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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Miami Marlins right-handed pitching prospect Anthony Maldonado has been called up from Triple-A Jacksonville to start on Friday against the Washington Nationals after left-hander Jesus Luzardo was scratched after experiencing left-elbow discomfort. Maldonado, the team's No. 18 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will be making his major-league debut and won't be a recommended streamer for fantasy managers. The 26-year-old has posted a 2.31 ERA and 0.77 WHIP with 10 strikeouts and four walks in 11 2/3 innings at Jacksonville this year, but he hasn't gone more than two innings in any of his eight outings on the farm in 2024. Don't expect that to change in what will essentially be a bullpen game for the Fish to start the series against the Nats. Kyle Tyler is probably the best bet for the bulk role for Miami on Friday.

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Washington Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore had an impressive performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Thursday's tough luck loss. The lefty tossed six quality innings and allowed seven hits, one run, two walks and recorded four strikeouts. Gore's only run allowed was a home run from outfielder Teoscar Hernandez in the top of the second inning. Gore has really taken a step forward in 2024 and is now 2-2 with a 3.12 ERA to go along with 31 strikeouts and eight walks in 26 innings. Despite the walks, Gore is looking like the pitcher many projected him to be when he was the top pitching prospect in the league as a prospect. Gore will look to keep it going in another tough matchup versus the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.

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Minnesota Twins third baseman Jose Miranda went 2-for-4 with two runs and a solo home run in Thursday's victory against the Chicago White Sox. The home run would be Miranda's second in the year and gives him four RBI. The once heralded prospect opened the season in Triple-A St. Paul, but he has been playing most days with Royce Lewis (quadriceps) and Carlos Correa (oblique) both sidelined. Since his call-up on April 8, Miranda is hitting .231 in 39 at-bats. He is worth watching in deeper formats, due to potential and opportunity, but he could also be optioned back to St. Paul when Correa and Lewis return if he does not start hitting more.

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San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar went 2-for-4 with a home run and a walk in Thursday's loss against the Colorado Rockies. Porfar took Nick Mears deep in the top of the seventh inning for his third homer of the season. The veteran has quietly been having a nice season for the Padres with a .295 batting average and 18 RBI. Profar should eventually regress, but he is worth riding while his bat is hot. For now, Profar is worth rostering, but managers would be wise to test the trade market and try to sell-high on the veteran. Profar will look to stay warm versus the division rival San Francisco Giants and Kyle Harrison on Friday evening.

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Seattle Mariners first baseman Ty France went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Thursday's victory against the division rival Texas Rangers. The round tripper would be the first of the season for France, who is coming off a disappointing 2023 season. France has been hitting the ball well with a .266 batting average, but he has not done much to help fantasy managers with just six RBI. He has been hitting the ball very hard this year, so more power can come along, but for now he remains a better player for the Mariners than fantasy. He is worth keeping an eye on to see if contact will turn into power, but is more of a watch-list candidate in most formats at this time.

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Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo put together a strong performance versus the Texas Rangers to pick up his second victory of the season on Thursday. Castillo tossed six innings and allowed four hits, two runs, two walks and struck out six on the evening. Castillo has steadily improved as the season has gone on and managers could put to rest any worries from his early season outings. The 31-year-old remains one of the top pitchers in the game and managers can expect to have an ace in most of his starts moving forward. Next up is a matchup versus the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. Even against a good lineup, Castillo is pretty much a must-start.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes picked up the loss on Thursday versus the Oakland Athletics. The lefty tossed seven frames of three-run ball and allowed five hits with no walks and four strikeouts. The lefty earned a quality start, but didn't get much out of the Yankees offense to help him. Cortes had a rough 2023 campaign with a 4.97 ERA, but he has bounced back in 2024 thus far with a 3.50 ERA in his first six starts of the season. Cortes is worth rostering in most formats, but will face a tough Baltimore Orioles lineup in his next outing and might be best served on the bench in daily leagues for that contest.

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Cleveland Guardians first base prospect Kyle Manzardo continued his strong start to the season with his seventh multi-hit game on Thursday. Manzardo hit three singles, which brought in two runs to push Columbus over the Syracuse Mets. The 23-year-old has posted a .308/.387/.577 stat line across 21 games at Triple-A and has begun to hit his stride at this level after posting a .242/.343/.475 line at Triple-A last season. Manzardo is worth stashing in deeper re-draft formats for now, as he is nearing a promotion. When given the call, Manzardo should serve as the primary designated hitter for the Guardians, as Josh Naylor will continue to man first base. Manzardo will be a popular waiver-wire add when he is called up, as he is projected to make an immediate impact.

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Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Javier Assad has been one of the most underrated pitchers this season. The right-hander continued his strong campaign against the Houston Astros on Thursday. Assad threw 5 2/3 innings while allowing only one run in a no-decision. The Cubs didn't decide to make noise with the bats until Assad was out of the game. Despite the no-decision, Assad remains a sleeper in fantasy leagues. His next matchup will come against the New York Mets next week.

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New York Yankees catcher Jose Trevino made some noise with his bat during Thursday's game against the Oakland Athletics. He went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the loss to the A's. The solo blast by Trevino was the only run the Yankees could put on the board during Thursday's loss. Trevino has been decent, slashing .273/.347/.756 with two homers and eight RBI across 44 plate appearances.

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Texas Rangers infielder Josh Smith continued his strong campaign versus the Seattle Mariners on Thursday. Smith went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run in the loss to the Mariners. He has seemingly come out of nowhere and been a reliable option for this offense. He's slashing 292/.393/.417 over 72 at-bats, but he's more of a bench option which limits his fantasy value.

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Minnesota Twins infielder Edouard Julien is off to a shaky start at the plate, but he has turned it around recently, On Thursday, Julien went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in the win over the Chicago White Sox. His slash line is an ugly .213/.308/.513, but Julien does have seven home runs and nine RBI this season. The Twins are banged up right now, so expect Julien to continue playing everyday. His pop alone makes him worth snagging off the waiver wire.

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