Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session on Friday and could be activated from the injured list after that. It sounds as though the Phillies have liked what they've seen from Walker's two minor-league rehab starts after they initially said they wanted to see him make four rehab starts before joining the big-league starting rotation. The 31-year-old veteran could make his 2024 debut for the Phils on Monday in what would be an excellent matchup at home against the punchless Chicago White Sox. Even though it would be Walker's first start of the year, he'd be a pretty attractive fantasy streamer in the great matchup. The most in danger of losing their current rotation spot in Philly could be Spencer Turnbull with Walker's return on the horizon.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish (elbow) looked good in his first minor-league rehab start with Double-A Bowie on Tuesday, tossing three shutout innings with just one hit allowed, no walks and four strikeouts. It was a very promising first appearance for a pitcher that is trying to avoid needing surgery after being diagnosed with a partially torn UCL in spring training. The 27-year-old is going to need probably a few more starts in the minors before the Orioles feel comfortable activating him from the injured list for his season debut in the big leagues. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues should consider stashing Bradish soon for extra pitching depth after he had a breakout for the O's in 2023. The former fourth-rounder in 2018 by the Los Angeles Angels out of New Mexico State went 12-7 with a 2.83 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 44 walks and 168 K's in 30 starts a year ago.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon (back) is penciled in to make his season debut on Thursday in the series opener against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. Taillon started the 2024 regular season on the 15-day injured list but is ready to get his season started. The 32-year-old veteran only threw 68 pitches in 3 2/3 innings in his final minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Iowa last Friday, so nobody should be expecting him to go very deep in his first big-league start of the year. The matchup against Miami is enticing from a streaming standpoint, but Taillon doesn't figure to go deep into this one, making him a pretty low-upside streamer. Now that Taillon is getting ready to return, the impressive Ben Brown could be out of a rotation spot.

Left-hander A.J. Puk (illness) has been confirmed as the Miami Marlins' starter for Thursday's series opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. After dealing with an illness in recent days, Puk was back at the ballpark on Wednesday playing catch and working out. The 28-year-old southpaw was pushed back twice in the rotation this week while feeling under the weather. It's good news that Puk is feeling good enough to start on Thursday, but most fantasy baseball managers will probably be wanting to stay away from him against Chicago after he's started the year by going 0-3 with a 5.91 ERA (6.90 FIP) and 2.44 WHIP with a league-leading 14 walks and just eight strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings in his first three starts.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on WEEI that third baseman Rafael Devers (knee) is feeling good and there's a chance he'll play on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians as the designated hitter. Devers was removed from Tuesday's contest early due to left-knee discomfort but appears to have avoided a long-term injury with his knee. Fantasy baseball managers will want to check back soon to see if the 27-year-old is officially back in the lineup. If he is, put him back into your lineups against Guardians right-hander Ben Lively, who will be making his season debut. A shoulder caused Devers to miss some games last weekend, and the two-time All-Star has gotten off to a slow start by his standards by slashing .205/.352/.409 with two homers, three doubles, five RBI and five runs scored in his first 12 games in 2024.

Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury (hamstring) is still out of the team's starting lineup on Wednesday versus the Tampa Bay Rays. Luis Rengifo will start at second base again and bat seventh against Rays right-hander Zack Littell. This will be Drury's second straight game on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury. The 31-year-old said he was available off the bench on Tuesday, so it doesn't sound like a very serious injury. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues will need to check back on Thursday to see if Drury is able to return for the series finale with the Rays. Rengifo doesn't have a hit in three career at-bats against Littell and is a low-cost, low-upside DFS play near the bottom of the Angels' lineup. In his first 42 plate appearances in 2024 Rengifo has 10 hits, no homers, three RBI and four stolen bases.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand is getting his first day off this season on Wednesday when the team takes on the Seattle Mariners. Spencer Steer is getting the start at first base and is hitting cleanup, while center fielder Stuart Fairchild is batting in the three-hole against Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller. Encarnacion-Strand went 0-for-4 on Tuesday to drop his season average to .192 (14-for-73) in the early going, while he's added two home runs, 12 RBI and seven runs scored. With a scheduled day off for the team on Thursday, he'll get two days to rest before likely returning to action on Friday to face the Los Angeles Angels. Fairchild has had a pretty nice start in 2024, going 8-for-29 (.276) with no homers, three RBI and five stolen bases.

Cincinnati Reds infielder Jeimer Candelario (illness) remains out of the team's starting lineup on Wednesday in Seattle against the Mariners. Candelario was scratched from Tuesday's lineup, and it appears he's still under the weather. Santiago Espinal is manning the hot corner for the second straight day for the Reds and is hitting ninth against Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller. With an off day coming on Thursday, perhaps Candelario is feeling better on Friday for the start of a series against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. The 30-year-old switch-hitter has gotten off to a slow start in his first year in Cincinnati, going 11-for-58 (.190) with two home runs, seven RBI and seven runs scored. Espinal has never faced Miller in his career and should be avoided in DFS at the bottom of the Reds' lineup.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (thumb) was scratched from Wednesday's starting lineup against the Chicago Cubs in the series finale. Moreno suffered a right-thumb contusion on a wild pitch on Monday night and was then scratched from Tuesday's starting lineup as well before appearing later in the extra-inning win as a defensive replacement. The 24-year-old appears to be not quite comfortable enough swinging a bat to return to action for the Snakes, so Tucker Barnhart will catch again and bat eighth against Cubs left-hander Jordan Wicks. Fantasy baseball managers will want to check back on Thursday to see if Moreno is able to return to the field when the team faces the division-rival San Francisco Giants on the road.

Cleveland Guardians right-hander Ben Lively (illness) has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday's contest in Boston against the Red Sox. The Guardians signed the 32-year-old to a one-year contract this winter after he made his big-league return with the Reds in 2023. Lively spent three seasons in the KBO before returning to North America for the 2022 season but stayed at Triple-A with the Reds that year. He worked to a 5.38 ERA across 19 outings (12 starts) for the Reds last season and has made a pair of starts with Triple-A Columbus this season, posting a 3.24 ERA across 8 1/3 innings of work.

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Zack Littell will look to keep his fast start going on Wednesday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Littell has yielded just two earned runs across his first three starts of the season spanning 15 1/3 innings, striking out 15 against five walks in that time. The 28-year-old has been solid for the Rays since the club claimed him from the Red Sox last season as he tossed a 3.93 ERA in 26 outings (14 starts) with the club last season before starting this season with a 1.17 ERA, albeit alongside a 3.90 SIERA. He takes on an Angels offense that is tied for 16th with a .314 wOBA and 19th with a 23.6% K% on the young season.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant (back) has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a lower-back strain. The move is retroactive to April 14 while outfielder Sean Bouchard has been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque to take his spot on the active roster. Bryant left Saturday's contest against the Blue Jays with back/rib soreness and was originally listed as day-to-day before landing on the injured list Wednesday afternoon. It's been a slow start to the season for the 2016 NL MVP who is hitting just .149 with one homer and a .528 OPS across 13 games and 55 trips to the plate.

Colorado Rockies infielder Brendan Rodgers (illness) will remain out of the starting lineup on Wednesday. The 27-year-old was scratched from Monday's lineup due to an illness and also sat out of Tuesday's 5-0 loss as well. It's been a sluggish start to the season for Rodgers, as he's hitting just .211 without a homer alongside a .553 OPS across the first 59 trips to the plate of the season. The oft-injured infielder has largely underperformed as a former top prospect, as he has hit .262 with 32 homers and a .720 OPS across 333 career games while playing his home games in the league's most hitter-friendly venue at Coors Field in Denver.

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford is not in the starting lineup Wednesday versus the Cincinnati Reds and left-hander Andrew Abbott. Crawford enjoyed a nice night at the plate on Tuesday, going 2-for-5 with a run scored in a 3-1 win but will take a seat to begin the lefty-on-lefty matchup on Wednesday. Despite the solid night on Tuesday, it's been a tough start to the season for Crawford who is hitting just .171 with a pair of homers and a .523 OPS across his first 79 plate appearances. Interestingly, he is 6-for-20 (.300) against left-handed pitching but is hitting only .100 (6-for-50) against righties.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant (back) remains out of the lineup on Wednesday as he will miss his fourth straight game after leaving Saturday's contest against the Blue Jays with back soreness. The veteran remains day-to-day. It's been a sluggish start to the season for the 2016 NL MVP as Bryant is hitting just .149 with one homer and a 32.7% K% across his first 55 trips to the plate of the season. This comes on the heels of a .233 average with 10 homers and a career-worst 73 wRC+ across an injury-shortened 80 games in the 2023 campaign. Nolan Jones will man left field and hit sixth Wednesday against Phillies left-hander Christopher Sanchez.

The Arizona Diamondbacks moved left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list on Wednesday. Rodriguez recently suffered a setback with his left shoulder and now won't be able to return to Arizona's starting rotation until late May. The oft-injured 31-year-old southpaw pitched well in his final season with the Detroit Tigers in 2023 but was in line for regression with his move to the desert. Now that he's been unable to stay healthy early on in 2024, fantasy baseball managers in mixed leagues should probably look for better options instead of keeping him stashed in an IL spot. The good news for the D-backs is lefty Jordan Montgomery is set to join the rotation to make his season debut later this week.

The Arizona Diamondbacks optioned left-hander Tommy Henry and pitcher Luis Frias to Triple-A Reno on Wednesday and recalled pitchers Justin Martinez and Logan Allen from Reno in corresponding moves. Henry allowed five runs in 4 1/3 innings in Tuesday's extra-inning win over the Chicago Cubs and has a 6.87 ERA and 1.80 WHIP with eight walks and 18 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings over his first four starts of the 2024 season. The 26-year-old soft-tossing southpaw will go down to the farm to work on his craft while serving as starting pitching depth for the Snakes. He has become the odd-man out in Arizona's rotation with lefty Jordan Montgomery's debut with the team coming later this week.

Atlanta Braves right-hander Darius Vines will make another start for the team on Sunday at home against the defending World Series-champion Texas Rangers. Vines earned another start in Atlanta's starting rotation after giving up just one earned run on four hits while walking three and striking out four in his season debut on April 15 against the Houston Astros in 4 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old could stick around even longer with Spencer Strider (elbow) out for the season if he looks good again this weekend. Still, fantasy managers in need of pitching depth or those looking for a streamer on Sunday should be hesitant to go all-in on Vines in the tough matchup. The Braves have plenty of other options for their rotation, so Vines is going to need to continue to impress to stick around.

The San Diego Padres placed right-hander Yu Darvish (neck) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 15) with neck tightness on Wednesday and recalled right-hander Logan Gillaspie from Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move. It's unclear as of now if Darvish has a realistic chance to return from the IL when he's eligible on April 30, but the 37-year-old will miss at least the next couple of weeks. San Diego's starting pitching depth will be tested in the season's first month, and it's not clear yet who the main candidates are to take Darvish's spot. In his first five starts of 2024, Darvish had posted a 4.18 ERA (3.88 FIP) and 1.27 WHIP with 10 walks and 22 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings pitched. Keep the five-time All-Star stashed in an IL spot for now in fantasy leagues.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) will make his 2024 season debut on Friday against the Washington Nationals, according to manager Joe Espada. The team's other starters will shift back a day, with Ronel Blanco going on Saturday and Cristian Javier taking the hill on Sunday. Verlander didn't pitch at all during spring training due to right-shoulder inflammation but is now ready after making a couple minor-league rehab starts and throwing a successful bullpen session on Tuesday. The 41-year-old three-time Cy Young winner didn't look particularly sharp in the minors but got up to 77 pitches in his final rehab start. Don't be surprised if the Astros have a short leash on the future Hall of Famer in his first start of the year in the big leagues this weekend.