Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch and catcher Yan Gomes are not in the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Miami Marlins and left-hander A.J. Puk. Garrett Cooper is playing first base and batting seventh in the lineup, while Miguel Amaya is doing the catching and batting in the nine-hole against Puk. Busch had a streak of five straight games with a home run come to an end this week and he's hitting a strong .317 (19-for-60) overall with six total long balls, 13 RBI and 10 runs scored to start his first year in Chicago. He's hit just .167 (4-for-24) and has yet to homer against a left-hander in his career, though, so he'll likely occasionally be rested against lefties this year. Cooper has never faced Puk in his career, while Amaya has a hit and RBI in his only career at-bat against the southpaw.

Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad launched his eighth home run of the season to cap off a 3-for-3 day at the plate. The 25-year-old has been off to an unbelievable start to the season with a .342/.425/.726 slash line and is closing in on double-digit long balls in the minor leagues. Kjerstad held his own in the majors last season, albeit in a small sample size, where he hit for a .233 batting average and two home runs, and he should be in for a bigger opportunity this season. Kjerstad is on the brink of a promotion and is worth stashing, even in standard single-season leagues.

New York Yankees outfield prospect Everson Pereira launched two home runs on three hits on Thursday night, which powered Triple-A Scranton to their 12th victory of the season. Pereira is riding a .255/.359/.618 line with six total long balls this season. The 23-year-old got a small taste of the majors in 2023 and should receive another call-up later in the summer. With top prospect Jasson Dominguez injured (elbow) and Spencer Jones still in Double-A, Pereira could be the first name from the Yankee system promoted this season and is worth holding onto in dynasty and keeper leagues.

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop/second base prospect Orelvis Martinez launched his third home run of the season in the top of the ninth inning, which eventually served as the game-winner. The 22-year-old went 2-5 in Thursday's game and is batting .305/.359/.576 across the young part of the season. Martinez is doing much better in Triple-A this season compared to last year, where he hit for a .263/.340/.507 slash line with 11 home runs. Martinez is making quite a case for a promotion and should come up as a second baseman, since Bo Bichette will continue to serve as the team's shortstop. The second-ranked prospect in the Toronto system is worth stashing in deeper leagues for now.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran filled up the stat sheet on Thursday, going 1-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and a stolen base in a 5-4 loss against the Cleveland Guardians. Duran hit a triple and walked, the latter of which led to his seventh steal of the season. As the leadoff man for Boston, Duran should have ample opportunity to steal bases and so far he's made the most of it. He is a great three-category contributor who will help fantasy teams with AVG, runs, and steals while providing the occasional homer. He should be rostered in most leagues.

Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien had a great day at the dish on Thursday, leading the team to a 9-7 win over the Detroit Tigers. Semien went 3-for-6 with a homer and a double while scoring a pair of runs and knocking in one. With the big performance, the 33-year-old bumps up his slash line to .286/.355/.464 on the season. He also has 16 runs scored, three homers, 17 RBI, and a stolen base. While the counting numbers are great, his power and speed have left a little to be desired so far, but those should pick up as the season goes on.

San Francisco Giants right-hander Alex Cobb (shoulder, elbow, hip) said after the game on Thursday night that he had an MRI exam come back clean and that he will throw on flat ground on Friday. The news comes after it was reported earlier on Thursday that Cobb developed "mild shoulder inflammation" in his right arm two days after his latest bullpen session. The 36-year-old veteran has now dealt with elbow and shoulder issues while initially rehabbing from offseason hip surgery. It's good news that his shoulder injury isn't anything serious, but he's going to need at least several weeks to ramp his arm back up before he becomes a realistic option for the Giants' starting rotation in 2024. Injury issues aside, there's not a ton of fantasy upside with Cobb at this point in his career.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb picked up his second win of the season on Thursday in a 5-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Webb had his best outing on the year in this one, twirling seven shutout frames while allowing just two hits. He also walked one and struck out five in the dominant performance. Other than a tough start against the Dodgers early on, Webb has been exactly what we expected this season, a sturdy innings eater who can solidify a rotation. He should keep being exactly that, and should seldom leave fantasy lineups.

Updating a previous report, Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson (elbow) was removed from Thursday night's loss to the San Francisco Giants after two innings due to a right-elbow contusion that he suffered when he was hit by a comebacker. While Nelson looked to be in considerable pain after taking the shot to his pitching arm, it looks like he avoided any fractures or breaks to his elbow. That doesn't mean the 26-year-old won't have to go on the injured list, but for now, it appears Nelson has avoided a serious injury and has a good shot to make his next scheduled start for the D-backs. Coming into Thursday's start, his fourth of the season, the former second-rounder in 2019 out of Oregon had a 5.27 ERA and 1.61 WHIP with five walks and 13 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings in starts against the Yankees, Braves and Cardinals.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase locked down his fifth save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. Clase was sharp in this one, throwing a perfect inning and striking out one. It was nice to see this kind of outing from Clase, who had blown his last two save opportunities before this one. That said, the 26-year-old has been sharp overall this season, going 5-for-7 in save opportunities while pitching to a 1.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. He will remain an elite closer for fantasy purposes.

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Kirby Yates closed out the Detroit Tigers on Thursday in a 9-7 win. Yates got the final four outs of this one, allowing just a hit while striking out one. It was the 37-year-old's second save of the season, with his first coming on Monday. He has been used as Texas' highest-leverage pitcher for the past few weeks and is likely to continue in that role, which will presumably give him the best chance at saves in the Rangers bullpen. He should be added in any leagues where saves matter.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson (wrist) was removed from his start early on Thursday night against the San Francisco Giants in the second inning after taking a comebacker off his right wrist before recording the final out of the frame. Before hitting the showers early and likely going for an X-ray on his wrist, Nelson tossed two shutout innings with two hits allowed, no walks and no strikeouts to lower his season ERA to 4.60. He was replaced on the mound by left-hander Logan Allen. Fantasy managers wondering if the 26-year-old Nelson will be able to make his next start will need to check back later on Thursday night or Friday morning for more information on the severity of his injury. If Nelson needs a stint on the injured list, the D-backs could bring Tommy Henry back after just optioning him to Triple-A Reno.

Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Tyler Alexander will make the start on Friday for the series opener in the Bronx against the New York Yankees. Alexander has appeared in three games so far this year for the Rays, with one of those three outings coming as a traditional start on April 6 against the Colorado Rockies, when he allowed four earned runs on eight hits (two homers) while walking two and striking out four in 4 1/3 innings for a no-decision. The 29-year-old southpaw has fanned 12 and walked five in 15 1/3 total innings, but the most concerning issue is that Alexander has already allowed five home runs and 11 earned runs on 20 hits for a 6.46 ERA and 1.63 WHIP. Fantasy managers should absolutely ignore Alexander as a spot starter on Friday in the Bronx.

The Texas Rangers are now hoping that right-hander Max Scherzer (back) can return from the injured list in early May after originally believed to be out until maybe late June. Scherzer threw 25 pitches during a live batting practice session on Monday and is expected to throw 40 pitches in a another live BP session on Friday. If he comes out of Friday's session all good, he could embark on a minor-league rehab assignment after that. Scherzer said he's still a bit cautious about his return from surgery to fix a herniated disc in his back, but this is still a very positive development for the Rangers and fantasy managers that have been stashing Scherzer since the regular season started. Don't expect ace-like numbers from the 39-year-old at this point in his career, but when healthy, Scherzer can still act as a solid mid-rotation fantasy starter.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler (elbow) was only able to throw 68 pitches in 2 2/3 innings during Thursday's minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City. Buehler allowed two runs on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts, so he wasn't particularly sharp in this one. More importantly, the Dodgers' goal was for him to reach the 90-pitch range, which means his highly-anticipated 2024 regular-season debut and comeback from Tommy John surgery could be delayed by another outing in the minors. Look for LA to make a decision in the next few days as to whether or not the 29-year-old All-Star right-hander's next appearance will come with the big-league club, as No. 13 prospect Landon Knack could get another turn in the rotation. When we last saw him back during the 2022 campaign, Buehler logged a 4.02 ERA (3.80 FIP), 1.29 WHIP, and 58:17 K:BB over 65 frames (12 starts).

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell could be poised to kick-start his 2024 season when he takes the hill in Friday's start versus the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks. After a long stay in free agency this past offseason, Snell's Giants tenure is off to a rocky start with a 12.86 ERA and 1.85 WHIP while striking out nine hitters and walking four in seven innings (two starts). The 31-year-old reigning National League Cy Young Award winner has plenty of experience dealing with Arizona from his time in the NL West with the San Diego Padres, however, and Snell is 4-1 with a pristine 1.27 ERA and 61:14 K:BB over 42 2/3 frames (seven starts) versus the D-backs dating back to 2021. With the club's current roster batting a career .135 (14-for-104) versus Snell, the hard-throwing left-hander looks like a great fantasy play in both season-long and DFS formats on Friday's full slate.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Triston McKenzie is reportedly pitching through a torn ligament in his right elbow. Last year, a right teres major strain and elbow sprain limited McKenzie to just four starts (16 innings), and the hurler bypassed a potential Tommy John surgery in favor of rest and rehabilitation to heal his arm. His average fastball velocity (90.9 mph) ranks among baseball's worst to begin the 2024 season, and it's down from 92.4 mph during his injury-ruined 2023 campaign. It could explain the 26-year-old right-hander's struggles to begin the campaign, as McKenzie carries a 6.23 ERA (7.20 FIP), 1.76 WHIP, and a concerning 5:12 K:BB across 13 innings (three starts). A start at home on Friday in a favorable matchup versus the visiting Oakland Athletics could be just what the doctor ordered. In three career starts (18 1/3 IP) against the A's, McKenzie holds a 1.96 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 18:4 K:BB.

Boston Red Sox second baseman/shortstop Vaughn Grissom (hamstring) is continuing his minor-league rehab assignment for Triple-A Worcester, playing second base in back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday. Grissom served as the designated hitter in his first three outings, so it's a good sign in his recovery from a strained right hamstring. Since the 23-year-old infielder didn't participate in spring training, he may have an extended stay in the minors until he's ready to make his Red Sox debut. With that said, Grissom could still be activated from the injured list before April's end. With Trevor Story (shoulder) done for the year, Grissom figures to split his time on the diamond at the keystone as well as shortstop. For his big-league career, Grissom is batting a promising .287 (62-for-216) with 15 extra-base hits, 27 RBI, 29 runs scored, and five stolen bases across 64 outings and is worth stashing in all fantasy leagues for his hitting upside.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Taj Bradley (pectoral) threw a three-inning simulated game on Wednesday. Bradley will pitch four innings in an extended spring training game before potentially starting a minor-league rehab assignment, as he still has to go through the process of rebuilding his stamina and upping his pitch count before he's ready to return to the Rays. The 23-year-old former top prospect is making good progress on the mend from a strained right pectoral, and if all continues to go well in his recovery, he appears to be on track to rejoin Tampa Bay's injury-ravaged rotation in early-to-mid May. Swingman Zack Littell has fared well as a starter to begin the 2024 season, registering a 2.14 ERA and 1.33 WHIP while striking out 22 batters and walking just five over his first 21 innings (four starts). Ahead of Monday's scheduled start against the Detroit Tigers, Littell is worth rostering as a streamer for fantasy managers.

The San Francisco Giants announced on Thursday that starting pitcher Alex Cobb (hip, shoulder) is now dealing with mild shoulder irritation amid his recovery from offseason surgery on his left hip. Cobb says his arm is just still a little "cranky" as he ramps back up, but he doesn't believe his timetable has changed much. It's still yet another minor setback for Cobb, who just resumed throwing on Monday following a brief shutdown due to a mild flexor strain in his right elbow. The 36-year-old right-hander was an All-Star in 2023 and should still be able to return at some point in the month of May. Until Cobb is ready to re-enter San Fran's rotation, swingman Jordan Hicks should remain locked in as a starter for the Giants. Hicks features a 1.57 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 18:6 K:BB through 23 innings (four starts) and is a must-roster fantasy player ahead of Sunday's scheduled start versus the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks.