Baltimore Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel tossed a scoreless ninth inning to preserve a 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. Kimbrel struck out two and did not allow a baserunner on the way to securing his 13th save in 16 chances in 2024. The 36-year-old veteran now has a 3.00 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts over 21 innings in his first season with the O's. Kimbrel should continue to see plenty of save chances pitching for the contending Orioles moving forward. That, coupled with his elite strikeout rate, makes him an excellent fantasy closer for fantasy managers this season.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich had a huge night in a 12-5 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday. Yelich went 5-for-6 with two doubles, one run, five RBI, and a stolen base in the lopsided victory over the Sox. Most of his run production came via a two-run single in the fourth inning and a two-run double in the seventh. The veteran outfielder is putting together a productive season for the Brewers, hitting .325 with six doubles, six homers, 21 runs, 27 RBI, and eight steals across 117 at-bats thus far. Yelich should continue to be locked into fantasy lineups moving forward.

Washington Nationals left-hander Patrick Corbin took a hard-luck loss in a 7-1 defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians on Friday. Corbin turned in a quality start, allowing just two runs on six hits over six innings while striking out five and walking three. Despite the solid start, the veteran southpaw saw his record drop to 1-6 on the season, to go along with a 5.83 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts over 66 1/3 innings of work. Corbin's recent track record suggests that he should not be trusted in fantasy leagues moving forward.

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola turned in a quality start in a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday. Nola allowed two runs on three hits over 6 1/3 innings while striking out six and walking two on the way to improving his record to 7-2 on the season. All of the damage to Nola came from a pair of solo homers in the contest. Nola has been a consistent fantasy starting pitcher this season, posting a 3.03 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts over 77 1/3 innings of work. He will return to the mound on Wednesday to take on the Milwaukee Brewers in Citizens Bank Park.

Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Joc Pederson smacked a late-inning, three-run homer, adding an RBI single on a 2-for-4 night as the Diamondbacks came up short in a 10-9 slugfest against the New York Mets. The home run was Pederson's seventh on the season to go along with his impressive .308 batting average. Pederson is having a nice season as he tours the National League West with his third team. Due to his career .239 batting average, you can expect some regression in the batting average moving forward, but it's nice to see Pederson performing well in his new home. He's only accumulated six at-bats against left-handed pitching on the season because of his strict strong-side platoon, but that plus hitting in the middle of a solid Diamondbacks lineup is reason enough for him to be rostered in most fantasy formats.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha (foot) had a walking boot on his left foot after being hit by a line drive from the first batter of Friday's series opener against the visiting San Diego Padres, and he's heading for scans on Saturday to determine the extent of the damage. The Royals will be able to provide an official diagnosis after the scans are completed, but it's encouraging that the hurler didn't need to exit the contest early. Wacha ended up throwing 5 1/3 innings on Friday, giving up two runs on five hits and one walk with two strikeouts without factoring into the decision. The 32-year-old veteran right-hander should be deemed day-to-day until more information comes to light, but his next scheduled start on Thursday against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians looks to be very much up in the air. Wacha has a mediocre 4.24 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 56:20 K:BB over 12 starts (68 innings) during his first season in KC this year.

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (hamstring) participated in some light fielding drills before Friday's series opener against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. There's no timetable on when Turner will start running the bases, however, per manager Rob Thomson. Turner experienced a minor setback with leg soreness amid his recovery from a strained left hamstring during the club's series in Colorado against the Rockies last weekend, and he still needs to ramp up his running program and go through baserunning and sliding drills before starting a minor-league rehab assignment, so he's unlikely to return to the Phillies until after the club's London Series with the division-rival New York Mets on June 8 and 9. Meanwhile, Edmundo Sosa is slashing a robust .307/.378/.591 with four home runs, 15 RBI, 19 runs scored, and two stolen bases over 88 at-bats (30 games) this year and represents a high-end fantasy streamer until Turner is back.

San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (elbow) will pitch in an Arizona Complex League game next week as part of his rehab from Tommy John surgery in May of last year. Ray threw live batting practice last weekend after he initially started throwing bullpen sessions during spring training. Slowly but surely, Ray has worked his way back to pitching in games, although he still has a ways to go and probably isn't going to be an option for the Giants' starting rotation until after the All-Star break in mid-July. The 32-year-old southpaw, a former 12th-round pick by the Washington Nationals in 2010, was the American League Cy Young in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays and has racked up five 200-strikeout seasons in his 10 MLB seasons. Ray could be even more erratic when he returns in 2024, but the strikeout upside alone makes him worth rostering in most fantasy leagues.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Conforto (hamstring) is starting a minor-league rehab assignment on Friday with Triple-A Sacramento, and shortstop Nick Ahmed (wrist) will join him in Sacramento on Saturday. Both Conforto and Ahmed could rejoin the Giants early next week if they get through their rehab assignments this weekend without any setbacks. Conforto was hitting a solid .280 (40-for-143) with seven home runs and 20 RBI before he suffered a right-hamstring strain on May 11 against the Cincinnati Reds. Conforto will be a lineup regular for the Giants when he returns. Ahmed, meanwhile, was the regular shortstop in San Fran before spraining his left wrist against the Braves on May 9. The 34-year-old vet is more of a defensive asset and was hitting a mere .236 with 11 RBI on the year before his injury.

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.