Washington Nationals shortstop prospect Brady House has yet to hit a roadblock in the minor leagues. The 11th overall selection in the 2021 MLB Draft progressed through three levels of the minor leagues, Low-A, High-A, and Double-A last season, holding a solid .312/.365/.497 line. House has begun the season at Double-A and is picking up right where he left off, posting a .311/.404/.467 line. The 20-year-old has shown a strong eye at the plate and has drawn seven walks and only struck out eleven times. While House is projected to make his major league debut in 2025, at the rate he is going, do not be surprised if he is in the nation's capital this summer.

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Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Cade Povich threw five shutout innings with nine punchouts en route to his second victory of the season. Povich holds a cumulative 0.83 ERA and 0.74 WHIP across 21 innings with 33 total strikeouts. The southpaw is making significant strides at Triple-A this season compared to his high 5.36 ERA and 1.35 WHIP he held last season and is quickly approaching his major league debut. Povich should be rostered in all dynasty and keeper leagues and is even worth looking into in deeper redraft formats, as he will have a high strikeout upside when he receives his final promotion.

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Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Justin Turner hit his second home run of the season in Friday's 5-1 win over the Padres. It was a solo shot, and he also added an RBI single. The veteran has six multi-hit games on the year and is now batting a robust .345 on the young season, with two home runs, 11 RBI, and eight runs scored.

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Detroit Tigers outfielder Wenceel Perez went 3-for-5 with two singles and a triple in Friday's 5-4 win over the Twins. Perez also drove in two runs, scored twice, and stole a base. In a tie ballgame, the 24-year-old's last hit came in the ninth inning after the Twins intentionally walked the batter in front of him, and it drove in what would be the winning run. Perez has only played in seven MLB games, but is 5-for-16 (.313), including a double and a triple, along with two RBI, three runs scored, and a pair of stolen bases. He had 26 steals in the minors last season, do he does have some speed. If he keeps this up he'll certainly put himself on the fantasy radar.

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St. Louis Cardinals infield prospect Thomas Saggese is swinging a hot bat to open the 2024 campaign. The 22-year-old is riding a solid .286/.349/.464 stat line with two home runs and 11 RBI. Saggese struggled in his first taste of Triple-A last season with a .207 AVG, so it is nice to see the 96th overall prospect begin to turn things around. The number four ranked prospect in the St. Louis pipeline is expected to make his major league debut later this summer and is worth stashing in keeper and dynasty leagues as he should find plenty of playing time in an infield utility role when given the call.

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Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman went 3-for-5 with two singles and a grand slam home run in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Royals in Kansas City. The slam cut the Orioles' deficit to 6-4 in the seventh inning, but it would end up being the only runs the O's would push across the plate in the contest. It was just the second home run of the season for the backstop, but he's hitting a solid .297 on the season with 11 RBI and 13 runs scored. After being drafted as the top catcher off the board in fantasy leagues this year, the 26-year-old is nearly holding up his end of the bargain, ranking as the second-highest scoring catcher in Yahoo leagues behind only William Contreras.

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New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto went 1-for-4 with a three run home run in Friday's 5-3 win over the Rays. It was his only hit in the game, but sent the fans into a frenzy and gave the Yankees the cushion they needed after going up 2-1 earlier in the inning. It was also the 25-year-old's twelfth straight game getting on base at least once via hit or walk. The perennial All-Star is now slashing .347/.468/.600 with five home runs, 20 RBI, 13 runs scored, and a stolen base. He's also walking at an incredible rate, even for Soto's standards, with an 18:11 BB:K.

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Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud had a career night on Friday in an 8-3 win over the Rangers, going 3-for-4 with three home runs, six RBI, and three runs scored. The first two were solo shots, however, the third was a grand slam that broke a 3-3 tie. The veteran backstop didn't have a home run on the season before Friday's game. He hit a career-high 18 home runs in 2022, but just 11 last season. The Braves are hoping he can continue to produce while primary catcher Sean Murphy is out with an injury and likely not back until sometime May. d'Arnaud now has a .245-3-10-8-0 line on the season and has five doubles in addition to his three home runs, so there is still pop in that 35-year-old bat.

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Detroit Tigers' SP Jack Flaherty recorded 10 strikeouts in 6 innings in a 5-4 win over Minnesota on Friday, Apr. 19.

Diamondbacks' SS Blaze Alexander had five RBIs going 3-for-5 with a home run in a 17-1 win over San Francisco on Friday, Apr. 19.

Philadelphia Phillies' 3B Alec Bohm had six RBIs going 2-for-4 with two home runs in a 7-0 win over the White Sox on Friday, Apr. 19.

Braves' C Travis d'Arnaud had six RBIs going 3-for-4 with three home runs in a 8-3 win over the Rangers on Friday, Apr. 19.

New York Mets starting pitcher Tylor Megill (shoulder) threw his first bullpen assignment on Friday. Megill is ramping up his throwing activity as he recuperates from a strained right shoulder that's held him to one start so far in the 2024 regular season, which came in New York's opening series of the campaign. The big 28-year-old right-hander is probably not going to be activated from the injured list before the end of April at this rate, but Megill could be an option for the Mets sometime in early May. With righty Jose Butto beginning to emerge in the rotation, Megill could be facing a long-relief role upon his eventual return. Butto has yielded a lone run while fanning 15 hitters and walking four covering 12 innings (two starts) in Queens this year, but he's a dangerous fantasy bet in Saturday's scheduled start against a high-powered Los Angeles Dodgers offense at Chavez Ravine.

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Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider's (elbow) UCL ligament was compromised by the unavoidable development of a bone fragment. But instead of having Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career, Dr. Keith Meister fixed Strider's damaged UCL by inserting an internal brace last week. It could allow the Braves' hurler to pitch again early next season. The 25-year-old was the top-ranked fantasy starter coming into the 2024 season after leading all of baseball with 483 strikeouts from 2022-23. Strider was told he might have been pitching with the fragment in his ligament for at least a couple of years. He initially felt discomfort in his elbow in spring training before things deteriorated quickly early in the regular season. In single-year fantasy leagues, Strider can be dumped since he won't pitch again in 2024.

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Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said before Friday's game against the Kansas City Royals that starting pitcher John Means (forearm) still needs to get stretched out more in his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk. Means' fourth rehab start on Wednesday compounded on his recent struggles, as he was blown up for five earned runs in one-third of an inning. He's now given up 15 runs (five homers) and five walks in 7 1/3 innings in the minors, so the O's likely want to see him sharpen things up before considering activating him from the injured list. The 30-year-old left-hander is working his way back from a strained left forearm and should still be able to rejoin Baltimore's rotation in late April or early May. After posting a 2.66 ERA (5.24 FIP) and 0.71 WHIP with 10 K's over 23 2/3 frames (four starts) late last season, Means is someone to consider stashing in mixed fantasy leagues.

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Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said before Friday's game versus the Houston Astros that starting pitcher Josiah Gray (elbow/forearm) was able to increase his throwing distance up to 60 feet on Thursday and Friday. Gray has been on the 15-day injured list since April 9 due to a right elbow/forearm flexor strain, and while he's eligible to come off the IL after the weekend, fantasy managers should not expect Gray to be available before May. The Nats could opt to send him on a brief minor-league rehab assignment before returning him to the big-league roster, as it's fair to expect a cautious approach after the 26-year-old former top prospect allowed 13 runs in his first 8 1/3 innings of the year before going down. Rookie left-hander Mitchell Parker is occupying Washington's rotation for now, but he won't be a recommended streamer in a tough matchup for Sunday's scheduled start against Houston.

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Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said before Friday's game versus the Houston Astros that catcher Keibert Ruiz (influenza) is feeling a lot better after he recently played catch and took batting practice. Martinez said the backstop lost 20 pounds while battling the flu, so Ruiz still needs to build his strength back up. With that said, he's eligible to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list as early as Tuesday's series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers and seems unlikely to need a minor-league rehab assignment before getting back behind the dish for the Nats. The 26-year-old former top prospect was off to a sluggish start, however, batting .194 (6-for-31) with one home run and three RBI over eight games. Riley Adams will get the bulk of the catching work in DC in the interim and is worth a look for fantasy managers in deep two-catcher leagues, hitting .306 (11-for-36) with two homers and five RBI in 10 outings this year.

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New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) departed Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second inning with an apparent injury to his left thumb. The injury occurred while Alvarez was hustling to second base on an errant Yoshinobu Yamamoto throw to first base, and he went 0-for-1 with a run scored before veteran Omar Narvaez replaced him and took over behind the plate. The Mets should offer another update on Alvarez's status following Friday's contest, and fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day until more is known about the issue. Expect the 22-year-old former top prospect to at least get the day off in the second matchup of the series on Saturday. Alvarez is off to a slow start at the dish this season, batting .236 (13-for-55) with one home run, four doubles, eight RBI, eight runs scored, and one stolen base over 16 appearances.

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Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said on Friday that starting pitcher Braxton Garrett (shoulder) is playing catch at 90 feet. Braxton could next advance to a bullpen session, but the Marlins will first re-evaluate him after the catch session before he moves ahead in his progression. Working his way back from a left shoulder impingement, Garrett made two minor-league rehab starts earlier in April before experiencing a "dead arm" after Monday's bullpen session. His return timetable is murky at the moment, but the team should provide another update in the coming days. The 26-year-old left-hander fully broke out a year ago, registering a 3.66 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a wonderful 156:29 K:BB through 159 2/3 innings (31 appearances) and should be stashed in the majority of fantasy leagues. The scuffling A.J. Puk would be a prime candidate to move back to Miami's bullpen when Garrett ultimately makes his 2024 season debut.

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Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said before Friday's game versus the Oakland Athletics that starting pitcher Gavin Williams (elbow) will pitch on Friday in Arizona. After throwing his first simulated game on Monday, Williams appears to be closing in on a minor-league rehab assignment if all continues to go smoothly in his recovery from right elbow discomfort. Although he has a chance to be activated from the injured list before April's end, an early-May return is probably more realistic. The 24-year-old former top prospect recorded a 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 81:37 K:BB across 82 innings (16 starts) for the Guards in his rookie season in 2023, and it's about time to make sure he's not floating around any waiver wires in fantasy leagues. In the meantime, veterans Carlos Carrasco and Ben Lively will keep battling to hold down spots in Cleveland's rotation when Williams eventually makes his 2024 regular-season debut.

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