The Detroit Tigers have activated starting pitcher Michael Pineda (finger) from the 15-day injured list. He will be the team's starting pitcher for Friday's series opener against the Kansas City Royals. The 33-year-old missed about a month and a half after fracturing his right middle finger. He made just five starts before the injury and went 1-2 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He could continue to maintain a solid ERA and WHIP throughout the year, but he offers little strikeout upside (just 12 strikeouts over 22.1 innings) and his win potential is low on the Tigers. To clear space for Pineda, the Tigers sent fellow right-hander Alex Faedo to Triple-A.

Boston Red Sox infielder/outfielder Enrique Hernandez (hip) took 15 swings on Friday, which is an important step for him in his recovery after he had a setback last week. Hernandez had already resumed throwing this week, but now that he's also swinging again, he could head out on a minor league rehab assignment soon. If the 30-year-old can avoid another setback with his hip, there's still time for him to return to Boston's lineup before the All-Star break in mid-July. Before landing on the injured list, Hernandez was slashing just .209/.273/.340 with four home runs, 24 RBI and 27 runs scored in 238 plate appearances over 51 games in his second season in Beantown.

Boston Red Sox right-handers Nathan Eovaldi (back) and Garrett Whitlock (hip) are both scheduled to throw bullpen sessions on Saturday. It will be Eovaldi's first time throwing off a mound since he landed on the injured list almost three weeks ago with lower back inflammation. He might need a couple bullpen or live batting practice sessions before going on a minor league rehab assignment, so he's unlikely to return before the All-Star break. Whitlock is ahead of Eovaldi in his quest to return, but the Red Sox are leaning toward using him out of the bullpen once he's reinstated from the injured list. The 26-year-old made his first four appearances in relief for the Red Sox this year, but he'll lose plenty of fantasy value if he's not in the starting rotation.

New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer (oblique) is in line to return on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds. Scherzer is hoping he can go roughly 90 pitches over six innings. He said after his second minor league rehab start that he has "a much better grasp of what this is" in terms of his injury and maintenance work. The 37-year-old right-hander was actually activated from the 15-day injured on Friday, but he won't make his return to the Mets rotation until next Tuesday in a great matchup against Cincy. Scherzer has been battling an oblique strain since May 18, but he should be able to give fantasy managers enough to warrant starting him in his first game back, albeit with some added risk. Before hitting the IL, Scherzer had a strong 2.54 ERA and 0.95 WHIP with 59 strikeouts and only 11 walks in 49 2/3 innings over eight starts.

New York Mets right-hander Chris Bassitt was placed on the COVID-19 injured list on Friday with a non-injury issue. Bassitt was scheduled to start in the Friday series opener against the Texas Rangers but will instead be replaced on the mound by David Peterson. There's no word yet whether Bassitt tested positive for COVID or if he was a close contact but either way the Mets will be without one of their more consistent starters for the next stretch of games. Bassitt has made 15 starts for the Mets this year, posting a 6-5 record, 4.01 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts spanning 89 2/3 innings of work. Peterson has been solid in his own right in 2022, putting up a 3.10 ERA across 11 appearances. Peterson is a southpaw so fantasy gamers counting on Texas hitters on Friday night might want to check in on their righty/lefty splits and make lineup adjustments accordingly.

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner single-handedly helped the team beat the division-rival San Diego Padres on Thursday night, going 3-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored in the 3-1 victory. It was Turner's first multi-homer game of the season, and he hit only .236/.320/.360 with the two home runs, 11 RBI and 11 runs scored in 25 games in the month of July. Fantasy managers will be hoping that the 37-year-old veteran can build off Thursday's performance moving into July, as he's hitting just .227/.298/.375 on the season with six home runs, 41 RBI, 33 runs scored and one stolen base in 289 plate appearances to this point in the year.

The Tampa Bay Rays activated outfielder Kevin Kiermaier (hip) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and optioned outfielder Luke Raley and left-hander Ryan Yarbrough to Triple-A Durham in corresponding moves. The team also recalled right-hander David McKay from the taxi squad. Kiermaier landed on the IL on June 20 with left hip inflammation, but he wasn't out for long and is back in center field and batting fifth on Friday against Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios. The 32-year-old veteran should see regular playing time in center field moving forward, and he's hitting just .229/.270/.380 with seven home runs, 17 RBI, 26 runs scored and five stolen bases in 189 plate appearances and 56 games for the Rays so far in 2022.

The Miami Marlins are placing outfielder Jorge Soler (back) on the injured list on Friday before the series opener against the Washington Nationals. Soler was a late scratch from the starting lineup on Wednesday in the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals with back discomfort. It could be a short stay on the injured list for Soler, but we'll have to wait and see. He finished the month of June hitting .220/.301/.341 with two home runs, nine RBI and 33 strikeouts in 24 games, and he's sporting a season slash line of .217/.306/.421 with 13 long balls, 34 RBI and 31 runs scored in 289 plate appearances. The 30-year-old's swing-and-miss tendencies won't do your team batting average any favors, but he still has plenty of power to spare.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (ribs) will make his next minor league rehab start on Wednesday for Triple-A Worcester, and although a decision hasn't been made, it could end up being his last rehab start before making his season debut for the Red Sox. There's a chance that Sale could make his first start this year on July 11 against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 33-year-old left-hander got through four innings in his rehab start for Double-A on Thursday, and the Red Sox are hoping he can get through five frames on Wednesday. He has looked fully healthy so far, which is great news for fantasy managers that have been stashing Sale all season long to this point. Sale has dealt with injuries over the last several seasons, but he still has ace potential when he's right.

The New York Yankees reinstated relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman from the 15-day injured list on Friday and placed right-hander Miguel Castro on the paternity list in a corresponding move. Chapman was expected to come off the injured list on Friday for the start of this weekend's series against the Cleveland Guardians after making his final minor league rehab outing for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre earlier this week. The Yankees will probably ease the hard-throwing left-hander back into high-leverage situations, especially with how well Clay Holmes has performed in a closing role this year. Holmes has earned at least a partial role as the Yankees closer, but New York wants to give Chapman his chances as well.

The Cincinnati Reds got blown out 15-7 against the Chicago Cubs Thursday night, but first baseman Joey Votto did what he could to stop it, going 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs, and an RBI. The longtime Red is slashing .224/.342/.398 with six home runs, 22 runs, and 25 RBI in 58 games. It's a far cry from Votto's 2021 season numbers, but considering he hit .129 with a .434 OPS in the first month of the season, fantasy managers should be happy with those results. He isn't hitting enough to be a starter in every league, but his .342 OBP still makes him a good contributor in OBP leagues.

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu had his best month of the season thus far in June. He slashed 346/.431/.533 across the month and closed out his strong month with a 4-for-4 effort against the Los Angeles Angels this past Wednesday. Abreu had a .656 OPS in April, followed by a .796 OPS in May. His .964 OPS in June was fueled by a 41.3% ground ball rate (down from 51.2% in May) and a 1.0 K/BB ratio (up from 0.88 in May). The 35-year-old isn't supplying a ton of power yet this year as he has just nine homers over 72 games, but the rest of his profile is right where fantasy managers would like to see him at.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos had the stick working in a 14-4 rout of the division-rival Atlanta Braves on Thursday, going 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and a strikeout to raise his season average to .248. The home run was his eighth of the season, and it ended a month-long drought without a round-tripper. The Phillies are going to need more where that came from with superstar outfielder and last year's National League MVP Bryce Harper (thumb) out six weeks with a fractured thumb. Fantasy managers will also be hoping that Castellanos' big home run on Thursday will jump start him for a big month of July. The 30-year-old right-handed slugger is now up to an even 40 RBI in his first season in Philadelphia.

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly picked up his 17th save of the season in the 2-1 win on Thursday in a makeup game against the New York Yankees. Pressly didn't allow a hit and didn't walk a batter while striking out two in his scoreless inning of work to shut things down. The 33-year-old right-hander has now recorded back-to-back saves, so there's a good chance he won't be available if a save situation arises in the first game of the weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. Pressly imploded in a blown save and a loss last Thursday against the Yankees when he gave up four runs in just a third of an inning, but he's bounced back nicely with saves in his last three outings without allowing a single run while striking out five and walking none.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (ribs) had a strong minor league rehab start for Double-A Portland on Thursday, allowing four hits and one run while walking none and striking out seven in four innings pitched. Sale threw 36 of his 52 pitches for strikes, and the only question now is whether the left-hander will make one or two more rehab starts before making his 2022 season debut. The 33-year-old southpaw was scheduled to only go three innings on Thursday. If Sale can avoid a setback in his next rehab outing, he could put himself on track to rejoin Boston's rotation on July 10 or 11. Sale has made only nine starts in the last two seasons due to injuries, but the seven-time All-Star has ace-like ability when he's right.

Los Angeles Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts said "early next week is certainly a possibility" for outfielder Mookie Betts (ribs) to return from the injured list. There's also a chance that Betts will play some second base when he returns in order to minimize his throwing, according to Roberts. The 29-year-old took batting practice on Thursday, and there's a chance that he'll be back as early as July 4 next Monday. The Dodgers could also ease Betts back into action without having him throw by using him as the designated hitter. Either way, fantasy managers won't complain, as Betts is a no-brainer must-start fantasy asset when healthy. The former MVP was hitting .273/.349/.535 with an .884 OPS, 17 home runs, 40 RBI, 53 runs scored and six stolen bases in 60 games before he was injured.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (ankle) has returned to the starting lineup on Thursday for the series opener against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers and right-hander Mitch White. Machado will serve as the designated hitter and will bat second in his first game since Father's Day on June 19. The 29-year-old superstar has hit a red-hot .328/.400/.545 with a .945 OPS, 12 home runs, 46 RBI, 48 runs scored and seven stolen bases in 285 plate appearances over 66 games, and he should absolutely be returned to all starting lineups in single-year leagues against the Dodgers. Ha-Seong Kim will continue to man third base, and he's hitting eighth in the batting order on Thursday.

The Oakland Athletics optioned outfielder Cristian Pache to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday and also placed infielder Jed Lowrie (shoulder) on the injured list. In corresponding moves, Adam Oller was optioned to Las Vegas, infielder Vimael Machin was called up, right-hander Adrian Martinez was called up to start against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday and Skye Bolt was reinstated from the injured list. Pache needs to work on his swing down in the minors after hitting .159 with two home runs, 13 RBI and one stolen base in 68 games in his first year in Oakland. Lowrie, meanwhile, has hit .185 with three long balls and 16 RBI in 151 at-bats. Bolt, who is starting in center field and batting sixth against Seattle Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert on Thursday, could see regular playing time in center now. Machin has had a breakout year in the minors and is worth a peek in deep mixed and AL-only leagues if he sees enough playing time around the infield.

Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts (ribs), who is on the injured list with a right-rib fracture, is taking batting practice on Thursday at Dodger Stadium. The team is hopeful that he will return by the All-Star break, although he could initially be limited to designated hitter duties. The 29-year-old superstar landed on the injured list on June 18, but he resumed baseball activities on Wednesday and is getting closer to a return. Until Betts returns, expect Eddy Alvarez and Trayce Thompson to continue splitting playing time in right field for the Blue. Before his injury, Betts was swinging it well with a .273/.349/.535 slash line with an .884 OPS, 17 home runs, 40 RBI, 53 runs scored and six stolen bases.

The Chicago Cubs placed outfielder Jason Heyward (knee) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday with right knee inflammation. In corresponding moves, the team selected Narciso Crook's contract from Triple-A Iowa and moved Michael Hermosillo to the 60-day injured list. Heyward's IL placement is retroactive to June 27. The 32-year-old veteran hasn't done much offensively this year, so don't feel compelled to hold onto him in deeper leagues. He's hit just .204/.278/.277 with one home run, 10 RBI, 15 runs scored and one stolen base in 48 games to this point of the season. Rafael Ortega and Nelson Velazquez are likely to continue with a platoon situation in right field for the foreseeable future with Heyward on the injured list.