The Tampa Bay Rays are acquiring relief pitcher Richard Lovelady from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for relief pitcher Jeff Belge. Lovelady posted a hefty 7.94 ERA and 1.94 WHIP through 5 innings with the Cubs. Belge, who has yet to make his major league debut, has posted a 4.20 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 15 innings at Double-A. The 26-year-old should be expected to remain in Double-A as he joins the Cubs system. Lovelady is the only healthy southpaw currently in the Rays bullpen with Colin Poche (back) on the 15-day injured list. Lovelady should remain on all waiver wires but could tally the occasional hold pitching for a strong Rays team.

Chicago White Sox third base prospect Bryan Ramos (quadriceps) is on the brink of joining Triple-A Charlotte for a rehab assignment. The 24-year-old was removed from Tuesday's game due to tightness and was officially placed on the ten-day injured list on Friday. This is excellent news, as the young infielder has a chance to return to the big leagues as early as possible next Saturday. The rookie was performing well in his small ten-game sample size in the majors this season with a .281/.294/.344 line. Ramos has always shown great contact skills while in the minor leagues, consistently posting strong batting averages with solid power. When cleared to return, Ramos should be expected to see the majority of starts at the hot corner on the Southside.

Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Tyler Alexander picked up a quality start in a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. Alexander allowed three runs on three hits over 7 1/3 innings while striking out four on the way to earning the win. The veteran southpaw kept the Toronto lineup off balance for most of the game, with most of the damage coming via a two-run homer by Davis Schneider in the eighth inning. Alexander now has a 2-2 record, 5.17 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts over 47 innings of work this season. Alexander isn't a must-start in fantasy but he's worth a look as a streaming option in deeper leagues.

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.

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.

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.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock (elbow) is scheduled to undergo additional testing on Monday. This is frustrating after Whitlock looked strong during his latest minor league rehab outing on Wednesday. The plan was for Whitlock to return to the team next week, but that looks like it has changed. The 27-year-old will now have more testing done due to elbow soreness. Fantasy managers will need to be patient as the team should provide another update following his evaluation.

The Houston Astros are calling up left-hander Parker Mushinski from the minors before Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers, according to a source. Shawn Dubin threw three innings on Thursday, so he's the most likely candidate to be optioned down to the farm in a corresponding move. Mushinski, 28, will give the Astros a fresh arm out of their bullpen but is not at all on the fantasy radar. The former seventh-round pick in 2017 out of Texas Tech has allowed seven runs (five earned) on six hits while walking three and striking out two in his four relief innings in the big leagues so far this year. In his three years in the majors, Mushinski has a 5.88 ERA and 1.54 WHIP while walking 10 and striking out 25 in 26 innings out of the bullpen.

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.

Texas Rangers left-hander Brock Burke (hand) has been sent to the Arizona Complex League Rangers in the Rookie league on a minor-league rehab assignment. Burke is scheduled to pitch for the ACL Rangers in Thursday's game against the ACL Padres at Peoria Sports Complex. Burke is trying to recover from a broken right (non-throwing) hand that landed him on the injured list on April 13. The 27-year-old southpaw had allowed five earned runs on nine hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out five in three innings out of the Texas bullpen earlier this year before going on the shelf. Since he's currently on the 60-day injured list, Burke will not be eligible to return to the team's big-league bullpen until June 12. When healthy, Burke isn't on the fantasy radar in a middle-relief role.

The Los Angeles Angels acquired right-hander Roansy Contreras from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday in exchange for cash considerations, according to sources. The Pirates had designated Contreras for assignment last Saturday. The 24-year-old Dominican hurler went 1-0 with the Pirates with a 4.41 ERA (5.01 FIP) and 1.65 WHIP with eight walks and 16 strikeouts in 16 1/3 relief innings over 12 outings out of the bullpen this year before being traded to the American League. In his four big-league seasons in Pittsburgh, Contreras has made 53 appearances, with 30 of them coming in a starting role, so he could become an option to make some spot starts for the Halos eventually. Contreras has a career 4.83 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with weak 20.2% strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate. Fantasy managers can continue ignoring him.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca is out of the starting lineup again on Thursday against the Red Sox in Boston at Fenway Park. Jose Siri is starting in center field again and is batting ninth against Red Sox right-hander Cooper Criswell. DeLuca has now been on the bench in three of the last four games as the Rays mix Siri back into center field on a more regular basis. It hasn't helped that both Josh Lowe and Jonathan Aranda have returned to the Rays recently. The 25-year-old DeLuca recently started nine games in a row in Tampa's outfield and is hitting .281 (9-for-32) with a homer, 10 RBI and two stolen bases in just 12 games in 2024. DeLuca could get another shot if an injury opens up more playing time, but for now, he appears to be the odd man out.

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.

Oakland Athletics left-hander Ken Waldichuk (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday in Los Angeles with Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Waldichuk will miss the rest of the 2024 season and probably won't be a candidate to return to games until around midseason in 2025. The 26-year-old southpaw was diagnosed with a torn UCL in his left elbow last October and underwent a minor surgery last year with hopes that he could avoid Tommy John surgery. That didn't end up being the case, so Waldichuk will be shut down for the foreseeable future. The former fifth-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2019 out of Saint Mary's has recorded a 5.28 ERA (5.10 FIP) and 1.49 WHIP with 81 walks and 165 strikeouts in 175 2/3 innings over 42 appearances (29 starts) in his two major-league seasons in Oakland.

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.

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (hip) has started a spring training-type progression at the team's spring complex in Port Charlotte, Fla., which will take about two weeks before he starts getting into games. Manager Kevin Cash said the team received a "very good report" from Walls' visit with Dr. J.W. Thomas Byrd on April 1. But given the amount of time that Walls has missed, it's likely he'll have to recreate a progression similar to spring training when he returns to game action. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 20 after having surgery on Oct. 27 of last year to fix a labral tear and to relieve discomfort from an impingement in his right hit. It's something that Walls had been dealing with for more than a year. It's unclear what Walls' role will be when he eventually returns to the majors, but it's likely to be a bench role.

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.

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.