Minnesota Twins second baseman Edouard Julien and outfielders Max Kepler and Alex Kirilloff are not in the starting lineup on Friday with the team facing Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. The Twins typically sit a lot of their left-handed hitters when they face a southpaw, so this isn't really anything new. Kyle Farmer is starting at second base and is hitting seventh, Manuel Margot is in right field and is batting fifth, and Ryan Jeffers is serving as the designated hitter and is batting leadoff for the Twins. Jeffers is hitless in four career at-bats against Kikuchi, but he's been one of the hottest hitters in baseball the last couple weeks and is hitting .306/.389/.631 with a 1.020 OPS, eight home runs, 29 RBI and 20 runs scored in 111 total at-bats. He'll be a prime DFS target against a southpaw.

From RotoBaller

Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor and second baseman Andres Gimenez are both out of the starting lineup on Friday against the Chicago White Sox. Gabriel Arias will fill in at the keystone for Gimenez and bat eighth, while Austin Hedges is doing the catching and is batting in the nine-hole against White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet. Neither Arias nor Hedges should be much of a consideration in DFS for Friday's lineups. Naylor is off to a slow start, unlike his brother, in 2024, as he's hitting just .189/.280/.295 with three home runs and nine RBI in his first 30 games. Gimenez is slashing .248/.316/.333 with one long ball, 19 RBI, five stolen bases and 19 runs scored in 141 at-bats as Cleveland's regular second baseman. Both Naylor and Gimenez should be back in action on Saturday.

From RotoBaller

Toronto Blue Jays rookie right-hander Yariel Rodriguez (back) is playing catch up to 90 feet as he rehabs from thoracic spine inflammation that caused him to land on the 15-day injured list on April 30. Rodriguez will continue to ramp up his arm as he recovers from his back injury, but he almost certainly won't be coming off the injured list when he's eligible on May 14. The 27-year-old Cuban made his first four big-league starts with Toronto before getting hurt, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on 19 hits (two home runs) while walking eight and striking out 16 for a 4.11 ERA (4.53 FIP) and 1.76 WHIP. Rodriguez is much more intriguing in the long term in fantasy than in 2024 as the Blue Jays look to ease him into a starter's workload. Expect them to play it safe with Rodriguez when he returns from his back injury.

From RotoBaller

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Joey Votto (ankle) continues to ramp up his baseball activity and is said to be making good progress with hitting, fielding and throwing. His next steps will be live at-bats and then to play in minor-league rehab games. Votto made it clear that he wants to be 100 percent healthy before he returns. It sounds like it won't be until June when we might see the 40-year-old Canadian back in the big leagues with Toronto. When Votto is finally ready to return, he'll be a designated hitter option, at best, against right-handed pitching for the Blue Jays. The six-time All-Star has been hampered by injuries in recent years as he ages and is probably in the final season of his career. In 65 games in his final campaign with the Cincinnati Reds in 2023, Votto hit just .202 (42-for-208), but he did have 14 home runs and 38 RBI.

From RotoBaller

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia (back) is available to pitch out of the bullpen for Friday's game against the visiting Minnesota Twins, according to manager John Schneider. Because of a back injury, Garcia has not appeared in a game for the Blue Jays since April 28, but he should get into a game at some point this weekend. The 33-year-old isn't as attractive in fantasy now that regular closer Jordan Romano is back in the fold at the back end of the bullpen, but Garcia has still been excellent this year. He's currently sporting a microscopic 0.68 ERA and 0.53 WHIP with only three walks and 16 strikeouts in 13 1/3 relief innings pitched. Garcia has also recorded two saves, both those both came early in the year when Romano was hurt.

From RotoBaller

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Chad Green (shoulder) threw a bullpen session on Friday, which was his first time throwing off a mound since he was placed on the injured list back on April 20 with a right-shoulder strain. As long as the 32-year-old veteran doesn't encounter any setbacks along the way, he should certainly be back in Toronto's bullpen by the end of the month. The former 11th-round pick by the Detroit Tigers in 2013 out of Louisville isn't as attractive in fantasy now that regular closer Jordan Romano is back and healthy, but Green still plays a key role as a late-inning setup man and can carry fantasy value in holds leagues when he's active. Before his injury, he was 1-0 with two saves, a 2.35 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 7 2/3 relief innings.

From RotoBaller

Toronto Blue Jays outfielders Kevin Kiermaier (illness) and George Springer (illness) are both out of Friday's lineup against the visiting Minnesota Twins because they are sick, according to manager John Schneider. Daulton Varsho is starting in center field and is batting second, while Cavan Biggio is in right field and is hitting seventh against Twins right-hander Joe Ryan. Davis Schneider is in left field and is batting leadoff for the Jays. With Springer under the weather and struggling offensively for much of the year so far, it's possible Schneider sees more time in the leadoff spot, even when Springer gets over his illness. Fantasy baseball managers will need to check back on Saturday to see if either Kiermaier or Springer are feeling well enough to get back on the field for the second game of the weekend series.

From RotoBaller

Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott and outfielder Brandon Marsh find themselves on the bench for Friday's contest against Miami Marlins left-hander Trevor Rogers. Cristian Pache is in left field for the Phillies and is batting in the eight-hole, while Whit Merrifield will play second base and bat sixth against Rogers. Stott is carrying a .250/.344/.389 slash line with three homers, 19 RBI, eight steals and 19 runs in 108 at-bats so far in 2024. Marsh will be out for the first time since May 1. The 26-year-old is batting .254 (30-for-118) with six homers, 20 RBI, five steals and 13 runs this year. Merrifield is the more realistic DFS sleeper target on Friday. He's never faced Rogers in his career and is hitting .237 (14-for-59) on the year with two homers, four RBI and four stolen bases.

From RotoBaller

Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel is not in the team's starting lineup on Friday for the start of a series at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. Rookie Trey Lipscomb will handle third base duties and will hit eighth against Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck. Senzel does have five home runs and 11 RBI in his first 70 at-bats of the year after getting hurt just before Opening Day and missing some time, but frequent strikeouts aren't helping his overall fantasy cause. The 28-year-old former second overall pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2016 out of Tennessee is batting just .214 (15-for-70) with eight walks and 26 strikeouts. He's going to need to do more the rest of the way to hold Lipscomb or others off at the hot corner for regular playing time. Lipscomb has gone 22-for-90 (.244) with a homer, six RBI and six steals in his first 27 MLB games.

From RotoBaller

Boston Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder (hamstring) is back in the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Washington Nationals and left-hander Patrick Corbin, serving as the designated hitter and batting second in the order. Refsnyder will return for Boston after leaving Sunday's game against the Minnesota Twins with left-hamstring soreness. Although the 33-year-old South Korean isn't high on the fantasy radar in any formats, he's facing a really good matchup and has hit .351/.467/.622 with a 1.088 OPS, a homer, eight RBI, a stolen base and seven runs scored in his first 37 at-bats. Refnsyder is known for hitting left-handers well in his career, too, so he should certainly be on the DFS radar in his return to the lineup after missing this week's series against the Atlanta Braves. He has one hit in three career at-bats against Corbin.

From RotoBaller

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (thumb) got a third opinion on his left-thumb injury on Thursday and told two Japanese media members that he won't need surgery. Yoshida received good news after being placed on the injured list with a strained left thumb, and avoiding surgery will be huge in terms of a quicker return to Boston's lineup. The 30-year-old is eligible to come off the IL now, but he's not close to a return. We'll give you updates on Yoshida's progress with his injured thumb as he progresses. In the meantime, the contact artist and primary DH for the Red Sox should be stashed in most fantasy formats. At the time of his unfortunate thumb injury, he was hitting a strong .275/.348/.388 with two home runs, 11 RBI and 12 runs scored in 80 at-bats. Rob Refsnyder will likely be the biggest beneficiary for Boston until Yoshida is able to return.

From RotoBaller

Toronto Blue Jays outfielders George Springer and Kevin Kiermaier are taking the day off on Friday for the series opener against the visiting Minnesota Twins. Davis Schneider is starting in left field and is hitting leadoff, while Daulton Varsho is in center field and batting No. 2 against Twins right-hander Joe Ryan. Cavan Biggio is in right field and hitting seventh. Springer will get his first day off since April 30. He's hitting just .206 (29-for-141) on the year with three homers, six RBI and six stolen bases. Kiermaier has one homer, seven RBI and two steals while hitting .224 (15-for-67). Varsho will be the most attractive fantasy option for regular leagues and in DFS on Friday night, while Schneider also takes on some added value while batting atop Toronto's order.

From RotoBaller

Detroit Tigers outfielder Mark Canha (illness) is back in the starting lineup on Friday as the designated hitter and is batting third against the visiting Houston Astros and left-hander Framber Valdez. Canha missed two games earlier this week while battling an upper-respiratory illness, but he's obviously feeling better now and is back in there for the series opener this weekend in Detroit. The 35-year-old veteran outfielder/designated hitter is batting .248 (29-for-117) on the year with five home runs and 16 RBI in his 34 games played. Canha has had decent success against left-handed pitchers in his career and shouldn't be ignored in this one in DFS now that he's past his illness. In his 14 career at-bats against Valdez, he's hitting .286 with one RBI as well.

From RotoBaller

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jose Siri is on the bench again on Friday for the Rays for the start of a series against the visiting division-rival New York Yankees. It's the third time in the last four games that Siri has been on the bench, and he's been losing playing time to Jonny DeLuca, who is in center field and batting sixth on Friday against Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt. It hasn't helped Siri's cause that he's slashing just .170/.255/.277 with two home runs, seven RBI, six stolen bases and 11 runs scored in his first 94 at-bats this year. The return of Josh Lowe to Tampa's outfield recently has been another factor working against Siri as the 28-year-old continues to lose playing time. DeLuca's fantasy stock is rising, meanwhile, as he's gone 7-for-20 (.350) with a homer, 10 RBI and two steals in his first six games with the team in 2024.

From RotoBaller

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar went 1-for-5 with a solo home run to drive in the team's lone run in Thursday's 7-1 loss to the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers in the series opener. Nootbaar has now homered in back-to-back games but is still hitting only .184/.290/.356 with three home runs, nine RBI, two stolen bases and eight runs scored in 87 at-bats after getting a late start in 2024 due to an injury. In his last 10 games, he's hit .184 (7-for-38) with five extra-base hits. It's nice to see Nootbaar display some power recently, and it could be a sign that he's finally starting to get his timing down at the plate after his first 24 games played. At least until Tommy Edman (wrist) makes his season debut, Nootbaar should be a lineup regular for the Red Birds.

From RotoBaller

Kansas City Royals outfielder Garrett Hampson contributed in a lot of different areas in Thursday night's 10-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels. Hampson went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base, a run scored and a walk at the bottom of the Royals' batting order. The 29-year-old is currently hitting .268/.302/.317 with no home runs, three RBI, four stolen bases and five runs scored in just 41 at-bats in 2024. The former third-round pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2016 out of Long Beach State offers plenty of defensive versatility but is merely an option for fantasy baseball managers in AL-only leagues because he's currently on the short side of a platoon with Kyle Isbel in center field for the Royals.

From RotoBaller

Milwaukee Brewers infielder Joey Ortiz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, his third of the season, in the team's 7-1 win over the visiting division-rival St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. Ortiz has homered in his last two games played and has gone 3-for-11 with the two home runs, a triple, two RBI and two runs scored in four games since the calendar flipped to May. The 25-year-old former fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in 2019 out of New Mexico State is hitting .267 (20-for-75) on the year with just 10 RBI and nine runs scored, but he's been a strong option for the Brewers at third against right-handers, as he's hitting .327 (18-for-55) against them with all three of his homers and all 10 of his RBI. On the strong side of a platoon at the hot corner, Ortiz is at least worth rostering in NL-only fantasy leagues.

From RotoBaller

Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout in Thursday's 3-2 loss on the road to the Chicago White Sox in the first game of their series. It was Naylor's 10th home run of the season and also the third time he's cleared the fences in his last eight games. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger appears to be heating up now that we're in May with a .259 average (7-for-27). As long as Naylor stays healthy this year, he should easily surpass his career-high of 20 home runs, which was set back in 2022. The former 12th overall pick by the Miami Marlins in 2015 is now slashing a strong .277/.364/.562 with a .926 OPS, 10 long balls, 29 RBI, two stolen bases and 20 runs scored in 130 at-bats for Cleveland. He's a must-start in all fantasy formats.

From RotoBaller

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in the team's 7-1 win over the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday, his second game in a row leaving the yard. Hoskins now has eight long balls on the year, but he's still hitting a weak .220/.322/.455 in his first year in Milwaukee through 123 at-bats. Still, the 31-year-old has been healthy and has contributed power and RBI (21) in a strong Brewers lineup as their starting first baseman. His back-to-back games with homers could be a sign that he's starting to heat up in the month of May, although he's gone just 4-for-26 (.154) with three walks and eight strikeouts in seven games since the calendar flipped from April. Even if Hoskins doesn't start hitting for average, he should continue to be a solid source of power for fantasy managers.

From RotoBaller

The New York Yankees have transferred the minor-league rehab assignment of infielder Oswald Peraza (shoulder) from Single-A Tampa to Double-A Somerset. Peraza is moving to Double-A after going 2-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and two walks in two games at Tampa. He's working his way back from a shoulder injury that he suffered in late February during spring training, so his rehab assignment isn't going to be a short one. But when the 23-year-old is ready to return, he could see decent playing time at the hot corner in the Bronx, depending on whether DJ LeMahieu is back from the injured list by then. The Venezuelan infielder has looked good in the minors but has yet to make his mark in the majors yet in the last two years, slashing .216/.298/.306 with three home runs, 16 RBI and six stolen bases in 70 total games.

From RotoBaller