones was acquired by the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. In exchange, the Guardians will receive $250,000 in international bonus pool money. This season, Jones has slashed .275/.385/.460 with eight home runs, 31 RBI, and three stolen bases in 52 games at Triple-A Columbus. Jones is a former second-round pick of Cleveland from the 2016 draft. Jones blasted 20 homers during the 2023 season with the Colorado Rockies. Since then, Jones hasn't been able to have the same type of success at the big league level. He'll report to Triple-A Charlotte and will hopefully earn his way to the big league roster at some point.

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Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani (knee) was forced to make an early exit from Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ohtani exited the game in the top of the seventh inning due to left knee inflammation. Before leaving the game, Ohtani was 2-for-2 at the plate with a home run, one RBI, and two walks. Santiago Espinal took over the designated hitter spot for Ohtani for the rest of this game. Ohtani did have left knee surgery in 2019, so it's unclear if that has anything to do with this. The Dodgers should give an update on his status soon. For now, fantasy managers should consider Ohtani as day-to-day until further notice.

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Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman/outfielder Jordan Lawlar (wrist) will come off the 60-day injured list to rejoin the major-league roster for Friday's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports. Lawlar will be returning to the Snakes this weekend for the first time since hitting the IL back in early April with a right-wrist fracture. During his minor-league rehab assignment, the 23-year-old former top prospect went 6-for-28 with two RBI and five runs scored in eight games. The former sixth overall pick in 2021 out of Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas has yet to impress in the big leagues in just 48 games played since debuting in 2023, hitting .191 (22-for-115) with just one home run, seven RBI, four steals, and a 33.6% strikeout rate. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues will probably want to take a wait-and-see approach with Lawlar, but he should play regularly in Arizona's outfield once he returns. Lawlar is widely available in Yahoo leagues, as he's rostered in just 6% of leagues.

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Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo (wrist) is doing the catching for right-hander Kyle Bradish in Thursday's series finale at Camden Yards and will bat fifth against Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo, per MLB.com. Basallo has been dealing with a bony growth on his left wrist and was held out of the starting lineup for each of the last three games. It's something that he could deal with going forward, but for now, the left-handed slugger will return to the O's lineup for the series finale against Seattle. The Dominican backstop will return to a .263/.327/.475 line with an .801 OPS, nine home runs, 27 RBI, and 25 runs scored in his 179 at-bats in his first full year in the majors. Basallo has been much better against right-handers this year, going 36-for-133 (.271) against them with eight of his nine home runs on the year. The young catcher has struggled so far in June, though, with just two hits in 22 plate appearances over eight games.

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Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (hamstring) is back in the team's starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the visiting Seattle Mariners and right-hander Bryan Woo, serving as the designated hitter and batting third in the order, per MLB.com. Rutschman will return to the O's lineup after missing the last three games with tightness in his left hamstring. The 28-year-old switch-hitter has been swinging the bat much better of late, going 13-for-42 (.310) with a homer, four doubles, a triple, 10 RBI, and seven runs scored in his last 11 games since May 27. Overall, the former first overall pick out of Oregon State is slashing .267/.343/.489 with a career-best .832 OPS, eight home runs, 36 RBI, and 25 runs scored in 48 games across 204 plate appearances in his fifth year in the big leagues. Fantasy managers will want to get the two-time All-Star back into their starting lineups now that he's been cleared of his hamstring injury. In three career at-bats against Woo, Rutschman has a home run and two RBI.

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Seattle Mariners rookie infielder Colt Emerson (back) is starting at shortstop and will bat ninth for Seattle in Thursday's series finale against the hosting Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Kyle Bradish at Camden Yards, according to MLB.com. Emerson didn't play in any of the last three games due to a bout with back spasms, but he's feeling good enough to play on Thursday. The 20-year-old infield prospect is one of the most intriguing young power/speed threats in baseball, although he won't carry a ton of DFS appeal at the bottom of the Mariners' batting order in his return. In his first 19 games in the big leagues, Emerson has gone 15-for-62 (.242) with four home runs, five doubles, a triple, 10 RBI, and nine runs scored across 69 plate appearances. He will play regularly for the M's at the 6 with J.P. Crawford (hand) on the injured list currently. Emerson has only five walks and 21 strikeouts early on, so he'll need to make more contact to capitalize on his potential.

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Washington Nationals corner infield prospect Yohandy Morales continues to produce at Triple-A Rochester, drawing a walk, stealing a base, and scoring a run in his latest contest despite going 0-for-3 at the plate. For the season, the Nats' 28th-ranked prospect is slashing a robust .336/.414/.584 with 14 home runs and three steals. The former second-round draft pick is set to blow past his home run total from last season (15), and has seen almost a six percent drop in strikeout rate year-over-year while maintaining a solid 10.7 percent walk rate. The 6-foot-3 slugger owns a 92.3 percent average exit velocity (EV) this season (90th percentile) and a max EV of 113.1 mph (93rd percentile), along with a 12.4 percent barrel rate and 52.9 percent hard-hit rate, so he's got some fantasy-friendly power potential. However, despite having the ability to play either corner infield spot or designated hitter, there isn't a current path to playing time on the MLB roster, so it may take an injury to get him to the majors. Regardless, managers in deep leagues looking for a sneaky source of home runs and counting stats should consider stashing the 24-year-old ahead of an eventual call-up.

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Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Quinn Priester (shoulder), who had been pitching in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, has been returned from his minor-league rehab assignment and remains on the 60-day injured list, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Priester hasn't really had any luck trying to battle through symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome, and this could be the final straw before the Brewers have him undergo season-ending surgery. The 25-year-old's velocity has been way down, and he's had trouble commanding the baseball while pitching in the minor leagues. In eight rehab starts in the ACL and for High-A Wisconsin and Triple-A Nashville, Priester has allowed 28 earned runs on 22 hits (one homer) while walking 24 and striking out only 18 in 16 innings pitched. It's unclear what the next step is for Priester, but it's beginning to look more and more unlikely that he'll be able to help Milwaukee out in 2026. He's rostered in just 13% of Yahoo leagues and can probably be cut in more formats.

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Cincinnati Reds right-hander Tony Santillan has put together arguably his worst MLB season so far in 2026, recording a 5.88 ERA and 1.58 WHIP with 25 strikeouts across 26 innings. However, with Reds closer Emilio Pagan (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain, Santillan has two saves on the year and may be Cincinnati's preferred option in the ninth inning. There are major red flags in Santillan's profile that fantasy managers should be aware of before buying in. The 29-year-old's average fastball velocity is down from 96.2 miles per hour in 2025 to 94.6 mph in 2026, and his K-BB rate has dipped from 15.3% to 10.3%. He's also allowed nine home runs (3.12 HR/9) on the year and pitches in one of the most homer-friendly home parks in all of baseball in Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park. Fantasy managers in desperate need of saves may still have use for Santillan, but his profile is riddled with risk.

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Seattle Mariners outfield prospect Lazaro Montes has been a big-time power bat in the minors for the last few seasons, belting 21 home runs in 2024 and another 32 a season ago, but at his current pace, the 6-foot-5 slugger could even outdo last season's total. The left-handed hitter is in the midst of a home run barrage at Double-A Arkansas, blasting six long balls in his last eight games alone, while batting .394 (13-for-33) over that stretch, which has also seen an improved strikeout rate of 17.9 percent over that span (27.8 percent for the season). The native of Cuba's recent run of production has pushed his batting average to .240 with a strong 12.7 percent walk rate and an outstanding .904 OPS. The strikeouts will likely remain part of his profile (career 27.1 percent in the minors), which could limit his batting average, but he's helped offset that with a strong walk rate (career 14.8 percent), and the power is legit. Montes could be ticketed for Triple-A soon, and if the 21-year-old can continue to develop his hit tool, a late-season debut in the majors is a possibility.

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Tampa Bay Rays pitching prospect Brody Hopkins will get his next shot at proving his recent run of success is for real when he takes the mound for Triple-A Durham on Thursday night in Nashville against a formidable lineup made up of hot-hitting Brewers prospects. Over the right-hander's last six appearances, he's pitched to a 1.42 ERA while striking out 32 batters across 25 1/3 innings pitched. The Rays' top pitching prospect had an issue walking batters for most of the season, even during his recent success, but has improved considerably over his last two appearances, recording a 16:3 K:BB in 10 IP. If that is the trend going forward, the 24-year-old's momentum should carry him to a major league debut in the coming weeks. With his strikeout upside and the control problems hopefully a thing of the past, the 6-foot-4 hurler has emerged as a solid stash candidate in deeper leagues, so managers will want to keep an eye on his progress, starting Thursday night.

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Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno has once again dealt with injuries this season, landing on the 10-day injured list in mid-April due to an oblique strain. However, the 26-year-old has been productive when healthy, hitting .266/.345/.434 with five home runs, 22 RBI, 22 runs scored, and three stolen bases across 165 plate appearances. Moreno's 11.2% barrel rate and 46.6% hard-hit rate are both career-bests, and he's maintained above-average contact ability with an 18.2% strikeout rate. The ability to stay healthy will likely always be a concern for Moreno, who has yet to log more than 380 plate appearances in any of his MLB seasons. Still, he's undoubtedly a viable starter in two-catcher fantasy formats. In leagues where he remains on the waiver wire, Moreno should be a priority target for fantasy managers.

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New York Yankees pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange was effective in his latest start out of the bullpen for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, allowing one earned run on three hits and a walk while striking out three batters in 2 2/3 innings pitched. The hard-throwing Dominican recently transitioned to a reliever, with the expectation that the big league club could leverage him in that same role. As a starter, the Yankees' fourth-ranked prospect held a 4.41 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and a 17.5 percent K-BB% in 49 IP, but through two relief appearances, he's posted a 1.35 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and a 25.9 percent K-BB%, so the move appears to be working out for now. The right-hander's strikeout potential is what makes him intriguing for fantasy, but a move to middle relief has dealt a blow to his worthiness as a stash candidate. Only those managers in very deep leagues desperate for strikeouts should consider stashing him, especially since it may come at the cost of WHIP due to his control issues.

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