Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler (elbow) will make his return from Tommy John surgery on Monday to face the Miami Marlins, according to manager Dave Roberts. Buehler will come off the 15-day injured for his first start of 2024 after having elbow reconstruction in August of 2022. The 29-year-old didn't pitch at all in the big leagues last year. Because of his long layoff, fantasy managers may want to temper expectations, but if Buehler returns to his pre-injury form, he could be the difference-maker for fantasy staffs. In his six minor-league starts, he had a 4.15 ERA and 1.62 WHIP with nine walks and 21 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings. Rust should be expected from Buehler, but his first start against Miami will be a great matchup for fantasy purposes.

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (illness) is out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the Chicago Cubs after being pulled from Wednesday's contest due to flu-like symptoms. Joey Wendle is back at shortstop and will hit eighth for the Mets against Cubs right-hander Ben Brown. This will be Lindor's first game starting on the bench in 2024. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Friday to see if the 30-year-old is feeling good enough to play on Friday for the start of a series in Tampa against the Rays. Wendle will be a very low-ceiling, deep-sleeper option for DFS gamers on Thursday, as he's hitting just .222 (6-for-27) on the year with no homers, one RBI and a stolen base in limited action for the Mets.

The New York Yankees reinstated outfielder Alex Verdugo from the paternity list on Thursday and optioned catcher Carlos Narvaez to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a corresponding move. Verdugo is back in Thursday's lineup after missing the last three games. The 27-year-old left-handed hitter is starting in left field and is batting sixth against Baltimore Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish, who is making his season debut for the O's. He'll return to face a pitcher that he's had some pretty good success against, as he's hit .368 with an .894 OPS and three RBI in 19 career at-bats against Bradish. In his first 101 at-bats with the Yankees, Verdugo has 27 hits (four home runs), 13 RBI, one stolen base and 17 runs scored in 29 contests.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays (calf) said his left calf feels much better and he has run the past few days. He is running the bases and doing some hitting on Thursday, but he's unsure if he'll need to go on a brief minor-league rehab assignment. Not only is the 28-year-old on the 10-day injured list with a left-calf strain, but before his injury, he had fallen out of favor in Baltimore's outfield due to the impressive start for rookie outfielder Colton Cowser. Since his placement on the IL, the O's also called up top outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad, although Kjerstad could be sent back to the minors once Hays is ready to return. Hays is currently hitting just .111 (5-for-45) with no homers and two RBI, and he'll almost certainly return to a bench role when he's eventually reinstated.

Baltimore Orioles left-hander John Means (forearm), who was activated from the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, will make his 2024 season debut on Saturday against the Reds in Cincinnati. Although the 31-year-old lefty has been bothered by injuries in recent seasons, he's worth a flier in mixed fantasy leagues now that he's back in Baltimore's starting rotation. The matchup in Cincinnati against the Reds in his first start isn't the greatest spot to roll him out there, but his final minor-league rehab start should have fantasy managers encouraged that he can transfer it into his first big-league start of the year. Means struck out eight over seven shutout innings for Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday. He was an All-Star for the O's back in 2019 and placed second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting that season.

The Baltimore Orioles reinstated right-hander Kyle Bradish (elbow) from the 15-day injured list on Thursday and designated right-hander Yohan Ramirez for assignment in a corresponding move. Bradish is making the start on Thursday in the series finale against the visiting New York Yankees. First of all, if Bradish is available on your league's waiver wire, run there and scoop him up immediately. The 27-year-old is finally back after being diagnosed with a sprained UCL in his right elbow in spring training. While he should be rostered in all fantasy leagues after his mini breakout in 2023, managers should be hesitant to throw him right into the fire against a strong Yankees lineup after he threw only 77 pitches in his final minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Norfolk. Bradish had a strong 2.83 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with a 168:44 K:BB in 168 2/3 innings last year.

Miami Marlins left-hander Jesus Luzardo (elbow) threw a successful bullpen session on Thursday, but he won't be accompanying the team on their upcoming road trip that starts on Friday. Instead, Luzardo will make a minor-league rehab start at some point. If the 26-year-old southpaw has a successful rehab outing in the minors, he could return from the 15-day injured list and start when he's eligible to return on May 10 against the Philadelphia Phillies. He's trying to return from a mild left flexor strain and should remain rostered in all fantasy formats despite a disappointing start to the year. Through his first five starts in 2024, Luzardo has gone 0-2 with a 6.58 ERA (5.06 FIP) and 1.42 WHIP while walking 13 and striking out 27 in 26 innings pitched.

Miami Marlins shortstop Tim Anderson (thumb), who was scratched from Wednesday's lineup due to a mild left-thumb sprain that he suffered on Monday, is back at shortstop and is hitting sixth for the Fish on Thursday against the visiting Colorado Rockies and right-hander Peter Lambert. The 30-year-old veteran missed the last two games but is now back in there and is ready to go. After falling off a cliff in his final year with the Chicago White Sox in 2023, Anderson has continued to disappoint fantasy managers so far with a .221/.267/.253 slash line with no home runs, five RBI, three stolen bases and eight runs scored in the first month of the season. Hopefully, we start to see some signs of a turnaround from Anderson in May.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase recorded his ninth save of the season on Wednesday in a 3-2 victory over the Astros. With the Guardians up one run in the tenth inning and a runner on second to begin the inning, Clase needed just five pitches to end the game. The righty struck out the first batter he saw on four pitches, then got the Astros' Mauricio Dubon to line out on one pitch with Victor Caratini getting doubled off at second base to end the game. The 26-year-old now sports a superb 0.55 ERA on the season with a 0.80 WHIP and a 25.4% K-BB% to go along with his nine saves. After posting 40-plus saves in each of the past two seasons with solid ERA and WHIP numbers, Clase appears poised to do it all over again this season.

Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker hit a 422-foot home run in Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Guardians, a solo shot in the seventh inning off of Guardians starter Triston McKenzie. It was the lefty's eighth home run of the year and third in his past four games. It also extended his hitting streak to seven games and he's hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, going 16-for-44 (.364) over the 12-game stretch while raising his season batting average to .298. The 2x All-Star has also walked more than he's struck out this season, with 21 walks to 20 strikeouts. It seems his early-season discrepancy between BA and xBA is starting to even out with the 27-year-old making another push for an All-Star selection and possibly an MVP-caliber season.

There aren't many players seeing the ball as well as Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan right now, as he picked up three hits in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Astros, raising his season average to .360 and extending his personal hitting streak to seven games. During the hit streak, the 26-year-old is 11-for-28 (.393) with a double, two triples, a home run, four RBI, six runs scored, and a stolen base. He's also walked three times and remarkably hasn't struck out even once. His Contact% of 93.1% for the season is tops in the majors for players with at least 100 plate appearances, and with three home runs on the year, he is on pace to set a new personal best with the lefty's six home runs in 2022 his current career high.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith continued his success against left-handed pitching in Wednesday's 8-0 victory over the Diamondbacks when he hit his fourth home run of the season off of left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery. The solo shot was his only hit in the game, finishing 1-for-5, but he's now got three homers in his last five games. The 29-year-old is mashing lefties this season, now slashing .425/.489/.725 against them (.314/.338/.457 vs RHP) with six doubles, two home runs, and a 6:5 BB:K. He remains one of the top options at catcher for season-long fantasy so continue to fire him up there, but certainly take a closer look at him for DFS purposes on days when he's facing a southpaw.

Despite a strong performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Joc Pederson collected three of the five hits that the righty allowed in the outing, with Pederson ending the game 3-for-4. Although all three hits were singles and the D-backs were unable to scratch across even one run in the contest, Pederson was able to raise his batting average to .317 while increasing his OBP to .451, which is second-best in baseball to only NL MVP front-runner Mookie Betts. The inflated OBP is also due in part to his robust 15.7% BB% on the season. The 32-year-old has shown a little pop too, with six doubles and two home runs in 2024.

The Chicago White Sox have promoted pitcher Jared Shuster on Wednesday. Shuster was one of the many players acquired from the Atlanta Braves this offseason for Aaron Bummer. It will be his second go-around at the big-league level this season, with him tossing 6 1/3 innings earlier in the year out of the bullpen. Shuster fared well with four strikeouts and no walks with one run allowed. Shuster has struggled with a 6.39 ERA in three starts for Triple-A Charlotte, but it is expected that he will work out of the bullpen for the White Sox. He can safely remain on the waiver wire in all fantasy formats.

Tampa Bay Rays infield prospect Junior Caminero smacked two more home runs on Wednesday for Triple-A Durham. It was the second time in three games that the 20-year-old accomplished the feat, bringing his season total to six. He's clearly shaken off the early season hamstring injury and there just isn't much more you can say about him. Isaac Paredes provides plenty of pop at third base but missed Wednesday's game due to general soreness, so perhaps he moves to DH to make room for the youngster. Regardless, no matter the scenario that gets him there, we should be seeing Caminero in the big leagues sooner rather than later and he should be rostered in fantasy leagues wherever possible.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Triston McKenzie submitted his best showing of the 2024 regular season in Wednesday's 3-2 extra-inning victory over the Houston Astros, fanning six hitters while surrendering two runs on five hits (one home run) and one walk over a season-high seven innings. It hasn't been a great start to the year for McKenzie, who missed most of last season due to injury, but he cruised through Houston's dangerous lineup in the first five innings. Kyle Tucker tagged him for a homer in the seventh, leaving McKenzie with a no-decision. The 26-year-old right-hander improved his ERA to 4.34 with a 1.48 WHIP and a troubling 24:18 K:BB over 29 innings (six starts) to begin the campaign. Monday's home start against the division-rival Detroit Tigers offers him a great chance to build on Wednesday's display. In seven career starts (43 IP) against Detroit, McKenzie has a 1.05 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, and 50:11 K:BB.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Trevor Williams held the defending-champion Texas Rangers in check in Wednesday's surprising 1-0 road victory, working around five hits and a season-high four walks to launch five scoreless innings with three strikeouts. After a spotless opening inning, Williams tiptoed around plenty of trouble over his 79 pitches but was able to escape with his third win of the campaign to remain unbeaten. The soft-throwing 32-year-old right-hander now holds a steady 2.27 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 22:12 K:BB across 31 2/3 frames (six starts) out of Washington's rotation this season. A tough test awaits Williams in Tuesday's scheduled start against the visiting Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Corbin Burnes at Nationals Park for the first outing of a two-game Beltway Series. The O's have hit an MLB-high 45 home run in 30 games, making Williams a tough sell as a fantasy streamer.

Colorado Rockies catching prospect Drew Romo leads the Pacific Coast League in batting average after a 4-for-4 day at the plate Wednesday for Triple-A Albuquerque. The 22-year-old raised his BA to a robust .372 with the performance, which also included his first two steals of the season. The 35th overall pick in 2020 doesn't have a path to playing time in Colorado at the moment with Elias Diaz and Jacob Stallings holding down the catching duties for now, but things could open up in a hurry with an injury or trade. Also, with the Rockies not looking like a competitive club just one month into the season it would make sense to get some of the younger talent some looks at major league pitching. They already recently called up Hunter Goodman and Jordan Beck, so it seems like Romo could get his chance by summertime if he continues to rake, or at least soon thereafter.

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Roddery Munoz turned in another impressive performance in Wednesday's 4-1 victory over the visiting Colorado Rockies, striking out seven hitters while giving up only one run on three hits and two walks over six solid innings for his first career win. In the showing, Munoz joined the late Jose Fernandez as the only pitchers in Marlins franchise history to have 13-plus strikeouts and a sub-0.75 WHIP across their first two games with the team. The 24-year-old right-hander is giving Miami's injury-riddled rotation some valuable work since joining the major-league roster in late April, attaining a 2.45 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, and 14:3 K:BB over 11 frames (two starts). Despite the strong start, Munoz lines up to take the hill in a shy-away spot for fantasy purposes on Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers have scored an MLB-high 177 runs through 33 outings.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil quieted the division-rival Baltimore Orioles in Wednesday's 2-0 road victory, throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings on two hits and one walk with five strikeouts en route to a win. Singles by Heston Kjerstad and Jordan Westburg were the only marks left on Gil's ledger besides a Ryan O'Hearn walk, and it was a strong rebound performance after the hurler allowed five runs in five innings during his previous start on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers. The 25-year-old right-hander has helped eat innings for the Yankees while they wait for Gerrit Cole (elbow) to return, recording a workmanlike 3.19 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 40:20 K:BB over 31 frames (six starts) so far this season. Gil gets a stiff draw against the Houston Astros and right-hander Justin Verlander in Tuesday's scheduled start at Yankee Stadium. Houston is third in baseball with a .263 average as a team through 30 games.