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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez was 3-for-4 with a grand slam, stolen base and two runs scored during Thursday's 6-4 win over the Boston Red Sox. Ramirez smoked a ball to right field in the second inning after battling through a 10-pitch at-bat against Chase Anderson. The five-time All Star is now slashing .260/.271/.471 with five homers, 23 RBI, three stolen bases and 18 runs scored. He has had a more aggressive approach at the plate this season which has resulted in only two walks through 24 games. Despite the lower than normal OBP, Ramirez seems to be recovering nicely from a slower start to the year and remains one of the best third-base options in fantasy.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's afternoon contest against the visiting San Diego Padres. It's not surprising to see the club give the veteran a spell in an afternoon game following an evening game on Wednesday in which Blackmon led off as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in his club's 5-2 loss. The 37-year-old is off to a sluggish start this season, hitting .228 with one homer, one stolen base, and a .659 OPS across 86 trips to the plate. At this point, Blackmon's power and speed just aren't there and he should be left on the waiver wire in all fantasy formats, including NL-only leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's afternoon tilt against the Washington Nationals and left-hander MacKenzie Gore. Kike Hernandez will take over at the hot corner and hit fifth on Thursday. It's been another excellent season at the plate for the veteran who is hitting .241 with four homers, 15 RBI, a 14.7% BB%, and an .811 OPS across 102 trips to the plate, production that grades out 25% above the league average, as per his 125 wRC+. His season has contained some swing-and-miss with a bloated 32.4% K% on the season but fantasy managers can expect that mark to drop considering his 24.8% career mark.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (shin) is serving as the team's designated hitter and will bat second on Thursday against right-hander Luis Castillo and the visiting Seattle Mariners. Seager was removed as a precaution late in Wednesday's contest against the M's after he was hit by a pitch and suffered a left-shin contusion. The 29-year-old's shin swelled up after the game, but apparently he's feeling good enough on Thursday to serve as the DH against a pitcher that he's hit .300 against in 10 career at-bats. With Seager at DH, Josh Smith is starting at the 6 and batting sixth for Texas. Fantasy managers will want to get Seager back into all starting lineups. He's started off the 2024 season hitting .256 (22-for-86) with a homer, six RBI and 11 runs scored.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is getting a day off in a matinee game on Thursday versus the visiting Chicago White Sox. With Buxton starting on the bench, Austin Martin is starting in center field and will bat ninth against White Sox right-hander Michael Soroka. Not only has Buxton remained healthy through the first month of the season, but he's starting to pick it up at the plate of late, hitting .323 with a home run, four doubles and a triple in his last eight games to raise his season line to .247/.280/.403 with a home run, 10 RBI and seven runs scored in his first 77 at-bats. Buxton should be back in action for the start of a series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night in Anaheim. Martin has never faced Soroka in his career and will be a low-upside sleeper in DFS in the nine-hole for the Twins.

The Philadelphia Phillies reinstated first baseman Bryce Harper from the paternity list on Thursday and optioned infielder Kody Clemens to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move after Wednesday's game. Harper is playing first base and batting third in his return in the series finale against the Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Nick Martinez on Thursday. Fantasy baseball managers will want to put the two-time MVP back in their starting lineups in all formats. He's hitless in two career at-bats against Martinez. The seven-time All-Star returns to a .241/.330/.443 slash line with four home runs, four doubles, 14 RBI, one stolen base and 10 runs scored in 91 plate appearances over his first 21 games of 2024. Harper will be hoping to extend his current six-game hitting streak in his return on Thursday.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer threw two-and-a-third innings for Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday, allowing three earned runs on five hits (two home runs), no walks, and four strikeouts. The veteran threw 52 pitches, which was the expectation heading into the game. The 39-year-old will likely make at least one more start, working his way up to 60-70 pitches next time out, before rejoining the Rangers at some point in May. Scherzer was solid in 2023's regular season, going 13-6 with a 3.77 ERA (3.77 SIERA), and a 1.12 WHIP, but his K-BB% of 20.8% was his lowest since 2014. He had a rough postseason, going 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, and a 4.8% K-BB% over three starts. Hopefully he's able to shake off the rust and get back to form, both for the Rangers and for fantasy managers.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (back) made his first appearance of 2024 in Wednesday's minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Round Rock, surrendering three runs on five hits (two home runs) with four punchouts. The long ball plagued Scherzer a year ago as well, serving up 28 homers over 27 starts, so fantasy managers hope he's getting those issues out of his system before he rejoins the major-league roster. With Scherzer's target being an early-May return to Texas' rotation after offseason back surgery, he appears likely to make at least two more rehab starts before becoming available to fantasy managers. Even so, the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer has a chance to crush the late-round ADP he carried in the spring due to concerns he'd be out until midseason. Last season, Scherzer recorded a rock-solid 3.20 ERA (3.41 FIP), 0.95 WHIP, and 53:15 K:BB over 45 frames (eight starts) after joining the Rangers.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Hector Neris got the call in Wednesday's save situation against the visiting Houston Astros, allowing a run but holding on to safeguard the 3-2 win. After Neris relieved setup man Mark Leiter Jr., Jose Altuve greeted him with a solo home run to immediately get the tying run to the plate with no outs and Houston's big bats coming up. Despite the long ball, Neris settled in to retire stars Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, and Yordan Alvarez in order. While Yency Almonte scooped up a save in Wednesday's five-run victory over Houston, Neris' usage suggests he's manager Craig Counsell's current preferred ninth-inning man after the skipper removed Adbert Alzolay from the role following Saturday's blown save. Although the 34-year-old veteran right-hander has a shaky 4.50 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, and 8:7 K:BB over eight innings this year, he needs to be rostered in more than 42% of Yahoo leagues.

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor put together his most productive outing of the season in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants, racking up four hits in five at-bats with two home runs. Although Lindor has been one of fantasy's biggest busts over the first month of action, he looked the part of an early-round fantasy pick on Wednesday. He homered to deep right center to score leadoff man Brandon Nimmo in the third inning and get New York into the scoring column, later sinking the Giants with another two-run jack in the ninth to make it an 8-1 ballgame. The 30-year-old Silver Slugger is now slashing .206/.291/.361 with four taters, 10 RBI, 13 runs scored, and one stolen base through 110 plate appearances (24 games) ahead of a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals starting on Friday. Last season, Lindor hit .375 (9-for-24) with one homer, two doubles, five RBI, and two thefts in seven games against St. Louis.