Texas Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (groin) is scheduled to undergo an MRI exam on Friday after being forced to leave his start early on Thursday against the visiting Washington Nationals with a groin injury. Manager Bruce Bochy said the club is "being cautious" with the 34-year-old veteran starter, but it doesn't mean the oft-injured pitcher won't require a stint on the injured list and miss a couple turns through the rotation. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect Eovaldi to make his next scheduled start on Tuesday in Oakland against the Athletics, but we should know more on that this weekend. If we had to guess, we'd expect Eovaldi to go on the shelf. Despite his groin injury on Thursday, he tossed 5 1/3 shutout innings with eight strikeouts to pick up his second win of the year. Eovaldi should be stashed in all fantasy formats if he does land on the IL.

Cleveland Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Thursday's loss against the Houston Astros. The stolen base would be the fifth of the season for the 23-year-old. Outside of the basepaths, Rocchio has struggled to swing the bat. On the season, he is hitting a weak .218 and is homerless with four RBI. Despite playing on most days, the Guardians No. 9 prospect just hasn't done enough with the bat to convince managers to roster him. He can safely remain on the waiver wire.

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Will Brennan went 3-for-4 with three singles in Thursday's loss versus the Houston Astros. Brennen has now had multi-hit games in five of his last nine games. His performance on Thursday raised his batting average to .253 on the season and he has four homers, 11 RBI and two stolen bases on the young campaign. Brennan quietly has put together a good season, but he is a platoon player with outfielder Ramon Laureano and that limits his upside. He is worth a look in deeper formats as he continues to swing well, but there are likely players with better upside and opportunity on the waiver wire.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have sent pitcher Blake Walston back down to Triple-A Reno. Walston made his debut on Monday versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. Walston went 3 2/3 out of the bullpen for the Diamondbacks and was wild with four walks and two runs allowed. Walston's trip was brief, but it is likely that he will be back with the Diamondbacks when they need more pitching depth or an injury occurs. Replacing Walston on the active roster will be pitcher Matt Bowman. Bowman was acquired from the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations on Thursday. Both Walston and Bowman can remain on the waiver wire in all formats.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (elbow) got roughed up in his first rehab start for Triple-A Worcester. Pivetta went three innings and allowed three hits, four runs, four walks and recorded five strikeouts. He also threw 62 pitches in the contest, as he builds up for his return to the Red Sox rotation. Pivetta has been sidelined since April with a right elbow flexor strain, but was pitching very well in his first two starts of the season with one run allowed and 13 strikeouts over his first two starts. Pivetta is inching closer to his return and that would mean that Cooper Criswell or Chase Anderson will be replaced in the rotation. Pivetta may need a start or two to shake off the rust, but he is worth rostering in most formats with his ability to rack up strikeouts being a big reason why.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish allowed one run on four hits over 4 2/3 innings in a 7-2 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday. Bradish struck out five and walked two while taking a no-decision in the outing. It was an encouraging start for Bradish, who was activated from the 15-day injured list earlier in the day on Thursday after missing the start of the 2024 season after spraining the UCL in his right elbow during spring training. Bradish needs to be rostered in all leagues moving forward after he posted a 2.83 ERA and 168 strikeouts across 168 2/3 innings of work for the Orioles in 2023.

Cleveland Guardians left-hander Logan Allen took the loss in an 8-2 defeat at the hands of the Houston Astros on Thursday. Allen allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits over 5 2/3 innings while striking out five and walking one as his record fell to 3-2 on the year. Most of the damage came via a two-run homer off the bat of Jon Singleton in the sixth inning. It has been a slow start to the season for the lefty as Allen now has a 5.11 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP across 37 innings of work. That being said, Thursday's start against the Astros provides a slight glimmer of hope for the southpaw who broke out as a rookie in 2023. He will look to keep it going in his next start, which is slated to come on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers at home.

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jorge Mateo turned in a big game in a 7-2 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday. Mateo went 1-for-2 with a homer and two RBI in the win over Baltimore's division rivals. He was also hit by a pitch in the win. Mateo's solo shot came in the fourth inning off Carlos Rodon and traveled 425 feet with an exit velocity of 105.5 MPH. The blast goes down as Mateo's first of the season, to go along with a .268 average, seven runs, three RBI, and four steals. Known more for his speed, Mateo has reached double-digit homers just once in his career, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect a power surge out of him in the coming weeks.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve turned in a productive game in an 8-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday. Altuve went 3-for-5 with a run, an RBI, and two stolen bases in the win over Cleveland. The veteran infielder has been hot at the plate of late as he's hit safely in eight of his past 10 games and has four multi-hit games to his name over that span. Overall, Altuve is batting .352 with seven homers, 23 runs, 11 RBI, and six steals over 31 games this season.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle put together a big game in a 7-2 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday. Mountcastle went 2-for-4 with a homer, two runs, and two RBI in the win over Baltimore's AL East rivals. The veteran's homer was a solo shot off of Carlos Rodon in the third inning. The blast traveled 405 feet and had an exit velocity of 107 MPH. Mountcastle is off to a solid start in 2024, hitting .290 with five homers, 18 runs, and 16 RBI across 107 at-bats thus far.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Bradish threw 4 innings of one-run ball in his first start of the 2024 season against the New York Yankees on Thursday. Bradish didn't pick up the win as he didn't go five innings, but he was solid and gave his team a good chance to win. He gave up four hits and two walks while striking out five in the shortened outing, throwing 84 pitches. Bradish should get back to a normal workload soon and will hopefully return to his 2023 form where he posted a 2.83 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 168 strikeouts in 168 IP. The 27-year-old should be universally rostered in fantasy.

Houston Astros designated hitter/outfielder Yordan Alvarez continued his slump at the dish on Thursday, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in an 8-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians. Alvarez is now 0-for-17 with seven strikeouts and zero walks in his last four games. Fortunately for the 26-year-old, the Astros have won three of those games anyway. Alvarez is down to a .244/.312/.439 triple-slash line to go with 18 runs, 18 RBI, and a modest seven homers. They aren't terrible numbers by any means, but they certainly aren't what fantasy managers were hoping for when they drafted the slugger with a top-20 pick in most cases. Alvarez will likely turn things around and end up being one of the best four-category contributors in fantasy, but this stretch is frustrating nonetheless.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena increased his hitting streak to five games as he tallied two hits in Thursday's victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Pena tallied his first hit of the game in the fourth inning with a ground ball to second base and then swiped second base but was unable to score. Later in the sixth, Pena ripped his first triple of the campaign to score Gabriel Arias. The shortstop would then score twice, courtesy of a Jon Singleton blast in the same frame and sacrifice fly in the seventh. Pena has a solid .333/.375/.467 line, and his underlying metrics suggest he could be in for a big summer with a .324 xBA. The former World Series MVP should be rostered in all formats and remains a solid DFS option.

There has been speculation that Oakland Athletics rookie closer Mason Miller, who has the most pitches at 102-plus mph (19) this year, could be dangled at this summer's trade deadline. Rival executives are split on whether the A's would actually dare trade their biggest start with a move to Sacramento coming next year. Miller has topped out at 103.7 mph and is an "elite" closer that should bring "a prospect package worth pursuing." A rival executive envisions a bidding war that could make a Miller trade irresistible for the A's. "They may want to cash in while stock is so high." The 25-year-old former third-round pick in 2021 out of Gardner-Webb University has been lights-out in 2024 with a 1.26 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, eight saves and 29 K's in 14 1/3 innings, although a trade to a contender wouldn't necessarily mean he'd stay in a closer's role.

Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim tallied two hits for the seventh time of the season to lead the Rangers to a series victory over the Washington Nationals. Heim laced a single to left field in the second frame and was able to cross home plate via an Ezequiel Duran double. The 28-year-old then knocked an RBI single in the eighth inning to score Nathaniel Lowe to increase the Texas lead. During the young season, Heim has proven to be a solid batting average contributor with a .263 AVG, which is on pace to be a new career-high. Heim remains a strong second catcher in two-catcher leagues and is a sneaky play in DFS due to the strong lineup around him.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve registered three hits in Thursday's victory over the Cleveland Guardians. The 33-year-old has now tallied at least three hits in five games this season and continues to improve on his .341/.409/.585 line. In addition, Altuve tallied 11th RBI of the season in the seventh inning by scoring Jake Meyers. He also swiped his fifth and sixth bags on Thursday. Altuve continues to be a high-end five-category fantasy contributor with his stellar bat-to-ball skills and his excellent 13.9% K rate. The 2017 American League MVP should be a weekly lineup lock and remain matchup-proof in DFS.

Houston Astros first baseman Jon Singleton went 2-for-3 in Thursday's victory with three RBI to power the Astros to their 11th victory of the season. Singleton tallied a single in his first at-bat of the game in the third inning and crossed home plate via a passed ball. Then in the sixth inning, the 32-year-old launched his second home run of the season, which scored shortstop Jeremy Pena. This was Singleton's second home run of the series and of the season, and he is carrying a .275/.362/.431 slash line into a three-game set against their division rivals, Seattle Mariners, which will begin Friday evening. Singleton has been subject to limited playing time but could be a viable option in DFS in a favorable matchup.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby has been a big reason why the team has a 1.58 ERA over their last 19 games since April 10. After yielding 13 runs in his first 14 1/3 innings (three starts) of the 2024 regular season, Kirby has turned it around for a 1.00 ERA and a 25:2 K:BB across the subsequent 18 frames (three starts). The 26-year-old All-Star right-hander will take the ball in a tough spot on Friday for the start of a three-game weekend set on the road against the division-rival Houston Astros, but in three career starts against Houston, Kirby owns a 1.62 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 14:3 K:BB across 16 2/3 innings. The current Astros roster is batting a career .218 (12-for-55) with zero extra-base hits against Kirby, who'll have plenty of DFS tournament appeal on Friday's full slate.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Tyler Wells (elbow) played catch on Wednesday and is still undergoing tests, according to manager Brandon Hyde, who had nothing further to report on the hurler. Working his way back from inflammation in his right elbow, Wells still has no clear timetable for his return to Baltimore's rotation at this juncture. Considering the big 29-year-old right-hander logged a shaky 5.87 ERA and 1.37 WHIP while striking out 13 batters and walking three over 15 1/3 innings (three starts), he doesn't need to be stashed in the majority of fantasy leagues. The O's just reinstated Kyle Bradish and John Means from the injured list this week, but Dean Kremer and Cole Irvin will still be needed as starters until Wells is back in the fold, and they'll have streaming appeal under the appropriate circumstances.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (elbow) is scheduled to throw his first bullpen session on Saturday, with the new target for his return now being "mid-June." Cole is all set to resume throwing off the mound, which is a big step forward in his throwing progression, and a mid-June return is pretty much in line with his original recovery timetable from discomfort in his right elbow. The 33-year-old reigning American League Cy Young Award winner still needs to build up his stamina and then start a minor-league rehab assignment, which could begin sometime in the next few weeks if all continues to go well. Cole notched a 2.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 222:48 K:BB over 209 innings (33 starts) a year ago. Until he's ready to rejoin New York's rotation, right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil should continue getting starts for the Yankees as fantasy streaming options in favorable matchups.