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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The Milwaukee Brewers acquired right-hander Mitch White from the San Francisco Giants on Friday in exchange for cash considerations and designated right-hander Corbin Martin for assignment in a corresponding move. White started the year with the Toronto Blue Jays and is now on his third organization in the first month and a half of the year. The 29-year-old will likely be a swingman for Milwaukee after recording a rough 7.63 ERA (5.71 FIP) and 1.76 WHIP with nine walks and seven strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings with the Blue Jays and Giants this year, all of which have come out of the bullpen. If the former second-round pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 out of Santa Clara makes any starts for the Brewers because of their banged-up rotation, White will merely be a shaky deep-league streaming option in fantasy.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Brendan Donovan and second baseman Nolan Gorman are both out of the lineup on Friday with the team facing Milwaukee Brewers rookie left-hander Robert Gasser, who is making his major-league debut. Rookie Michael Siani is starting in center field and is batting ninth, while Jose Fermin is at second base and hitting leadoff for the Cardinals on Friday night. Donovan has struggled so far this year, hitting .217 (31-for-143) with four homers and 19 RBI. Gorman has been even worse, slashing .172/.256/.319 with four home runs and 12 RBI in 116 at-bats. Fermin will be a deep DFS sleeper on Friday night out of the leadoff spot. The 25-year-old Dominican has three hits in only 11 at-bats in eight games this year after making his MLB debut in 2023.

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Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams (back) is scheduled to start playing catch within the next two weeks, according to manager Pat Murphy. Williams has a checkup with a doctor for his back injury in the coming days. The Brewers' bullpen took a big hit when it was announced that the 29-year-old All-Star closer wouldn't be ready to make his 2024 debut until around the All-Star break due to a serious back issue that has been bothering him for a while. The good news is that Williams appears to be making progress. Given how elite he's been as a closer when healthy, he should be stashed in an injured list spot in all fantasy formats. Joel Payamps and Abner Uribe have been called on in a few save situations, but as of right now, Trevor Megill is the favorite for saves in Milwaukee with Williams still out of the picture.

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The Milwaukee Brewers placed right-hander Joel Payamps on the bereavement list on Friday. In other moves, the Brewers selected left-hander Robert Gasser's contract from Triple-A Nashville, recalled right-hander Janson Junk from Nashville, optioned right-hander Tobias Myers to Nashville and moved right-hander J.B. Bukauskas (triceps) to the 60-day injured list. Payamps could be away from the team for as long as a week, but it's more likely that he's away for around two to three days. With Abner Uribe in the minors and Payamps away from the team, Trevor Megill is the clear favorite for saves in Milwaukee. That should be the case until regular closer Devin Williams (back) is ready to return around the All-Star break. Payamps currently has a 5.25 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP, a career-high four saves, three walks and nine strikeouts in 12 relief innings for the Brewers this year.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfield prospect Jackson Chourio remains out of the team's starting lineup on Friday as the club faces the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. It's the third straight game that the struggling 20-year-old has started on the bench for the Brew Crew since Christian Yelich returned from the injured list. Blake Perkins is starting in center field for Milwaukee and will hit seventh against Cardinals veteran right-hander Lance Lynn. Chourio is going to be back in the starting lineup at some point, but right now he's the odd man out after starting the year with a .205/.275/.387 slash line while adding four home runs, 13 RBI, six stolen bases and 14 runs scored in his first 33 games in the big leagues. Fantasy managers should keep Chourio on their benches until he gets going.

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Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Matt Brash (elbow) underwent successful Tommy John surgery this week. The right-hander had his UCL repaired and is expected to be sidelined until June of 2025. That timeline seems a bit optimistic, but it's possible he returns around then if he doesn't suffer any setbacks. The loss of Brash is a significant hit to the Mariners bullpen considering how well he has pitched in the past. His absence won't mean much for fantasy purposes with Andres Munoz locked into the closer role.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Colorado Rockies. The rookie outfielder will sit out for the third time this week against a left-handed starting pitcher. Ezequiel Duran will get the start in left field and bat seventh versus Austin Gomber. Carter has the potential to be a solid big league player, but his fantasy value is limited with him stuck in a platoon role.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki (oblique) has been activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Friday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He has been out since mid-April due to an oblique issue. Suzuki is not in the Cubs' lineup on Friday after appearing in two straight rehab games. This appears to be a travel day or rest day for Suzuki, so the expectation is that he'll play on Saturday. In the meantime, Mike Tauchman will cover right field and bat second versus right-hander Jared Jones on Friday.

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San Francisco Giants shortstop Nick Ahmed (wrist) has been placed on the 10-day injured list on Friday. This news comes after Ahmed was hit by a 108-mph line drive during Thursday's game. The team is calling it a left wrist sprain, so hopefully Ahmed won't miss significant time. Casey Schmitt has been recalled from Triple-A to take the spot on the active roster. Both Schmitt and Tyler Fitzgerald figure to see increased playing time with Ahmed sidelined.

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