Cincinnati Reds left-hander Alex Young (back) has allowed just one unearned run over eight relief appearances and 8 1/3 innings during his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville. Young also pitched on back-to-back days on Saturday and Sunday and worked a scoreless inning in both games. The 30-year-old southpaw reliever begin his rehab assignment on May 2 after being out all year to this point in the majors due to lower-back disc degeneration. It explains why the reliever has been extended on his rehab assignment, but he has to be getting close to returning to Cincinnati's bullpen at this point. When healthy, Young gives the Reds another lefty arm in their bullpen. In his first year with the Reds in 2023, Young had a 4-2 record, 3.86 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, his first career save, 20 walks and 50 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings pitched.

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Isaac Paredes smashed his ninth home run of the season in Sunday's loss to the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays, but his team still fell 5-2 in the defeat. Paredes' ninth-inning two-run homer off Jays right-hander Zach Pop helped force Toronto to summon closer Jordan Romano to finish off the game, keeping Paredes' on-base streak alive. Over his current 18-game on-base streak, the 25-year-old former top prospect is batting a scorching .375 (24-for-64) with three homers, four doubles, 10 RBI, 11 walks, and eight runs scored as Tampa's everyday third baseman. Look for Paredes to stay productive in an upcoming three-game series against the visiting Boston Red Sox beginning on Monday, as he's hitting .271 with three long balls, seven RBI, and six runs scored in 13 games against the Boston since 2023.

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran took the loss in Sunday's 5-2 defeat against the Cleveland Guardians, allowing a walk-off three-run homer to Will Brennan in the ninth inning. Duran was tasked with keeping the game tied and giving Minnesota a chance to win it in extras, but after two walks (one intentional) the 26-year-old served up a curveball that Brennan sent deep. Interestingly, Duran said after the game that he wanted to throw a fastball but was told not to. Regardless of the poor outing and postgame comments, Duran remains a solid fantasy option for saves and should continue to be the Twins' highest-leverage option out of the bullpen.

Texas Rangers starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi (groin) and Dane Dunning (shoulder) are both scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Sunday, according to manager Bruce Bochy. Assuming all goes well, Dunning may return to the Rangers' starting rotation at some point this week. The 29-year-old is a viable streaming option in the right matchups and owns a 4.10 ERA through seven starts in 2024. Eovaldi's return is a little more unclear as he continues to progress through his recovery. The 34-year-old is worthy of being stashed in the majority of formats as he was off to a strong start prior to the injury.

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Colin Poche (back) has resumed baseball activities, but it's still uncertain how long he's going to be sidelined. The left-hander landed on the injured list in late April due to back tightness. He received an injection in his back and needed a second cortisone-type shot in early May. The fact the Rays went out and acquired left-hander Richard Lovelady suggests that Poche won't be ready anytime soon. Peter Fairbanks, Garrett Cleavinger, and Jason Adam figure to be the primary late game options for the Rays right now.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward went 2-for-6 in Saturday's 3-2 extra-innings loss to the Rangers. Both of Ward's hits went for extra bases, one for a double and the other a solo home run. The home run was his tenth of the year, and the 30-year-old is looking like one of the better values in fantasy drafts this year after having an ADP in the 200s. On the season, the former first-round MLB draft pick has a .275-10-28-27-2 line with a .352 wOBA and 127 wRC+.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back) is expected to be recalled from his rehab assignment after Sunday's game with Triple-A Albuquerque. Jones will make his fourth appearance with Triple-A on Sunday and rejoin the Rockies ahead of Tuesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. The 26-year-old has been sidelined since late April with a lower back strain. He has struggled so this season, slashing .170/.240/.243 with a home run and seven RBI over 26 games. Jones still has plenty of fantasy upside after hitting 20 home runs and stealing 20 bags in 2023. When activated, fantasy managers might want to wait a few games to see how Jones performs before putting him back into their starting lineups.

San Francisco Giants designated hitter Jorge Soler went 3-for-5 in Saturday's 14-4 win over the Rockies, including a pair of doubles. The slugger also drove in two runs and scored once. It's worth noting that Soler was penciled into the leadoff spot in both games since coming off the IL, and has gone 4-for-9 (.444) with a walk in those two contests. Shaking things up might just be what Soler needs, as it has been an underwhelming season so far, slashing .219/.308/.383 with five home runs, 10 RBI, and 16 runs scored over 146 plate appearances. He'll get a chance to make it a three-game hit streak on Sunday as the Giants face Dakota Hudson, who has an ugly 6.13 ERA on the season and Soler is 3-for-9 with a double and four walks against in his career.

Seattle Mariners reliever Andres Munoz allowed a run on one hit while striking out two to earn the save during Saturday's 4-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Munoz entered the ninth inning to protect a two-run lead. He allowed a solo home run to Gunnar Henderson but was able to shake it off and strike out Adley Rutschman to end the game. The homer to Henderson was Munoz's first earned run over his last 11 innings. He owns a 1.86 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and a 26:7 K: BB across 19 1/3 innings in 2024. Munoz is one of the relief pitchers in baseball, and fantasy managers should continue to roll with him in all league formats.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe is not in Saturday's lineup as the Rays continue a three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays. Lowe made his season debut on May 6 after suffering an oblique strain and a hamstring issue this offseason. Through his first ten games of the season, the 26-year-old has a .263/.333/.526 slash line with two long balls. As a result, Jonny DeLuca will get the starting nod in right field and bat in the five-hole. DeLuca has been swinging a hot bat over his past six games with a .364/.462/.455 slash line. However, the right-handed bat does face Kevin Gausman today and is best to fade in DFS. Even though Gausman has struggled with a 4.95 ERA this season, he has been dominant against right-handed batters with a 23:4 K:BB ratio, suggesting that DeLuca may have a difficult task awaiting him this afternoon.

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.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Alex Kirilloff hit his third home run of the season in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Guardians. The solo shot was his only hit in the contest and he also walked once. After a strong start to the season, it seemed Kirilloff might finally live up to his first-round draft pick pedigree, however, since April 29 the left-handed hitter is 3-for-37 (.081) which has resulted in a drop in batting average from .266 to .207. His Contact% is not good at 69.9%, but he does have a decent Barrel% of 8.0% and HardHit% of 42.0%, so maybe there's a chance he can still salvage his season.

Miami Marlins left-hander Jesus Luzardo turned in a dominant performance in an 8-0 win over the New York Mets on Friday. Luzardo struck out seven over six innings of shutout ball while allowing just five hits. The 26-year-old lefty has been excellent in his two starts since returning from the injured list, having allowed just two earned runs while striking out 15 across 11 2/3 innings of work. Overall, Luzardo has a 1-3 record, 5.02 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 42 strikeouts over 37 2/3 innings of work in 2024. He has plenty of potential in his arm and should be a solid starting option for his next start, which is scheduled to come against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.

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.

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.

Texas Rangers right-handers Dane Dunning (shoulder) and Nathan Eovaldi (groin) were scheduled to throw bullpen sessions on Friday. If all goes well with Dunning's bullpen, he could return from the injured list next week to pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies. Dunning was put on the 15-day injured list on May 8 with a strained right rotator cuff, but he also threw a bullpen on Tuesday and is approaching his return to the starting rotation. He's been up and down so far this year and would make for an extremely shaky streaming option without going on a minor-league rehab assignment if he faces the Phillies next week. Eovaldi's bullpen will mark his first time throwing off the mound since suffering a right-groin strain on May 3. The 34-year-old isn't going to come off the IL when eligible on Saturday, but the hard-throwing right-hander deserves to be stashed in all fantasy leagues after his strong start to 2024.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jorge Soler (shoulder) has been activated from the injured list on Friday. The slugging outfielder is back in the lineup after missing time due to a lingering shoulder issue. He'll serve as the designated hitter and bat leadoff against right-hander Ryan Feltner on Friday. Soler has been off to a slow start this season but hopefully some time off helped him get back on track. Fantasy managers who have Soler rostered should make sure to get him back in their lineups on Friday.

The Chicago Cubs placed right-hander Colten Brewer (back) on the 15-day injured list on Friday with a lower-back injury and recalled right-handed pitcher Porter Hodge from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move. Brewer last pitched against the Pittsburgh Pirates last Sunday. In a middle-relief role for the Cubs this year, the 31-year-old has been solid for the team, posting a 3.09 ERA (3.20 FIP) and 1.11 WHIP with four walks and 12 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. In six years in the big leagues, Brewer has a 4.78 ERA (5.06 FIP) and 1.70 WHIP with a very mediocre 20.2% strikeout rate and 12.7% walk rate. Hodge, 23, was a 13th-round pick by the Cubs in 2019 and will be making his big-league debut when he enters a game out of the Cubs' bullpen.

Oakland Athletics outfielder Miguel Andujar (knee) went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI while serving as the designated hitter in his first minor-league rehab game for Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday evening. Andujar didn't play the entire game, but it was a good first test for the 29-year-old as he attempts to return from a knee injury that has sidelined him all year to this point. Andujar was swinging the bat well in spring training with the A's before injuring his knee, so it looks like he picked up where he left off. Because of the long layoff, the A's are going to make sure he gets enough at-bats in the minors before he makes his 2024 debut. Andujar's role with the A's is to be determined, but he could at least be worth considering in AL-only leagues.

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.