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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Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez came up clutch for his team during Thursday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The veteran catcher blasted a two-run home run off right-hander Jose Berries. That home run ended up being enough as the Royals won the game 2-0. The 33-year-old now has seven home runs on the year and is showing no signs of slowing down.

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Detroit Tigers starting pitching prospect Jackson Jobe tallied six strikeouts across four no-hit innings in Thursday's victory. This outing lowered Jobe's ERA to 2.63 and his WHIP to 1.17. Jobe, the top pitching prospect in the Detroit system and number two right-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball, has looked sharp in Double-A as he has a cumulative 1.83 ERA and 1.02 WHIP across 19 total innings over the past two seasons. The former third-overall pick should be promoted to Triple-A later this summer if he continues this strong play. While Jobe is not projected to reach the major leagues until 2025, he should remain a coveted piece in dynasty leagues.

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San Diego Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim has shown some unexpected pop in his bat early in the season. On Thursday, Kim went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in the loss to the Colorado Rockies. The 28-year-old now has four homers on the season, which is nice to see. It's also worth noting that Kim has stolen seven bases as well. He's struggling a bit in other areas, but has done enough to keep himself fantasy relevant.

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Texas Rangers pitching prospect Jack Leiter was electric in his outing for Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday, throwing six innings of shutout ball. Leiter allowed one hit, struck out eight, and walked three to round out his line. After a rough first outing in the majors last week, Leiter got himself back on track with a dominant outing that showcased the upside he has. He will need to continue pitching well in Triple-A, but a call back to the big leagues is still a possibility if someone in the Rangers rotation hits the injured list, which will likely happen at some point.

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Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Griffin Jax shut the door on the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, helping secure a 6-3 victory. Jax came in with the bases loaded and one out with a four-run lead and managed to escape with only one runner crossing home (on an error), picking up his fourth save in the process. Jax has filled in admirably as the impromptu closer after Jhoan Duran went down before the season started, posting a 2.53 ERA and 0.94 WHIP while striking out 15 batters in 10 IP. He is also 4-for-5 in save chances. Unfortunately for Jax and his fantasy managers, Duran could be back at any point as he is currently on a rehab assignment. Once he is back, Jax will likely shift back to a set-up role.

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Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Hector Neris notched his third save on Thursday, slamming the door on the Houston Astros in a 3-1 win. Neris was a little shaky in his inning of work, walking a pair before getting out of it. Since manager Craig Counsell said that Adbert Alzolay was being taken out of the closer role last weekend, Neris has converted on all three of his save opportunities and apparently taken that role over. He should be added in most leagues where saves are important.

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Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Justin Lawrence threw a perfect ninth inning in a 10-9 victory over the San Diego Padres, picking up his second save in the process. Lawrence struck out one and didn't allow a baserunner in his inning of work. Although he hasn't been good this year, as evidenced by his 5.59 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, Lawrence still might be the best Colorado has in its bullpen. He has the team's last two saves and is likely to remain in that role. He doesn't need to be owned in standard leagues, but deeper league managers who play in saves-only formats might want to give Lawrence a look.

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Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Andres Munoz picked up his third save of the season on Thursday, locking down the Texas Rangers in a 4-3 win. Munoz tossed up goose eggs across the board in his inning of work as he didn't allow a baserunner and didn't strike anyone out either. It was the 25-year-old's first save since April 6, as he has been used in non-save situations and has also blown a save since then. It seems like Munoz is still Seattle's highest-leverage pitcher and should see the most save chances, but his season total might be held back by being used in the seventh or eighth innings on occasion.

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Oakland Athletics closer Mason Miller showed off his absurd stuff again on Thursday, picking up his sixth save in the process. Miller got the final four outs in a 3-1 win over the New York Yankees, allowing just a hit and striking out three in the process. Miller touched 102 mph in this one, but that has become almost routine for the fireballer. He lowered his ERA to 1.59 and his WHIP to 0.97 in this one and has cemented himself as one of the elite closers in the majors already.

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Los Angeles Dodgers closer Evan Phillips locked down the Washington Nationals on Thursday, helping secure a 2-1 win. Phillips looked great in this one, striking out a pair in a perfect ninth inning. For the season, the 29-year-old has been excellent, posting a 0.84 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 13 strikeouts in 10 IP. Phillips should continue getting the bulk of the Dodgers save chances, making him an elite closing option in fantasy.

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Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe clubbed his first home run of the season on Thursday despite taking a 4-3 loss at the hands of the rival Seattle Mariners. The 28-year-old appeared in only his fifth game of the season due to an oblique injury suffered late in spring training but he's been off to a hot start in a small sample. Lowe is hitting .294 (5-for-17) with a homer, a double, three walks, three runs scored, and .929 OPS across his first 20 trips to the plate. Armed with pop and plenty of patience at the plate, Lowe hit .262 with 17 home runs, 89 runs, 82 RBI, a 12.8% BB%, and a .774 OPS while appearing in 161 games in the 2023 season, the third straight season in which he has appeared in at least 157 contests.

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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez slugged his sixth home run of the season on Thursday as part of a narrow 2-1 win over the hosting Washington Nationals. Hernandez clubbed a solo shot to get the scoring started in the top half of the second inning while Yoshinobu's six scoreless innings helped keep the Nationals' offense at bay. After a mild season, by his standards, in his lone campaign with the Mariners in 2023, Hernandez is back to his slugging ways with a .255 average alongside those six home runs and an .807 OPS across 27 games his first 114 trips to the plate in a Dodgers uniform. Even with a 35.1% K% on the season, Hernandez is providing quality returns to those fantasy managers who invested in a bounce-back in 2024.

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Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans managed to earn his first win of the season as part of a weather-shortened, five-inning, 2-1 win over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. It turns out the 26-year-old was the only pitcher the club needed on the afternoon as Ragans tossed five innings of one-run ball on three hits and three walks while striking out four on the day. The outing lowered his ERA to 3.90 through six starts while he has recorded 37 strikeouts against 10 walks across 30 innings of work. Claimed off waivers from the Rangers last season, Ragans broke out with a 2.64 ERA with 89 strikeouts against 27 walks across 12 starts and 71 2/3 innings in the Royals' rotation, making him a sought-after fantasy asset in drafts this spring.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Brenton Doyle was all over it on Thursday as part of a 10-9 win over the visiting San Diego Padres. The 25-year-old went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, three runs scored, and two stolen bases on the day, scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning, as well. The massive outing raised his average to a hefty .330 on the season while he has three homers, four stolen bases, 16 runs scored, and an .898 OPS across 25 games and 97 trips to the plate. Doyle flashed signs of a nice power and speed combination with 10 homers, 16 doubles, five triples, and 22 stolen bases across 126 games in his rookie season in 2023 but also hit just .203 and struck out in 35% of his plate appearances. He has just five walks against 28 strikeouts on the season but remains a solid fantasy asset if he continues to provide value in the power and speed departments.

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Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto tossed a gem on Thursday, working six shutout innings on four hits and just one walk while punching out seven as part of a narrow 2-1 win over the hosting Washington Nationals. After allowing five earned runs in his MLB debut against the San Diego Padres on March 21, the 25-year-old has now allowed a total of just six earned runs over his last five starts. As a result, he has managed to lower his ERA to 3.54 through six starts with 37 strikeouts against just six walks across 28 innings of work, going 2-1 in that time. His next start is scheduled for Tuesday in Arizona to take on the D-backs in a key NL West clash.

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Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler was brilliant on Thursday, tossing six shutout innings while allowing just one hit while punching out eight on the afternoon as part of a 5-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. He walked four on the day and was at 103 pitches by the end of his outing but managed to earn his second decision of the season. With the outing, the 33-year-old lowered his ERA to a tidy 1.93 mark on the season through six starts, striking out 46 while walking 11 across 37 1/3 innings of work. Somehow, he has managed to go just 2-3 on the young season. He lines up to take on the Angels in his next scheduled start next Tuesday in Los Angeles.

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Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper celebrated the birth of his second child with a home run on Thursday in his return from the paternity list. Harper's third-inning two-run shot was his fifth of the season and gave the Phillies a 4-0 lead as part of an eventual 5-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Interestingly, Harper also homered in his first game back from the birth of his first child five years ago. The 31-year-old is now hitting .256 with those five long balls alongside 16 RBI and an .835 OPS across 22 games on the season. The two-time NL MVP has made a full-time transition to first base this season to take pressure off of his surgically-repaired elbow and has provided his typical big-time offense for fantasy managers early in the 2024 season.

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Chicago Cubs top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong blasted the first home run of his major-league career during Thursday's 3-1 win over the Houston Astros. The 22-year-old came to the plate with a man on in a tie game and smoked a Bryan Abreu offering into the seats. Crow-Armstrong is one of the top outfield prospects in baseball and should see steady playing time with Cody Bellinger (rib) sidelined for a while. Crow-Armstrong was struggling in Triple-A prior to being called up, but his speed and power blend make him worthy of a speculative add in the short-term.

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