Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel (illness) remains under the weather on Friday against the Miami Marlins and is not in the starting lineup. Rookie Trey Lipscomb will get the nod at the hot corner and will hit out of the eight-hole against Marlins right-hander Anthony Maldonado, who will be making his major-league debut. Senzel was scratched from Thursday's lineup, so this will be his second straight missed game. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues will want to check back on Saturday to see if Senzel is feeling well enough to play. The 28-year-old opened the year on the injured list and has only five hits (two home runs) in his first 25 at-bats with the Nationals. Lipscomb has gone 11-for-53 (.208) with a homer, four RBI and four steals in his first 16 big-league games this year.

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Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas (rib) said he avoided a fracture in his left rib cage but instead suffered torn cartilage, which is an unusual injury without contact. Casas was told by a doctor that he "created my own car crash." He has a wide timetable for a return between three and nine weeks to start cardio activity/strengthening. Casas said he's very optimistic that he'll return this year, but fantasy managers could be waiting for a while to get the 24-year-old left-handed slugger back. The former 26th overall pick in 2018 is worth stashing in all fantasy formats, though, as he was already up to six home runs in his first 78 at-bats of 2024. For the foreseeable future, Bobby Dalbec should continue to see most of the playing time at first base in Boston, with Rob Refsnyder also potentially filling in.

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St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn is getting the day off on Friday versus the New York Mets on the road. It's a standard rest day for Winn after he started the previous nine games. He's off to a great start in 2024 with a .313/.385/.418 slash line with an .803 OPS, no home runs, three doubles, two triples, six RBI, four stolen bases and nine runs scored in his first 23 games in his first full season as the team's starting shortstop. Despite the strong start, he's barely hitting over .200 in his last nine contests, so the rest day is warranted. The 22-year-old should be back in there on Saturday. Veteran Brandon Crawford is at the 6 and is batting eighth on Friday against Mets right-hander Jose Butto. Crawford will be facing Butto for the first time in his career.

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New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga (shoulder) threw an up-and-down bullpen session on Thursday and is scheduled to face hitters for the first time on Monday. Senga will be facing hitters for the first time since suffering a shoulder capsule strain in late February in spring training. It's good news for the 31-year-old, but he still has many boxes to check before he's able to embark on a minor-league rehab assignment. Because Senga is on the 60-day injured list, he won't be eligible to make his 2024 debut for the Mets until late May, if he's even ready by then. Fantasy baseball managers must continue to practice patience and keep him stashed in an IL spot after he posted a 2.98 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 202 strikeouts and 77 walks in 166 1/3 innings over 29 starts in his first year in the majors in 2023.

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New York Mets right-hander Tylor Megill (shoulder) is scheduled to start a minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday and throw two innings for High-A Brooklyn. Megill is getting close to returning to the big leagues while recovering from a right-shoulder strain that he suffered during his season debut on March 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers. The 28-year-old will probably need more than one rehab start before the Mets activate him from the injured list. When fully healthy, Megill should have a spot in New York's starting rotation, making him worth a deep-league pickup for pitching depth. He ended up making 25 starts for the Mets in 2023 and held a 4.70 ERA (4.96 FIP) and 1.57 WHIP with a career-high 105 strikeouts and 58 walks in 126 1/3 innings pitched.

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The Miami Marlins placed left-hander Jesus Luzardo (elbow) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 23) on Friday with left-elbow tightness and recalled right-hander Anthony Maldonado from Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move. The Marlins scratched Luzardo from his start on Friday against the Washington Nationals, and now he's going to miss at least the next two weeks. The 26-year-old southpaw first felt pain in his elbow while playing catch on Thursday but doesn't think he'll be out for too long. We should know more after the Marlins reveal the results of the tests on Luzardo's left arm. Maldonado is the team's No. 18 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, but he hasn't gone more than two innings in any of his minor-league appearances this year and is likely to be sent back to Jacksonville after his major-league debut on Friday.

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New York Yankees designated hitter J.D. Martinez (back) is hitting fifth in his debut with the team on Friday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Miles Mikolas. Martinez is getting a late start to the 2024 campaign after signing with the team late in March. The 36-year-old veteran then tweaked his back while playing in extended spring training, further delaying his debut. Martinez is back now, though, and will give first baseman Pete Alonso more protection in the lineup. Martinez hit a strong .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, and while he can still provide some decent pop in mixed fantasy leagues, nobody should be expecting him to be quite that good in New York. The Mets plan to ease Martinez back in, so don't be surprised to see him get frequent days of rest.

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Minnesota Twins right-hander Bailey Ober will look to keep rolling on Friday when he hits the road for a matchup with the Los Angeles Angels. The towering 6-foor-9 righty was lit up for eight earned runs in just 1 1/3 innings in his season debut on March 31 but has since allowed all of two earned runs over his last three starts spanning 17 innings of work. He dominated the Tigers over his last two starts, tossing 12 innings of one-run ball by allowing just five hits and one walk against nine punchouts. He still owns a 4.91 ERA due to his first start of the season but he also sports a 3.98 SIERA and has walked just 5.3% of the hitters he has faced. He'll take on an Angels team that is tied for 19th with a .319 wOBA on the season.

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St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas will look to get straightened out when he takes the ball for a road contest against the New York Mets. The 35-year-old was knocked around for nine hits, including three homers, leading to five earned runs allowed in just 4 1/3 innings in a losing effort against the Brewers his last time out. It was the second consecutive outing and third of five on the season in which the veteran has allowed five earned runs in less than five innings this season. The rough outing raised his ERA to 6.49 through five starts, although his 4.05 xFIP, 4.28 SIERA, and solid 6% BB% suggest positive regression is likely moving forward.

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Cleveland Guardians left-hander Logan Allen will be in search of some improved results on Thursday when he takes on the hosting Atlanta Braves. The 25-year-old owns a 5.06 ERA through five starts on the season, allowing at least three earned runs while pitching fewer than six innings in four of his five outings. Aside from six shutout innings over the Mariners on April 3, Allen has otherwise yielded 15 earned runs across 20 2/3 innings of work. There is a chance for positive regression moving forward considering Allen's 4.23 xFIP and 4.31 SIERA on the season, figures well below his surface ERA. Of course, he'll have his hands full against a Braves lineup that ranks first in baseball with a .363 wOBA on the season.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt will be looking to get back into the win column for the third time this season on Friday versus the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. The veteran took a tough-luck loss his last time out after tossing 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball but also allowed six hits and three walks against the Padres his last time out. While the 35-year-old owns a solid 3.90 ERA on the season, he also sports a 4.77 FIP and a 4.47 SIERA that both suggest some regression could be on the horizon. Of course, there's at least a decent chance of that happening on Friday against a Dodgers offense that ranks second in baseball with a .348 wOBA on the season.

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The Chicago White Sox have selected veteran outfielder Tommy Pham from Triple-A Charlotte. Fellow outfielder Kevin Pillar has been designated for assignment in order to clear a spot on the active roster. The White Sox agreed to a minors pact with Pham just a week ago and are bringing him up after he appeared in four games with Charlotte. Pham had a nice season in 2023, hitting .256 with 16 home runs and 22 stolen bases alongside a .774 OPS across 129 games between the Mets and Diamondbacks. Pham interestingly had to settle for a minors pact despite the quality season as he could once again become fantasy-relevant if his power and speed remain in his age-36 season.

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The Baltimore Orioles optioned top prospect Jackson Holliday to Triple-A Norfolk on Friday. In corresponding moves, the team selected the contract of outfielder Ryan McKenna from Norfolk and designated catcher David Banuelos for assignment. Holliday, the top prospect in all of baseball, made his big-league debut on April 10 but disappointed at the plate in his limited time and has been sent back to the farm. The 20-year-old middle infielder has looked overmatched at the plate and had just two hits, an RBI, five runs scored, two walks and 18 strikeouts in his first 36 big-league plate appearances over 10 games. Holliday will most likely be back with the O's at some point in 2024, and he should remain stashed in all fantasy leagues in the meantime. With Holliday out of the picture for now, it will mean more playing time at second base for Jorge Mateo and Ramon Urias.

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New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (back) is set to make his debut with the team on Friday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. He's expected to give All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso more protection in the batting order after hitting 33 home runs in just 479 plate appearances in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, Martinez won't be hitting behind Alonso every day, at least not to start. Manager Carlos Mendoza said the team will ease Martinez into regular playing time, which makes sense given his age (36) and the fact he dealt with a back injury while ramping up this spring. Fantasy managers can't expect another 30-plus homer season from Martinez while getting a late start to the year, but he can provide notable pop in mixed leagues if he can stay healthy.

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Boston Red Sox infielder Romy Gonzalez (wrist) is not progressing as the team had hoped and is not close to a return from the 10-day injured list. Gonzalez landed on the injured list with a left-wrist sprain on April 13, but the good news is he's not dealing with any structural damage. There's no timetable on the 27-year-old's return since he has yet to resume baseball activities. Once he is able to come back from the injured list, Gonzalez will serve as infield depth for the BoSox up the middle behind Ceddanne Rafaela, and eventually, Vaughn Grissom (hamstring). So far in his first season in Beantown, Gonzalez has only seen action in two games and has gone 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout. He can continue to be ignored for fantasy purposes.

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Detroit Tigers catcher Carson Kelly (rib cage) has been scratched from Friday's starting lineup against the visiting Kansas City Royals with left rib-cage soreness. He will be available off the bench, however. In his place, Jake Rogers will start behind the plate and will bat eighth against Royals right-hander Seth Lugo. The fact that Kelly is available off the bench means that his injury probably isn't very serious, so the 29-year-old backstop could have a chance to return for Saturday's contest. The former second-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 is hitting just .205 (9-for-44) on the year with a homer and six RBI for Detroit. Rogers has been even worse, going 6-for-45 (.133) with a homer and two RBI, so DFS gamers should look elsewhere at the catcher position on Friday.

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Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe finds himself on the bench again on Friday against the Detroit Tigers. This will be the second straight game that Renfroe will be starting on the bench. In his absence, the left-handed-hitting Adam Frazier will make the start in right field for the Royals and will hit eighth against Tigers right-hander Reese Olson. The 32-year-old Renfroe has hit just .149 (10-for-67) with two home runs, 10 RBI, five walks and 16 strikeouts in his first 72 plate appearances in 2024 and is quickly losing playing time in Kansas City's outfield rotation. Frazier, also 32, hasn't been much better, going 11-for-55 (.200) with no homers, four RBI and one stolen base in 22 games. He's never faced Olson in his career.

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San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish (neck) threw a side session on Wednesday, after which "reports were favorable," according to manager Mike Shildt. "He was on the gas, but didn't have it to the floor... it was a positive first step." Darvish was put on the 15-day injured list on April 17 (retroactive to April 15) and last pitched on April 14 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 37-year-old was shut down in September of last year with a stress reaction in his right elbow and has dealt with back and neck issues in the past. It sounds like Darvish is improving, but at 37 years old, his recurring neck issue is something to keep an eye on when he returns. Before hitting the IL, he had a 4.18 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 22 strikeouts and 10 walks in 23 2/3 frames over his first five starts.

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Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (toe) was activated from the 10-day injured list on Friday after he needed only the 10 days to recover from a fractured right big toe. Albies will be back in Atlanta's starting lineup on Friday for the series finale against the visiting Cleveland Guardians and left-hander Logan Allen, and fantasy managers will want to get him back into all starting lineup this weekend. The 27-year-old switch-hitter was hitting a strong .317/.386/.492 with two home runs and two stolen bases in 15 games played before injuring his toe and remains one of the better fantasy second baseman in a potent Braves lineup. Luis Guillorme and David Fletcher were splitting time at the keystone with Albies out. Fletcher was sent to the minors on Thursday.

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Miami Marlins left-hander Jesus Luzardo (elbow) was scratched from his scheduled start on Friday versus the Washington Nationals and will undergo testing for left-elbow discomfort, according to the team. The Marlins can ill-afford another injury to one of their starting pitchers, but the good news is they should be getting left-hander Braxton Garrett (shoulder) back soon. For now, fantasy managers that have the 26-year-old Luzardo rostered must keep him stashed and hope for the best. It's more bad news for a pitcher that has gotten off to a tough start in 2024, as he's posted a 6.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 27 strikeouts and 13 walks in five starts covering 26 innings. In Luzardo's place, pitching prospect Anthony Maldonado will make the spot start against the Nats.

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