Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager clubbed his eighth home run of the year in Wednesday's loss on the road to the Philadelphia Phillies, adding a single and two walks in the blowout defeat. Seager smashed a solo shot to left-center field in the seventh inning, cutting the Rangers' deficit to 10-4. The 30-year-old All-Star slugger is still recovering from a painfully slow start to the season, but he's starting to look like the fantasy stalwart we've come to expect over the years. Over his last 17 games, Seager is hitting .313 with six big flies, 11 RBI, and nine runs scored. A daunting task awaits Seager in the form of Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler in Thursday's series finale, but the veteran infielder has gone 5-for-14 with a double and an RBI in 14 career plate appearances against Wheeler.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto broke out at the dish in Wednesday's blowout win over the visiting Texas Rangers, belting his first home run in 14 games since April 28 with three RBI in the rout. After smashing a solo homer to left field to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead in the third inning, Realmuto knocked a two-run single to left field to up the lead to 8-2 during the sixth. The 33-year-old perennial All-Star has been regularly batting second in Philly's lineup since Trea Turner (hamstring) went down, and while he's hitting an excellent .350 (21-for-60) in May, Realmuto only has five RBI and zero stolen bases over 14 games this month. Realmuto will clash with Rangers left-hander Andrew Heaney in Thursday's series finale, and the veteran backstop is batting .360 (18-for-50) with two long balls, three doubles, and six RBI against left-handed pitching this year.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried threw his second complete game of the season in Wednesday's victory on the road over the Chicago Cubs, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits with a season-high nine strikeouts en route to his fourth win of the year. Fried needed 105 pitches to go the distance in Wednesday's masterful performance, carrying a bid for a perfect game into the sixth inning before Ian Happ's leadoff double broke it up. Even though it's been an up-and-down campaign for the 30-year-old star left-hander, he owns a strong 3.38 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 48:20 K:BB with a career-best .197 average against through 10 starts overall (58 2/3 frames) for the Braves in 2024. Monday's series opener at home against the division-rival Washington Nationals marks Fried's next projected start. He gave up two runs over 9 1/3 innings (two starts) with a 9:1 K:BB against Washington in 2023.

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (hamstring) was taking grounders ahead of Wednesday's game versus the visiting Texas Rangers. Turner has been taking batting practice and also ran arcs in the outfield on Wednesday, which typically preludes running the bases, but he'll get a "pullback day" on Thursday before resuming his ramp-up during the club's weekend series against the Colorado Rockies. Although there's no timeline yet for Turner's return from a strained left hamstring, he could potentially begin a minor-league rehab assignment before the end of May and rejoin Philly's lineup as early as June 8 for the start of the Phillies' two-game series against the division-rival New York Mets in London. Edmundo Sosa is worth a look in deep mixed or NL-only leagues in the interim, slashing .296/.406/.481 with one home run, eight RBI, 13 runs scored, and two stolen bases over 65 plate appearances this year.

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Luis Garcia was tasked with holding a one-run lead in the ninth inning of Wednesday's game against the Houston Astros. The right-hander blew the lead during the seventh inning of Tuesday's game. Despite that, Garcia was given another chance and worked a perfect ninth inning to earn his third save of the season. Garcia has been busy pitching in four of the last five games. The Angels bullpen situation is a little messy with Carlos Estevez as the primary closer, but Adam Cimber and Garcia are in the mix as well.

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson was able to put together a solid outing during Wednesday's game against the Houston Astros. The left-hander allowed only one run over eight innings of work during Wednesday's victory. Anderson did allow six hits, but he was able to limit the damage. He now holds a 5-4 record with a 2.52 ERA to begin the season.

Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco (hamstring) is returning to second base and will bat seventh for the M's on Wednesday against the New York Yankees and left-hander Nestor Cortes in the Bronx. Polanco returns to action for Seattle after missing over a week with a right-hamstring injury. The 30-year-old veteran switch-hitter has struggled to get things going at the plate in his first year with the team in 2024, as he's hitting .192/.298/.308 with five home runs, 13 RBI, one stolen base and 15 runs scored in 146 at-bats. Polanco has been better in May, though, going 11-for-46 (.239) with a homer and three RBI in 11 games. His fantasy managers will be hoping he can pick up where he's left off this month after missing the last week. Polanco has two hits and an RBI in 10 career at-bats off of Cortes.

San Diego Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) is heading to the injured list, and it appears that veteran outfielder David Peralta will replace him on the active roster. Bogaerts is dealing with a fracture in his left shoulder, although there's no indication of a labrum tear or a need for surgery. He will just need some time for the bone to heal and he intends to play again this year, perhaps by late summer. The Padres are planning for more tests on Bogaerts on Wednesday. The 31-year-old injured his shoulder diving for a ball early in the first game of a doubleheader on Monday against the Atlanta Braves and will now be forced to miss significant time. Luis Arraez should now handle the keystone on a daily basis, leaving Donovan Solano, Tyler Wade and Jose Azocar to battle for DH duties in San Diego. Bogaerts was already off to a weak .219/.265/.316 start with four homers and 14 RBI.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal (groin), outfielder Jack Suwinski and first baseman Rowdy Tellez are all sitting on Wednesday with the team facing San Francisco Giants left-hander Blake Snell, who is making his first start off the injured list. Joey Bart will do the catching and bat seventh, Michael Taylor is in center field and hitting ninth, and Connor Joe is at first base and batting third against Snell. Grandal left Tuesday's game against the Giants late with left-groin soreness. The Pirates have catcher Grant Koch on the taxi squad, so there's a chance the 35-year-old veteran could land on the injured list. With ... [More]

Detroit Tigers right-hander Shelby Miller (elbow) completed a successful bullpen session on Tuesday. It was the first time that he had thrown off a mound since going on the injured list on May 13 with right ulnar nerve inflammation. The 33-year-old veteran will need to slowly build his arm back up with several more bullpen sessions before he's cleared to face live hitters in batting practice sessions or on a minor-league rehab assignment. Given the fact that Miller is now in a relief role, it shouldn't take him as long to return, which means he has a shot to come off the injured list before June. Miller isn't really on the fantasy radar at all and is currently 3-4 in 2024 with a 4.41 ERA (4.37 FIP) and 1.04 WHIP with six walks and 15 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings pitched in 15 appearances out of Detroit's bullpen.

Detroit Tigers right-hander Kenta Maeda (illness) threw a bullpen session at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday and is lined up to start on Saturday or Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Maeda is attempting to return to the Tigers' starting rotation after landing on the injured list with a viral illness in mid-May. The 36-year-old veteran pitched in a minor-league rehab game last week and appears to be feeling good enough to rejoin the team this weekend. The matchup against Toronto isn't a bad one, but fantasy managers should still be very hesitant to throw Maeda back into the fire as a streamer this weekend. In seven starts before going on the shelf, the Japanese hurler went 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.40 WHIP with only 23 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings pitched.

Houston Astros first baseman Jose Abreu will remain in West Palm Beach and play Florida Complex League games on Wednesday and Thursday before reporting to Triple-A Sugar Land this weekend, according to manager Joe Espada. It was reported earlier this week that Abreu could rejoin the big-league roster by Friday for the series opener against the Oakland Athletics, but it looks like that won't be the case. The 37-year-old veteran Cuban slugger agreed to head to the minors after starting the 2024 season with a lowly .099 average (7-for-71) with no homers, three RBI and 18 strikeouts in his first 22 games. He's played in four games in the FCL so far, going 6-for-18 (.333) with two doubles and two RBI. When Abreu does return to the Astros, it could just be in a platoon role at first base with the left-handed-hitting Jon Singleton.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe will head to the bench for Wednesday's contest as the Royals go for the sweep against the visiting Detroit Tigers in the series finale. Renfroe has gone 6-for-24 (.250) with a homer and five RBI in his last seven games since May 12, but overall he's been bad this year with a .160/.236/.282 slash line with four home runs, 18 RBI and 15 runs scored in 144 plate appearances over 43 games played in his first year in KC. With Renfroe on the bench, Dairon Blanco is getting the start in right field and will bat seventh against Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal. Blanco has three hits and two RBI in six career at-bats against Skubal. The 31-year-old Cuban outfielder has been useful for his speed this year in AL-only leagues, as he has 11 thefts in just 44 at-bats in 2024.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jon Gray (groin) will undergo an MRI after being removed early from Tuesday's start with a right-groin injury. The veteran tossed five innings on 75 pitches before being pulled from the game. Manager Bruce Bochy said that Gray was experiencing tightness in his right groin and it wasn't worth it to keep pushing Gray and potentially injure him more. It seems like the move to remove Gray was more of a precaution than anything, but his MRI will determine the true extent of his injury. Bochy expect Gray to be able to make his next start versus the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. If Gray does miss time, Jack Leiter would be an option for a spot start.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado picked up his ninth save of the season in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Rangers. Alvarado came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by three. He got the first out on a ground-out, had a runner reach on a throwing error and allowed a single, and ended the game with back-to-back strikeouts. The 29-year-old has pitched well overall this season, converting all of his save opportunities with a 3.54 ERA, an 8.85 K/9 rate, and a 3.10 BB/9 rate in 22 appearances. However, Jeff Hoffman, who pitched in the eighth inning of this game, has also pitched well and has converted three of six save opportunities. Alvarado appears to have more fantasy value of the two, but his overall value may remain in the mid-tier if Hoffman continues to see somewhat frequent save chances.

New York Yankees relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle (shoulder) is expected to be recalled from Double-A Somerset on Wednesday, per the Athletic's Chris Kirschner. Left-handed pitcher Clayton Andrews was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Tuesday's game in a corresponding move. Kahnle has been out with shoulder inflammation since last season but compiled a solid 2.66 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 29.1% strikeout rate with 14 holds in 40 2/3 innings pitched. Given his higher-leverage usage and strong team context, Jahnle will be worth a look in deeper saves-plus-holds leagues.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks will be moved to the bullpen for now, but the hope is to get Hendricks back on track to eventually return him to the starting rotation. With a bullpen-type game coming on Wednesday against the visiting Atlanta Braves, the 34-year-old could be used in a relief role as perhaps the bulk reliever. Hendricks has already spent time on the injured list this year and just has not looked at all like the pitcher he was in 2023, when he had a 3.74 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in his 24 starts. Through seven starts in 2024, he's gone 0-4 with a rough 10.57 ERA (6.93 FIP) and 1.99 WHIP with 11 walks and 25 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings. Even if Hendricks eventually returns to a starting role, it will be hard to recommend him in standard 12-team fantasy leagues.

Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington gave right-handed reliever a vote of confidence before their game on Tuesday against the Houston Astros. "He's our closer," Washington said. Estevez has been shaky for more of the year, holding a 5.17 ERA through his first 15 games entering Tuesday's contest. He has seven saves and three blown saves. Estevez picked up his seventh save on Monday but allowed a run and would have allowed another if not for Jo Adell robbing a home run. If the Angels change their tune after Estevez took the loss in one-third of an inning in the extra-inning defeat to the Astros on Tuesday, Hunter Strickland would most likely get the next chance at saves. He has a 2.25 ERA and 28 career saves in 10 big-league seasons. Fantasy managers speculating on saves may want to stash Strickland now if he's available. Estevez has only walked two this year but said his four-seam fastball "is a little off."