San Francisco Giants designated hitter Jorge Soler (shoulder) began a hitting progression on Friday. Soler said that he was feeling "extremely well" and had no pain in his strained right shoulder on Wednesday. The fact that Soler didn't face a shutdown from baseball activities and is already hitting means he has a great chance of being activated from the 10-day injured list on May 15, when he's first eligible for reinstatement. Although the 32-year-old slugger was slashing a disappointing .202/.294/.361 with five home runs, four doubles, and eight RBI across 136 plate appearances (34 games) as San Fran's everyday DH before going down, he's worth stashing for fantasy managers in need of power stats. With Soler sidelined, veteran Wilmer Flores should continue operating the Giants' primary DH.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (elbow) threw long toss prior to Friday's game against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays and is expected to throw a full bullpen session on Saturday morning. Manager Aaron Boone said the plan is to have Cole ramp up his baseball activities, but an exact timetable for his return to the mound has not yet been set. If the 33-year-old reigning American League Cy Young Award winner can begin a minor-league rehab assignment in late May, he should be able to rejoin New York's rotation in the middle of June. Right-handers Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt are both throwing well for the Yankees right now and are high-end streaming options in fantasy in favorable matchups.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton tossed seven strong innings in Friday's victory over the division-rival New York Mets, giving up one run on three hits (one home run) and one walk with seven strikeouts. Besides the seven punchouts, Morton's highlight of the night came when he escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second inning by striking out Mets third baseman Brett Baty to end the frame. The 40-year-old right-hander remains a dependable fantasy starter at this stage of his career, featuring a rock-solid 3.14 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 40:14 K:BB through 43 frames (seven starts) during the fourth season of his second stint in Atlanta this year. Morton is slated to take the hill in Wednesday's series finale at home against the Chicago Cubs. In four starts against the Cubs since 2021, Morton has a dicey 6.16 ERA and 20:11 K:BB over 19 innings.

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor belted his seventh home run of the season in Friday's loss to the division-rival Atlanta Braves, continuing his recent rise from a sluggish start to the year. Lindor launched a solo homer to put the Mets on the board in the seventh inning. Over his last 14 games, the 30-year-old All-Star switch-hitter is batting a productive .278 with five long balls, four doubles, 15 RBI, and three stolen bases. Lindor has to deal with Braves pitching two more times during this series, and in 15 games against the Braves since 2023, he's hitting just .218 with three big flies, two doubles, and eight RBI. He does have five steals during this span, and fantasy managers should set and forget Lindor in all settings this weekend.

Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias finished off the division-rival New York Mets to preserve Friday's win, but he allowed one run on one hit and one walk before gaining the save in the ninth inning. Starling Marte walked before Pete Alonso singled him in later in the frame, and J.D. Martinez just missed a game-tying home run that was fouled off during the final at-bat of the game before flying out. Despite Iglesias' shaky outing, he's been one of fantasy's most bankable closers with a 2.35 ERA and 1.04 WHIP while fanning 10, walking four over, and converting 10 of his 12 save opportunities over 15 1/3 innings for the Braves this season. The 34-year-old right-hander should remain a reliable option for saves for the remainder of the season.

New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (foot) started hitting in the batting cages last Saturday and started taking ground balls in the infield on Tuesday. He took batting practice on the field at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. There isn't yet a timetable for LeMahieu's return from the injured list, but he will travel with the Yankees on their upcoming road trip to play the Rays from Friday through Sunday so that he can take live at-bats and do infield work at the team's minor-league complex. After that, LeMahieu could start a minor-league rehab assignment, according to manager Aaron Boone. The 35-year-old hasn't played in a big-league game after suffering a non-displaced fracture of his right foot on March 16 in spring training. He was shut down after starting a rehab assignment in late April due to more soreness in his foot. When LeMahieu returns, he should be the regular third baseman in the Bronx.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo had two hits, one a solo shot, and drove in the Yankees only other run in New York's 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night. Rizzo now has a hit in six of his last seven games and increased his OPS to .772 on the season. The lefty has been on a tear over the last two weeks, hitting for a .296 BA and a .926 OPS. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on Rizzo if he's available on the waiver wire and snag him up if possible. DFS managers should continue to target Rizzo against righties as he's hitting them for an .878 OPS. Rizzo will look to continue his hot streak on Saturday against Rays right-hander Zach Littell.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks (back) threw another bullpen session in Pittsburgh on Friday, and manager Craig Counsell confirmed that he will make another minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Iowa on Sunday. In his first rehab start with Iowa on Tuesday, Hendricks gave up one earned run while walking three and striking out six in 4 1/3 innings. If the 34-year-old veteran looks good again on Sunday for Iowa, there's a good chance his next outing will be back in the big leagues with the Cubbies. Chicago could need Hendricks back in their starting rotation by then if Jameson Taillon (back) needs another stint on the injured list. Before being sidelined, Hendricks was getting lit up to the tune of a 12.00 ERA and 2.09 WHIP with just 16 strikeouts in 21 innings over five starts. It's no wonder the Cubs aren't rushing him back.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon (back) experienced back stiffness while throwing on Tuesday and was shut down/pushed back from his scheduled start on Friday in Pittsburgh for the series opener against the Pirates. Manager Craig Counsell said it's not as bad as Taillon's spring training back issue, but it's something to watch. There's a chance that Taillon could start on Sunday in Pittsburgh, but the Cubs aren't making anything official and will see how he feels on Saturday. If the 32-year-old veteran doesn't feel good enough to start on Sunday, there's a chance the Cubs will play it safe and send him to the injured list for the second time this year. It's bad timing after being scratched from a good matchup against the Bucs, as Taillon is currently 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 0.87 WHIP with 16 strikeouts in 24 innings over his first four starts of the year.

San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow) was able to play catch at Petco Park on Friday after having some imaging done on his right elbow. Everything came out looking good on his tests, and he's still expecting a minimum stay on the 15-day injured list. It's the first time that Musgrove has played catch since landing on the injured list last Sunday with right-elbow inflammation. If he doesn't have any setback, the 31-year-old veteran could return to the Padres' starting rotation next Friday. Fantasy managers probably will want to avoid throwing him right back into their starting lineups when he returns. After finishing last year on the sidelines due to an injury, Musgrove has gone 3-3 with a bloated 6.37 ERA and 1.51 WHIP with a league-high 10 home runs allowed, 13 walks and 36 strikeouts in 41 innings over eight starts.

Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco is getting a breather on Friday in the series opener against the visiting Oakland Athletics. Josh Rojas will get the start at the keystone for the M's as a result and will hit leadoff against A's right-hander Paul Blackburn. Luis Urias is at third base and is batting ninth for the M's. Polanco is in need of a little break after recording only two hits in 18 at-bats with seven strikeouts in the recent four-game series this week against his former team, the Minnesota Twins. The 30-year-old Dominican switch-hitter's poor recent stretch has dropped his season slash line to a weak .182/.291/.299 with five home runs, 13 RBI and 14 runs scored in 137 at-bats. Rojas continues to get more playing time around the diamond for Seattle after his .348/.417/.533 start at the plate in 2024.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Keynan Middleton (forearm) threw off a mound again on Friday at Busch Stadium and will start a minor-league rehab assignment next week, according to manager Oliver Marmol. Middleton will report to either Double-A Springfield or Triple-A Memphis. The 30-year-old reliever is getting close to being able to make his 2024 debut with the Cardinals, and he should return to a key late-inning, high-leverage setup role in front of closer Ryan Helsley. Middleton is eligible to come off the 15-day injured list on May 17, a week from Friday. At the very least, Middleton could be worth a waiver-wire pickup in deep holds leagues after he posted a 3.38 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, two saves and a career-high 64 strikeouts in 50 2/3 relief innings in 2023 with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.

St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (back) played catch off the mound at Busch Stadium on Friday, according to manager Oliver Marmol. Matz will throw at a much higher intensity on Monday. Matz is dealing with a protruding disc in his lower back and was placed on the 15-day injured list a week ago with a lower-back strain. Given the severity of the 32-year-old veteran southpaw's injury, fantasy managers in deeper leagues shouldn't be expecting Matz to return when he's eligible to come off the IL. In addition to Matz's pretty serious injury, he wasn't good in his six starts before getting hurt, going 1-2 with a 6.18 ERA and 1.73 WHIP with only 17 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings. Matz probably isn't worth holding onto in shallow-mixed fantasy leagues at this point.

San Francisco Giants shortstop Nick Ahmed (wrist) has been placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday. This news comes after Ahmed was hit by a 108-mph line drive during Thursday's game. The team is calling it a left wrist sprain, so hopefully Ahmed won't miss significant time. Casey Schmitt has been recalled from Triple-A to take the spot on the active roster. Both Schmitt and Tyler Fitzgerald figure to see increased playing time with Ahmed sidelined.

Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (knee) has been placed on the injured list ahead of Friday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The veteran infielder sat out of Wednesday's game due to knee soreness. It sounds like Swanson has been dealing with a lingering knee issue for quite some time. The team has decided to place him on the injured list and give him some time to recover. Nico Hoerner figures to see more time at shortstop while Nick Madrigal and Miles Miles Mastrobuoni get some action at second base.

Minnesota Twins second baseman Edouard Julien and outfielders Max Kepler and Alex Kirilloff are not in the starting lineup on Friday with the team facing Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. The Twins typically sit a lot of their left-handed hitters when they face a southpaw, so this isn't really anything new. Kyle Farmer is starting at second base and is hitting seventh, Manuel Margot is in right field and is batting fifth, and Ryan Jeffers is serving as the designated hitter and is batting leadoff for the Twins. Jeffers is hitless in four career at-bats against Kikuchi, but he's been one of the hottest hitters in baseball the last couple weeks and is hitting .306/.389/.631 with a 1.020 OPS, eight home runs, 29 RBI and 20 runs scored in 111 total at-bats. He'll be a prime DFS target against a southpaw.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Joey Votto (ankle) continues to ramp up his baseball activity and is said to be making good progress with hitting, fielding and throwing. His next steps will be live at-bats and then to play in minor-league rehab games. Votto made it clear that he wants to be 100 percent healthy before he returns. It sounds like it won't be until June when we might see the 40-year-old Canadian back in the big leagues with Toronto. When Votto is finally ready to return, he'll be a designated hitter option, at best, against right-handed pitching for the Blue Jays. The six-time All-Star has been hampered by injuries in recent years as he ages and is probably in the final season of his career. In 65 games in his final campaign with the Cincinnati Reds in 2023, Votto hit just .202 (42-for-208), but he did have 14 home runs and 38 RBI.

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Chad Green (shoulder) threw a bullpen session on Friday, which was his first time throwing off a mound since he was placed on the injured list back on April 20 with a right-shoulder strain. As long as the 32-year-old veteran doesn't encounter any setbacks along the way, he should certainly be back in Toronto's bullpen by the end of the month. The former 11th-round pick by the Detroit Tigers in 2013 out of Louisville isn't as attractive in fantasy now that regular closer Jordan Romano is back and healthy, but Green still plays a key role as a late-inning setup man and can carry fantasy value in holds leagues when he's active. Before his injury, he was 1-0 with two saves, a 2.35 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 7 2/3 relief innings.

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia (back) is available to pitch out of the bullpen for Friday's game against the visiting Minnesota Twins, according to manager John Schneider. Because of a back injury, Garcia has not appeared in a game for the Blue Jays since April 28, but he should get into a game at some point this weekend. The 33-year-old isn't as attractive in fantasy now that regular closer Jordan Romano is back in the fold at the back end of the bullpen, but Garcia has still been excellent this year. He's currently sporting a microscopic 0.68 ERA and 0.53 WHIP with only three walks and 16 strikeouts in 13 1/3 relief innings pitched. Garcia has also recorded two saves, both those both came early in the year when Romano was hurt.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielders Kevin Kiermaier (illness) and George Springer (illness) are both out of Friday's lineup against the visiting Minnesota Twins because they are sick, according to manager John Schneider. Daulton Varsho is starting in center field and is batting second, while Cavan Biggio is in right field and is hitting seventh against Twins right-hander Joe Ryan. Davis Schneider is in left field and is batting leadoff for the Jays. With Springer under the weather and struggling offensively for much of the year so far, it's possible Schneider sees more time in the leadoff spot, even when Springer gets over his illness. Fantasy baseball managers will need to check back on Saturday to see if either Kiermaier or Springer are feeling well enough to get back on the field for the second game of the weekend series.