Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Cooper Criswell struggled against his former team, the Tampa Bay Rays, on Thursday. Criswell only last 3 2/3 innings and allowed four hits, five runs (three earned), two walks and three strikeouts. It was the worst performance of the season for Criswell, and he still owns a solid 2.76 ERA with the rough performance. With starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock (oblique) due back as early as next week, Criswell is likely to shift to a swingman role moving forward. Despite his good overall numbers, Criswell is unlikely to help much in the fantasy community and can be avoided in most formats.

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Erasmo Ramirez relieved relief pitcher Jason Adam with two outs in the ninth inning to record his first save of the season in Thursday's victory against the Boston Red Sox. Closer Pete Fairbanks seemed to have the night off and Adam got himself in trouble with two runners on base when Ramirez entered the ballgame. Ramirez has allowed seven runs in the 13 innings he has thrown this year and can be avoided in all formats with Fairbanks and Adam in line to receive most of the Rays save chances moving forward.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran had a big game on Thursday, going 3-for-5 with a homer and two doubles in a 7-5 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays. Duran added a pair of runs and an RBI to round out his line. The lefty now has five extra-base hits in his last two games after hitting a pair of doubles yesterday and following it up with today's performance. After a slump in late April, Duran has somewhat returned to his early-season form, although the steals haven't been there recently. He isn't much of a fantasy asset without the swipes, so his owners will have to hope those come back.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane Baz (elbow) made his third minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Durham on Thursday, throwing 3 1/3 innings while allowing one run on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Baz threw 69 pitches on Thursday as he continues on the road to recovery from Tommy John surgery, and he'll likely need another appearance or two in the minors to sharpen things up before rejoining Tampa Bay's injury-riddled rotation. The 24-year-old former top prospect should be able to return before the end of May at this rate, so he's worth a stash in the majority of fantasy leagues. For his major-league career, Baz features a promising 4.02 ERA and 1.12 WHIP while fanning 48 and walking 12 through 40 1/3 frames (nine starts) for the Rays.

Oakland Athletics first baseman Tyler Nevin and catcher Shea Langeliers are both getting a day off on Thursday in Houston against the Astros. Tyler Soderstrom will start at first base and bat cleanup, while Kyle McCann is doing the catching and will bat fifth against Astros right-hander Cristian Javier. Nevin had a nice little run in April but has gone 3-for-39 so far in the month of May, which has given Soderstrom more chances at first base. Soderstrom, meanwhile, has taken advantage by going 6-for-19 with a homer and three RBI in just six games played. This will be a regular off day for the 26-year-old Langeliers in a matinee affair. Langeliers has been much better in May, going 13-for-42 (.310) with three home runs and 11 RBI in 12 games to raise his season slash line to .218/.272/.496. McCann will be a DFS sleeper at catcher while he carries a .351 average (13-for-37) on the year with three home runs and eight RBI in just 15 games played.

The Oakland Athletics acquired right-hander Brandon Bielak from the Houston Astros on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations. The move comes after the Astros had designated Bielak for assignment. The 28-year-old will stay in the American League West and will take his 5.71 ERA and 1.76 WHIP in 17 1/3 relief innings to the Bay Area. Bielak has spent all five of his big-league seasons with the Astros since debuting in the big leagues in 2020. Over that time, he's posted a 4.65 ERA (5.25 FIP), a 1.52 WHIP, one save, 85 walks and 155 strikeouts in 191 2/3 innings over 70 appearances (21 starts). Bielak has some starting experience, but he's unlikely to be used as anything more than a spot starter with the A's when their rotation needs some help.

Houston Astros right-hander Luis Garcia (elbow) threw another bullpen session on Wednesday as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery that he had in May of 2023. Garcia started throwing bullpens in April and is taking a slow progression to eventually go out on a minor-league rehab assignment. The expectation is that he will be able to rejoin Houston's starting rotation at some point in the middle of the season. The 27-year-old will mostly likely not be activated from the injured list until the second half of the season after the All-Star break in mid-July. When healthy, Garcia has been quite intriguing for fantasy managers because of his ability to create plenty of swings and misses. However, given his long layoff, you should temper expectations for him in 2024 as he returns from Tommy John surgery.

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Chris Devenski (knee) is throwing pain-free bullpen sessions and will soon face hitters in live batting practice at the team's spring complex in Port Charlotte, Fla. Devenski landed on the injured list on April 29 (retroactive to April 26) with right-knee tendinitis. Devenski said he was optimistic that he wouldn't miss much time. An MRI exam on April 30 revealed what manager Kevin Cash called "pretty strong patella tendinitis." The 33-year-old swingman is now ramping up his throwing program and could return to the Rays before the end of May, barring any setbacks with his knee. When he's healthy enough to be reinstated from the injured list, Devenski will return to a relief role for Tampa. He's not on the fantasy radar, though, and was sporting a 7.71 ERA and 1.79 WHIP with 11 K's and six walks in 14 innings before his injury.

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Kevin Kelly picked up his first save of the season on Wednesday, pitching a scoreless ninth to preserve the 4-3 victory over the Red Sox. Closer Pete Fairbanks pitched the eighth inning, which included both Rafael Devers and Tyler O'Neill, while Kelly was tasked with disposing of the bottom of the order. Kelly has some good numbers on the season, with a 3.06 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and a fantastic 1:17 BB:K, but don't expect the saves to come with regularity. If you are in desperate need of saves, Kelly can be picked up and could help your peripherals in the meantime, but he's likely competing with Jason Adam (save on Monday) for Fairbanks' leftovers, while Fairbanks owners potentially lose out.

After getting demoted earlier in the week, Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad went back to what he was familiar with and hit a home run for Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday. After hitting 10 homers out of the gate for Norfolk, Kjerstad was promoted to the big-league club on April 23. Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, he only got 14 at-bats and had two hits in those at-bats. Kjerstad being sent back down has more to do with getting him everyday at-bats with that not happening at the big-league level. The Top-25 prospect has shown immense power on the farm, but it will likely take an injury or a trade for him to make an impact for managers in redraft leagues as there just is not enough for volume for him at the moment. Managers in dynasty leagues should continue to hold Kjerstad, even if it is not until 2025 that he makes a major impact.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that second baseman Brandon Lowe's (oblique) visit with a specialist on Tuesday brought "good news," as the infielder's imaging showed he's healing and heading in the right direction. It's just an issue of pain tolerance as Lowe recuperates from a strained right oblique, but he'll return to St. Petersburg for what the Rays hope to be a short stay. Lowe will then resume swinging and return to minor-league rehab games, and the 29-year-old righty masher still appears to be on track to return to Tampa Bay sometime in late May if all goes well. Before going down, Lowe went 5-for-27 with one home run and four RBI in eight games this year and is only a modest fantasy stash. In his absence, Amed Rosario and Richie Palacios have formed a platoon for at-bats at second base.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock (oblique) looked sharp in Wednesday's minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Worcester, throwing 4 2/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts while allowing just two hits and one walk. After throwing 40 of his 61 pitches for strikes on Wednesday, Whitlock should be good to go for a return to Boston's rotation as early as Monday's series opener against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The 27-year-old right-hander recorded a 1.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 17:4 K:BB through four starts (18 1/3 innings) before suffering a strained left oblique, and he should probably be rostered in the majority of leagues with his return on the horizon. Fantasy managers might want to take a wait-and-see approach before activating Whitlock if he faces the Rays in his first start back, considering the hurler gave up nine runs over 9 2/3 frames (two starts) against Tampa last year.

The Chicago White Sox acquired outfielder Corey Julks from the Houston Astros on Wednesday in exchange for right-hander Luis Rodriguez. The White Sox then optioned Julks to Triple-A Charlotte, recalled outfielder Dominic Fletcher from Charlotte and designated outfielder Rafael Ortega for assignment. While Julks will head to the minors, he's now in a better situation in Chicago to have a shot at playing time at the big-league level later this year. The 28-year-old former eighth-round pick by the Astros in 2017 out of the University of Houston made his major-league debut in 2023 and went 73-for-298 (.245) with six home runs, 33 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 93 games. In 31 games for Triple-A Sugar Land before the trade, he was hitting .266/.358/.444 with an .802 OPS, five homers, 15 RBI and six steals. If he surfaces with Chicago this summer, he'll be worth grabbing in AL-only leagues for his speed.

Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco will not appeal his automatic 10-day suspension, according to general manager Dana Brown. Blanco will begin serving his suspension on Wednesday and will miss his next scheduled start after his glove was confiscated during his start on Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics when umpires found a foreign substance on his leather. The 30-year-old was ejected after three shutout innings against the A's and now won't be eligible to pitch again until May 26. An already beat-up Astros pitching staff will now be even more thinned out over the next 10 days, although right-hander Jose Urquidy (forearm) is nearing his return. Blanco has been a revelation this year for Houston and fantasy managers, already throwing a no-hitter while sporting a 2.09 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 21 walks and 45 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings over his eight starts.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Garrett Crochet has looked sharp on the mound over his last few starts. On Wednesday, Crochet recorded six strikeouts over five scoreless innings during the win over the Washington Nationals. He held the Nats hitters to three hits and three walks during this game. Crochet has now posted four straight solid outings after a couple of bad starts to open the season. He'll take a 4.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 70/12 K/BB ratio into his next start against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Seattle Mariners reinstated outfielder Dominic Canzone (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday and optioned infielder/outfielder Sam Haggerty to Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move, according to executive vice president and general manager of baseball operations Justin Hollander. The 26-year-old Canzone landed on the IL on April 15 with a left AC joint sprain. He went 4-for-11 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in three minor-league rehab games with Tacoma. Before his injury, Canzone hit .219 (7-for-32) with three home runs and six RBI in 14 games for Seattle. He's right back in the starting lineup on Wednesday, playing left field and batting seventh against Kansas City Royals right-hander Alec Marsh. Canzone's return is bad news for the left-handed-hitting Luke Raley, although he's making the start in right field on Wednesday.

Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco plans to appeal his automatic 10-game suspension after he was ejected during his start on Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics in the fourth inning after umpires determined his glove had a foreign substance on it. Manager Joe Espada said that Blanco had a mixture of rosin and sweat on his glove hand, which is illegal under league rules. Depending on when his appeal is heard, Blanco may be able to make his next scheduled start. Before being ejected on Tuesday against the A's, the 30-year-old Dominican hurler had tossed another three shutout innings and is now 4-0 on the season with a sparkling 2.09 ERA (4.00 FIP) and 1.06 WHIP with 21 walks and 45 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings over his eight starts. He's been a must-start in all fantasy leagues but will likely be forced to miss a start soon.

Los Angeles Angels infielder Michael Stefanic (quadriceps) started a minor-league rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Monday. The 28-year-old left the first Cactus League game during spring training on Feb. 24 after feeling discomfort in his left quadriceps muscle. He was able to progress to running drills and baseball activity but suffered a setback in mid-March. Stefanic then underwent an MRI exam that showed a strain, causing him to open the 2024 season on the injured list. In his first rehab game on Monday, Stefanic went 1-for-2 with an RBI while playing only three innings at second base. He's going to spend a good amount of time on his rehab assignment considering his long layoff, but he'll be eligible to give the Angels more infield depth at the end of May.

Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco was ejected from his start against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday before the start of the fourth inning after umpires checked his glove for foreign substances. As a result, the 30-year-old will be suspended by Major League Baseball for 10 games if it's confirmed that he used an illegal substance on his glove. Before being ejected, Blanco had thrown three scoreless innings while walking one and striking out four to lower his season ERA to 2.09. It's more bad news for an Astros' starting rotation that has really been thinned this year by injuries. Blanco came into Tuesday's solid matchup against Oakland with a 2.23 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 20 walks and 41 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings. Even though he's set to miss his next start while on suspension, fantasy baseball managers are going to want to keep Blanco on their rosters.

Top Tampa Bay Rays prospect Junior Caminero is playing second base on Tuesday night for Triple-A Durham. The 20-year-old Dominican can also play third base and shortstop, but the Rays could be planning ahead for Caminero to take over at the keystone this year with Brandon Lowe (oblique) still not close to a return. He's currently hitting a strong .304/.379/.554 with a .933 OPS, six home runs, 17 RBI and 14 runs scored in 23 games for the Bulls on the farm after missing two weeks early in the year with a quadriceps injury that he has since recovered from. Caminero made his big-league debut in 2023 and went 8-for-34 (.235) with a homer and seven RBI in just seven games. His power upside makes him worth stashing right now in deeper fantasy leagues, and he should resurface in the majors at some point in 2024.