Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele (hamstring) threw 47 pitches in 2 1/3 innings in an extended spring game on Friday in Arizona. Steele will continue his rehab program there for now, but pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said on Thursday that the hurler should be able to start shifting into a five-day routine following his recent period of building up his workload. The 28-year-old star left-hander is recuperating from a strained left hamstring, and while it's unclear how long his rehab stint will last, Steele might be able to get back into Chicago's rotation in early May if all continues to go well in his recovery. Rookie right-hander Ben Brown has shown some promise with a 3.72 ERA (2.88 FIP), 1.03 WHIP, and 18:6 K:BB over 19 1/3 innings (six appearances) for the Cubs, and he'll be a decent streaming option for fantasy managers in Saturday's scheduled start against the Boston Red Sox.

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald (oblique) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday, and the team will likely have him appear in another rehab game if all goes well there. There was some optimism that Sewald's next appearance would come for the major-league club, but it sounds like fantasy managers will have to wait a few more days before the hurler is reinstated from the 15-day injured list due to a strained left oblique. Look for the 33-year-old right-hander to re-enter Arizona's bullpen and reclaim his closing gig sometime during Week 5 of fantasy baseball, which begins on Monday with a three-game series versus the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Righty Kevin Ginkel owns a solid 3.48 ERA (2.85 FIP), 1.16 WHIP, and 11:2 K:BB with four saves through 10 1/3 innings, but fantasy managers should be trying to make other arrangements for saves before he reverts to a setup role upon Sewald's return.

Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel (illness) remains under the weather on Friday against the Miami Marlins and is not in the starting lineup. Rookie Trey Lipscomb will get the nod at the hot corner and will hit out of the eight-hole against Marlins right-hander Anthony Maldonado, who will be making his major-league debut. Senzel was scratched from Thursday's lineup, so this will be his second straight missed game. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues will want to check back on Saturday to see if Senzel is feeling well enough to play. The 28-year-old opened the year on the injured list and has only five hits (two home runs) in his first 25 at-bats with the Nationals. Lipscomb has gone 11-for-53 (.208) with a homer, four RBI and four steals in his first 16 big-league games this year.

Seattle Mariners first baseman Ty France went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Thursday's victory against the division rival Texas Rangers. The round tripper would be the first of the season for France, who is coming off a disappointing 2023 season. France has been hitting the ball well with a .266 batting average, but he has not done much to help fantasy managers with just six RBI. He has been hitting the ball very hard this year, so more power can come along, but for now he remains a better player for the Mariners than fantasy. He is worth keeping an eye on to see if contact will turn into power, but is more of a watch-list candidate in most formats at this time.

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Justin Lawrence threw a perfect ninth inning in a 10-9 victory over the San Diego Padres, picking up his second save in the process. Lawrence struck out one and didn't allow a baserunner in his inning of work. Although he hasn't been good this year, as evidenced by his 5.59 ERA and 1.55 WHIP, Lawrence still might be the best Colorado has in its bullpen. He has the team's last two saves and is likely to remain in that role. He doesn't need to be owned in standard leagues, but deeper league managers who play in saves-only formats might want to give Lawrence a look.

The Seattle Mariners transferred right-hander Gregory Santos (lat) to the 60-day injured list on Thursday to open up a roster spot for infielder Leo Rivas, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Tacoma. The 24-year-old Santos has yet to make his debut with the Mariners due to a right-lat strain, although he has started a throwing program. Now that he's officially on the 60-day IL, he won't be able to return to the Mariners bullpen until at least late May. When he's healthy, Santos will be an option as a high-leverage reliever late in games as a bridge to Andres Munoz and Ryne Stanek, and he could even enter the picture for saves. The Dominican reliever had a career-best 3.39 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, his first five career saves, 17 walks and a career-high 66 K's in 66 1/3 relief innings in 2023 with the White Sox.

The Texas Rangers activated right-hander Josh Sborz (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list on Thursday and optioned right-hander Grant Anderson from Triple-A Round Rock in a corresponding move. Sborz is returning from a right rotator-cuff strain after making one minor-league rehab appearance for Double-A Frisco on Tuesday. The 30-year-old reliever had 2 2/3 scoreless innings for Texas with no walks and three strikeouts earlier this month before going on the shelf with his right-shoulder injury. Now that he's back, Sborz will return to a high-leverage relief role late in games as a setup man alongside David Robertson and Jose Leclerc ahead of closer Kirby Yates. In 44 relief outings for Texas in the regular season in 2023, Sborz had a 5.50 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 17 walks and 66 K's in 52 1/3 innings.

Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel (illness) has been scratched from Thursday's starting lineup against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers with a stomach illness. With Senzel not feeling well, Ildemaro Vargas will enter the lineup at third base and will bat eighth against Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Senzel is hitting just .200 (5-for-25) in just eight games after beginning the year on the injured list, but he's heating up with two home runs in his last four games. Vargas, a 32-year-old switch-hitting infielder, has gone 11-for-37 (.297) this year in 13 games, but he's yet to go deep and will offer DFS managers very little upside as more of a defensive asset for the Nationals on the infield. He's added four RBI and one stolen base in his 44 plate appearances so far in 2024.

The Washington Nationals reinstated catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and optioned catcher Drew Millas to Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move, according to president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo. The 25-year-old Ruiz will return to the Nats after missing 11 games with influenza and he'll be back behind the dish while hitting fifth against Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ruiz appeared in two minor-league rehab games with Double-A Harrisburg this week. Before going on the injured list, he was hitting just .194 with a home run and three RBI in eight games. Ruiz will return as Washington's primary catcher, but fantasy managers may want to keep him benched until he can get going.

Tampa Bay Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger picked up his second save in four days in Wednesday's 7-5 victory over the Tigers. With closer Pete Fairbanks on the IL, Cleavinger has been used to close out games and has been successful so far in doing so. It was thought that this would be a closer-by-committee situation, but Jason Adam was used in the seventh and eighth innings in Wednesday's game, while Colin Poche blew a save opportunity on Tuesday, so Cleavinger might be the front runner for save opportunities at this point. These two saves were Cleavinger's first two of his career, so he has no prior experience in the role, but has a solid 2.53 ERA so far on the season and has struck out 14 batters in 10 2/3 IP. The command could use some work, as he's walked nine batters thus far including one in the ninth inning on Wednesday, but so far it hasn't been a real problem for him. The 30-year-old could get a handful more save opportunities with Fairbanks on the shelf, and could be picked up in most leagues for managers in need of saves.

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) is dealing with a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee after getting hurt in Tuesday night's loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. "It could've been a lot worse," Martinez said. Thomas was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday and is likely to miss more than the required 10 games, but fantasy managers should keep him stashed in an IL spot for the time being after he had 28 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a breakout season in 2023. Martinez said the plan for now is to play Joey Gallo in right field, with infield prospect Trey Lipscomb playing multiple positions but probably a decent amount at first base. Thomas is hitting just .184 (16-for-87) in the first month of the season, but he's helped his fantasy managers with 11 stolen bases, which ranks third in MLB.

The Washington Nationals officially placed outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with a left-MCL sprain and recalled infielder Trey Lipscomb from Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move, according to president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo. The 28-year-old Thomas hit just .184 with two home runs, 10 RBI, eight walks, 11 stolen bases and six runs scored in 22 games before injuring his knee on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. While he hasn't hit well in the early going, he ranks third in the league with his 11 thefts. If the Nats move Nick Senzel to the outfield, Lipscomb should see regular starts again at the hot corner in D.C. Thomas is probably going to miss more than 10 days, but he deserves to be stashed in all fantasy leagues after clubbing 28 home runs and stealing 20 bases in 2023.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (knee), who is undergoing an MRI exam on his left knee on Wednesday, is considered very likely to land on the injured list, according to sources. As a result, rookie infielder Trey Lipscomb is in Washington on Wednesday in case the team puts Thomas on the IL. Lipscomb hit .224 in 14 games after his first big-league call-up but was optioned back to the minors on April 15 when Nick Senzel returned from his injury. Thomas was injured in Tuesday's loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers while stealing second base in the fifth inning and may have to miss at least 10 days as a result. We should know more about how long he'll be out once the results of his MRI are released. In addition to his injury, Thomas has gone just 16-for-87 (.184) at the plate this year with two home runs, but he also has 11 stolen bases for fantasy managers.

Arizona Cardinals closer Paul Sewald (oblique) is back in Arizona working with the medical team to determine whether he will need another minor-league rehab assignment or if he's ready to rejoin the D-backs. Manager Torey Lovullo said Sewald is "getting extremely close" to returning from the 15-day injured list. The 33-year-old made his first rehab appearance on Tuesday with Triple-A Reno and gave up an unearned run on two hits while walking one and striking out two, and that may be all he needs before returning to Arizona's bullpen. He has yet to pitch in the big leagues in 2024 due to a strained left oblique, but when he's back, he will operate as the team's full-time closer. Make sure he's not available for some reason on the waiver wire in your fantasy league.

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Justin Lawrence secured his first save of the season in Tuesday's victory against the San Diego Padres. Lawrence allowed a hit in the frame, but no runs, walks or strikeouts. Lawrence has struggled with a 6.23 ERA on the season, but could be the top option for a Rockies team that is unlikely to see many save opportunities this season. Between his struggles, team and home ballpark, Lawrence can be ignored in most formats at the moment.

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman/outfielder Pavin Smith started as the designated hitter on Tuesday versus the St. Louis Cardinals and had himself a big game. Smith went 2-for-5 with two runs, a home run and six RBI. His home run was a grand slam against Zack Thompson in the top of the sixth inning. Smith was recalled on April 19 and was 0-for-5 entering Tuesday's contest. Smith has shown power in the past, but that is about it and without regular playing time, he can remain on the waiver wire.

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.

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Justin Lawrence picked up his first save of the season in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Padres. Lawrence came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by three. He got the first two outs on a lineout and groundout, allowed a single, and ended the game on a flyout. Lawrence has pitched poorly overall this season with a 6.23 ERA and a 4.15 K/9 in nine appearances. The Rockies may not see many save opportunities this season, as this was just their fourth. However, Jake Bird has seen two of them and has pitched better than Lawrence, so he may be the best fantasy option right now in deeper roto leagues.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jon Gray made a surprise relief appearance in Saturday's loss to the Atlanta Braves, but he's scheduled to take the ball as a starter for Wednesday's game at home versus the division-rival Seattle Mariners. After yielding five runs in his first start of the 2024 regular season, Gray is getting on a roll in April with a 1.10 ERA (2.47 FIP) and 23:7 K:BB over his last 16 1/3 innings (four appearances). The 32-year-old veteran right-hander dominated Seattle a season ago, logging a pristine 0.64 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, and 13:1 K:BB across 14 frames (two starts) against the division foes in 2023. The current M's roster is batting a paltry .159 (14-for-88) against Gray, who looks like a solid streaming option and a worthy pickup during Tuesday night's waiver runs in fantasy ahead of Wednesday's full slate.

Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (leg) exited Tuesday's game versus the Los Angeles Dodgers with an apparent left leg injury. Thomas appeared to twist his left leg on a slide while attempting a stolen base in the fifth inning and was able to stay in the game temporarily, but he was later replaced by Eddie Rosario in right field in the seventh. Considering Thomas was able keep playing for a bit, there's optimism that he's only dealing with a minor injury. Expect the Nats to offer some clarity on his status following the contest, and Thomas should be deemed day-to-day ahead of the second game of the series with LA on Wednesday. The 28-year-old right fielder is batting a mere .184 (16-for-87) with two home runs and 10 RBI in 22 games this season, but his 11 swipes are softening the blow. It wouldn't hurt fantasy managers in deep leagues to make a speculative add on No. 2 prospect James Wood until Thomas is fully healthy.