Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not in the starting lineup Saturday against the New York Mets and right-hander Jose Butto. It's a predictable absence as the Dodgers and Mets played a night game on Friday but will get together for an afternoon clash on Saturday. Smith went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a run scored on Friday but the Dodgers took a 9-4 loss despite his efforts. The 29-year-old has come out of the gate hot this season, hitting .356 with a homer, five doubles, and an .861 OPS across 81 plate appearances, good for fourth-most among big-league backstops. The Dodgers have surprisingly dropped four of their last five entering Saturday's contest.

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Daniel Duarte (elbow) has elbow surgery scheduled for May 8 with Dr. Keith Meister and will miss the rest of the 2024 season. It's an elbow issue for Duarte after he originally landed on the injured list with a triceps strain. The 27-year-old had only pitched four innings in two appearances out of Minnesota's bullpen before suffering the injury. He had allowed one earned on two hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out three in his four innings of work. Even if he avoids Tommy John surgery, there's a chance Duarte won't be ready for the start of the 2025 season. In 38 1/3 relief innings in the big leagues since making his MLB debut in 2022, Duarte has a 3.99 ERA, a 1.38 WHIP, one save, 24 walks and 28 strikeouts.

The Tampa Bay Rays selected the contract of right-hander Erasmo Ramirez from Triple-A Durham on Saturday and optioned left-hander Jacob Lopez to Durham in a corresponding move. The Rays also moved infielder Taylor Walls (hip) to the 60-day injured list. Ramirez will join Tampa's bullpen for the first time in 2024 after giving up two earned runs while striking out 13 in 8 1/3 innings pitched for the Bulls on the farm. The 33-year-old is unlikely to be a fantasy asset after posting a 6.41 ERA (5.05 FIP) and 1.57 WHIP with 13 walks and 43 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings over 38 appearances (two starts) for the Rays and Washington Nationals. Ramirez has only struck out 6.8 batters per nine innings in his 12-year MLB career.

The Miami Marlins recently optioned No. 3 prospect Max Meyer to Triple-A Jacksonville despite the fact that he had been the team's most consistent starter three turns through the rotation to begin the year. But Meyer missed 19 months due to Tommy John surgery in August of 2022, so his workload in 2024 was always going to be monitored closely. The most innings he's thrown in his professional career was 111 three years ago. Manager Skip Schumaker said Meyer won't be shut down, but he'll pitch once a week in three-inning stints for Jacksonville so he can be available to the Fish in the second half of the season. "There's not an exact date or timeline," Schumaker said of Meyer's return. The 25-year-old has a bright future in the big leagues, but his ceiling is capped significantly for fantasy managers in 2024.

New York Mets starting pitcher Tylor Megill (shoulder) threw his first bullpen assignment on Friday. Megill is ramping up his throwing activity as he recuperates from a strained right shoulder that's held him to one start so far in the 2024 regular season, which came in New York's opening series of the campaign. The big 28-year-old right-hander is probably not going to be activated from the injured list before the end of April at this rate, but Megill could be an option for the Mets sometime in early May. With righty Jose Butto beginning to emerge in the rotation, Megill could be facing a long-relief role upon his eventual return. Butto has yielded a lone run while fanning 15 hitters and walking four covering 12 innings (two starts) in Queens this year, but he's a dangerous fantasy bet in Saturday's scheduled start against a high-powered Los Angeles Dodgers offense at Chavez Ravine.

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said before Friday's game versus the Houston Astros that catcher Keibert Ruiz (influenza) is feeling a lot better after he recently played catch and took batting practice. Martinez said the backstop lost 20 pounds while battling the flu, so Ruiz still needs to build his strength back up. With that said, he's eligible to be reinstated from the 10-day injured list as early as Tuesday's series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers and seems unlikely to need a minor-league rehab assignment before getting back behind the dish for the Nats. The 26-year-old former top prospect was off to a sluggish start, however, batting .194 (6-for-31) with one home run and three RBI over eight games. Riley Adams will get the bulk of the catching work in DC in the interim and is worth a look for fantasy managers in deep two-catcher leagues, hitting .306 (11-for-36) with two homers and five RBI in 10 outings this year.

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (hamstring) will remain out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The young corner infielder has been sidelined since being forced out of Tuesday's game. The organization is hopeful to avoid a stint on the injured list. Baty was able to get through a full workout prior to Friday's game. It sounds like he is making progress, but isn't quite ready to play yet. It'll be Joey Wendle at third base and batting ninth versus right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Friday.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler (elbow) needs at least one more minor-league rehab outing, according to manager Dave Roberts, which means rookie Landon Knack will stay in the team's starting rotation for at least one more start. Roberts said Buehler's execution during his rehab start on Thursday night was "not great" and that his command was lacking. The 29-year-old gave up two runs on four hits while walking four and striking out three in just 2 2/3 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City. It's no surprise the Dodgers want to see more from Buehler before they feel comfortable letting him pitch in the big leagues for the first time since 2022. Buehler's outing on Thursday in the minors is a reminder that fantasy managers are probably going to have to be patient with him once he returns.

Oakland Athletics outfielder Esteury Ruiz is out of the starting lineup on Friday against the Cleveland Guardians with a right-hander on the mound. Ruiz has started just one of his four games since being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas, and that one start came against a left-handed pitcher. The 25-year-old speedster has gone 2-for-7 with two home runs, three RBI, a stolen base and three runs scored since returning from the minors, but the A's apparently view him only as a platoon outfielder for now on the short side against lefties. Seth Brown, JJ Bleday and Lawrence Butler are starting from left field to right field across Oakland's outfield on Friday. For his speed alone, Ruiz is probably still worth keeping stashed as a bench option in deep-mixed fantasy leagues.

Washington Nationals first baseman/outfielder Joey Gallo and third baseman Nick Senzel are both out of the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Houston Astros. Joey Meneses is playing first base and batting sixth, while Ildemaro Vargas is at third base and hitting ninth against Astros right-hander Justin Verlander, who is making his 2024 debut after dealing with a right-shoulder injury this spring. Gallo started each of the team's previous 14 games and could use a break after hitting just .170 with three home runs to begin the year. Senzel began the year on the injured list and has gone 2-for-11 with a walk and three strikeouts in his first three games of the year. Meneses and Vargas have gone hitless against Verlander in their careers in just five combined at-bats.

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Ian Gibaut (forearm), who was nearing a return from the 15-day injured list, is dealing with renewed forearm discomfort and has had his timeline to return pushed back. Gibaut will now take a little break before trying to resume a minor-league rehab assignment. The 30-year-old reliever has no timetable to return and could be looking at surgery, which would almost certainly end his 2024 season, if he can't get past the forearm pain. The former 11th-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015 out of Tulane had a nice 3.33 ERA (4.07 FIP), a 1.28 WHIP, a career-high three saves, 28 walks and a career-high 69 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings over 74 relief outings for the Reds in 2023 as a trusted high-leverage reliever out of the bullpen.

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.

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.

The Boston Red Sox announced on Thursday that they acquired right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for cash considerations and optioned him to Triple-A Worcester. In a corresponding move, the team moved shortstop Trevor Story (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list. Gutierrez started the year with the Miami Marlins but was claimed off waivers earlier this month by Milwaukee. The 28-year-old Cuban hurler gave up three earned runs on three hits (one home run) while walking two and striking out four in his only major-league outing this year in a four-inning relief appearance in Milwaukee. Gutierrez has experience out of the bullpen and as a starter in his two previous major-league seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and will provide pitching depth in Boston now.

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.

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).

It was announced on Wednesday night that Los Angeles Angels right-handed reliever Robert Stephenson (elbow) would miss the rest of the 2024 season, and now we know why. The Angels revealed on Thursday that Stephenson will undergo elbow surgery, although the exact nature of the elbow surgery isn't known. If it's Tommy John surgery, the 31-year-old probably won't be able to return until next summer at some point. The Halos signed Stephenson in the offseason hoping that he could be a strong late-inning bridge to closer Carlos Estevez, but instead, Stephenson wasn't able to appear in a single big-league game in 2024. The former 27th overall pick in 2011 by the Cincinnati Reds had one of the best cut fastballs in baseball in 2023.

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot shut down the Los Angeles Angels in Thursday's series finale to win his second game of the year. In his six innings of work, Pepiot allowed just one earned run on three hits while walking three and striking out seven to drop his season ERA to 4.37. The 26-year-old needed a good performance after he gave up five runs to the San Francisco Giants his last time on the bump. The lone run that Pepiot allowed on Thursday to the Angels came on a sacrifice fly in his sixth and final inning. He has walked eight and struck out 27 so far in his four starts while posting a 1.01 WHIP. Pepiot will now look for a second straight strong start his next outing in what has so far been an up-and-down year for the former Dodger.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez fanned 10 Colorado Rockies en route to his first win of the 2024 campaign on Wednesday, firing six scoreless innings on five hits and one walk in the 7-6 victory. Spotted to an early four-run lead, Sanchez mostly cruised through Colorado's lineup on Wednesday. Brenton Doyle reached on Alec Bohm's fielding error in the opening frame, so Ezequiel Tovar's score went down as an unearned run. The 27-year-old southpaw will take a strong 2.53 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 25:8 K:BB across 21 1/3 frames (four starts) into his next appearance that's slated for Tuesday at the Great American Ball Park against the Cincinnati Reds, which is a tough matchup for fantasy purposes.

The Los Angeles Angels announced on Wednesday that relief pitcher Robert Stephenson (shoulder, elbow) will miss the rest of the 2024 season due to an elbow injury, and they'll have more details on his setback on Thursday. Working his way back from discomfort in his right shoulder, Stephenson was removed from his first rehab minor-league appearance on Sunday after facing just one hitter and feeling something in his right elbow. The hard-throwing 31-year-old right-hander signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Halos after notching a 2.35 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and 60:8 K:BB over 38 1/3 innings with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023, and it's worth noting he dealt with inflammation in his right elbow in 2023. Carlos Estevez will be leaned on for ninth-inning work in Anaheim's bullpen for the remainder of the year, and he's converted three of his first four saves while giving up only two runs with a 5:0 K:BB in six innings.