Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez cracked his 10th home run of the season in Friday's win over the division-rival Minnesota Twins, delivering a go-ahead blast in the eighth inning. Ramirez took Twins closer Jhoan Duran yard for some two-out thunder and a 3-2 Guardians advantage, opening the door for stopper Emmanuel Clase to slam the door for the save in the ninth inning. Over his last 12 outings, the 31-year-old fantasy superstar is batting a strong .311 with five homers, 13 RBI, and three stolen bases as Cleveland's everyday No. 3 hitter. Ramirez deals with the Twins two more times this weekend. In 16 games against Minnesota since 2023, he's hitting just .175 with the lone long ball and five RBI.

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran was saddled with his first loss of the campaign in Friday's defeat to the division-rival Cleveland Guardians, surrendering his first run of the season. Summoned in the eighth inning to try and keep the game tied, Duran served up a go-ahead home run to Jose Ramirez before striking out Josh Naylor. Although the 26-year-old fire-balling right-hander has converted each of his three save opportunities while striking out nine and walking just one across his first eight innings of the year, his usage has been questionable from a fantasy perspective also with three holds for the Twins. Duran should still be viewed as the favorite for saves in Minnesota's bullpen, but manager Rocco Baldelli has shown a tendency to use him in the highest-leverage situations at times so far this year.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase shut the door on the division-rival Minnesota Twins in Friday's win, picking up his 13th save of the year with a clean ninth inning and one strikeout. Jose Ramirez's go-ahead home run in the eighth inning gave the Guardians a 3-2 lead and created a save situation for Clase, who is now tied for MLB's lead with his 13 saves following Friday's performance. The 26-year-old former American League Reliever of the Year has been as dominant as ever in 2024, giving up a lone run and just two walks with 23 strikeouts over 22 1/3 innings as Cleveland's closer. Continue treating Clase as one of fantasy's elite closers, and he's very much in the running to lead baseball in saves for a third consecutive year at this pace.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge kept rolling in Friday's win over the visiting Chicago White Sox, walloping his 12th home run of the season. Judge took White Sox right-hander Mike Clevinger deep for a 433-foot shot in the first inning to put the Yankees on the board, also drawing three walks on Friday. The 32-year-old former American League MVP's sluggish start to the year appears to be a distant memory at this point, now batting a stratospheric .475 with six round-trippers, nine doubles, and 12 RBI across his last 12 games as New York's everyday No. 3 hitter. Look for Judge to continue terrorizing ChiSox pitching this weekend, as he's hitting .429 with five taters in 11 games against Chicago since 2022.

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson enjoyed a big day at the plate in Friday's win over the visiting Seattle Mariners, homering and tripling during the victory. Henderson homered on a fly ball to center field to knot the game up at one run apiece in the first inning, later tripling on a sharp line drive to left field to score Jorge Mateo and make it a four-run ballgame in the eighth. The 22-year-old reigning American League Rookie of the Year was quieting down in May following a roaring start to the season, going just 8-for-45 (.178) with two long balls in 52 plate appearances this month before Friday's outing, but he returned to form in this one. Henderson will face Seattle two more times this series, but he's batting only .217 (5-for-23) with the aforementioned big fly and three RBI in seven career games against the Mariners.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler registered his seventh quality start of the season in Friday's victory over the division-rival Washington Nationals, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out six over 7 1/3 innings for his fifth win of the campaign. After being tagged for six runs in his last start against the last-place Miami Marlins, Wheeler bounced back and looked to be at his best on Friday. Through 10 starts, the 33-year-old All-Star right-hander is up to an excellent 2.52 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 71 punchouts and 19 walks over 60 2/3 innings of work this year. Wheeler has a tough assignment on deck in the form of the defending-champion Texas Rangers during his next start at home that's scheduled for Thursday, but he's a matchup-proof fantasy bet when it comes to lineup decisions.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (forearm) arrived in the clubhouse ahead of Friday's game against the Boston Red Sox without a cast. Contreras is doing conditioning work, and he is hopeful that doctors will soon let him swing a bat with his right hand. It's a pretty remarkable turnaround for Contreras, who fractured his left forearm on May 7, and he noted that he's hopeful of returning to the Cardinals before the All-Star break in mid-July. In 31 games before going down, the 32-year-old star backstop was slashing .280/.398/.551 with six home runs, 11 doubles, 12 RBI, and two stolen bases across 128 plate appearances as St. Louis' primary backstop, and he should be stashed in the majority of fantasy leagues. Backup Ivan Herrera is worth a look in two-catcher settings for now, batting .448 (13-for-29) with five RBI during his current eight-game hitting streak.

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan (hamstring) took batting practice ahead of Friday's game against the division-rival Minnesota Twins. It's Kwan's first baseball activity since suffering a strained left hamstring, which is a positive step forward in his road to recovery. Manager Stephen Vogt said that Kwan has also been running relatively pain-free, but the team doesn't have a specific timetable for his return just yet. As it stands, fantasy managers can anticipate the 26-year-old contact-hitting left fielder rejoining the Guardians' outfield sometime in early June. Before heading to the injured list, Kwan was batting a sizzling .353 (47-for-133) with three home runs, 11 RBI, 23 runs scored, and three stolen bases over 32 games as Cleveland's everyday leadoff hitter, and he needs to be stashed in all leagues.

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) still has not resumed swinging a bat and is at least six weeks from returning to the Rangers' starting lineup. Given the complex nature of his wrist fracture, Jung's recovery has been delayed, but he needs to remain stashed in all fantasy formats for his power upside in a strong Rangers lineup when he's back in the fold. The 26-year-old former eighth overall pick in 2019 out of Texas Tech has developed a bit of a reputation for being injury-prone early in his career, missing time with an injury in 2023 while also injuring his calf in spring training this year. Jung had surgery for his fractured right wrist on April 2 but resumed playing catch this week. Fantasy managers must remain patient. As a first-time All-Star in 2023, Jung hit .266 with 23 homers and 70 RBI in 122 games, and he already had two homers in his first four games this year before fracturing his wrist.

Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud was removed from Friday night's 3-1 loss to the visiting San Diego Padres early due to dizziness. The 35-year-old veteran took a foul ball off his facemask in the fifth inning and was removed before the sixth frame. It's worth noting that d'Arnaud has already had several documented concussions in his career, so this matter will not be taken lightly. The Braves will assuredly put him through the league's concussion protocols, which could result in a trip to the seven-day concussion list. At the very least, d'Arnaud is unlikely to play in the second game of the series on Saturday. Sean Murphy (oblique) has been out since straining his oblique on Opening Day. He's getting closer to a return, but if d'Arnaud is forced to miss time, third-string catcher Chadwick Tromp could be forced into starting duties behind the dish until Murphy is reinstated from the injured list.

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Pierce Johnson (elbow) is expected to be activated off the 15-day Injured List on Saturday. Johnson had been dealing with elbow inflammation and was placed on the 15-day IL on May 4th. The 33-year-old threw a bullpen session on Wednesday that went well and the Braves will be ecstatic to have him back. Johnson had been performing at his dominant norms, showing off a 32.0% K% and a 1.25 WHIP, before dealing with elbow inflammation. The Braves have a stretch of 17 games over 17 games so Atlanta will need the bullpen arms to get through that stretch. Fantasy managers should be ready to have Johnson active in their lineups. If he happens to be available on the waiver wire then fantasy managers should snatch him up immediately.

Chicago White Sox third baseman Danny Mendick (back) was reinstated from the 10-day Injured List on Friday. Mendick was subsequently in the lineup for the White Sox on Friday and went 0-4 in Chicago's 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees. Mendick had been performing at a league-average pace with a .703 OPS in 41 PA before being placed on the 10-day IL with lower back tightness. With Bryan Ramos being placed on the 10-day IL with a quad strain, Mendick should be expected to get the majority of starts at third base for the White Sox. Fantasy managers that need a bench option should look at snagging Mendick, though he will likely only provide value in deeper leagues.

Chicago White Sox third baseman Bryan Ramos (quadriceps) was placed on the 10-day injured list with a quad strain on Friday. Ramos was removed during the seventh inning of the first game of Chicago's doubleheader against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. Ramos had been performing decently for the White Sox, though most of his value to the team had been driven by his defense. No timetable has been set for Ramos to return, but White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said on Friday that "He wasn't 100 percent. He wasn't close to it," before stating he was probably closer to 70 percent. Danny Mendick, who the White Sox activated off the injured list in conjunction with Ramos' injury, should be expected to get the bulk of playing time while Ramos heals up.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) could be ready to start his rehab assignment this week, per Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports. Thomas suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain on April 23 and has been mixing in some running over the past week. If all goes well in Thomas' rehab stint, he could return to the Nationals' lineup by the end of May. The 28-year-old was performing well below his norms before his MCL sprain, hitting for just a .503 OPS in 96 plate appearances. Based off his expected stats, he should regress positively and perform closer to his norms once he returns, with a good amount of his value coming from stolen bases (11 on the season). Fantasy managers should keep an eye on his status, though he may be best as a bench option rather than a starter.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (elbow) began playing catch on Friday. This marks the first time that Bautista has thrown since having Tommy John surgery in October and an additional surgery in February. Bautista injured his elbow in a relief appearance against the Colorado Rockies last August. As of now a return in the 2024 season has not been ruled out, though it's highly unlikely the 28-year-old will return this year. Bautista was one of the Orioles' most effective relievers in 2023, posting a 1.48 ERA in 61 innings in 2023. Fantasy managers need not worry about his status this season and instead focus on his return in the 2025 season.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Cade Cavalli (elbow) is ready to begin a minor-league rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League. Cavalli has been recovering from Tommy John surgery that was performed in March 2023 and has been progressing after throwing multiple bullpen sessions over the past few weeks. Once Cavalli makes his first start, then that will start his 30-day rehab block.Only dynasty managers should be concerned with Cavalli's status as he works to return to the big leagues.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez broke out of a 19-game home run drought on Thursday evening. Through his first 28 games at Double-A this season, the 21-year-old has posted a strong .271/.466/.563 slash line with five home runs, nine stolen bases, and a 34:39 BB:K ratio. Last season, Rodriguez posted a pedestrian .240/.400/.463 line with 16 home runs. This is a great sign, as the number three prospect in the Minnesota system has been performing better against tougher competition. MLB Pipeline projects him to reach the major leagues sometime next season. However, as the 33rd-best prospect in all of baseball, he is worth paying close attention to and could even be worth stashing once he is prompted to Triple-A later this summer.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell (finger) is scheduled to start swinging a bat on the team's current road trip, likely in Boston next weekend from May 24-26, according to manager Pat Murphy. The Brewers have said that Mitchell could return around June 1, so the 25-year-old has from now until then to progress in his rehab and go out on a minor-league rehab assignment. The former first-rounder out of UCLA suffered a fractured finger in spring training action and has been unable to play at all in 2024 to this point. He played in just 19 major-league games last year due to a season-ending shoulder injury, too, so Mitchell has had some bad luck with injuries early in his career. In 47 major-league games since 2022 with the Brew Crew, Mitchell has hit .278/.343/.452 with five homers, 16 RBI and nine stolen bases. Milwaukee has a crowded outfield picture as things stand now, so Mitchell's role is to be determined once he makes his 2024 debut.

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot (leg) could come off the injured list to rejoin the team's starting rotation on either Tuesday or Wednesday for a matchup at home against the visiting Boston Red Sox. Pepiot threw a bullpen session on Tuesday and will likely throw another one before the Rays clear him to come off the 15-day injured list early next week. The 26-year-old was put on the shelf after taking a line drive off his leg in his last outing on May 5 against the New York Mets, when he allowed three earned runs in two innings before being pulled early. Since giving up a season-high six earned runs in 5 2/3 innings in his first start of the year to the Texas Rangers, Pepiot has cleaned things up and currently sports a 3.68 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 41 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings over seven starts. He's valuable at least as a back-end starter in most fantasy formats.

Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (oblique) is restarting a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Saturday and could return from the injured list to rejoin the Rays on Monday against the Boston Red Sox. Lowe played in four rehab games with Durham before suffering a setback, but he's back on track and should be back in the big leagues unless he suffers another setback this weekend. The 29-year-old left-handed hitter originally landed on the injured list on April 12 with a strained right oblique. At least against right-handed pitching, Lowe will return to second base duties for the Rays when he's ready to be reinstated. The former third-round selection in 2015 out of Maryland was an All-Star in 2019 and had a career-high 39 dingers in 2021, but he's had trouble staying healthy and has played in over 100 games in two of his six MLB seasons.