Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jared Jones allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four over five scoreless innings to earn the win in Thursday's 5-1 victory over the Houston Astros. He is back in the majors after missing the 2025 season following internal brace surgery on his elbow, and he remains a high-upside speculative add in most leagues. Jones has made a couple of starts since returning in late May and has shown flashes of the plus stuff that made him one of the Pirates' top prospects. He owns a 4.82 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, and 10 strikeouts through 9 1/3 innings in 2026. While his early results have been mixed in a small sample, the 24-year-old has the kind of swing-and-miss ability and strikeout upside that can pay off quickly if he can stay healthy and build up his workload. With the Pirates' rotation still taking shape and Jones getting a chance to prove he's ready, he's worth a look as a stash in deeper formats or for managers willing to be patient with a young arm coming off injury. If he can regain the form he showed in 2024, when he had an 18.5 K-BB% across 121 2/3 innings. The payoff could be significant for fantasy managers looking to take a chance.

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Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Tanner Scott has been highly effective this season and has established himself as a key high-leverage arm for the Dodgers. Scott owns a 2.36 ERA and 0.75 WHIP with 31 strikeouts in approximately 26 2/3 innings across 29 appearances. He has already recorded six saves and has shown excellent command while missing bats at a high rate, evidenced by his 31.3K% and 3.0 BB%. His ability to limit hard contact (allowing just 27.7% Hard Hit Percentage) has made him a trusted option in high-leverage and save situations. While the Dodgers' bullpen has some depth, Scott has been one of the more reliable left-handed options and has earned save chances when the team is ahead late. For fantasy managers in need of saves or lefty relief help, he's a strong add in most leagues (48% rostered in Yahoo Fantasy) while the opportunities continue.

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Cincinnati Reds shortstop prospect Edwin Arroyo was called up on June 1 after Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) landed on the injured list, and he's worth adding in 10-team leagues or more. De La Cruz will miss the next two to four weeks, so Arroyo is set to see everyday at-bats. Arroyo had been dominating at Triple-A Louisville before the promotion, hitting .323 with 11 home runs, 34 RBI, and nine stolen bases in 53 games while posting a .945 OPS. The 22-year-old switch-hitter has shown plus power and speed at the upper levels, and he now gets a chance to play every day while De La Cruz is sidelined. While his early MLB results have been limited as he's hitting .200 (2-for-10) in his first four big league games, Arroyo is an upside add, especially for managers looking for middle-infield help. If he can carry over even a portion of his Triple-A success, he could be a difference-maker in the second half and is rostered in just 12% of Yahoo Fantasy leagues.

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Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Gregory Soto allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while failing to record an out in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to the Houston Astros. He was charged with the blown save and suffered his first loss of the season. Despite the implosion, the veteran has been one of the more effective relievers in baseball this season and has carved out a meaningful high-leverage role. Soto owns a 2.86 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with 34 strikeouts in 28 innings across 29 appearances. He has already recorded eight saves and has shown the ability to miss bats consistently while limiting hard contact. His stuff has played up in shorter outings, and the Pirates' coaching staff has trusted him in save situations. While the Pirates' bullpen has had some flux, Soto has been one of the more reliable options on the left side and has earned save chances when the team is ahead late. For fantasy managers in need of saves or left-handed relief help, he remains a strong speculative add for saves, as he's rostered in 49% of Yahoo Fantasy leagues.

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Athletics left-hander Gage Jump made his major league debut on May 26 and has shown the kind of stuff that made him a notable pitching prospect coming out of LSU. Through his first two big-league starts, Jump owns a 3.75 ERA with 10 strikeouts across 12 innings. He bounced back from a shaky debut by holding the Chicago Cubs to one run over seven innings Tuesday, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out five to earn his first MLB win. He has shown the ability to miss bats with a fastball that sits 93-96 mph and a sharp slider. Jump's fantasy appeal comes from the strikeout upside he showed before his promotion. The 23-year-old recorded 56 strikeouts in 38 innings over nine starts at Triple-A Las Vegas, giving him enough swing-and-miss ability to matter if he sticks in the Athletics' rotation. The sample is still small, and young pitchers on struggling teams can be volatile, but Jump is worth a speculative add on the waiver wire in leagues with 12 teams or more for managers looking for starting pitching help.

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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson (thumb) will take a seat on the bench to start Saturday's tilt on the road against the Miami Marlins, according to MLB.com. Cedric Mullins is starting in center field for the Rays and will bat sixth against Marlins right-hander Lake Bachar. Simpson will sit out after being removed early in Friday's ballgame in Miami due to discomfort in his left thumb. He's being considered day-to-day for now. The speedy 25-year-old is still searching for his first major-league home run after 168 games played, after debuting for the Rays in 2025. What he lacks in power, he makes up for in speed on the basepaths. Simpson had 44 stolen bases in 109 games played last year and is currently slashing .276/.309/.328 with a .637 OPS, 12 RBI, 14 stolen bases, and 30 runs scored in 59 games across 249 plate appearances in his sophomore season in 2026. Mullins has struggled in his first year in Tampa, going 34-for-181 (.188) with five homers, 18 RBI, 10 steals, 17 walks, and 36 K's in 207 plate appearances, but all five of his homers this season have come against right-handed pitchers.

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Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Steven Matz will transition to the bullpen. The 35-year-old has struggled recently, allowing 11 runs over his last two starts while recording just 13 outs. As a result, the Rays will look to utilize him in shorter relief appearances as he works to regain his form. The left-hander has posted a 5.48 ERA across 46.0 innings over 10 starts this season. At this point, he is not expected to work in high-leverage situations or receive save opportunities. The Rays have yet to announce who will fill the vacant spot in the rotation.

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Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Ildemaro Vargas (thigh) is out of the starting lineup against the Washington Nationals on Saturday. The 34-year-old has endured a rough week, first colliding with Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy on Thursday and then being hit by a pitch while pinch-hitting on Friday. As a result of those incidents, the veteran will get a day of rest on Saturday in hopes of recovering fully. There have been no reports suggesting that Vargas will need more than a day or two to heal, and there has been no indication that a stint on the Injured List is being considered. In his place, recently promoted LuJames Groover will start at first base and look to record the first hit of his major-league career.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II (back) is out of Saturday's lineup due to back tightness. The 25-year-old was removed late in Atlanta's win over Pittsburgh on Friday night, and the initial belief was that he would not miss any time. However, a day later, manager Walt Weiss acknowledged that Harris was still experiencing tightness in his back. While he will receive treatment, the expectation is that he will miss no more than this one game. Neither Harris nor the team believes the injury is serious, and there is a chance he will be available off the bench when the two teams meet again. This season, the Braves' center fielder has posted a .303/.338/.516 slash line with 13 home runs, three stolen bases, and an .854 OPS.

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Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown (shoulder) is set to make his next rehab start this Wednesday for Triple-A Sugar Land. There was some speculation that he would be ready to return to the Astros following his start on Thursday, but the team has determined that he needs one more rehab outing before being activated from the Injured List. The 27-year-old has posted a 1.93 ERA across three rehab appearances, striking out 14 batters along the way. He threw 57 pitches in his most recent start, and the expectation is that he will build on that workload this Wednesday. Manager Joe Espada has said that Brown looks and feels good, but the exact timeline for his return has yet to be finalized.

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Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) is set to have his scheduled MRI moved up three days to this Friday. The 24-year-old superstar has progressed so well that the team has deemed it appropriate to move the appointment up, which is encouraging news for fantasy managers. The examination will help the Reds determine the next steps in De La Cruz's recovery and, hopefully, provide some clarity on when he might be ready to return to the lineup. While he still has a long way to go, it appears he is on track to return toward the shorter end of the original two-to-four-week recovery timeline.

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Boston Red Sox right-handed reliever Garrett Whitlock (knee) will make a minor-league rehab appearance for Triple-A Worcester on Saturday, interim manager Chad Tracy told Tim Healy of Newsday. It is currently to be determined if Whitlock will only need one rehab outing or if he'll have to make one more before he comes off the 15-day injured list. The 29-year-old landed on the IL in late May with inflammation in his left knee that stemmed from when he slipped on a wet mound. The Red Sox aren't very concerned about the injury, so barring a setback on Saturday, Whitlock could rejoin the back end of the bullpen by the end of the weekend. Whitlock is only rostered in 14% of Yahoo leagues because he's not in line for saves in Boston behind left-handed closer Aroldis Chapman, but he is still one of the team's best relievers. Before his knee injury, Whitlock went 3-1 with a 3.20 ERA (2.81 FIP) and 1.12 WHIP with 25 strikeouts and only six walks in his 19 2/3 innings of relief.

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Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that right-hander Hunter Greene (elbow) could return and hopefully make some starts before the All-Star break in mid-July, according to Charlie Goldsmith of FOX 19. Greene's next step will be live batting practice sessions. "He's doing really good," Francona said. Greene is currently on the 60-day injured list and has yet to pitch for Cincy this year after having surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow back in the middle of March. The 26-year-old is making rapid progress of late, though, and is getting closer to making his 2026 season debut, which is your cue to run to the waiver wire and pick him up. The hard-throwing former second overall pick in 2017 is currently rostered in only 63% of Yahoo leagues. There's obviously more risk since he's been out for an extended period of time, but when healthy, Greene has already shown that he can be a fantasy ace. He was a first-time All-Star in 2024, has posted an ERA of under 3.00 in the last two years, and sports an elite 30% strikeout rate in his first four seasons in the big leagues with the Reds.

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Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo (abdomen) will sit out on Saturday at the Rogers Centre against the hosting Toronto Blue Jays after suffering an abdominal injury and being pulled from the game early on Friday, per MLB.com. Adley Rutschman is catching right-hander Kyle Bradish and will bat third against Blue Jays right-hander Braydon Fisher after a big four-hit, five-RBI performance in Friday night's blowout win. The severity of Basallo's injury is unknown at this time, but he could require a trip to the injured list and is unlikely to play again this weekend in the series in Canada. Sam Huff has been brought up as an emergency catching option for the O's in case Basallo needs to miss extended time. The 21-year-old Dominican backstop has had a pretty solid first full season in the big leagues, entering Saturday with a .273/.339/.494 slash line, .833 OPS, nine home runs, 26 RBI, and 25 runs scored in 52 games. Check back for an update on Basallo's status after he undergoes additional testing on his abdomen.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (shoulder) is not in the team's starting lineup on Saturday against the visiting Kansas City Royals after injuring his right shoulder while crashing into the outfield wall on Friday night, according to MLB.com. Ryan Kreidler is starting in center field for Minnesota and is hitting ninth in the order against Royals right-hander Luinder Avila. The good news for Buxton is that manager Derek Shelton said that the star outfielder won't go for any testing on his shoulder, so the Twins clearly don't believe he's dealing with a serious injury. Fantasy managers can consider Buxton day-to-day for now and check back on Sunday to see if he's active for the series finale at Target Field. The 32-year-old veteran doesn't run much these days in his 12th season in the big leagues, but he's been a great source of power. After clubbing a career-high 35 home runs and driving in 83 in 126 games in 2025, Buxton is already up to 18 homers in 2026 while slashing .257/.319/.549 with 28 RBI, 41 runs scored, and five stolen bases in 55 games across 248 plate appearances.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer (forearm) is getting closer to returning to the team's starting rotation after making a minor-league rehab start on Friday with Triple-A Buffalo, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. Scherzer tossed 3 2/3 innings on 73 pitches on Friday, giving up three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out five. His fastball averaged 93.4 mph and touched 95.7 mph, which are very encouraging for the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer. The Blue Jays are without Jose Berrios (elbow) and Cody Ponce (knee) for the rest of the season, along with Bowden Francis (elbow), and Dylan Cease (hamstring) and Shane Bieber (elbow) are on the injured list as well, so getting Scherzer back will be a big plus for this pitching staff. Scherzer has dealt with injuries over the last two seasons with the Jays, including his thumb, forearm, elbow, and ankle. When on the mound in Toronto, Scherzer has a 5.99 ERA in his 22 starts. It's clear he's no longer the dominant arm that we've become accustomed to, and it remains to be seen if he can give the team reliable innings the rest of the way.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak (ankle), who went on the 10-day injured list on May 22 with right-ankle tendinitis, has resumed baseball activities, according to Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette. "He's feeling better. He hit off the tee some while we were in Anaheim," manager Warren Schaeffer said. The skipper also said that Moniak could need a minor-league rehab assignment before returning to the big-league lineup, and there remains no timeline for a return. The 28-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder continues to thrive in Colorado, as he's hitting .280/.335/.607 with a .942 OPS, 12 home runs, 28 RBI, 21 runs scored, and a stolen base in his first 43 games in 2026. However, fantasy managers may want to sell high on him once he returns from the IL, as he currently sits with an xwOBA of just .324 and an expected batting average of just .228. Moniak ranks in just the 51st percentile in hard-hit rate and is in the fifth percentile in chase rate.

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Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho (wrist) is out of the starting nine for Saturday's tilt at home against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles after he left Friday's game early with inflammation in his left wrist, per MLB.com. Myles Straw will start in center field in his place and bat in the nine-hole versus Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish. Varsho is considered day-to-day for now, and fantasy managers will want to check back in on Sunday to see if he's available for the series finale at the Rogers Centre. The 29-year-old left-handed-hitting center fielder comes into Saturday's action with a very modest .256/.331/.408 slash line, .738 OPS, five home runs, 17 RBI, 26 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 61 games across 236 plate appearances in his fourth year in Toronto. Varsho has been cold at the plate recently, going just 7-for-41 (.171) with two doubles, a triple, one RBI, four runs scored, seven walks, and nine strikeouts in his last 13 games since May 22. Fantasy managers will want to avoid Straw in the nine-hole in DFS formats.

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St. Louis Cardinals rookie infielder JJ Wetherholt (groin) continues to sit out Saturday's game at Busch Stadium against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds, according to MLB.com. Bryan Torres will make another start at the keystone for the Cards and will bat seventh against Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo. Wetherholt is missing a second straight game due to groin soreness. The injury isn't considered serious, so Wetherholt could be back in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale. The 23-year-old former seventh overall pick out of West Virginia University in 2024 has been a full-time starter for St. Louis at the keystone in his first year in the big leagues, and he hasn't disappointed. Wetherholt is currently slashing .249/.357/.400 with a .757 OPS, nine home runs, 25 RBI, 40 runs scored, and seven stolen bases in his first 225 MLB at-bats. The young infielder has been even better in his last 13 games since May 19, too, batting .302 (16-for-53) with a homer, two doubles, three RBI, seven runs scored, and two stolen bases, so fantasy managers are hoping he can return this weekend.

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Kansas City Royals infielder Maikel Garcia (hamstring) is serving as the designated hitter and will bat cleanup for the Royals in Saturday's contest against the division-rival Minnesota Twins and right-hander Joe Ryan at Target Field, per MLB.com. Josh Rojas is starting at third base. Garcia is returning from a right-hamstring strain that kept him out of each of the team's last six games, although he did enter as a pinch-hitter in both of the last two games. Now that he's back in KC's starting nine, fantasy managers will want to get him back in there on Saturday against Ryan, whom he's hit .313 against in his career with an .833 OPS, a home run, and three RBI in 16 at-bats. The 26-year-old Venezuelan infielder will return to a .267/.327/.382 slash line, .709 OPS, three home runs, 22 RBI, 28 runs scored, and four stolen bases in his 225 at-bats in 2026. In 15 games since May 16, Garcia has gone 15-for-55 (.273) with three doubles, four RBI, and four runs scored.

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