Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon (hamstring) said he has a high-grade partial tear of his left hamstring and doesn't have a timetable to return. The Angels placed Rendon on the 10-day injured list on Sunday, but the 33-year-old is certainly going to be out for an extended amount of time. Ever since signing a seven-year deal with the Halos, Rendon has mostly been in the trainer's room and has been one of the biggest disappointments in baseball after recording a league-high 126 RBI and a career-high 34 home runs in his final year with the Nationals in 2019. Before the injury, he was hitting .267 (20-for-75) with no homers, three RBI and three steals. We wouldn't blame you for dumping Rendon to the waiver wire at this point. Miguel Sano has been playing third since Rendon went down, but Brandon Drury could also see time there moving forward.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo continued his stellar work on the mound during Friday's game against the Detroit Tigers. The right-hander threw seven shutout innings while striking out nine batters in the win. Lugo only gave up three singles during this game and a pair of walks. He holds a 1.66 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 23/9 K/BB ratio across six starts. He'll look to continue his strong campaign against the Toronto Blue Jays next week.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that right-hander Walker Buehler (elbow) will make another minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City next Tuesday. If all goes well, Buehler will then be activated to make his 2024 debut with the Dodgers. The 29-year-old hasn't pitched in a major-league game since 2022, but he got up to 86 pitches in 4 1/4 innings in his latest rehab start on Wednesday at Oklahoma City despite giving up five runs (three earned). His numbers on his rehab start have been nothing to write home about -- a 4.86 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 16 strikeouts and nine walks in 16 2/3 innings -- but the most important thing is that he's healthy. Buehler could have some ups and downs early on with LA, but if he can show any of his pre-injury form in 2024, he has the potential to be a huge fantasy asset down the stretch.

Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury (knee) is back in the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Minnesota Twins and right-hander Bailey Ober, serving as the designated hitter and batting fifth. Miguel Sano is at third base for the Halos and is hitting cleanup. Drury didn't start at all during the recent three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles due to a knee injury but appeared on Wednesday late in the game and struck out in his only plate appearance. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues will be hoping that Drury can show some signs of life at the plate this weekend, as he's started the 2024 season with a weak .194/.270/.269 slash line with a home run and four RBI in 74 plate appearances. He's never faced Ober in his career.

New York Yankees designated hitter J.D. Martinez (back) is hitting fifth in his debut with the team on Friday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Miles Mikolas. Martinez is getting a late start to the 2024 campaign after signing with the team late in March. The 36-year-old veteran then tweaked his back while playing in extended spring training, further delaying his debut. Martinez is back now, though, and will give first baseman Pete Alonso more protection in the lineup. Martinez hit a strong .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, and while he can still provide some decent pop in mixed fantasy leagues, nobody should be expecting him to be quite that good in New York. The Mets plan to ease Martinez back in, so don't be surprised to see him get frequent days of rest.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas will look to get straightened out when he takes the ball for a road contest against the New York Mets. The 35-year-old was knocked around for nine hits, including three homers, leading to five earned runs allowed in just 4 1/3 innings in a losing effort against the Brewers his last time out. It was the second consecutive outing and third of five on the season in which the veteran has allowed five earned runs in less than five innings this season. The rough outing raised his ERA to 6.49 through five starts, although his 4.05 xFIP, 4.28 SIERA, and solid 6% BB% suggest positive regression is likely moving forward.

The Chicago White Sox have selected veteran outfielder Tommy Pham from Triple-A Charlotte. Fellow outfielder Kevin Pillar has been designated for assignment in order to clear a spot on the active roster. The White Sox agreed to a minors pact with Pham just a week ago and are bringing him up after he appeared in four games with Charlotte. Pham had a nice season in 2023, hitting .256 with 16 home runs and 22 stolen bases alongside a .774 OPS across 129 games between the Mets and Diamondbacks. Pham interestingly had to settle for a minors pact despite the quality season as he could once again become fantasy-relevant if his power and speed remain in his age-36 season.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (back) is set to make his debut with the team on Friday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. He's expected to give All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso more protection in the batting order after hitting 33 home runs in just 479 plate appearances in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, Martinez won't be hitting behind Alonso every day, at least not to start. Manager Carlos Mendoza said the team will ease Martinez into regular playing time, which makes sense given his age (36) and the fact he dealt with a back injury while ramping up this spring. Fantasy managers can't expect another 30-plus homer season from Martinez while getting a late start to the year, but he can provide notable pop in mixed leagues if he can stay healthy.

Detroit Tigers catcher Carson Kelly (rib cage) has been scratched from Friday's starting lineup against the visiting Kansas City Royals with left rib-cage soreness. He will be available off the bench, however. In his place, Jake Rogers will start behind the plate and will bat eighth against Royals right-hander Seth Lugo. The fact that Kelly is available off the bench means that his injury probably isn't very serious, so the 29-year-old backstop could have a chance to return for Saturday's contest. The former second-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 is hitting just .205 (9-for-44) on the year with a homer and six RBI for Detroit. Rogers has been even worse, going 6-for-45 (.133) with a homer and two RBI, so DFS gamers should look elsewhere at the catcher position on Friday.

San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish (neck) threw a side session on Wednesday, after which "reports were favorable," according to manager Mike Shildt. "He was on the gas, but didn't have it to the floor... it was a positive first step." Darvish was put on the 15-day injured list on April 17 (retroactive to April 15) and last pitched on April 14 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 37-year-old was shut down in September of last year with a stress reaction in his right elbow and has dealt with back and neck issues in the past. It sounds like Darvish is improving, but at 37 years old, his recurring neck issue is something to keep an eye on when he returns. Before hitting the IL, he had a 4.18 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 22 strikeouts and 10 walks in 23 2/3 frames over his first five starts.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe finds himself on the bench again on Friday against the Detroit Tigers. This will be the second straight game that Renfroe will be starting on the bench. In his absence, the left-handed-hitting Adam Frazier will make the start in right field for the Royals and will hit eighth against Tigers right-hander Reese Olson. The 32-year-old Renfroe has hit just .149 (10-for-67) with two home runs, 10 RBI, five walks and 16 strikeouts in his first 72 plate appearances in 2024 and is quickly losing playing time in Kansas City's outfield rotation. Frazier, also 32, hasn't been much better, going 11-for-55 (.200) with no homers, four RBI and one stolen base in 22 games. He's never faced Olson in his career.

Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (toe) was activated from the 10-day injured list on Friday after he needed only the 10 days to recover from a fractured right big toe. Albies will be back in Atlanta's starting lineup on Friday for the series finale against the visiting Cleveland Guardians and left-hander Logan Allen, and fantasy managers will want to get him back into all starting lineup this weekend. The 27-year-old switch-hitter was hitting a strong .317/.386/.492 with two home runs and two stolen bases in 15 games played before injuring his toe and remains one of the better fantasy second baseman in a potent Braves lineup. Luis Guillorme and David Fletcher were splitting time at the keystone with Albies out. Fletcher was sent to the minors on Thursday.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo put together a strong performance versus the Texas Rangers to pick up his second victory of the season on Thursday. Castillo tossed six innings and allowed four hits, two runs, two walks and struck out six on the evening. Castillo has steadily improved as the season has gone on and managers could put to rest any worries from his early season outings. The 31-year-old remains one of the top pitchers in the game and managers can expect to have an ace in most of his starts moving forward. Next up is a matchup versus the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. Even against a good lineup, Castillo is pretty much a must-start.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Hector Neris notched his third save on Thursday, slamming the door on the Houston Astros in a 3-1 win. Neris was a little shaky in his inning of work, walking a pair before getting out of it. Since manager Craig Counsell said that Adbert Alzolay was being taken out of the closer role last weekend, Neris has converted on all three of his save opportunities and apparently taken that role over. He should be added in most leagues where saves are important.

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Evan Phillips locked down the Washington Nationals on Thursday, helping secure a 2-1 win. Phillips looked great in this one, striking out a pair in a perfect ninth inning. For the season, the 29-year-old has been excellent, posting a 0.84 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 13 strikeouts in 10 IP. Phillips should continue getting the bulk of the Dodgers save chances, making him an elite closing option in fantasy.

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler was brilliant on Thursday, tossing six shutout innings while allowing just one hit while punching out eight on the afternoon as part of a 5-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. He walked four on the day and was at 103 pitches by the end of his outing but managed to earn his second decision of the season. With the outing, the 33-year-old lowered his ERA to a tidy 1.93 mark on the season through six starts, striking out 46 while walking 11 across 37 1/3 innings of work. Somehow, he has managed to go just 2-3 on the young season. He lines up to take on the Angels in his next scheduled start next Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper celebrated the birth of his second child with a home run on Thursday in his return from the paternity list. Harper's third-inning two-run shot was his fifth of the season and gave the Phillies a 4-0 lead as part of an eventual 5-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Interestingly, Harper also homered in his first game back from the birth of his first child five years ago. The 31-year-old is now hitting .256 with those five long balls alongside 16 RBI and an .835 OPS across 22 games on the season. The two-time NL MVP has made a full-time transition to first base this season to take pressure off of his surgically-repaired elbow and has provided his typical big-time offense for fantasy managers early in the 2024 season.

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta surrendered five runs on five hits across 4 2/3 innings of work during Thursday's 7-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He struck out five batters and allowed a season-high five walks in the no-decision. It was not the sharpest outing for the 27-year-old, who saw his season ERA balloon from 1.90 to 3.18 with the performance. Peralta remains one of the premier arms in fantasy baseball and today's outing was merely a blip on the radar. He should still be confidently started in all formats going into his next projected outing against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Washington Nationals reinstated catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and optioned catcher Drew Millas to Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move, according to president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo. The 25-year-old Ruiz will return to the Nats after missing 11 games with influenza and he'll be back behind the dish while hitting fifth against Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ruiz appeared in two minor-league rehab games with Double-A Harrisburg this week. Before going on the injured list, he was hitting just .194 with a home run and three RBI in eight games. Ruiz will return as Washington's primary catcher, but fantasy managers may want to keep him benched until he can get going.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's afternoon contest against the visiting San Diego Padres. It's not surprising to see the club give the veteran a spell in an afternoon game following an evening game on Wednesday in which Blackmon led off as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in his club's 5-2 loss. The 37-year-old is off to a sluggish start this season, hitting .228 with one homer, one stolen base, and a .659 OPS across 86 trips to the plate. At this point, Blackmon's power and speed just aren't there and he should be left on the waiver wire in all fantasy formats, including NL-only leagues.