The Houston Astros activated infielder Grae Kessinger (shoulder) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and optioned infielder Jacob Amaya to Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move. Kessinger spent the minimum time on the injured list with right-shoulder discomfort and will now return to the Astros as infield depth. The 26-year-old played in only seven games (one start) with Houston this year before getting hurt, going hitless in 10 plate appearances with no walks and four strikeouts. The former second-rounder in 2019 out of Mississippi played in his first 26 big-league games in 2023 and hit .200/.289/.325 with a homer and an RBI before joining the 'Stros in the postseason as a bench player. Kessinger shouldn't be rostered outside of very deep AL-only and dynasty/keeper leagues.

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New York Mets left-hander Brooks Raley (elbow) is "not close" to throwing, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. Raley is going to see another doctor this week in hopes that he can be cleared to throw. It's obviously bad news for a pitcher that was originally placed on the 15-day injured list on April 21, especially since he was expected to return from the IL when he was first eligible. The 35-year-old southpaw reliever probably won't return until at least June now, depending on how things go when he's cleared to resume throwing. The former sixth-round selection of the Chicago Cubs in 2009 out of Texas A&M was a key weapon out of the Mets' bullpen in 2023 with three saves, a 2.80 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 61 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Raley hadn't allowed a run in seven innings with nine K's in eight appearances this year before getting hurt.

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Baltimore Orioles infield prospect Connor Norby (wrist) was pulled from Friday's game at Triple-A Norfolk early as a precaution with a left-wrist injury. Norby, the team's No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline, will probably undergo testing on his wrist, but as of right now, he should be considered day-to-day down on the farm. The 23-year-old entered Friday's contest with Norfolk hitting .275/.361/.497 with an .857 OPS, eight home runs, nine doubles, 26 RBI, four stolen bases and 29 runs scored in his first 172 plate appearances and 35 games. Norby is an average defender at both second base and left field and may find it hard to carve out regular playing time with Baltimore if he's called up to the majors at some point in 2024. For now, Norby is just a stash candidate in dynasty/keeper leagues.

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Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said that left-hander Bailey Falter will start on Sunday at home against the visiting division-rival Chicago Cubs. Shelton added that the team will decide on what they will do with their starting rotation moving forward after the weekend series against Chicago. Now that top prospect Paul Skenes has entered the rotation and is set to make his major-league debut on Saturday, Falter may need to pitch well in the series finale in order to convince the coaching staff to keep him around. The 27-year-old southpaw has so far gone 2-2 with a 4.34 ERA (4.93 FIP) and 1.02 WHIP with nine walks and 26 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings over seven starts in 2024. It will likely be either Falter or Quinn Priester who get bumped from the rotation now that Skenes is here.

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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi had a very strong outing on Friday night but picked up the loss as the Blue Jays fell to the Minnesota Twins 3-2. Kikuchi threw eight innings and gave up just two earned runs while striking out three. Kikuchi has been the Blue Jays' best pitcher this season, now having a 2.64 ERA. Kikuchi has shown significant improvement year-over-year by slightly reducing his BB% and has greatly reduced his HR/9 rate also. Fantasy managers should snag Kikuchi off the waiver wire if available. The lefty will look to continue his dominant season next Wednesday in a tough matchup against the Baltimore Orioles.

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New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (foot) started hitting in the batting cages last Saturday and started taking ground balls in the infield on Tuesday. He took batting practice on the field at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. There isn't yet a timetable for LeMahieu's return from the injured list, but he will travel with the Yankees on their upcoming road trip to play the Rays from Friday through Sunday so that he can take live at-bats and do infield work at the team's minor-league complex. After that, LeMahieu could start a minor-league rehab assignment, according to manager Aaron Boone. The 35-year-old hasn't played in a big-league game after suffering a non-displaced fracture of his right foot on March 16 in spring training. He was shut down after starting a rehab assignment in late April due to more soreness in his foot. When LeMahieu returns, he should be the regular third baseman in the Bronx.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt held the Rays scoreless while striking out six in the Yankees 2-0 victory over Tampa Bay on Friday night. Schmidt threw six and two-thirds innings and gave up five hits, all singles, en route to picking up his fourth win of the season. The 28-year-old reduced his ERA to 2.95, the lowest ERA he's posted in any season. Fantasy managers looking for additional pitching depth should look to snag Schmidt if available as he'd make a great bench and streaming option. The right-hander will look to continue his hot run in his next scheduled start on Thursday against the red-hot Minnesota Twins.

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan posted up a strong outing on Friday, striking out seven and giving up just one earned run while picking up the win in the Twins 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Ryan's only blemish was giving up a solo home run to Isiah Kiner-Falefa but gave up no other extra-base hits after that. The win moves Ryan's record on the year to 2-2 and reduced his ERA to 3.21. The Twins' right-hander will get his next shot to continue his dominant ways against the New York Yankees on Thursday.

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New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo had two hits, one a solo shot, and drove in the Yankees only other run in New York's 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night. Rizzo now has a hit in six of his last seven games and increased his OPS to .772 on the season. The lefty has been on a tear over the last two weeks, hitting for a .296 BA and a .926 OPS. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on Rizzo if he's available on the waiver wire and snag him up if possible. DFS managers should continue to target Rizzo against righties as he's hitting them for an .878 OPS. Rizzo will look to continue his hot streak on Saturday against Rays right-hander Zach Littell.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez notched four strikeouts in seven innings and picked up the win in Houston's 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday night. Valdez has now picked up two wins in three starts since coming back from elbow inflammation in his left elbow. The lefty needed to come back strong after a disappointing outing vs Seattle, where he gave up five earned runs, and he did so in a big way by helping the Astros win back-to-back games. Valdez will make his next scheduled start on Wednesday against the Oakland A's as he will look to improve to 3-1 on the season.

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Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker went 1-3 with two walks and a solo home run in the Astros' 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers. The solo shot marks his 12th HR of the season and his fourth in his last five games. The lefty has now raised his OPS to .965 on the season, leading the Astros as they work to make their way out of the cellar of the AL West. Tucker will have a tough matchup on Saturday night against Tigers ace and early AL Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal.

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Chicago Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks (back) threw another bullpen session in Pittsburgh on Friday, and manager Craig Counsell confirmed that he will make another minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Iowa on Sunday. In his first rehab start with Iowa on Tuesday, Hendricks gave up one earned run while walking three and striking out six in 4 1/3 innings. If the 34-year-old veteran looks good again on Sunday for Iowa, there's a good chance his next outing will be back in the big leagues with the Cubbies. Chicago could need Hendricks back in their starting rotation by then if Jameson Taillon (back) needs another stint on the injured list. Before being sidelined, Hendricks was getting lit up to the tune of a 12.00 ERA and 2.09 WHIP with just 16 strikeouts in 21 innings over five starts. It's no wonder the Cubs aren't rushing him back.

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Baltimore Orioles third base prospect Coby Mayo went 3-5 at the plate on Friday afternoon and launched his twelfth home run of the campaign. Overall on the season, Mayo has posted an impressive .295/.366/.609 line with 36 RBI and three stolen bases. Mayo has been one of the best power hitters in the minor leagues this season and is on the verge of being promoted to the major league roster. However, he does hold an ugly 16:49 BB:K ratio which could be a reason why Baltimore is hesitant to promote him. Nonetheless, Mayo should be stashed in all standard leagues, as he has the potential to be an impactful fantasy contributor as soon as he receives the call.

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Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon (back) experienced back stiffness while throwing on Tuesday and was shut down/pushed back from his scheduled start on Friday in Pittsburgh for the series opener against the Pirates. Manager Craig Counsell said it's not as bad as Taillon's spring training back issue, but it's something to watch. There's a chance that Taillon could start on Sunday in Pittsburgh, but the Cubs aren't making anything official and will see how he feels on Saturday. If the 32-year-old veteran doesn't feel good enough to start on Sunday, there's a chance the Cubs will play it safe and send him to the injured list for the second time this year. It's bad timing after being scratched from a good matchup against the Bucs, as Taillon is currently 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 0.87 WHIP with 16 strikeouts in 24 innings over his first four starts of the year.

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San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow) was able to play catch at Petco Park on Friday after having some imaging done on his right elbow. Everything came out looking good on his tests, and he's still expecting a minimum stay on the 15-day injured list. It's the first time that Musgrove has played catch since landing on the injured list last Sunday with right-elbow inflammation. If he doesn't have any setback, the 31-year-old veteran could return to the Padres' starting rotation next Friday. Fantasy managers probably will want to avoid throwing him right back into their starting lineups when he returns. After finishing last year on the sidelines due to an injury, Musgrove has gone 3-3 with a bloated 6.37 ERA and 1.51 WHIP with a league-high 10 home runs allowed, 13 walks and 36 strikeouts in 41 innings over eight starts.

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Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed reliever Evan Phillips (hamstring) played catch on Friday and continues to progress from his Grade 1 right-hamstring strain. Phillips has been on the 15-day injured list for only five days and should be ready to return when he's eligible on May 19 since he's not dealing with any kind of injury to his arm. As the closer out of the Dodgers' bullpen when healthy, the 29-year-old needs to be rostered in all fantasy formats despite missing some time with a hamstring injury. Before going on the shelf, Phillips was sporting a fantastic 0.66 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, eight saves, four walks and 17 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings in 2024. Since Phillips has been injured, both lefty Alex Vesia and veteran righty Daniel Hudson have picked up saves. Hudson is the better bet for more saves until Phillips is eligible to return.

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Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that right-hander Pete Fairbanks (arm) is back from his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham and is likely to be activated from the injured list this weekend. Fairbanks pitched a scoreless inning with Durham on Thursday and has apparently recovered from a nerve issue in his right arm. The 30-year-old former ninth-round pick of the Texas Rangers in 2015 out of Missouri was likely being affected by his right-arm injury early on this year when he posted a bloated 9.00 ERA and 2.29 WHIP with 10 strikeouts in seven innings before landing on the injured list. Fairbanks also had three saves and should return to being Tampa's primary closer once he is reinstated from the IL. If Fairbanks was dropped in your league and he's still available, pick him up immediately.

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Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco is getting a breather on Friday in the series opener against the visiting Oakland Athletics. Josh Rojas will get the start at the keystone for the M's as a result and will hit leadoff against A's right-hander Paul Blackburn. Luis Urias is at third base and is batting ninth for the M's. Polanco is in need of a little break after recording only two hits in 18 at-bats with seven strikeouts in the recent four-game series this week against his former team, the Minnesota Twins. The 30-year-old Dominican switch-hitter's poor recent stretch has dropped his season slash line to a weak .182/.291/.299 with five home runs, 13 RBI and 14 runs scored in 137 at-bats. Rojas continues to get more playing time around the diamond for Seattle after his .348/.417/.533 start at the plate in 2024.

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St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (back) played catch off the mound at Busch Stadium on Friday, according to manager Oliver Marmol. Matz will throw at a much higher intensity on Monday. Matz is dealing with a protruding disc in his lower back and was placed on the 15-day injured list a week ago with a lower-back strain. Given the severity of the 32-year-old veteran southpaw's injury, fantasy managers in deeper leagues shouldn't be expecting Matz to return when he's eligible to come off the IL. In addition to Matz's pretty serious injury, he wasn't good in his six starts before getting hurt, going 1-2 with a 6.18 ERA and 1.73 WHIP with only 17 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings. Matz probably isn't worth holding onto in shallow-mixed fantasy leagues at this point.

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St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Keynan Middleton (forearm) threw off a mound again on Friday at Busch Stadium and will start a minor-league rehab assignment next week, according to manager Oliver Marmol. Middleton will report to either Double-A Springfield or Triple-A Memphis. The 30-year-old reliever is getting close to being able to make his 2024 debut with the Cardinals, and he should return to a key late-inning, high-leverage setup role in front of closer Ryan Helsley. Middleton is eligible to come off the 15-day injured list on May 17, a week from Friday. At the very least, Middleton could be worth a waiver-wire pickup in deep holds leagues after he posted a 3.38 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, two saves and a career-high 64 strikeouts in 50 2/3 relief innings in 2023 with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees.

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