New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes turned in an excellent outing in a 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday. Cortes allowed just one unearned run on five hits over seven innings while striking out six and walking one in the start. The veteran southpaw looked excellent on the mound while bouncing back from an uneven performance in his last outing. Overall, Cortes has a 2-4 record, 3.56 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts over 60 2/3 innings of work in 2024. He will look to keep it going in his next start, which is scheduled to come against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.

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Tampa Bay Rays infielder Richie Palacios went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in a 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. Palacios launched a two-run shot off of Toronto starter Chris Bassitt in the sixth inning as part of a three-run frame for the Rays. The veteran infielder has been productive for the Rays this season, hitting .259 with four homers, 19 runs, 11 RBI, and six steals across 112 at-bats. Palacios has been scuffling a bit at the plate of late, hitting just .185 over his past seven games, so hopefully his homer on Friday night will get him going.

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Miami Marlins left-hander Jesus Luzardo turned in a dominant performance in an 8-0 win over the New York Mets on Friday. Luzardo struck out seven over six innings of shutout ball while allowing just five hits. The 26-year-old lefty has been excellent in his two starts since returning from the injured list, having allowed just two earned runs while striking out 15 across 11 2/3 innings of work. Overall, Luzardo has a 1-3 record, 5.02 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 42 strikeouts over 37 2/3 innings of work in 2024. He has plenty of potential in his arm and should be a solid starting option for his next start, which is scheduled to come against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday.

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Chicago White Sox outfielder Tommy Pham went 3-for-5 with a double, a run, and a stolen base in a 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees on Friday. Pham was one of the few bright spots on offense as the White Sox were held to just two runs in the loss. The veteran outfielder has been swinging a hot bat since having his contract selected from Triple-A back on April 26. On the year, Pham is hitting .338 with two homers, 11 runs, 10 RBI, and two steals across 74 at-bats. Pham brings a productive blend of power and speed to the table in fantasy, making him a quality option as a reserve outfielder in most leagues. Hitting .385 over his last seven games, Pham should be locked into fantasy lineups while he's on a hot streak.

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Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes went 3-for-3 with a homer, a walk, three runs, and three RBI in an 8-0 win over the New York Mets on Friday. Fortes turned in his best offensive performance of the season in the lopsided win over New York. The veteran catcher launched a three-run homer off of Mets starter Christian Scott in the second inning as part of a four-run frame for Miami. Overall, Fortes is hitting just .159 with two homers, seven runs, and eight RBI across 82 at-bats. He will look to stay hot moving forward, although he only had six homers in 294 at-bats in 2023, so don't expect frequent power displays from the 27-year-old.

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Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal tossed six innings of shutout ball while striking out six and allowing just one hit in a 13-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday. Skubal was efficient in the outing, needing just 74 pitches to cruise through his six innings of work. He didn't allow a baserunner until the fifth inning when he gave up a double to Randal Grichuck. Skubal has been dominant in 2024, posting a 6-0 record, 1.80 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts over 55 innings of work. Skubal has to be considered a must-start in fantasy moving forward. His next start is scheduled to come against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday.

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Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez cracked his 10th home run of the season in Friday's win over the division-rival Minnesota Twins, delivering a go-ahead blast in the eighth inning. Ramirez took Twins closer Jhoan Duran yard for some two-out thunder and a 3-2 Guardians advantage, opening the door for stopper Emmanuel Clase to slam the door for the save in the ninth inning. Over his last 12 outings, the 31-year-old fantasy superstar is batting a strong .311 with five homers, 13 RBI, and three stolen bases as Cleveland's everyday No. 3 hitter. Ramirez deals with the Twins two more times this weekend. In 16 games against Minnesota since 2023, he's hitting just .175 with the lone long ball and five RBI.

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Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase shut the door on the division-rival Minnesota Twins in Friday's win, picking up his 13th save of the year with a clean ninth inning and one strikeout. Jose Ramirez's go-ahead home run in the eighth inning gave the Guardians a 3-2 lead and created a save situation for Clase, who is now tied for MLB's lead with his 13 saves following Friday's performance. The 26-year-old former American League Reliever of the Year has been as dominant as ever in 2024, giving up a lone run and just two walks with 23 strikeouts over 22 1/3 innings as Cleveland's closer. Continue treating Clase as one of fantasy's elite closers, and he's very much in the running to lead baseball in saves for a third consecutive year at this pace.

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Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran was saddled with his first loss of the campaign in Friday's defeat to the division-rival Cleveland Guardians, surrendering his first run of the season. Summoned in the eighth inning to try and keep the game tied, Duran served up a go-ahead home run to Jose Ramirez before striking out Josh Naylor. Although the 26-year-old fire-balling right-hander has converted each of his three save opportunities while striking out nine and walking just one across his first eight innings of the year, his usage has been questionable from a fantasy perspective also with three holds for the Twins. Duran should still be viewed as the favorite for saves in Minnesota's bullpen, but manager Rocco Baldelli has shown a tendency to use him in the highest-leverage situations at times so far this year.

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New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge kept rolling in Friday's win over the visiting Chicago White Sox, walloping his 12th home run of the season. Judge took White Sox right-hander Mike Clevinger deep for a 433-foot shot in the first inning to put the Yankees on the board, also drawing three walks on Friday. The 32-year-old former American League MVP's sluggish start to the year appears to be a distant memory at this point, now batting a stratospheric .475 with six round-trippers, nine doubles, and 12 RBI across his last 12 games as New York's everyday No. 3 hitter. Look for Judge to continue terrorizing ChiSox pitching this weekend, as he's hitting .429 with five taters in 11 games against Chicago since 2022.

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Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson enjoyed a big day at the plate in Friday's win over the visiting Seattle Mariners, homering and tripling during the victory. Henderson homered on a fly ball to center field to knot the game up at one run apiece in the first inning, later tripling on a sharp line drive to left field to score Jorge Mateo and make it a four-run ballgame in the eighth. The 22-year-old reigning American League Rookie of the Year was quieting down in May following a roaring start to the season, going just 8-for-45 (.178) with two long balls in 52 plate appearances this month before Friday's outing, but he returned to form in this one. Henderson will face Seattle two more times this series, but he's batting only .217 (5-for-23) with the aforementioned big fly and three RBI in seven career games against the Mariners.

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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler registered his seventh quality start of the season in Friday's victory over the division-rival Washington Nationals, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out six over 7 1/3 innings for his fifth win of the campaign. After being tagged for six runs in his last start against the last-place Miami Marlins, Wheeler bounced back and looked to be at his best on Friday. Through 10 starts, the 33-year-old All-Star right-hander is up to an excellent 2.52 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 71 punchouts and 19 walks over 60 2/3 innings of work this year. Wheeler has a tough assignment on deck in the form of the defending-champion Texas Rangers during his next start at home that's scheduled for Thursday, but he's a matchup-proof fantasy bet when it comes to lineup decisions.

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St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (forearm) arrived in the clubhouse ahead of Friday's game against the Boston Red Sox without a cast. Contreras is doing conditioning work, and he is hopeful that doctors will soon let him swing a bat with his right hand. It's a pretty remarkable turnaround for Contreras, who fractured his left forearm on May 7, and he noted that he's hopeful of returning to the Cardinals before the All-Star break in mid-July. In 31 games before going down, the 32-year-old star backstop was slashing .280/.398/.551 with six home runs, 11 doubles, 12 RBI, and two stolen bases across 128 plate appearances as St. Louis' primary backstop, and he should be stashed in the majority of fantasy leagues. Backup Ivan Herrera is worth a look in two-catcher settings for now, batting .448 (13-for-29) with five RBI during his current eight-game hitting streak.

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Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan (hamstring) took batting practice ahead of Friday's game against the division-rival Minnesota Twins. It's Kwan's first baseball activity since suffering a strained left hamstring, which is a positive step forward in his road to recovery. Manager Stephen Vogt said that Kwan has also been running relatively pain-free, but the team doesn't have a specific timetable for his return just yet. As it stands, fantasy managers can anticipate the 26-year-old contact-hitting left fielder rejoining the Guardians' outfield sometime in early June. Before heading to the injured list, Kwan was batting a sizzling .353 (47-for-133) with three home runs, 11 RBI, 23 runs scored, and three stolen bases over 32 games as Cleveland's everyday leadoff hitter, and he needs to be stashed in all leagues.

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Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) still has not resumed swinging a bat and is at least six weeks from returning to the Rangers' starting lineup. Given the complex nature of his wrist fracture, Jung's recovery has been delayed, but he needs to remain stashed in all fantasy formats for his power upside in a strong Rangers lineup when he's back in the fold. The 26-year-old former eighth overall pick in 2019 out of Texas Tech has developed a bit of a reputation for being injury-prone early in his career, missing time with an injury in 2023 while also injuring his calf in spring training this year. Jung had surgery for his fractured right wrist on April 2 but resumed playing catch this week. Fantasy managers must remain patient. As a first-time All-Star in 2023, Jung hit .266 with 23 homers and 70 RBI in 122 games, and he already had two homers in his first four games this year before fracturing his wrist.

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Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud was removed from Friday night's 3-1 loss to the visiting San Diego Padres early due to dizziness. The 35-year-old veteran took a foul ball off his facemask in the fifth inning and was removed before the sixth frame. It's worth noting that d'Arnaud has already had several documented concussions in his career, so this matter will not be taken lightly. The Braves will assuredly put him through the league's concussion protocols, which could result in a trip to the seven-day concussion list. At the very least, d'Arnaud is unlikely to play in the second game of the series on Saturday. Sean Murphy (oblique) has been out since straining his oblique on Opening Day. He's getting closer to a return, but if d'Arnaud is forced to miss time, third-string catcher Chadwick Tromp could be forced into starting duties behind the dish until Murphy is reinstated from the injured list.

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Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Pierce Johnson (elbow) is expected to be activated off the 15-day Injured List on Saturday. Johnson had been dealing with elbow inflammation and was placed on the 15-day IL on May 4th. The 33-year-old threw a bullpen session on Wednesday that went well and the Braves will be ecstatic to have him back. Johnson had been performing at his dominant norms, showing off a 32.0% K% and a 1.25 WHIP, before dealing with elbow inflammation. The Braves have a stretch of 17 games over 17 games so Atlanta will need the bullpen arms to get through that stretch. Fantasy managers should be ready to have Johnson active in their lineups. If he happens to be available on the waiver wire then fantasy managers should snatch him up immediately.

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Chicago White Sox third baseman Danny Mendick (back) was reinstated from the 10-day Injured List on Friday. Mendick was subsequently in the lineup for the White Sox on Friday and went 0-4 in Chicago's 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees. Mendick had been performing at a league-average pace with a .703 OPS in 41 PA before being placed on the 10-day IL with lower back tightness. With Bryan Ramos being placed on the 10-day IL with a quad strain, Mendick should be expected to get the majority of starts at third base for the White Sox. Fantasy managers that need a bench option should look at snagging Mendick, though he will likely only provide value in deeper leagues.

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White Sox third baseman Bryan Ramos was placed on the 10-Day Injured List with a quad strain on Friday. Ramos was removed during the seventh inning of the first game of Chicago's doubleheader against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. Ramos had been performing decently for the White Sox, though most of his value to the team had been driven by his defense. No timetable has been set for Ramos to return but White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said on Friday that, "He wasn't 100 percent. He wasn't close to it," before stating he was probably closer to 70 percent. Danny Mendick, who the White Sox activated off the injured list in conjunction with Ramos' injury, should be expected to get the bulk of playing time while Ramos heals up. Fantasy managers looking to replace Ramos on their roster should snag Mendick if available.

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Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (elbow) began playing catch on Friday. This marks the first time that Bautista has thrown since having Tommy John surgery in October and an additional surgery in February. Bautista injured his elbow in a relief appearance against the Colorado Rockies last August. As of now a return in the 2024 season has not been ruled out, though it's highly unlikely the 28-year-old will return this year. Bautista was one of the Orioles' most effective relievers in 2023, posting a 1.48 ERA in 61 innings in 2023. Fantasy managers need not worry about his status this season and instead focus on his return in the 2025 season.

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