Kansas City Royals catcher/outfielder MJ Melendez went 1-for-3 with a walk and solo home run in Thursday's loss against the division rival Minnesota Twins. Melendez crushed a first-pitch fastball 416 feet off Caleb Thielber in the top of the fourth inning to extend the Royals lead to 4-0 at the time, but it would not be enough. With his homer, Melendez picked up his first RBI on the road in 2024. The 25-year-old entered the season with high hopes, but has struggling through the first third of the season with a .176 batting average to go along with five home runs, 13 RBI and two stolen bases. Having catcher eligibility on most platforms helps Melendez, but his overall struggles make him replaceable for a hot bat on the waiver wire this far into the season.

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Washington Nationals starting pitcher Josiah Gray (elbow/forearm) threw a live bullpen session on Thursday. The 2023 All-Star threw 76 pitches in his session and is another step closer to returning to the big-league club. Gray got lit up in his first two starts of the season before being placed on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow/forearm flexor strain. Manager Dave Martinez spoke on Wednesday and would like to see Gray have one more bullpen session in the next five days before the club determines the next move. Gray still has some work to be done, but could be a valuable end of the rotation arm in deeper leagues when healthy.

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New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge continued his hot month of May on Thursday versus the Los Angeles Angels. The slugger went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer in the team's victory and has now hit 12 homers in May. Judge got off to a sluggish start in April, but May has been a complete 180 for the former MVP. Judge is now hitting .273 with 18 homers, 41 RBI and a pair of stolen bases on the season. His month of May will be hard to replicate, but Judge remains one of the best power hitters in the game and being part of a potent offense like the Yankees will continue to help him score and drive in many more runs as the season continues. Judge will look to keep it going as his month wraps up with a matchup versus fireballer Jordan Hicks on the road in San Francisco.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Alexander Canario launched two home runs on Thursday evening, a feat he has accomplished twice this week. The 24-year-old has been swinging a hot bat lately with Triple-A and is nearing a return to the major leagues. Since May 18, the young outfielder has posted a .326/404/.826 line with six home runs, 13 RBI, one stolen base, and a 6:12 BB:K ratio. Canario has gotten a small taste of the majors earlier this spring and last season and held an overall .282/.333/.538 line with two home runs. While he should be back in Chicago later this summer, the Cubs have a surplus of outfielders, which could limit his playing time once again. For now, Canario should be left on waiver wires but could be worth stashing if he is eventually given a full-time role.

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Kansas City Royals catching prospect Blake Mitchell went 3-5 at the plate with two home runs and three RBI on Thursday evening. Through his first 41 games at Single-A this season, the top prospect in Kansas City posted a .260/.395/.493 line with eight long balls, 24 RBI, and ten swiped bags. The former eighth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft logged just 13 games in the Rookie League last season and struggled with a .147 AVG. Mitchell is ranked as the number 71 overall prospect in baseball on MLB Pipeline and is projected to reach the majors in 2027. The 19-year-old should develop into one of the game's top prospects but should be left on your waiver wire in dynasty leagues for a few seasons.

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New York Mets reliever Reed Garrett collected his third save of the season on Thursday, tossing a clean ninth inning in a 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Garrett allowed a walk but got through the inning fairly easily otherwise. With Edwin Diaz being placed on the IL and struggling mightily before that, Garrett should be in line for save opportunities for at least a little while. Unfortunately, Garrett has had his own performance issues recently, allowing seven runs (six earned) in his last 2 IP before tonight. That said, it is a good sign that the team is still confident enough in the 31-year-old breakout to give him the opportunity to save this one. He is still a solid add in any leagues where saves matter in the hopes he can bounce back to his early-season self.

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Washington Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan collected his 15th save of the season on Thursday, slamming the door on the Atlanta Braves to secure a 3-1 win. Finnegan allowed just a walk and struck out one in his inning of work. The 32-year-old has been excellent as the Nats closer this year, going 15-for-17 in save opportunities while pitching to a 1.64 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. He is now fifth in the majors in saves and should remain a solid relief pitcher option in fantasy leagues.

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Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman went 2-for-4 with a home run, a triple, two runs, and two RBI on Thursday, driving the Astros to a 4-0 win over the Seattle Mariners. It was another positive step for Bregman, who has slowly been rounding into form in May. He now has 12 runs, five homers, and 15 RBI on the month, a big step up from his April numbers. The 30-year-old vet is normally a solid source of power and counting stats while providing a decent average, and he appears to be heading for that kind of outcome again. The buy-low window is closing quickly on Bregman, but it's still worth a shot as his overall numbers still aren't good.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon had a nice outing on Thursday, throwing six innings of three-run ball against the Los Angeles Angels. Rodon allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out five. Although it's a solid line, the lefty's night could've been much better. He had allowed just one run heading into the seventh, where he allowed two hits and a walk before coming out of the game. Two more runs would then come in to score, making Rodon's line look worse than his performance showed. Still, Rodon has now posted five quality starts in a row and is 7-2 on the season, so fantasy managers should be quite happy with the results.

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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty tossed 6 masterful innings against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, earning the win in a 5-0 victory. Flaherty allowed no runs on just one hit and one walk while striking out. The 28-year-old is in the midst of a career renaissance that has him looking like his 2019 self. While he holds a good but not great 3.46 ERA, it comes with a 1.00 WHIP and 90 strikeouts in 67 IP, putting him near the top of the leaderboards in those categories. He is still not owned in all leagues, which needs to be corrected. If he can keep pitching like he has been, the sky is the limit for Flaherty.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta got back on track Thursday, tossing 5 solid frames against the Detroit Tigers in a 5-0 loss. Pivetta allowed just two runs on three hits and two walks and managed to strike out nine. Although he took the loss, it was a step in the right direction for the 31-year-old after a rough start last time out. He still holds a decent 4.08 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 42 strikeouts over 35 IP on the season and should be rostered in most leagues. He may have been dropped in shallower formats after his last start, so scan your waiver wire if you play in one of those leagues.

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Both Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora and outfielder Tyler O'Neill (knee) are optimistic that his stint on the injured list will be on the shorter end. O'Neill is nursing inflammation in his right knee after an MRI on Wednesday showed no structural damage, and he's eligible to return from the 10-day IL as soon as Wednesday's game against the visiting Atlanta Braves. The speedy 28-year-old slugger was hitless in his last 15 at-bats before hitting the shelf, and nine of his 11 home runs on the campaign for the Red Sox came back in April. O'Neill is also hitting a mere .159 (13-for-82) with two homers, six RBI, and 10 runs scored over his last 22 games, but he's still a fine stash in fantasy for his upside in the power department and everyday role in Boston's outfield when healthy.

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New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor went 4-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lindor was seeing the ball well today, which he seems to be doing more and more of lately. He is now riding a nine game hit streak and has improved his average from .193 to .225 in the process. Although it hasn't been an ideal start to his season, Lindor still has nine homers and seven steals, so at least he has been providing something for fantasy managers. Expect his numbers to continue improving as he regresses over the summer.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti gave the team's injury-plagued rotation a lift in Thursday's start against the division-rival Seattle Mariners, throwing six scoreless innings on two hits and three walks with eight strikeouts for his third win of the season. It was easily Arrighetti's best start in the major leagues thus far, achieving a career-high figure in punchouts. Even so, the 24-year-old rookie right-hander still carries a weak 5.98 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and 51:23 K;BB through 43 2/3 frames (nine starts) for the Astros this season. Arrighetti is slated to toe the rubber next on Tuesday in a favorable matchup at home against the St. Louis Cardinals, so his strikeout upside will make him a reasonable streaming option in fantasy on the heels of his most encouraging MLB performance.

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Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (elbow) made his first minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Columbus on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits (one home run) and two walks with two strikeouts over 1 1/3 innings of work. Williams' velocity was fine, but another big takeaway from Thursday's outing is that he was only able to reach 32 pitches. That likely means Williams is going to require around five appearances in the minors before he's stretched out enough to rejoin the major-league rotation, meaning his 2024 debut with the Guardians is unlikely to arrive until sometime in late June. In the meantime, veteran right-hander Ben Lively has helped fill in with a 2.80 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 43:14 K:BB across 45 innings (eight starts) as a starter for Cleveland in 2024 and will be a prime streaming candidate in fantasy for Saturday's scheduled appearance at home versus the Washington Nationals.

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Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas (rib) has made significant progress in his recovery from torn cartilage in his left rib cage. Casas was scheduled to be examined on Thursday by the team's medical staff, and the Red Sox should have a better idea of when he'll be cleared to start swinging following that evaluation. He's been doing other baseball activities recently, including taking grounders and throwing, and Casas might have a chance to return to Boston when he's first eligible to come off the 60-day injured list on June 21. The 24-year-old former top prospect was slashing a promising .244/.344/.513 with six home runs, three doubles, 10 RBI, and 12 runs scored through 90 plate appearances (22 games) before going down, and he should be stashed in most fantasy leagues with a late-June return being the expectation.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back, knee) completed his work at Coors Field with a full session of batting practice, fielding, and baserunning ahead of Wednesday's matchup with the visiting Cleveland Guardians. Jones finished by practicing diving back into first base on pickoff moves, and he is scheduled to join Triple-A Albuquerque to resume his minor-league rehab assignment on Friday. His original rehab assignment for a strained lower back was halted when he hurt his left knee on May 17. Barring any setbacks this weekend, expect Jones to return to the Rockies as early as Monday's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds. The 26-year-old slugger was slashing a poor .170/.243/.277 with one home run, seven RBI, 11 runs scored, and two stolen bases through 26 games (94 at-bats) before getting sidelined, but his five-category upside when healthy at a hitter-friendly ballpark makes him worth stashing in all fantasy leagues.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole's (elbow) next outing could come in a minor-league rehab game on Tuesday, assuming he bounces back from Thursday's live batting practice session well. No matter what level Cole begins his rehab assignment at, the fact that he's on the precipice of returning to game action is a major step forward in his throwing program as he builds his arm back up from right elbow discomfort. If he indeed gets an appearance in the minors on Tuesday, it puts the hard-throwing 33-year-old fantasy superstar firmly on track to rejoin New York's rotation before the end of June. The first-place Yankees certainly aren't going to rush their ace back into the fray, but it's fair to wonder if there's more of a sense of urgency to get Cole back now with upstart right-hander Clarke Schmidt (lat) heading to the injured list with an indefinite absence on Thursday.

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Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said on Wednesday that both starting pitchers Cristian Javier (forearm) and Jose Urquidy (forearm) are "getting opinions from other doctors." Espada said earlier this week that both pitchers were examined by doctors on Monday, but their imaging results haven't been disclosed. Javier was unable to throw a scheduled bullpen session on Sunday due to right forearm discomfort, and he was then placed on the injured list for the second time this season. Urquidy, on the other hand, has missed the entire season with a right forearm strain and was close to rejoining Houston's rotation before suffering a setback during a minor-league rehab assignment. This could lead to a pretty significant development for the two hurlers, who both currently have no clear timetable for a return to the Astros. Although Urquidy isn't a must-stash fantasy player, we'd recommend holding onto Javier until more is known.

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Atlanta Braves starting pitching prospect Hurston Waldrep has tallied at least seven strikeouts in each of his past three starts. Through his other six outings this season, he never surpassed five punchouts. Besides his increase in strikeouts, after opening the season with ten earned runs in his first two starts, he has given up just six earned runs in his previous seven starts. Through this stretch, he has posted an incredible 1.28 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 12:41 BB:K ratio. Waldrep has logged 59 total innings at the Double-A level the past two seasons and will be moved up to Triple-A fairly soon. The Florida product is projected to reach the majors this summer and is worth stashing in dynasty leagues.

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