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Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette may finally be showing signs of breaking out of his early season funk at the plate for the Blue Jays. In the team's 9-1 victory over the Tigers in Detroit on Thursday, he went 3-for-5 with three singles, an RBI and a run scored to raise his season average to .243 (43-for-177) with three home runs, 20 RBI, four stolen bases and 16 runs scored in 46 games played. He's now hitting .290 (20-for-69) with two homers, nine RBI and a stolen base in 18 games in the month of May. Since May 13, he's gone 14-for-34 (.412) with a homer, four doubles, seven RBI and a steal in 37 plate appearances. The 26-year-old two-time All-Star was dropped from the top of the batting order amid his struggles, but that could change if he continues to swing the bat well. His fantasy managers will be hoping he can keep it up to conclude the weekend series in Motown.

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With Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas' (knee) return on the horizon, both outfielder Victor Robles and first baseman/designated hitter Joey Meneses are in danger of losing their roster spot. Robles, 27, looked good in spring training, only to get hurt less than a week into the regular season. He hasn't played much since rejoining the team and has gone just 2-for-23 with five walks and nine strikeouts. Robles has been in a decline since 2019 and the Nats may finally give up on him and designated him for assignment (since he's out of minor-league options). The other option would be to send Meneses to the minors. Meneses did homer on Wednesday, but he's slashing just .234/.299/.299 while hitting in the heart of Washington's batting order.

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Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) is getting ready to return and could be reinstated from the injured list as early as Friday night's series opener against the visiting Seattle Mariners. The Nationals have managed just a .503 OPS in 22 games since Thomas sprained the MCL in his left knee a month ago, so they will certainly welcome his return. In the course of his career in D.C., Thomas has a .747 OPS. He spent the last three days on a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Harrisburg, where he went 2-for-9 with a double, walk, two strikeouts and a stolen base. Most importantly, he played a full nine innings on Thursday night. If Thomas doesn't return to the big-league lineup on Friday, it will likely come later this weekend or early next week. The 28-year-old will be an everyday hitter near the top of the lineup when he returns, and he shouldn't be floating around any waiver wires in fantasy.

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Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (oblique), who hasn't played since injuring his oblique on Opening Day, looks to be close to making a return to the big leagues. Murphy went 2-for-6 with the second home run on his minor-league rehab assignment, a double, two RBI, a run scored and two strikeouts for Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday while serving as the designated hitter. It's a great sign for the 29-year-old backstop, although Atlanta will probably want to see him catch a game in the minors before reinstating him from the injured list. Either way, fantasy managers should be happy to know that Murphy's return to the big leagues is right around the corner. He's a must-start in all fantasy leagues when he's healthy, but be aware that the Braves will likely ease him back into catching duties. Veteran Travis d'Arnaud is inevitably going to lose playing time when Murphy is back.

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Los Angeles Dodgers catching prospect Dalton Rushing ended his 13-game home run drought on Thursday with a three-run shot to power Double-A Tulsa to a victory. Rushing was swinging a hot bat through April with a strong .278/.394/.556 line with three long balls and a 9:14 BB:K ratio. However, entering Thursday, he has been in a bit of a slump with a .213/.362/.319 line through the start of May. Rushing is considered to be the number two prospect in the Los Angeles system, behind only Andy Pages, who is already in the major leagues. Rushing is expected to make his major league debut sometime in 2025 but could push for a late-season promotion to Triple-A. He remains a name to monitor in dynasty leagues as he could continue to develop into one of the game's top-catching prospects.

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Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad extended his impressive multi-hit hitting streak to three games on Thursday with a three-hit performance in addition to hitting his 13th home run of the season. Kjerstad has been outstanding with Triple-A Norfolk this season, riding an overall .347/.427/.754 line with 44 RBI. The 25-year-old earned a promotion to the major leagues on April 23 but did not receive consistent playing time and was eventually sent back down to the minor leagues to further his development on May 13. Since his return to Triple-A, Kjerstad has posted a .344/.415/.781 line with three home runs. The number four prospect in the Baltimore system is clearly ready for the major leagues but does not have a spot to fill in the Baltimore lineup. For now, he will continue to dominate Triple-A but could be the first name called if needed to replace an injured player making him a solid stash option in most leagues.

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Baltimore Orioles infield prospect Jackson Holliday entered Thursday with a poor .200/.398/.329 line through May. On Thursday, he launched his fifth home run of the season and might be settling back into Triple-A. Holliday was excellent through the opening month, with Triple-A Norfolk posting a .310/.473/.500 line, which earned him a promotion to the major leagues. However, in his ten major league games, the top prospect in baseball struggled and only tallied two hits through ten games, which resulted in his demotion. Since returning to Triple-A, the 20-year-old has yet to find any consistency but will look to build off the home run he hit on Friday. Holliday remains a must-stash player in standard leagues, as he should be back in Baltimore fairly soon and should be expected to make an immediate impact when he does return.

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Detroit Tigers starting pitcherJack Flaherty(1-4) picked up a quality start and the loss Thursday night, going 6 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in a 9-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Tigers starter cruised through six innings before being chased after allowing a two-run home run toDaulton Varsho. That was the deciding blow, as the Tigers couldn't muster up any run-support for Flaherty. Run support has been almost nonexistent for Flaherty in his starts,which is whyhe only has one victory on the season. He currently has a 3.84 ERA on the season and ranks seventh in the league in strikeouts. There's no doubt Flaherty has found a home in Detroit and should be in your fantasy lineup every week despite the lack of wins. He will look to pick up his second win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.

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Seattle Mariners starting pitcherLuis Castillo(4-6) picked up the loss Thursday, allowing two runs on seven hits with three walks and one hit-by-pitch in five innings in a 5-0 loss to the New York Yankees. Castillo's only mistakes were two solo shots byGiancarlo StantonandAaron Judge, and the two runs were the only ones the Yankees needed asLuis Gilout-dueled the veteran right-hander. Castillo has put up excellent numbers since being traded over from the Cincinnati Reds and continues to do so this year while headlining a stacked Seattle rotation. Overall, the 31-year-old owns a 3.31 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a 69:18 K: BB across 65 1/3 innings.After a rocky start to the season, allowing four runs in each of his first three starts, Castillo has not allowed more than two runs in eight straight starts. He will look to continue that streak against the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

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Toronto Blue Jays first basemanVladimir Guerrero Jr.smacked a two-run homer Thursday night, going 2-for-5 with an additional run scored in a 9-1 win against the Detroit Tigers. Despite the power outage, Guerrero Jr. has turned it around from a batting average perspective in May. The slugger has produced a .371 batting average in May after batting a horrific .219 in April. Overall, the 25-year-old has been disappointed in fantasy baseball and regular baseball as he's only on pace for 20 home runs, which would be his lowest total since clubbing 15 home runs during his rookie season. If it wasn't for his name and potential, you can argue that he would be on the waiver wire in most leagues after his abysmal April. Hopefully, the first baseman's hot hitting will start, leading to more balls going over the fence moving forward.

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Baltimore Orioles second basemanJorge Mateofilled the stat sheet Thursday night, going 1-for-2 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs scored while walking twice and swiping two bases in an 8-6 victory against the Chicago White Sox. The 28-year-old speedster has been inconsistent with the bat this season, batting .258 with only three home runs and nine RBI. He's picked it up in his last 10 games batting. 281 with one home run, five RBI, six runs scored, and four stolen bases. He remains at the bottom of the Orioles lineup with little chance of moving up soon. Mateo is only a deep-league add for fantasy managers desperately needing stolen bases.

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Baltimore Orioles starting pitcherGrayson Rodriguez(5-1) picked up a win against the Chicago White Sox Thursday night, going five innings with three hits allowed, seven strikeouts, and five walks in an 8-6 victory. The five walks were a season-high for the young rookie who struggled with his command early and often. He also added one hit-by-pitch to his stat line but still escaped with the win. The game ended on a crazy infield fly rule double play on interference from the runner on second base,Andrew Vaughn, who bumped intoGunnar Hendersonbefore he was able to get situated under the pop-up. It was by far one of the wildest endings to a game you'll ever see. Rodriguez has a great 3.20 ERA on the season, but since returning from the injured list, he has struggled with his command, allowing eight walks in 11 innings pitched. He will look to regain his command against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

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Pittsburgh Pirates outfielderBryan Reynoldssmacked his seventh home run Thursday afternoon while going 3-for-5 in a 7-6 loss to the San Francisco Giants. Bryan Reynolds has homered in back-to-back games while going 5-for-10 at the plate with five RBI. The 29-year-old switch hitter has been incredibly consistent over the last two seasons and is on pace to put up similar numbers again in 2024. In 2022, Reynolds hit 27 home runs with a .262/.345/.461 slash line. In 2023, he hit 24 home runs with a .263/.330/.460 slash line. Those numbers are interesting because, towards the end of May, Reynolds is on pace for about 25 home runs with a .260/.341/.431 slash line. Mr. Consistency isn't the sexiest fantasy player in the game. Still, managers can always feel good about inserting him into their lineups because he can produce a little bit of everything.

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Blue Jays' SP Kevin Gausman recorded 10 strikeouts in 6 innings getting the win in a 9-1 win over Detroit on Thursday, May. 23.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler delivered another strong performance in Thursday's victory over the visiting Texas Rangers, striking out five batters and allowing just two runs on five hits and two walks over seven innings for his sixth win of the campaign. Wheeler has been a quality-start machine in 2024, with Thursday's showing already being his eighth out of 11 appearances this year. The early favorite to bring home his first National League Cy Young Award, the 33-year-old All-Star right-hander owns an outstanding 2.53 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 76:21 K:BB over 67 2/3 frames as Philly's ace this season. Wheeler's next act is slated to arrive during Tuesday's scheduled start against the San Francisco Giants at the pitcher-friendly Oracle Park, where he'll once again be one of the top fantasy plays on the slate.

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Chicago White Sox manager Chris Getz said during Thursday's game against the visiting Baltimore Orioles that designated hitter Eloy Jimenez (hamstring) is expected to miss "a month or so." It specifies Jimenez's return timetable after manager Pedro Grifol stated earlier on Thursday that an extended absence was in store for the outfielder as he recovers from a strained left hamstring, which he sustained in Monday's contest against the Toronto Blue Jays. The oft-injured 27-year-old slugger may have stolen a career-high three bases across 36 games as Chicago's everyday DH before going down, but he was slashing a career-worst .231/.288/.381 with five home runs, five doubles, and 12 RBI through 134 at-bats. Jimenez isn't the strongest stash in most fantasy leagues.

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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman shined in Thursday's victory on the road over the Detroit Tigers, fanning a season-high 10 batters while throwing six innings of one-run ball on three hits and two walks for his third win of the campaign. It was almost certainly Gausman's finest effort of the season, as it was his first double-digit strikeout performance this year. The 33-year-old strikeout machine missed some time during spring training due to injury, and while he has work to do to improve on his lackluster 4.47 ERA and 1.43 WHIP through 10 starts, Gausman's superb 53:13 K:BB is a reason for optimism. Tuesday's matchup against the last-place Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field marks Gausman's next projected start, a prime opportunity for Toronto's ace to right the ship further.

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San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin says it's unlikely that outfielder Michael Conforto (hamstring) will be activated from the 10-day injured list in time for the club's series that starts on Friday against the New York Mets. After hitting the IL back on May 12, Conforto has ramped up his running progression but likely hasn't progressed quickly enough in his rehab from a strained right hamstring to return to the Giants when first eligible this weekend. The 31-year-old former New York Met was slashing a respectable .280/.331/.490 with seven home runs, seven doubles, and 20 RBI in 38 games (143 at-bats) as San Fran's everyday left fielder before getting hurt, and he's a decent stash in the majority of fantasy leagues. In Conforto's absence, former first-rounder Heliot Ramos is worth a look in NL-only formats while hitting .296 (16-for-54) with two homers, nine RBI, and one stolen base over 14 outings this year.

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Washington Nationals outfield prospect James Wood (lower body) left Thursday's Triple-A Rochester game due to lower-body soreness. There was some hope amongst fantasy managers that Wood's exit in the fifth inning was call-up related, but the outfielder's departure unfortunately came due to an injury. Not much else is known about the setback at the moment, and more information should become available sometime following Thursday's contest. It sounds like an issue that leaves Wood day-to-day, though. The speedy 21-year-old slugger is Washington's No. 1 prospect and the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball for 2024, per MLB Pipeline, and he's tearing up the minor-league competition while slashing .355/.465/.596 with nine home runs, 13 doubles, 31 RBI, and 10 stolen bases through 202 plate appearances (45 games) this season.

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The Texas Rangers transferred starting pitcher Cody Bradford (back/rib) to the 60-day injured list on Thursday. Not much of a surprise here, as Bradford said on Sunday that he was shut down from throwing again because he wasn't recovering quickly enough between sessions. The 26-year-old upstart left-hander had gone 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA and 0.62 WHIP while striking out 17 and walking just two over three starts (19 1/3 innings) out of Texas' rotation before going down, ranking among the American League's leaders in wins, opponent average, and ERA at the time of his injury, but he's becoming a tougher stash in fantasy without a clear timeline for a return. With six starters now sitting on the shelf, the Rangers will have to dig into their bullpen as well as their farm system for pitching help until they get healthier.

From RotoBaller