New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz will be used in three consecutive games at a time throughout the summer. As per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Edwin Diaz will pitch in three consecutive games, much to Diaz's enjoyment. The star closer emphasized that daily usage helps him "feel ready without much warm-up time at all." It is very rare for a relief pitcher, even of Diaz's talents, to be utilized in three consecutive games. The 30-year-old missed the entirety of the 2023 season with a right patellar tear but has looked like his 2022 self this season with a 2.45 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and an impressive 22 punchouts in just 14 innings. Diaz remains a lineup lock and could very well finish as the number-one relief pitcher by the end of the summer.

From RotoBaller

New York Mets outfielder DJ Stewart was in danger of losing time due to the return of designated hitter J.D. Martinez, but that may not seem to be the case. Even though Stewart has ceded primary designated hitter duties to Martinez, Stewart has seen starts in left and right field, which could still make him worth holding on to in NL-only formats. On the season, Stewart has posted a mediocre .185/.365/.415 line with four home runs. However, he has shown an excellent eye at the plate with a 20.0% walk rate, which is the best among qualified hitters. Manager Carlos Mendoza values his patience at the plate and will continue to reward him with opportunities in the foreseeable future. Stewart should remain rostered in NL-only formats, especially points leagues or rotisserie leagues that score on-base percentage.

From RotoBaller

New York Mets starting pitching prospect Christian Scott made his major league debut last week and does not have a hard innings limit for the remainder of the season. This is an excellent sign for fantasy managers who picked him up from the waiver wire, as he now has a path to be a significant fantasy contributor. Scott looked sharp in his debut on May 4, throwing six innings of one-run ball. He allowed just five hits and one free pass and struck out six. In the minor leagues earlier this season, he tallied 36 punchouts across 25 innings with a 3.20 ERA and stellar 0.70 WHIP. With this recent news, Scott has a path to being a valuable fantasy contributor in all leagues for the remainder of the season, especially if the Mets do not intend to hold him back. He should be rostered in all formats and be deployed quite often in DFS due to elite strikeout potential. Scott faces a tough matchup with the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, but he is worth considering nonetheless.

From RotoBaller

Boston Red Sox backstop Connor Wong is not in Saturday's lineup after starting the previous two games. Reese McGuire will serve as the backstop for starting pitcher Cooper Criswell. Wong has had a great start to the young season with a .360/.385/.581 line with five long balls through 25 games. Wong should be expected to return behind the dish on Sunday. McGuire enters Saturday with a solid .270/.361/.381 line with three swiped bags and two home runs. McGuire will be batting in the seven-hole against Jake Irvin and could be a sneaky play in DFS, who enters Saturday's game with a 3.72 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.

From RotoBaller

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins is not in Saturday's lineup after starting the last three games. As a result, Colton Cowser will shift to center field which opens the door for Heston Kjerstad to start in left field. Mullins has had a disappointing season with a .193/.246/.370 across 36 games and a rough .087/.125/.130 through the start of May. Kjerstad was promoted to the major league roster on April 22 but has not had stable playing time. However, with how Mullins is struggling at the plate, Kjerstad may be given more opportunities. Kjerstad is worth inserting in your DFS lineup as he will face Ryne Nelson who enters Saturday's game with a 5.23 ERA.

From RotoBaller

San Francisco Giants outfielder Austin Slater (head) left Friday night's loss to the Cincinnati Reds with concussion-like symptoms, according to the team. Slater crashed into the center field wall while trying to make a catch in the first inning. The Giants placed outfielder/Jorge Soler (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list before Friday's game, so if Slater's head injury is serious enough to send him to the shelf, too, the Giants outfield depth will be tested. Slater went hitless in his only at-bat as the Giants' leadoff hitter on Friday before being replaced by Michael Conforto. If Slater requires a trip to the seven-day concussion injured list, it would open up more opportunities for Heliot Ramos in San Fran's outfield. Slater, 31, only has 49 plate appearances this year and has recorded five hits (no homers) while walking eight times and striking out 12 times.

From RotoBaller

Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer (back, thumb) said that he was given a cortisone injection in his right thumb after undergoing additional tests on Wednesday. Scherzer is feeling better after the injection and apparently isn't dealing with any kind of ligament damage after he passes strength tests with his thumb. The 39-year-old three-time Cy Young winner's timetable has been pushed back due to this setback with his thumb, but the good news is that he was scheduled to play catch on Friday for the first time since reporting discomfort in his right thumb and forearm. The Rangers aren't going to rush Scherzer back, so fantasy managers might have to wait until early June now to get him back into their starting lineups.

From RotoBaller

Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo (forearm) said he experienced some tightness in his right forearm in his season debut on Friday night against the Oakland Athletics due to the long layover between the fourth and fifth innings, but manager Scott Servais said he thinks Woo will be fine to make his next scheduled start. The 24-year-old was making his first start of 2024 after being activated from the 15-day injured list. Before departing as a precaution in the eventual 8-1 win over the A's, the second-year starter looked good, tossing 4 1/3 shutout innings with one walk and three strikeouts. Woo gave up just one hit. He lines up to make his next start on Wednesday in a tough matchup against the upstart Kansas City Royals. Woo won't have a ton of fantasy upside as a streamer for that one, but he deserves to be considered as a back-end fantasy starter in deeper leagues.

From RotoBaller

The Philadelphia Phillies pinch hit for outfielder/designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (back) in the ninth inning of their 8-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday because of a sore back. Schwarber said he felt his back tighten up on his last swing in the seventh inning. He went 2-for-5 with two RBI in the victory but said, "I'll probably take tomorrow off just to make sure we're good to go." The Phillies have yet to release their lineup for Saturday's game in Miami, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect Schwarber to be in it. Kody Clemens pinch hit for Schwarber on Friday night and could get the starting nod on Saturday to give Schwarber a day to rest his back. Schwarber is still hitting only .217 (33-for-152), but he's added nine home runs and 25 RBI and will continue to be an elite source of power for fantasy managers as long as he stays healthy.

From RotoBaller

The Tampa Bay Rays reinstated relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks (arm) from the 15-day injured list on Saturday and optioned right-hander Edwin Uceta to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. Fairbanks is ready to return to the big-league bullpen in Tampa after appearing in two minor-league rehab games for Durham. The 30-year-old has been dealing with a nerve issue in his right arm, which may have contributed to his rough start in 2024. In seven innings before landing on the injured list, he was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA, 2.29 WHIP and 10 strikeouts in eight appearances. Fairbanks also had three saves and should immediately take over as the team's closer now that he's back. Jason Adam, who was serving as the Rays' closer with Fairbanks out, will go back to a high-leverage setup role in Tampa. Fairbanks should be rostered in all fantasy formats despite his bad start in 2024.

From RotoBaller

The Miami Marlins activated left-hander Jesus Luzardo (elbow) from the 15-day injured list on Saturday and optioned right-hander Eli Villalobos to Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move. In his lone minor-league rehab start for Single-A Jupiter, Luzardo tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings with one walk and six strikeouts on May 5. The Marlins will throw the 26-year-old southpaw right back into their starting rotation on Saturday to take on the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Most fantasy managers should be hesitant to do the same with Luzardo and throw him right back into their starting lineups, as the Phillies rank second in baseball with a .762 team OPS, behind only the Dodgers. Luzardo has opened the year 0-2 with a 6.58 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 27:13 K:BB in his 26 innings, too.

From RotoBaller

Toronto Blue Jays outfielders Kevin Kiermaier (illness) and George Springer (illness) remain out of the starting lineup on Saturday against the visiting Minnesota Twins for the second straight day as they remain under the weather. Daulton Varsho is back in center field and is batting second, while Cavan Biggio is in right field and is hitting eighth in the batting order against Twins rookie right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson. Davis Schneider is back in left field and in the leadoff spot for the Jays. Fantasy managers need to keep both Kiermaier and Springer benched for another day and check back to see if they're feeling good enough to play in the series finale on Sunday. Nobody in Toronto's lineup has faced Woods Richardson in their careers.

From RotoBaller

Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta has been reinstated from his five-game suspension and is making the start on Saturday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Peralta was given a five-game suspension for throwing at Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jose Siri on April 30. The 27-year-old likely went through his in-between-starts routine this week after last starting on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, so he shouldn't have his workload limited in any way on Saturday in a good matchup against St. Louis. The Cardinals currently have the fourth-worst OPS (.631) in all of baseball. Only the offenses of the White Sox, Marlins and Pirates are worse. Peralta is 3-1 on the year with a 3.49 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 50 K's in 38 2/3 innings over his seven starts. Start him on Saturday against St. Louis.

From RotoBaller

San Diego Padres designated hitter Luis Arraez went 1-for-4 with a single and an RBI in Friday's 2-1 win over the Dodgers. While he had just one hit, it was a big one, as it came in the bottom of the ninth in a tie ball game and drove in the winning run. It was the perfect ending to his first home game as a Padre. The two-time batting champion is now hitting .311 on the season with a .358 OBP. He'll help fantasy managers in batting average and runs scored (27 runs scored in 2024), but doesn't hit for power and doesn't steal bases. Hopefully there will be more RBI opportunities in San Diego (only seven so far) than there were in Miami.

From RotoBaller

Seattle Mariners second baseman Josh Rojas went 2-for-5 with a stolen base in Friday's 8-1 win over the Athletics. It was the 29-year-old's fifth multi-hit game in his last seven, going 13-for-30 (.433) during that stretch, including a double, a triple, and two stolen bases. The left-handed hitter is now slashing .351/.417/.526 on the season with a .413 wOBA and 175 wRC+. He may not hit for power but with the way he's hitting, walking (10.0%), and picking up a few stolen bases along the way, there should be plenty of run-scoring opportunities hitting leadoff. That is of course dependent on the rest of the Mariners lineup picking up the pace at the plate, as they lead the entire league in strikeouts as a team and they have the seventh-worst team batting average. Rojas could be a decent waiver add as he's eligible at both 2B and 3B for owners holding onto the likes of Gleyber Torres and Ke'Bryan Hayes.

From RotoBaller

Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Owen Caissie extended his hitting streak to four games with a base hit on Friday evening. In May, Caissie has a .258/.452/.452 line with a strong 10:8 BB:K ratio. Through his first 36 games at Triple-A this season, the 21-year-old has an impressive .281/.428/.438 line with three long balls and four swiped bags. The former second-round selection is making his case to see time in the major leagues later this summer. However, he is in a bit of a logjam with Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki returning from injuries, Ian Happ having an everyday role in left field, and the recent promotion of top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong. Nonetheless, the third-ranked prospect in the Cubs system should be rostered in all dynasty leagues and is becoming a worthy stash candidate in deeper redraft formats.

From RotoBaller

Seattle Mariners shortstop Dylan Moore went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and five RBI in Friday's 8-1 win over the Athletics. It was a bright spot in an otherwise rough season so far for Moore. Through Monday's game, the 31-year-old was hitting .192 with two home runs and six RBI, but over his last three games while filling in for the injured J.P. Crawford at shortstop, the right-handed hitter is 5-for-11 (.455) with one home run and six RBI. Hopefully he can keep it up over the next week or so until Crawford returns. Moore will get RHP Joey Estes (7.20 ERA, 1.40 WHIP in two career starts) and LHP Alex Wood (5.30 ERA, 1.74 WHIP) this weekend against the A's.

From RotoBaller

Houston Astros outfield prospect Jacob Melton began the season in a bit of a cold stretch with a poor .217/.290/.327 line with just one home run through the opening 15 games of the season at Double-A. Since then, the 23-year-old has an impressive .326/.375/.698 line with four long balls and 13 RBI. Melton launched his fifth home run of the campaign on Friday evening. MLB Pipeline considers Melton to be the top prospect in the Houston system. He is projected to reach the major leagues in 2025 but should see time in Triple-A later this summer, making him an interesting stash candidate in dynasty leagues.

From RotoBaller

Miami Marlins outfield prospect Jakob Marsee hit his first home run in the Miami system on Friday evening. Marsee was included in the package that sent Luis Arraez to San Diego on May 3. Across 28 games at Double-A this season, with both the San Diego and Miami affiliates, he has a .177/.360/.333 line with three home runs and a strong 26:27 BB:K ratio. However, the 22-year-old has been showcasing his power potential in May with two long balls and a .529 SLG. Marsee is ranked as the tenth overall prospect in the Miami system and could see time in the Triple-A later this summer, which opens the door for a potential 2025 major league debut.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow turned in another dominant performance in Friday's 2-1 loss to the Padres but was unable to factor into the decision. Over seven frames, the righty allowed just one hit, a solo home run off the bat of Luis Campusano, and walked two while striking out 10 batters. It was the fourth time he's struck out 10 or more batters this season, and now has a sterling 2.53 ERA (2.52 FIP), 0.86 WHIP, and an elite 26.7% K-BB%. The 30-year-old's six wins are good for second-best in the majors and he's looking like a true Cy Young contender. The former fifth-round MLB draft pick will face the Giants on the road in his next outing, whom he faced earlier this season, going six innings allowing four hits, two walks, and three earned runs while striking out seven.

From RotoBaller