Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele (hamstring) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session on Sunday, and the next steps after that could be a minor-league rehab assignment if he can avoid a setback with his hammy on Sunday. The 28-year-old southpaw suffered a left-hamstring strain on Opening Day and was forced to the injured list. However, he appears to be making good progress and could return to the Cubs' starting rotation after a rehab start or two in the minors. The former fifth-rounder in 2014 was a first-time All-Star in 2023 by going 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA (3.02 FIP) and 1.17 WHIP with 36 walks and a career-high 176 strikeouts in 173 1/3 frames over his 30 starts. Steele should be stashed in an IL spot by fantasy managers in all leagues.

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Chicago Cubs infielder Patrick Wisdom is making his 2024 debut on Friday against the visiting Miami Marlins and left-hander A.J. Puk, starting in right field and batting second in the batting order. Wisdom was activated from the injured list on Thursday but had to wait to make his season debut on Friday after Thursday's contest against the Fish was postponed due to inclement weather. The 32-year-old has a prime lineup spot and will be hoping to make an immediate impact now that he's back in the big leagues. Wisdom is more of a DFS play against lefties than an asset in single-year fantasy leagues, as he's most likely only going to start for the Cubs when they face southpaws. In his career, Wisdom has an .813 OPS against lefties. He's never faced Puk in his career.

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Cincinnati Reds right-hander Ian Gibaut (forearm), who was nearing a return from the 15-day injured list, is dealing with renewed forearm discomfort and has had his timeline to return pushed back. Gibaut will now take a little break before trying to resume a minor-league rehab assignment. The 30-year-old reliever has no timetable to return and could be looking at surgery, which would almost certainly end his 2024 season, if he can't get past the forearm pain. The former 11th-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015 out of Tulane had a nice 3.33 ERA (4.07 FIP), a 1.28 WHIP, a career-high three saves, 28 walks and a career-high 69 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings over 74 relief outings for the Reds in 2023 as a trusted high-leverage reliever out of the bullpen.

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Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch and catcher Yan Gomes are not in the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Miami Marlins and left-hander A.J. Puk. Garrett Cooper is playing first base and batting seventh in the lineup, while Miguel Amaya is doing the catching and batting in the nine-hole against Puk. Busch had a streak of five straight games with a home run come to an end this week and he's hitting a strong .317 (19-for-60) overall with six total long balls, 13 RBI and 10 runs scored to start his first year in Chicago. He's hit just .167 (4-for-24) and has yet to homer against a left-hander in his career, though, so he'll likely occasionally be rested against lefties this year. Cooper has never faced Puk in his career, while Amaya has a hit and RBI in his only career at-bat against the southpaw.

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Miami Marlins right-hander Roddery Munoz will be called up from Triple-A Jacksonville on Saturday as the team's 27th man and is expected to start one of the games of the doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs after the contest on Thursday was postponed due to inclement weather. It will be Munoz's major-league debut. The 24-year-old was acquired in a trade from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the offseason. He should be ignored as a streamer by fantasy managers in all formats after beginning the 2024 season at Jacksonville by giving up 14 runs (13 earned) on 10 hits (three home runs) while walking 12 and striking out seven in 10 2/3 innings over three appearances (two starts). Munoz will surely be sent back to the farm after his big-league debut on Saturday.

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Chicago Cubs starting pitching prospect Cade Horton tossed four shutout innings on Tuesday, allowing just one hit and one free pass. The right-hander struck out five. Horton carried his dominance into his second start of the season and holds an overall 1.13 ERA and 0.75 WHIP across eight innings with nine strikeouts. The former seventh overall pick is the top pitching prospect in the Cubs system and should be expected to make his major league debut later this summer. The Cubs have had early season struggles with both their starting pitching and relievers due to injuries and poor performances. Horton could look to fill that void in the stretch run as the Cubs hope to win the NL Central. The 22-year-old is worth stashing in deeper redraft formats and should already be rostered in keeper and dynasty leagues.

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Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad launched his eighth home run of the season to cap off a 3-3 day at the plate. The 25-year-old has been off to an unbelievable start to the season with a .342/.425/.726 line and is closing in on double-digit long balls. Kjerstad held his own in the majors last season, albeit in a small sample size where he hit for a .233 AVG and two home runs, and should be in for a bigger opportunity this season. Kjerstad is on the brink of a promotion and is worth stashing even in standard leagues.

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New York Yankees outfield prospect Everson Pereira launched two home runs on three hits on Thursday night, which powered Triple-A Scranton to their 12th victory of the season. Pereira is riding a .255/.359/.618 line with six total long balls this season. The 23-year-old got a small taste of the majors in 2023 and should receive another call-up later in the summer. With top prospect Jasson Dominguez injured (elbow) and Spencer Jones still in Double-A, Pereira could be the first name from the Yankee system promoted this season and is worth holding onto in dynasty and keeper leagues.

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Toronto Blue Jays shortstop/second base prospect launched his third home run of the season in the top of the ninth inning, which eventually served as the game-winner. The 22-year-old went 2-5 in Thursday's game and is batting .305/.359/.576 across the young part of the season. Martinez is doing much better in Triple-A this season compared to last year, where he hit for a .263/.340/.507 line with 11 home runs. Martinez is making quite a case for a promotion and should come up as a second baseman since Bo Bichette will continue to serve as the team's shortstop. The number two ranked prospect in the Toronto system is worth stashing in deeper leagues for now.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran filled up the stat sheet on Thursday, going 1-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and a stolen base in a 5-4 loss against the Cleveland Guardians. Duran hit a triple and walked, the latter of which led to his seventh steal of the season. As the leadoff man for Boston, Duran should have ample opportunity to steal bases and so far he's made the most of it. He is a great three-category contributor who will help fantasy teams with AVG, runs, and steals while providing the occasional homer. He should be rostered in most leagues.

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San Francisco Giants right-hander Alex Cobb (shoulder, elbow, hip) said after the game on Thursday night that he had an MRI exam come back clean and that he will throw on flat ground on Friday. The news comes after it was reported earlier on Thursday that Cobb developed "mild shoulder inflammation" in his right arm two days after his latest bullpen session. The 36-year-old veteran has now dealt with elbow and shoulder issues while initially rehabbing from offseason hip surgery. It's good news that his shoulder injury isn't anything serious, but he's going to need at least several weeks to ramp his arm back up before he becomes a realistic option for the Giants' starting rotation in 2024. Injury issues aside, there's not a ton of fantasy upside with Cobb at this point in his career.

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Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien had a great day at the dish on Thursday, leading the team to a 9-7 win over the Detroit Tigers. Semien went 3-for-6 with a homer and a double while scoring a pair of runs and knocking in one. With the big performance, the 33-year-old bumps up his slash line to .286/.355/.464 on the season. He also has 16 runs scored, three homers, 17 RBI, and a stolen base. While the counting numbers are great, his power and speed have left a little to be desired so far, but those should pick up as the season goes on.

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Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase locked down his fifth save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Clase was sharp in this one, throwing a perfect inning and striking out one. It was nice to see this kind of outing from Clase, who had blown his last two save opportunities before this one. That said, the 26-year-old has been sharp overall this season, going 5-for-7 in save opportunities while pitching to a 1.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. He will remain an elite closer for fantasy purposes.

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Updating a previous report, Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson (elbow) was removed from Thursday night's loss to the San Francisco Giants after two innings due to a right-elbow contusion that he suffered when he was hit by a comebacker. While Nelson looked to be in considerable pain after taking the shot to his pitching arm, it looks like he avoided any fractures or breaks to his elbow. That doesn't mean the 26-year-old won't have to go on the injured list, but for now, it appears Nelson has avoided a serious injury and has a good shot to make his next scheduled start for the D-backs. Coming into Thursday's start, his fourth of the season, the former second-rounder in 2019 out of Oregon had a 5.27 ERA and 1.61 WHIP with five walks and 13 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings in starts against the Yankees, Braves and Cardinals.

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb picked up his second win of the season on Thursday in a 5-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Webb had his best outing on the year in this one, twirling seven shutout frames while allowing just two hits. He also walked one and struck out five in the dominant performance. Other than a tough start against the Dodgers early on, Webb has been exactly what we expected this season, a sturdy innings eater who can solidify a rotation. He should keep being exactly that, and should seldom leave fantasy lineups.

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Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Paul Skenes was electric on Thursday, dominating minor-league hitters for Triple-A Indianapolis. Skenes pitched 3 innings of shutout ball, allowing just a hit and two walks while striking out a whopping eight. He also built up to 65 pitches in this one. The Pirates said earlier in the day that Skenes will need more seasoning in the minors before he is called up, but it's going to be really tough to keep him down there if he keeps pitching like he has been. He needs to be rostered in all leagues at this point, as his call-up feels like an inevitability.

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Texas Rangers relief pitcher Kirby Yates closed out the Detroit Tigers on Thursday in a 9-7 win. Yates got the final four outs of this one, allowing just a hit while striking out one. It was the 37-year-old's second save of the season, with his first coming on Monday. He has been used as Texas' highest-leverage pitcher for the past few weeks and is likely to continue in that role, which will presumably give him the best chance at saves in the Rangers bullpen. He should be added in any leagues where saves matter.

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Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Tyler Alexander will make the start on Friday for the series opener in the Bronx against the New York Yankees. Alexander has appeared in three games so far this year for the Rays, with one of those three outings coming as a traditional start on April 6 against the Colorado Rockies, when he allowed four earned runs on eight hits (two homers) while walking two and striking out four in 4 1/3 innings for a no-decision. The 29-year-old southpaw has fanned 12 and walked five in 15 1/3 total innings, but the most concerning issue is that Alexander has already allowed five home runs and 11 earned runs on 20 hits for a 6.46 ERA and 1.63 WHIP. Fantasy managers should absolutely ignore Alexander as a spot starter on Friday in the Bronx.

From RotoBaller

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson (wrist) was removed from his start early on Thursday night against the San Francisco Giants in the second inning after taking a comebacker off his right wrist before recording the final out of the frame. Before hitting the showers early and likely going for an X-ray on his wrist, Nelson tossed two shutout innings with two hits allowed, no walks and no strikeouts to lower his season ERA to 4.60. He was replaced on the mound by left-hander Logan Allen. Fantasy managers wondering if the 26-year-old Nelson will be able to make his next start will need to check back later on Thursday night or Friday morning for more information on the severity of his injury. If Nelson needs a stint on the injured list, the D-backs could bring Tommy Henry back after just optioning him to Triple-A Reno.

From RotoBaller

The Boston Red Sox announced on Thursday that they acquired right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for cash considerations and optioned him to Triple-A Worcester. In a corresponding move, the team moved shortstop Trevor Story (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list. Gutierrez started the year with the Miami Marlins but was claimed off waivers earlier this month by Milwaukee. The 28-year-old Cuban hurler gave up three earned runs on three hits (one home run) while walking two and striking out four in his only major-league outing this year in a four-inning relief appearance in Milwaukee. Gutierrez has experience out of the bullpen and as a starter in his two previous major-league seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and will provide pitching depth in Boston now.

From RotoBaller