Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow (hand) exited Saturday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays with cramping in his hand. Glasnow had a dominant start, notching nine strikeouts in six innings while giving up only one run on two hits. At 95 pitches on the day it would have been likely that he'd exit after pitching six innings anyways. Given the 30-year-old's past history with injuries this should be something to keep an eye on, but hand cramps should be easier for him to overcome and the right-hander should be considered day-to-day. If Glasnow isn't forced to miss any time, his next scheduled start is slated for next Saturday at home against the Atlanta Braves.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta (elbow) is scheduled to throw live batting practice on Saturday and will throw 50 pitches. As long as Pivetta doesn't suffer any setbacks with his elbow during the session, he should embark on a minor-league rehab assignment next week. It remains to be seen how many rehab starts the Red Sox want him to make, but he's clearly making progress and could be back in the team's starting rotation sooner than later. The 31-year-old has been sidelined since early April with a right-elbow flexor strain but was looking great before his injury. In his two starts for Boston in early April, Pivetta had a 0.82 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 13 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched while going 1-1. Fantasy managers that drafted him need to hang onto him with his return around the corner.

Detroit Tigers catcher Carson Kelly (rib cage) has been scratched from Friday's starting lineup against the visiting Kansas City Royals with left rib-cage soreness. He will be available off the bench, however. In his place, Jake Rogers will start behind the plate and will bat eighth against Royals right-hander Seth Lugo. The fact that Kelly is available off the bench means that his injury probably isn't very serious, so the 29-year-old backstop could have a chance to return for Saturday's contest. The former second-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 is hitting just .205 (9-for-44) on the year with a homer and six RBI for Detroit. Rogers has been even worse, going 6-for-45 (.133) with a homer and two RBI, so DFS gamers should look elsewhere at the catcher position on Friday.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo put together a strong performance versus the Texas Rangers to pick up his second victory of the season on Thursday. Castillo tossed six innings and allowed four hits, two runs, two walks and struck out six on the evening. Castillo has steadily improved as the season has gone on and managers could put to rest any worries from his early season outings. The 31-year-old remains one of the top pitchers in the game and managers can expect to have an ace in most of his starts moving forward. Next up is a matchup versus the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. Even against a good lineup, Castillo is pretty much a must-start.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta (elbow) will make at least one minor-league rehab start before returning from the injured list. Pivetta has already missed more than the 15 days required on his injured-list stint and he's going to need at least one start in the minors before fantasy managers will get him back. The 31-year-old is recovering from a right-elbow flexor strain but has resumed throwing off a mound and could make his rehab start soon. As long as he doesn't suffer a setback in that outing, he should join Boston's rotation shortly after that. The Canadian hurler looked fantastic in his first two starts before getting hurt, allowing just one earned run on eight hits while walking one and fanning 13 in 11 innings. The Red Sox and fantasy managers will be looking forward to his return in early May.

Chicago White Sox right-hander Chris Flexen is lined up to start on Friday against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. It will be Flexen's fourth start of the season. The 29-year-old former 14th-round pick by the New York Mets in 2012 has appeared out of the bullpen for the Pale Hose his last two times out and is now sporting a 6.41 ERA (5.75 FIP) and 1.42 WHIP with seven walks and 11 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings pitched. Flexen has been more effective in his two relief appearances than his three starts, and the matchup against Tampa doesn't really make him attractive as a streaming sleeper in deep fantasy leagues on Friday. He'll be making the start on three days of rest. Flexen could be sent right back to Chicago's bullpen once Mike Clevinger is finally ready to make his season debut.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Ben Lively put together a strong outing against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday. It was his second outing of the season and both have come against the Red Sox. On Tuesday, Lively tossed 6 1/3 innings and allowed five hits, one run, zero walks and struck out seven on the evening. The 32-year-old has now allowed just three runs with 14 strikeouts and one walk over 11 1/3 innings. The Guardians always seem to have a pitcher factory churning and Lively could be the latest diamond in the rough for the franchise. It is still very early and both his starts have come against a injury plagued Red Sox lineup, but if Lively can toss another gem against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, he will be worth rostering in most formats.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Yency Almonte recorded his first save of the season in Tuesday's victory against the Houston Astros. Almonte got the final four outs of the contest with one strikeout and no hits or walks allowed. The Cubs bullpen has been a bit of a mess in the early goings with closer Adbert Alzolay struggling to open the season, but managers should not expect Almonte to be the new closer with Alzolay still in the picture and Mark Leiter Jr. and Hector Neris ahead of him. Almonte can safely remain on the waiver wire.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried looked like his old self in Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Marlins. Fried made the most of a favorable matchup, pitching a complete-game shutout with three hits, no walks, and six strikeouts on just 92 pitches. It was a great outing for the 30-year-old, who has struggled out of the gate this season. He is now 2-0 with a 4.97 ERA in his first five starts. He will look to build on his success in his next projected start, which will be at a middling Mariners lineup.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (shoulder) is set to make his season debut against the San Diego Padres on Sunday. The 31-year-old appears to be ready to pitch after missing time due to right shoulder soreness. Walker isn't an excellent fantasy option, but he could be worth a look in deeper mixed leagues. He has shown in the past that he has the skills to be a viable option in the big leagues. Fantasy managers who are in need of pitching help should keep an eye on Walker.

The Cincinnati Reds have activated left-handed reliever Sam Moll (shoulder) from the injured list on Tuesday. Moll began the season on the injured list due to a shoulder impingement. The left-hander went 2-3 with a 3.03 ERA last season with the Reds in 70 games, including one start. By activating Moll, Cincinnati optioned right-handed pitcher Casey Legumina.

The Kansas City Royals placed right-hander Jordan Lyles (personal) on the inactive list on Saturday, and the team is not disclosing the reason for his absence other than describing it as a "personal matter." There's no timeline for his return, but because of the type of inactive list Lyles was placed on, it opened a 40-man roster spot for the Royals to call up veteran right-handed reliever Tyler Duffey. Lyles has thrown five scoreless innings with three strikeouts in five appearances out of KC's bullpen during the 2024 regular season, but he hasn't pitched since April 12. With no defined role and most of his work coming in mop-up duty this year, however, the 33-year-old journeyman belongs on fantasy waiver wires while he's unavailable. There's no clear-cut fantasy beneficiary of his absence, either.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow looked sharp during Sunday's game against the New York Mets. The right-hander struck out 10 batters over his eight shutout innings of work during Sunday's 10-0 win. Glasnow did allow seven hits, but they were all singles. He currently holds a 4-1 record with a 2.92 ERA and a 44/9 K/BB ratio in 37 innings this season.

Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber went 1-for-1 with a home run, two RBI, three runs scored, and three walks during Sunday's 8-2 win over the Chicago White Sox. It was an impressive day at the plate for the Phillies and Schwarber was no exception. The 31-year-old is now slashing .217/.327/.434 with six homers, 11 RBI and one stolen base through 22 games. At this point, fantasy managers know what Schwarber brings to the table. He strikes out a ton and will hurt your ratios, but he can homer in bunches and will deliver solid counting stats across the board. A series at the hitter-friendly confines of Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati is up next.

New York Mets catcher Tomas Nido is slated to make his first start of the 2024 season as the New York Mets look to complete a three-game sweep against the Los Angeles Dodgers and continue their six-game win streak. Nido was promoted from Triple-A Syracuse yesterday when Francisco Alvarez (thumb) was placed on the injured list. Nido struggled at the plate last season as he hit for a .125/.153/.125 stat line across 61 plate appearances. The 30-year-old should be expected to serve as the backup catcher in Queens behind Omar Narvaez for the foreseeable future. Nido will have trouble finding a path to fantasy relevance in a limited role and due to his past struggles in the batter's box. He is best left as a desperation option in DFS but has a difficult matchup today as he will face Tyler Glasnow.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta (elbow) threw a bullpen session on Saturday. Pivetta will next throw an up-and-down session on Thursday in Cleveland and then throw live batting practice as he works his way back from an elbow injury that landed him on the injured list. The 31-year-old will then probably need to go on a short minor-league rehab assignment before returning to Boston's starting rotation. The former fourth-round pick of the Washington Nationals in 2013 out of New Mexico Junior College looked great in his first two starts for the Red Sox this year, allowing just one earned run on eight hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out 13 in 11 innings pitched. Fantasy managers that are stashing him right now can only hope he'll be just as effective once he returns from his elbow ailment.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zach Eflin threw six shutout innings and struck out six in the Rays 2-0 extra innings win over the New York Yankees on Saturday. Though Eflin only gave up three hits, Tampa Bay's offense didn't show up until extra innings and prevented Eflin from picking up a deserved win. The right-hander now has back-to-back starts without allowing an earned run. It's a good sign after having giving up five-plus runs in two of his first three starts of the season. The 30-year-old now has a 3.68 ERA to go along with a 1.06 WHIP. He'll get a tasty matchup in his next scheduled start on Friday against the Chicago White Sox and will hold value in all fantasy formats.

Cincinnati Reds infielder Jeimer Candelario (illness) is back in the starting lineup Saturday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels and left-hander Patrick Sandoval. The veteran has been out since being scratched from Tuesday's contest with an illness, but he appears to be feeling better and will man the hot corner and hit cleanup against the southpaw on Saturday. It's been a slow start to the season for the 30-year-old, who is hitting just .190 with a couple of homers and a .649 OPS across his first 64 trips to the plate after he set career-highs with 22 homers and eight stolen bases across 140 games between the Nationals and Cubs in the 2023 campaign.

Oakland A's left-hander Alex Wood will be in search of better results as he takes on the hosting Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. The club's Opening Day starter, Wood was tagged for six earned runs in that outing and has pitched to a 8.10 ERA through his first four starts of the season. He lasted just 4 1/3 frames his last time out, yielding four earned runs on seven hits, including a homer, with four walks and four strikeouts in a no-decision against the Washington Nationals. Wood has struggled with his control via an 11.8% BB% while his ground-ball rate has plummeted to just 32.7%. However, his results should improve once his bloated .442 BABIP normalizes.

Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that right-hander Taijuan Walker (shoulder) will make a third minor-league rehab start on Sunday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. If Walker comes out of that outing without any setbacks, he's expected to rejoin the Phillies' starting rotation after that to make his 2024 debut. The Phillies aren't going to rush the 31-year-old veteran back into the fold, especially with Spencer Turnbull pitching well right now as he fills in for Walker. Fantasy baseball managers looking for extra rotation depth in deeper mixed leagues may want to consider picking Walker up now and stashing him. Walker's 4.83 xFIP last year shows he was pretty lucky to come away with a 4.38 ERA in his 31 starts in 2023. He'll be a matchup-based streamer once he returns to the majors.