Detroit Tigers outfielder Mark Canha (hip) has been scratched from the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Boston Red Sox, This is bad timing with outfielder Kerry Carpenter (back) also sidelined currently. Hopefully this is only a minor issue, and Canha won't require a stint on the injured list. In the meantime, Andy Ibanez will replace him in the lineup, with Colt Keith serving as the designated hitter on Friday against Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish (hamstring) is still being evaluated and could make his next scheduled start. The right-hander was removed from Wednesday's start after three innings due to a left hamstring issue. Depending on how he feels, Darvish could make his next start on Tuesday. Fantasy managers will have to wait and see as the Padres are taking it day-by-day right now. There should be an update on his status within the next day or two.

San Francisco Giants shortstop Nick Ahmed (wrist) started taking batting practice on Wednesday and has also started taking ground balls on the field as he ramps up his baseball activities. Ahmed was forced from the game on May 9 in the loss to the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning after he took an awkward swing in his previous plate appearance. The 34-year-old veteran had been experiencing pain in his wrist since taking a 108 mph liner off his wrist during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 27. An MRI exam on May 10 revealed his wrist sprain. It's uncertain if Ahmed will go on a minor-league rehab assignment before returning to the Giants. With Marco Luciano (hamstring) day-to-day, Brett Wisely heads into this weekend's games as San Fran's primary shortstop with Ahmed still on the IL. When healthy, Ahmed is more of a glove guy than a fantasy asset for his offense.

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Colin Rea earned a no-decision in Thursday's outing versus the division rival Chicago Cubs. Rea pitched well for the most part and it was a solo home run by Cody Bellinger in the top of the first inning that would be the lone damage against the veteran. Rea's final line on the evening would be five hits, one run, one walk and five strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. Rea has made two good starts in a row, but his season has been inconsistent overall. Rea is best suited as a streamer in favorable matchups and will carry a 3.77 ERA into next weeks starts versus a tough Philadelphia Phillies offense.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon had a nice outing on Thursday, throwing six innings of three-run ball against the Los Angeles Angels. Rodon allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out five. Although it's a solid line, the lefty's night could've been much better. He had allowed just one run heading into the seventh, where he allowed two hits and a walk before coming out of the game. Two more runs would then come in to score, making Rodon's line look worse than his performance showed. Still, Rodon has now posted five quality starts in a row and is 7-2 on the season, so fantasy managers should be quite happy with the results.

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor went 4-for-4 with a homer, a stolen base, and two RBI in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lindor was seeing the ball well today, which he seems to be doing more and more of lately. He is now riding a nine-game hit streak and has improved his average from .193 to .225 in the process. Although it hasn't been an ideal start to his season, Lindor still has nine homers and seven steals, so at least he has been providing something for fantasy managers. Expect his numbers to continue improving as he regresses over the summer.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole's (elbow) next outing could come in a minor-league rehab game on Tuesday, assuming he bounces back from Thursday's live batting practice session well. No matter what level Cole begins his rehab assignment at, the fact that he's on the precipice of returning to game action is a major step forward in his throwing program as he builds his arm back up from right elbow discomfort. If he indeed gets an appearance in the minors on Tuesday, it puts the hard-throwing 33-year-old fantasy superstar firmly on track to rejoin New York's rotation before the end of June. The first-place Yankees certainly aren't going to rush their ace back into the fray, but it's fair to wonder if there's more of a sense of urgency to get Cole back now with upstart right-hander Clarke Schmidt (lat) heading to the injured list with an indefinite absence on Thursday.

The New York Mets designated right-hander Jorge Lopez for assignment on Thursday and recalled left-hander Danny Young from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move. Lopez's actions after being ejected from Wednesday's game, rather than his performance on the mound, have cost him a spot on the team's 40-man roster. The 31-year-old veteran threw his glove into the crowd after his ejection on Wednesday in the loss to the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. The nine-year veteran had been decent out of the bullpen for the Mets this year, posting a 3.76 ERA (4.65 FIP), a 1.37 WHIP, two saves, 11 walks and 19 strikeouts in 26 1/3 relief innings. An All-Star as recently as 2022 with the Orioles and Twins, Lopez should draw some attention on waivers in the next couple of days with 29 career saves.

Los Angeles Angels infielder Miguel Sano (knee) was returned from his minor-league rehab assignment after the burn that he suffered from a heating pad did not heal. Sano took the protection off of a heating pad to make it hotter and burned himself, and he's now headed back to Anaheim with no timetable for a return. The 31-year-old corner infielder initially landed on the injured list with a left-knee injury and now has suffered a setback due to his burn. He'll now get some time to heal up before eventually restarting his minor-league rehab assignment. Before the injury, Sano was hitting .262 (16-for-61) but with just one home run and five RBI in his first year with the Angels. In his absence, veteran Luis Guillorme and Luis Rengifo have been splitting time at third base for the team.

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) said he felt good on Thursday after throwing 43 pitches and using his entire arsenal during a live batting practice session. Cole said that the next step is for him to recover from this session before possibly going on a minor-league rehab assignment soon. We'll update you when we know of a potential date and location for Cole to begin a rehab assignment. All signs are pointing toward the reigning American League Cy Young winner pitching in games in the minors soon and making his 2024 debut for the Yankees at some point in June, barring setbacks. The 33-year-old ace has been dealing with right-elbow inflammation since spring training and has had a long recovery process, but fantasy managers are beginning to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (oblique) is still on a "slow program" due to lingering oblique discomfort. He isn't swinging a bat right now, but manager Dave Roberts hopes Muncy will begin swinging again "soon." The veteran 33-year-old left-handed slugger has started baseball activities, but he's moving at a slow pace, and his return isn't just around the corner despite already being eligible to come off the 10-day injured list. Once he begins swinging, Muncy will eventually be required to go on at least a short minor-league rehab assignment. In the meantime, expect Enrique Hernandez and Chris Taylor to see some playing time at the hot corner for the Blue. When healthy, Muncy is a batting-average drag for fantasy teams, but he has high-end power and plenty of RBI opportunities in the best lineup in baseball. Keep him stashed everywhere.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez went 2-for-4 with a double and his 10th home run of the season in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Twins. The veteran collected two RBI and scored twice as well. The 34-year-old is having a nice season so far, with a .325-10-41-24-0 line along with a .397 wOBA and 156 wRC+. Perez is the second-highest-scoring catcher in fantasy to date, providing fantasy managers who invested in him a bountiful early return on their investment.

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Shawn Armstrong is listed as the starter for the team's game on Thursday against the visiting Oakland Athletics. Armstrong is serving as the opener for this contest for Tampa, with left-hander Tyler Alexander expected to take over as the bulk reliever after Armstrong goes an inning or two. The 33-year-old has performed well as the opener four other times for the Rays this year, but that doesn't mean he's a viable streamer for fantasy purposes. Armstrong is currently 1-1 on the year with a 3.91 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, one save, 30 strikeouts and nine walks in 25 1/3 innings over 20 appearances (four starts). Alexander has a good matchup once he enters the game, but the 29-year-old southpaw hasn't been nearly as effective as Armstrong has been this year.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (elbow) is scheduled to toss live batting practice again on Thursday in Tampa Bay, manager Aaron Boone said prior to Wednesday's game against the hosting Los Angeles Angels. It'll be Cole's third session facing hitters, with a two-inning, 30-pitch outing set to follow on Saturday. Cole still has a chance to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list sometime in June as long as he starts a minor-league rehab assignment sometime in the next week or two. The 33-year-old reigning American League Cy Young Award winner is obviously a must-stash fantasy asset, but the Yankees will have a tough decision to make regarding the odd man out when their ace returns from right elbow discomfort. Right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil have done an admirable job in New York's rotation, and they remain close to must-roster players at this point in time.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith put on a power display in Wednesday's blowout win over the hosting New York Mets, going 3-for-5 with two solo home runs. Smith launched his eighth and ninth homers on Wednesday, first belting a solo home run to left field to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the second inning and later smacking a go-ahead home run to left-center field to give the team a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning. The 29-year-old slugging backstop is now slashing .296/.360/.516 with nine home runs, 14 doubles, 36 RBI, and 32 runs scored over 186 at-bats (49 games) as LA's primary option behind the dish. Continue to roll with Smith in all fantasy leagues.

San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish (hamstring) left his start early on Wednesday against the Miami Marlins with left-hamstring tightness. Darvish is currently undergoing testing, and we should have a better idea of whether he'll be forced to miss his next scheduled start after we receive those results. Before being pulled, the 37-year-old Japanese hurler gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits while walking one and striking out two to take his third loss of the season. Until we know more, fantasy managers may want to prepare for a possible trip to the injured list for Darvish. If Darvish is forced to miss a few starts, Randy Vasquez could be in line to join SD's rotation for a bit. Heading into Wednesday's game, Darvish had been solid this year, going 4-2 with a 3.04 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 51 K's in 53 1/3 innings over 10 starts.

The Toronto Blue Jays have released their probable starting pitchers for their three-game weekend series against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates that starts on Friday, and right-hander Chris Bassitt (neck) is listed as the team's starter for Sunday's series finale. Bassitt will make his next start after having to leave his last start early on Monday against the Chicago White Sox after he battled through neck spasms for five scoreless innings. The 35-year-old veteran has been great for the Blue Jays and fantasy managers of late and will carry 12-inning scoreless streak into a strong matchup at home against Pittsburgh. The Pirates rank 26th in major-league baseball with a .661 OPS. Bassitt has gone 5-6 this year with a 4.03 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 56 K's in 60 1/3 frames over 11 starts.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber kicked off Wednesday's game with a bang. The left-handed slugger blasted a leadoff home run off left-hander Kyle Harrison to begin the game. The 31-year-old slugger would also add an RBI single later in the game as the Phillies would grab the 6-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. Schwarber has been hitting much better lately so fantasy managers should ride with him through this hot stretch.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager continued his power surge during Wednesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The left-handed slugger blasted a home run for the third straight game on Wednesday. It marked Seager's eighth home run in his last eight games. The 30-year-old has been on a tear, Seager raised his OPS from .681 to .828 during this eight game span. Seager is a must-start fantasy player in all fantasy formats right now.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the visiting Kansas City Royals. It appears to be a normal day of rest for Buxton as the Twins look to keep the oft-injured veteran outfielder healthy. Willi Castro is making the start in center field and will bat seventh for the Twins against Royals veteran right-hander Seth Lugo. Castro has one hit in two career at-bats against Lugo and has been a useful utility man for the Twins this year, hitting .247 (45-for-182) with four homers, 16 RBI, seven stolen bases and 26 runs scored so far. The Puerto Rican is mostly useful for his speed in deeper fantasy leagues. After getting on base four times and stealing a base on Tuesday, Buxton is now slashing .254/.308/.426 on the year with three homers, 15 RBI and two thefts in 122 at-bats.