Tampa Bay Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger picked up his second save in four days in Wednesday's 7-5 victory over the Tigers. With closer Pete Fairbanks on the IL, Cleavinger has been used to close out games and has been successful so far in doing so. It was thought that this would be a closer-by-committee situation, but Jason Adam was used in the seventh and eighth innings in Wednesday's game, while Colin Poche blew a save opportunity on Tuesday, so Cleavinger might be the front runner for save opportunities at this point. These two saves were Cleavinger's first two of his career, so he has no prior experience in the role, but has a solid 2.53 ERA so far on the season and has struck out 14 batters in 10 2/3 IP. The command could use some work, as he's walked nine batters thus far including one in the ninth inning on Wednesday, but so far it hasn't been a real problem for him. The 30-year-old could get a handful more save opportunities with Fairbanks on the shelf, and could be picked up in most leagues for managers in need of saves.

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Landon Knack earned his first career win on Wednesday in an 11-2 victory over the Nationals. The righty made his first career start against these same Nationals last week but came away with the loss despite pitching well. This time, the 26-year-old went six innings, allowing just three hits (one home run) while walking three batters and striking out five on his way to the win. With Walker Buehler nearing his return, however, Knack likely heads back to the minors. If these two starts were any indication though, he could be a viable DFS play or streaming option if he were recalled again, depending on the matchup.

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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer threw two-and-a-third innings for Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday, allowing three earned runs on five hits (two home runs), no walks, and four strikeouts. The veteran threw 52 pitches, which was the expectation heading into the game. The 39-year-old will likely make at least one more start, working his way up to 60-70 pitches next time out, before rejoining the Rangers at some point in May. Scherzer was solid in 2023's regular season, going 13-6 with a 3.77 ERA (3.77 SIERA), and a 1.12 WHIP, but his K-BB% of 20.8% was his lowest since 2014. He had a rough postseason, going 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, and a 4.8% K-BB% over three starts. Hopefully he's able to shake off the rust and get back to form, both for the Rangers and for fantasy managers.

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Chicago White Sox pitching prospect Drew Thorpe improved to 4-0 on Wednesday for Double-A Birmingham. Thorpe tossed six innings and allowed one run, one walk and struck out three on the evening. Thorpe's strong outing improved his ERA to a miniscule 0.75 on the season. Thorpe, 23, was a popular name this offseason as he was first traded by the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto deal and then dealt to the White Sox when they acquired Dylan Cease. Regardless, Thorpe hasn't let the switching of homes deter him from dominating on the mound. Thorpe is behind fellow pitching prospect Noah Schultz as far as pitching rankings go, but he looks more ready for the big-leagues with Schultz still in High-A. Thorpe should get an opportunity at some point for an embarrassing White Sox club, but don't expect many wins when that happens. Outside of dynasty leagues, Thorpe can be avoided.

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Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Brennen Davis went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer for Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday. His home run came off Alek Manoah in the top of the third inning. This was the outfielders first game in Iowa this season after returning from an arm injury that he suffered in spring training. Davis, 24, has slowly dropped from the Cubs top prospect over the past few seasons and injuries have been a big reason as he likely would have made his debut sometime in the past two seasons. Davis offers good power potential, but the Cubs have already promoted outfield prospects Alexander Canario and Pete Crow-Armstrong, so for now Davis will continue to swing the bat for Iowa. Outside of deeper dynasty leagues, Davis can be ignored for now.

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Colorado Rockies outfield prospect Yanquiel Fernandez went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in Wednesday's contest for Double-A Hartford. The home run for Cuban was absolutely crushed and marked his second of the season. The 21-year-old is a consensus Top-100 prospect is now hitting .243 with 12 RBI on the season. Fernandez is a very aggressive hitter, but he makes good contact and is only beginning to tap into his power potential, which should play very well in his future home of Coors Field. It is unlikely that Fernandez will make his big-league debut in 2024, but it is realistic that 2025 could be a big year for him. The Rockies do not have much to be excited about at the big-league club, but Fernandez offers excitement for patient fans. He should be rostered in dynasty leagues and redraft managers should file his name away for the future.

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Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Paul Skenes proved he was human on Wednesday when he gave up his first run of the season. Last year's first overall tossed 4 1/3 innings and allowed five hits, two runs (one earned), one walk and struck out seven. Skenes, 21, continues to be as advertised and now have a 0.53 ERA with 34 strikeouts in just 17 innings. The right-hander is one of the top prospects in the game and doesn't have much left to prove, but the Pirates are going to be extra cautious with their future ace before taking the training wheels off and promoting him to the big-league. Skenes is worth stashing ahead of time in most leagues.

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Houston Astros outfield prospect Joey Loperfido continued his dominant season for Triple-A Sugar Land by going 3-for-5 with three runs and two solo homeruns on Wednesday. The homers were number 11 and 12 and by doing so, Loperfido tied a Triple-A record with Yordan Alvarez with 12 round trippers in his first 21 games. In addition to his power, he is also hitting ,279 with 26 RBI and a shiny 1.106 OPS. The outfielder's biggest weakness is his plate discipline and he will need to improve on that when he adjusts to big-league pitching. Loperfido had a nice Grapefruit League performance for the Astros, but Jon Singleton got the final bench spot for the big-league club. Loperfido has responded by tearing the cover off the ball for Sugar Land and could soon force the hand of the big-league club with the offense needing a spark. Loperfido should firmly be on the radar of managers in all formats and it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a jump start and stash the youngster.

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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (back) made his first appearance of 2024 in Wednesday's minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Round Rock, surrendering three runs on five hits (two home runs) with four punchouts. The long ball plagued Scherzer a year ago as well, serving up 28 homers over 27 starts, so fantasy managers hope he's getting those issues out of his system before he rejoins the major-league roster. With Scherzer's target being an early-May return to Texas' rotation after offseason back surgery, he appears likely to make at least two more rehab starts before becoming available to fantasy managers. Even so, the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer has a chance to crush the late-round ADP he carried in the spring due to concerns he'd be out until midseason. Last season, Scherzer recorded a rock-solid 3.20 ERA (3.41 FIP), 0.95 WHIP, and 53:15 K:BB over 45 frames (eight starts) after joining the Rangers.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock (oblique) still hasn't been cleared to throw off a mound yet. Although Whitlock played catch on Saturday, fantasy managers should not be expecting him to be activated from the 15-day injured list when first eligible on May 1 at the pace he's progressing through his throwing program. The 27-year-old right-hander left with a strained left oblique in April 16's start versus the visiting Cleveland Guardians, and his 1.96 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 17 strikeouts through 18 1/3 innings (four starts) for the BoSox make him a worthwhile stash in all mixed fantasy leagues. Boston will likely turn to a heavy dose of openers and long relievers until some of their arms return to their injury-depleted rotation. After throwing five scoreless innings in Wednesday's win over Cleveland, right-hander Cooper Criswell might get himself into streaming conversations in the proper matchups.

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Kansas City Royals closer James McArthur continued cementing his status atop the club's bullpen hierarchy in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, collecting his sixth save of the season after fanning two hitters in a clean ninth inning to preserve the victory. McArthur was summoned to sit down the lower part of Toronto's batting order and made the game a bit interesting by letting pinch-hitter Justin Turner reach on a single to get the tying run aboard, but he prevented things from getting out of hand. The big 27-year-old right-hander is starting to leave veteran William Smith in the dust when it comes to handling save opportunities for the Royals going forward, as he's now rattled off eight consecutive scoreless appearances while going 6-for-6 on save chances over his last 9 2/3 frames since April 5. There's no reason for McArthur to be on any fantasy waiver wires at this point.

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Updating a previous report, Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that X-rays came back negative on right-hander Alec Marsh (elbow, forearm) after he was forced to leave his start early on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays when he was hit by a comebacker on his right elbow/forearm in the fifth inning. Marsh was in a lot of pain initially, but the feeling came back in his arm quickly after he was pulled. "We feel like we got pretty lucky. Everything is good. X-rays are negative," Quatraro said. The 25-year-old could still be forced to miss his next scheduled start on Monday against these same Blue Jays, but it's obviously good news he avoided any kind of fracture in his arm. Before leaving on Wednesday, Marsh tossed 4 1/3 shutout innings with two hits allowed, two walks and only one strikeout to drop his season ERA to a strong 2.70.

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Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Hector Neris got the call in Wednesday's save situation against the visiting Houston Astros, allowing a run but holding on to safeguard the 3-2 win. After Neris relieved setup man Mark Leiter Jr., Jose Altuve greeted him with a solo home run to immediately get the tying run to the plate with no outs and Houston's big bats coming up. Despite the long ball, Neris settled in to retire stars Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, and Yordan Alvarez in order. While Yency Almonte scooped up a save in Wednesday's five-run victory over Houston, Neris' usage suggests he's manager Craig Counsell's current preferred ninth-inning man after the skipper removed Adbert Alzolay from the role following Saturday's blown save. Although the 34-year-old veteran right-hander has a shaky 4.50 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, and 8:7 K:BB over eight innings this year, he needs to be rostered in more than 42% of Yahoo leagues.

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Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde says the team is discussing whether starting pitcher John Means' (forearm) next start will come in Triple-A Norfolk or for the major-league club. The O's don't have a starter scheduled for Sunday's series finale versus the visiting Oakland Athletics, so there's a chance Means makes his 2024 regular-season debut in that one. While the 31-year-old left-hander struggled mightily with a 13.89 ERA, 2.31 WHIP, and 14:6 K:BB over 11 2/3 innings (five starts) during his minor-league rehab assignment, a matchup at home against the lowly A's would certainly put him on the streaming radar right off the bat in fantasy leagues. Means is on the mend from a strained left forearm, but if he needs one last rehab appearance, veteran right-hander Albert Suarez has fired 11 1/3 scoreless frames with nine strikeouts in two starts for Baltimore and would get the ball on Sunday instead.

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan tossed a quality start in Wednesday's 6-3 victory over the division-rival Chicago White Sox, striking out eight hitters while giving up three runs on four hits (two home runs) and one walk for the win. After hurling two clean opening innings, Ryan yielded a couple of solo homers to the seventh and ninth batters in Chicago's lineup during the third before Braden Shewmake stole home in the fifth to tack on another score. The 27-year-old star right-hander is off to a fine start in the 2024 regular season, posting a 3.77 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a spectacular 38:4 K:BB over 28 2/3 frames (five starts). Up next for Ryan is another scheduled appearance on Monday against the White Sox, who are now slashing an anemic .189/.263/.292 as a team with an MLB-low 53 runs scored through 24 outings.

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Baltimore's SP Dean Kremer recorded 10 strikeouts in 5.1 innings collecting the win in a 6-5 win over the Angels on Wednesday, Apr. 24.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani enjoyed a big day at the dish in Wednesday's 11-3 rout of the Washington Nationals, going 3-for-6 with two RBI and two runs scored. Each of Ohtani's hits were doubles on Wednesday, with his final two two-baggers bringing Mookie Betts around for some insurance scores late in the contest. After this three-hit attack, the 29-year-old two-time American League MVP raised his triple-slash line to .371/.433/.695 to go with six home runs, 16 RBI, an MLB-leading 14 doubles, 22 runs scored, and five stolen bases over 121 plate appearances (26 games) in the 2024 regular season. After Thursday's series finale in Washington, Ohtani faces off with the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game set starting on Friday. In 20 games versus the Jays since 2021, Ohtani is batting .319 (22-for-69) with seven blasts, five doubles, 18 RBI, and 16 runs scored.

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New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor put together his most productive outing of the season in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the San Francisco Giants, racking up four hits in five at-bats with two home runs. Although Lindor has been one of fantasy's biggest busts over the first month of action, he looked the part of an early-round fantasy pick on Wednesday. He homered to deep right center to score leadoff man Brandon Nimmo in the third inning and get New York into the scoring column, later sinking the Giants with another two-run jack in the ninth to make it an 8-1 ballgame. The 30-year-old Silver Slugger is now slashing .206/.291/.361 with four taters, 10 RBI, 13 runs scored, and one stolen base through 110 plate appearances (24 games) ahead of a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals starting on Friday. Last season, Lindor hit .375 (9-for-24) with one homer, two doubles, five RBI, and two thefts in seven games against St. Louis.

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Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson stuffed the stat sheet in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels, going 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, three RBI, and a stolen base. Henderson first homered to get the O's on the board in the third inning. After leading off the fifth with a double, he hit a two-run single in the sixth before stealing a base in the eighth to put the cherry on top of a wonderful day in Anaheim. The 22-year-old reigning American League Rookie of the Year might be getting even better in his third season, now slashing a robust .309/.373/.649 with eight round-trippers, 20 RBI, 20 runs scored, and five pilfers atop Baltimore's high-powered lineup. Henderson has a great chance to stay hot during a home series with the Oakland Athletics starting on Friday, as he's batting .371 (13-for-40) with two bombs, five doubles, five RBI, and 11 runs scored in nine career games against the A's.

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Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout went deep for the second time in as many days in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the visiting Baltimore Orioles, homering to deep left in the sixth inning. Trout's solo shot got the Halos on the board, but their late comeback attempt fell just short. The 32-year-old perennial Silver Slugger is rewarding those who took the gamble on his discounted ADP during fantasy drafts, slashing a powerful .237/.321/.598 with an MLB-leading 10 big flies, 13 RBI, five stolen bases, and 16 runs scored in 97 at-bats (25 outings). If he stays healthy, Trout should have no problem returning early-round value the rest of the way no matter where he's placed in Anaheim's lineup. He'll get a day off before a three-game series with the Minnesota Twins begins on Friday, and Trout is batting .400 (8-for-20) with a homer, three doubles, six RBI, and six runs scored in six games versus the Twins since 2021.

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