Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill (head) doesn't sound likely to return to the lineup on Thursday in the series finale against the Cleveland Guardians and he's just doing OK, per manager Alex Cora, after colliding with third baseman Rafael Devers in the outfield on Monday. O'Neill has been working out but hasn't done anything on the field yet. The good news is that he continues to clear the league's concussion protocol and should be able to return at some point this weekend after needing eight stitches to close up a cut above his eye. Fantasy managers should check back on Friday to see if the 28-year-old outfielder is back in there against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Jarren Duran is starting in left field again and batting leadoff on Wednesday against Guardians right-hander Ben Lively, with Wilyer Abreu in right field and hitting cleanup.

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Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury (hamstring) will only be available to pinch hit on Wednesday and Thursday to wrap up a series against the Tampa Bay Rays, according to manager Ron Washington. The Angels are being cautious with his left-hamstring tightness on the turf at Tropicana Field. The 31-year-old veteran infielder will miss his third straight start on Thursday, but there's a chance he could be back in there for the start of a series on Friday in Cincinnati against the Reds. In the meantime, expect Luis Rengifo to get another start at the keystone on Thursday in Tampa. Drury has gotten off to a slow start offensively for the Halos in 2024, going 11-for-54 (.204) with only one home run, three RBI and five runs scored in his first 15 games. It sounds like he should avoid a trip to the injured list.

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Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams kicked off the game with a bang during Wednesday's matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Abrams welcomed Dodgers rookie Logan Knack to the majors with a 392-foot leadoff blast to start the game. The Nats didn't need much more as they pulled off the 2-0 victory. Abrams is on fire at the plate right now with two home runs in his last three games. He's hitting .295 with five home runs and 11 RBI in 15 games.

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Miami Marlins outfielder Bryan De La Cruz has been heating up at the plate over the last week or so. On Wednesday, De La Cruz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during the 3-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants. The 27-year-old is currently on a six-game hitting streak. During that span, De La Cruz has posted three multi-hit games. Fantasy managers should make sure to keep him in their lineups while he's hot at the plate.

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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani continued his stellar stretch at the plate during Wednesday's game against the Washington Nationals. The two-way superstar went 3-for-4 at the plate with a stolen base during their 2-0 loss. This performance marked the 10th time this season that Ohtani has posted a multi-hit game. The 29-year-old is hitting .360 with four home runs and 10 RBI in 21 games this season.

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Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (groin) made a significant impact during his return to the lineup on Wednesday. The 33-year-old backstop is playing through a Grade 1 left groin strain that he suffered earlier in the week. On Wednesday, Perez smacked a go-ahead two-run home run off right-hander Michael Kopech in the eighth inning. Perez is off to a red-hot start at the plate this season. He has five home runs and 17 RBI through 17 games.

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San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King looked excellent during Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-hander took a tough loss after allowing one run and two hits over 7 2/3 innings of work. It was an 109-pitch game for King who struck out 10 batters over the course of the afternoon. After this outing, King holds a 2-1 record with a 3.33 ERA across four games.

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Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins came up clutch for his team during Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins. There was some thought that Mullins would return to the leadoff spot this season, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Instead, Mullins normally sits in the sixth spot where he has hit well this season. On Wednesday, Mullins was hitless until he blasted a walkoff two-run home run off right-hander Griffin Jax. Mullins now has five home runs and 15 RBI through 18 games.

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Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers (knee) is serving as the team's designated hitter against the visiting Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Ben Lively on Wednesday. Fantasy baseball managers will want to get Devers back into their starting lineups on Wednesday despite the fact that he's had a rather slow start to the year in 2024 by his standards. After missing some time last weekend with a shoulder injury, Devers was removed from Tuesday night's game early with left-knee discomfort. The 27-year-old Dominican infielder has hit just .205 (9-for-44) with two home runs, three doubles and five RBI in his first 12 games this year and he's gone hitless in three career at-bats against Lively, who will be making his season debut on Wednesday.

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The Chicago Cubs moved right-hander Julian Merryweather (back, ribs) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on Wednesday to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Colton Brewer, who was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs also recalled right-hander Hayden Wesneski from Iowa and optioned left-hander Luke Little and right-hander Daniel Palencia to Iowa. The 32-year-old Merryweather was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his ribs and in his back last week and he won't be eligible to return to the club until early June. He won't resume throwing for three weeks and may not be able to return to the Cubs' bullpen until closer to the All-Star break. Injuries continue to bother Merryweather in his MLB career.

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Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that right-hander Garrett Whitlock (oblique) is going on the 15-day injured list after straining his left-oblique in his start on Tuesday versus the Cleveland Guardians. The Red Sox are primarily playing it safe with the move, and the hope is to activate him as soon as he's eligible. Pitcher Joe Jacques is being called up from the minors in a corresponding move. It's a tough break for the 27-year-old Whitlock early in the year, but the silver lining is that it shouldn't keep him out for too long. Before getting hurt on Tuesday, the former 18th-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2017 was 1-0 with a 1.96 ERA (3.41 FIP) and 1.14 WHIP with seven walks and 17 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings over four starts. It's unclear who will enter Boston's starting rotation as a result of Whitlock's injury, but veteran Chase Anderson could be a candidate.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (knee) will start his minor-league rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday. Kepler landed on the injured list with a right-knee contusion but was able to run the bases this week and will now start playing in minor-league games to end the week. Barring a setback with St. Paul, the 31-year-old left-handed outfielder could be able to return from the IL by early next week. When healthy, Kepler should play regularly against right-handed pitchers despite getting just one hit in his first 20 at-bats of the season. Until Kepler is able to return, the likes of Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach and Manuel Margot will battle for extra playing in right field for the Twins.

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Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada (groin) is feeling better and is heading to extended spring training in Arizona to continue his full rehab process. Moncada landed on the 60-day injured list with a left-groin strain, so he's most likely not going to return for the White Sox or fantasy managers until after the All-Star break. It's getting hard to justify holding onto the oft-injured 28-year-old third baseman in mixed fantasy leagues, even though he started the year hitting .282 (11-for-39) with no home runs and no RBI in his first 11 games before getting hurt. Braden Shewmake got the start at the hot corner on Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals, but Gavin Sheets is also an option at the position when he's not serving as the designated hitter.

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Baltimore Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish (elbow) looked good in his first minor-league rehab start with Double-A Bowie on Tuesday, tossing three shutout innings with just one hit allowed, no walks and four strikeouts. It was a very promising first appearance for a pitcher that is trying to avoid needing surgery after being diagnosed with a partially torn UCL in spring training. The 27-year-old is going to need probably a few more starts in the minors before the Orioles feel comfortable activating him from the injured list for his season debut in the big leagues. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues should consider stashing Bradish soon for extra pitching depth after he had a breakout for the O's in 2023. The former fourth-rounder in 2018 by the Los Angeles Angels out of New Mexico State went 12-7 with a 2.83 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 44 walks and 168 K's in 30 starts a year ago.

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Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session on Friday and could be activated from the injured list after that. It sounds as though the Phillies have liked what they've seen from Walker's two minor-league rehab starts after they initially said they wanted to see him make four rehab starts before joining the big-league starting rotation. The 31-year-old veteran could make his 2024 debut for the Phils on Monday in what would be an excellent matchup at home against the punchless Chicago White Sox. Even though it would be Walker's first start of the year, he'd be a pretty attractive fantasy streamer in the great matchup. The most in danger of losing their current rotation spot in Philly could be Spencer Turnbull with Walker's return on the horizon.

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Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon (back) is penciled in to make his season debut on Thursday in the series opener against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. Taillon started the 2024 regular season on the 15-day injured list but is ready to get his season started. The 32-year-old veteran only threw 68 pitches in 3 2/3 innings in his final minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Iowa last Friday, so nobody should be expecting him to go very deep in his first big-league start of the year. The matchup against Miami is enticing from a streaming standpoint, but Taillon doesn't figure to go deep into this one, making him a pretty low-upside streamer. Now that Taillon is getting ready to return, the impressive Ben Brown could be out of a rotation spot.

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Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on WEEI that third baseman Rafael Devers (knee) is feeling good and there's a chance he'll play on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians as the designated hitter. Devers was removed from Tuesday's contest early due to left-knee discomfort but appears to have avoided a long-term injury with his knee. Fantasy baseball managers will want to check back soon to see if the 27-year-old is officially back in the lineup. If he is, put him back into your lineups against Guardians right-hander Ben Lively, who will be making his season debut. A shoulder caused Devers to miss some games last weekend, and the two-time All-Star has gotten off to a slow start by his standards by slashing .205/.352/.409 with two homers, three doubles, five RBI and five runs scored in his first 12 games in 2024.

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Left-hander A.J. Puk (illness) has been confirmed as the Miami Marlins' starter for Thursday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. After dealing with an illness in recent days, Puk was back at the ballpark on Wednesday playing catch and working out. The 28-year-old southpaw was pushed back twice in the rotation this week while feeling under the weather. It's good news that Puk is feeling good enough to start on Thursday, but most fantasy baseball managers will probably be wanting to stay away from him against Chicago after he's started the year by going 0-3 with a 5.91 ERA (6.90 FIP) and 2.44 WHIP with a league-leading 14 walks and just eight strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings in his first three starts.

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Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand is getting his first day off this season on Wednesday when the team takes on the Seattle Mariners. Spencer Steer is getting the start at first base and is hitting cleanup, while center fielder Stuart Fairchild is batting in the three-hole against Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller. Encarnacion-Strand went 0-for-4 on Tuesday to drop his season average to .192 (14-for-73) in the early going, while he's added two home runs, 12 RBI and seven runs scored. With a scheduled day off for the team on Thursday, he'll get two days to rest before likely returning to action on Friday to face the Los Angeles Angels. Fairchild has had a pretty nice start in 2024, going 8-for-29 (.276) with no homers, three RBI and five stolen bases.

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Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury (hamstring) is still out of the team's starting lineup on Wednesday versus the Tampa Bay Rays. Luis Rengifo will start at second base again and bat seventh against Rays right-hander Zack Littell. This will be Drury's second straight game on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury. The 31-year-old said he was available off the bench on Tuesday, so it doesn't sound like a very serious injury. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues will need to check back on Thursday to see if Drury is able to return for the series finale with the Rays. Rengifo doesn't have a hit in three career at-bats against Littell and is a low-cost, low-upside DFS play near the bottom of the Angels' lineup. In his first 42 plate appearances in 2024 Rengifo has 10 hits, no homers, three RBI and four stolen bases.

From RotoBaller