Atlanta Braves right-handed pitching prospect JR Ritchie will remain with the big-league club for now because "we wanted him to be an option in the picture moving forward," manager Walt Weiss told Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Richie will get more chances after looking great in his major-league debut on Thursday against the Washington Nationals, in which he allowed two earned runs over seven innings with seven strikeouts and two walks for his first major-league win. The team's No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, will remain with Atlanta for now, but it's unclear if that will be in a starting or relief role. It might all depend on when right-hander Spencer Strider (oblique) comes off the 15-day injured list to make his season debut. At the very least, Ritchie deserves to be stashed in dynasty/keeper and NL-only leagues for his upside if he stays in Atlanta's starting rotation. He's currently rostered in 20% of Yahoo leagues.

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Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (arm) threw a bullpen session on Friday and "looked good," manager Joe Espada told Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Imai's next step will be to start a minor-league rehab assignment. The first-year MLB player tossed 45 pitches during his bullpen on Friday. The 27-year-old Japanese native has had a rude awakening to the big leagues, posting a 7.27 ERA and 2.08 WHIP with 13 walks and 11 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings in his first two starts in the United States before landing on the 15-day injured list on April 13 with right-arm fatigue. Imai is still adjusting to life in the States, and he'll still need at least several rehab starts before the Astros feel comfortable reinserting him into their starting lineup. If the rest of his 2026 season looks anything like the beginning of his tenure with the Astros, fantasy managers could be in for a roller-coaster ride. Imai needs to show better control of his pitches first if he wants to turn things around. He's currently rostered in just over half of Yahoo leagues.

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Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss said that outfielder Michael Harris II (quadriceps) has been scratched from the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies, according to Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Braves removed Harris from Thursday's win over the Washington Nationals early as a precaution with left-quadriceps tightness, and now he'll miss another game. Weiss said that Harris remains day-to-day, and the team doesn't expect him to have to land on the 10-day injured list. Eli White will take over again for Harris in center field on Friday and will bat ninth for the Braves versus Phillies rookie right-hander Andrew Painter. Harris' fantasy managers are hoping his minor quad injury doesn't interrupt his hot hitting at the plate of late. The 25-year-old left-handed hitter has gone 13-for-23 (.565) with four home runs, two doubles, nine RBI, and six runs scored in his last seven games, dating back to April 17. Check back on Saturday for Game 2 of the series against the Phillies to see if Harris is reinserted into the starting nine.

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Colorado Rockies infielder Willi Castro (knee) is not in the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the New York Mets at Citi Field, per MLB.com. Tyler Freeman will make the start at second base for Colorado and will bat cleanup against Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta. Castro is considered day-to-day right now after being pulled from Thursday's loss to the San Diego Padres early with right-knee soreness. The 29-year-old switch-hitting Puerto Rican super-utility man might find himself on the bench more often in Denver, even when he's healthy, since both Edouard Julien and Freeman have been swinging the bat better in the early going. In his first year with the Rockies, Castro is off to a .246/.316/.348 start with a .664 OPS, one home run, nine RBI, 10 runs scored, and two stolen bases. Freeman has yet to homer in his 41 at-bats, but he's gone 12-for-41 (.293) at the plate with seven RBI, two runs, and two steals. He should be considered a DFS sleeper out of the cleanup spot on Friday against Peralta.

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Atlanta Braves right-handed reliever Raisel Iglesias (shoulder) has not resumed throwing yet, but manager Walt Weiss said that the team is encouraged by his progress and hopes to have him back as soon as his 15-day injured list stint is up, according to Grant McAuley of 929 The Game. The 36-year-old veteran is eligible to return to the Braves' bullpen on May 5, so hopefully, fantasy managers will have him back then. In the meantime, former San Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez figures to see all of the team's save chances in the ninth inning. Suarez is rostered in 70% of Yahoo leagues, so fantasy managers in need of saves should check to see if he's available on your league's waiver wire. When Iglesias is ready to return, he should be inserted right back into ninth-inning duties after his strong start to the 2026 campaign. The Cuban hurler has not allowed a run in his first 8 2/3 relief innings for Atlanta while picking up five saves, striking out 11, and walking only one.

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Cincinnati Reds third baseman/designated hitter Eugenio Suarez (back) has been scratched from the starting lineup on Friday for the game against the Detroit Tigers due to mid-back pain, according to Charlie Goldsmith of FOX 19. First baseman Nathaniel Lowe will serve as the team's designated hitter and bat sixth against Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez. Although Lowe has plenty of experience in his career against Valdez -- he's hit .269 against him with an .867 OPS, one home run, and three RBI in 26 at-bats -- fantasy managers in DFS will probably want to fade him in the lefty-lefty matchup. For now, we'll consider Suarez day-to-day. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Saturday to see if he's available to play in Game 2 of the series. The 34-year-old Venezuelan veteran has hit .231 (21-for-91) so far in his return to Cincy in 2026 with three homers, 11 RBI, and 10 runs scored in his first 25 games. Make sure you remove Suarez from your starting lineups on Friday.

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New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf) will be in a boot for the next week, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The Mets won't re-evaluate Lindor until three full weeks pass, so he can't restart baseball activities until mid-May, at the earliest. The strain is in "a trick part" of Lindor's left calf, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. Lindor's calf injury is more serious than All-Star outfielder Juan Soto's, so fantasy managers are going to need to be patient. There's a good chance we won't see Lindor again until June, depending on how he recovers once he starts ramping up. Until he can return from the 10-day injured list, former top prospect Ronny Mauricio will get a shot at everyday playing time at the 6 in Queens. The 25-year-old switch-hitting Dominican infielder was hitting the ball well at Triple-A Syracuse before his call-up this week, but he has yet to stand out in his 90 big-league games, slashing .231/.290/.354 with a .644 OPS. Mauricio is only rostered in 4% of Yahoo leagues at the moment. Lindor is a must-stash in all fantasy formats.

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The New York Mets told left-hander David Peterson to be ready to pitch next Wednesday against the division-rival Washington Nationals after right-hander Christian Scott was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. It's unclear at this time if Peterson will start next Wednesday against the Nats or if he'll serve in a bulk-relief role. The 30-year-old southpaw has been much better as a bulk reliever out of the bullpen early on in 2026 than as a traditional starter. Overall, he's gone 0-3 with a 5.06 ERA (3.78 FIP) and 1.65 WHIP with 24 strikeouts and 11 walks in 26 2/3 innings over six appearances (four starts). Since being used as a bulk reliever each of his last two times out, Peterson has allowed just one earned run with a walk and three K's in seven innings pitched. Peterson obviously will have more fantasy appeal as a traditional starter, but that might not be how the Mets deploy him going forward. He's rostered in just 15% of Yahoo leagues at the moment.

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Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia (elbow) is not present in the team's starting lineup on Friday versus the visiting Los Angeles Angels in the series opener, according to MLB.com. Nick Loftin will make the start at the hot corner and will bat leadoff for KC against Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. Garcia left Wednesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles early with right-elbow soreness. He was expected to return for Friday's series opener against the Halos after a day off on Thursday, but the Royals have decided to give him another day of rest. Fantasy managers will want to check back to see if Garcia is in the starting nine for Game 2 of the series on Saturday. Loftin will be a DFS sleeper on Friday out of the leadoff spot. He's gone 4-for-13 in limited playing time (six games) so far in 2026 with three RBI. He's faced Kikuchi five times in his career and has an RBI, but he's still searching for his first hit against the veteran southpaw.

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Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (hand) said all the imaging (MRI exam, CT scan, and X-rays) on his injured right hand "looked good," according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. Holliday will be shut down for about a week and just needs the inflammation in his hand to go down before returning to minor-league rehab games. He's hoping he doesn't need a full 20 days on a rehab assignment. The 22-year-old was pulled from his rehab game with Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday with more right-hand discomfort in the same hand that he had surgery on for a fractured hamate bone back in late February. Holliday isn't close to making his 2026 season debut with the O's, but the good news is he's not dealing with more structural damage in his hand. His injury setbacks have left some fantasy managers impatient, as Holliday is now rostered in just under half of Yahoo leagues. In his absence, Jeremiah Jackson has stepped up for the Orioles at the keystone and is hitting .295 (23-for-78) with five home runs and 19 RBI. The 26-year-old has become a waiver-wire target himself.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II (quadriceps) is starting in center field and is batting fifth for the Braves in Friday's series opener at Truist Park against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies and rookie right-hander Andrew Painter, per MLB.com. Harris was removed from Thursday's series finale against the Washington Nationals early as a precaution due to left-quad tightness, but he's back in the starting nine a day later and is looking to stay hot at the plate this weekend. The 25-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder got off to a slow start initially in 2026, but the former third-rounder has hit an incredible .447/.488/.895 with five home runs in his last 11 games to raise his season slash line to .318/.356/.565 with a .920 OPS in 90 plate appearances. Harris is up to six home runs and has also contributed 16 RBI, 11 runs, and two steals in 24 total games. Get him back into your starting fantasy lineups on Friday. Harris is 2-for-2 with a solo home run in his two career at-bats against Painter.

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Houston Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (shoulder), who is on the 15-day injured list with a right-shoulder sprain, began his throwing program on Tuesday in Houston by playing catch from around 75 feet, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Brown last made a start for the Astros on March 31 against the Boston Red Sox. It's a notable step in his recovery from his shoulder injury, but he still has a ways to go before he'll be ready to rejoin Houston's starting rotation. General manager Dana Brown said that Brown is expected to be back with the big-league club until around the end of May. The 27-year-old former fifth-round pick in 2019 out of Wayne State University will need at least several minor-league rehab starts to build his arm up next month. Before injuring his shoulder, Brown had carried over his brilliance from 2025, posting a 0.84 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 17 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings over his two starts. Brown needs to be stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy baseball leagues while he rehabs.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman is out as the team's closer, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. The Blue Jays will go with a closer-by-committee approach for now while Hoffman works on things in lower-leverage spots. This announcement shouldn't come as a big surprise after manager John Schneider refused to commit to using Hoffman earlier this week, the next time a save situation arose. He was unavailable on Wednesday in the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels due to a heavy recent workload, and for now, he'll be demoted from the closer's role in Toronto. The 33-year-old has continued to struggle after famously blowing Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hoffman was an All-Star with the Phillies in 2024 and had a career-high 33 saves in 2025 in his first year with Toronto, but that also came with a bloated 4.37 ERA in 68 innings pitched. He has allowed 11 earned runs (nine earned) while walking six and striking out 24 in 10 2/3 innings in his 12 outings in 2026. Hoffman has been bitten by some bad luck, but it doesn't change the fact that he's been demoted. Louis Varland figures to get the next shot to close out games for the Jays, and he's currently rostered in 32% of Yahoo leagues.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony (back) will miss a third straight game on Friday in the series opener against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, according to MLB.com. Anthony experienced some upper-back tightness on a swing against the New York Yankees on Tuesday and has missed the last two games. The Red Sox are labeling the young left-handed-hitting outfielder as day-to-day for now, but that could change if Anthony is unable to play at all in the three-game series against Baltimore this weekend. Jarren Duran is starting in left field for Boston and will bat leadoff for the club on Friday versus O's right-hander Brandon Young. Injuries cut the 21-year-old Anthony's season short last year, but he still managed to hit an impressive .292/.396/.463 with an .859 OPS, eight homers, 32 RBI, 48 runs, and four steals in his first 71 big-league games. Anthony has gotten off to a slow start in 2026 (.225/.361/.325 with a .686 OPS in 22 games played), but he's still one of the top young outfielders in the game with tons of long-term upside.

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Houston Astros reliever Enyel De Los Santos continues to be the priority arm out of the Houston bullpen to roster in fantasy leagues. The right-hander has been mostly reliable so far this season, allowing runs in just two of his nine appearances, and despite giving up three earned runs in an outing on April 21, the team went right back to him a day later on April 22, with the Dominican locking down the victory and notching a save. For the season, he's recorded three saves and owns a 3.86 ERA (2.07 xERA), a 1.18 WHIP, and an 8:3 K:BB in 9 1/3 innings pitched. Fellow reliever Bryan King may get an opportunity here and there, but De Los Santos appears to have the edge, and with Josh Hader (biceps) recently transferred to the 60-day injured list, he's not expected back until late May at the earliest, making the closer job De Los Santos' to lose. The 30-year-old is rostered in just 13 percent of Yahoo! leagues for managers looking for saves on the wire.

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Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jeremiah Jackson has filled in admirably this season for the injured Jackson Holliday (hand). The former second-round draft pick has hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games, currently riding a four-game hit streak, and for the season has produced a .295-5-19-9-1 stat line with a .362 wOBA and 131 wRC+. The aforementioned Holliday has begun a rehab assignment, but recently encountered a setback for the second time, and will likely not be back until sometime in May, leaving the door open for Jackson to continue to get playing time for the O's. The 26-year-old doesn't walk much (2.6 percent), so he's less desirable in OBP leagues, but in other standard mixed leagues, the right-handed hitter is worthy of consideration for his power and RBI potential. He's available in almost 40 percent of Yahoo! leagues and is eligible at 2B, 3B, and OF, adding to his fantasy appeal.

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Toronto Blue Jays reliever Louis Varland could be in line to earn more save opportunities going forward, and along with his performance so far this season, the right-hander is emerging as a worthwhile waiver wire stash. The 6-foot-1 hurler has yet to allow an earned run through 12 appearances, and with a 0.85 WHIP and elite 34.8 percent K-BB% (19:3 K:BB) in 13 innings pitched, he looks like a viable end-of-game option. Current closer Jeff Hoffman's performance thus far is even more reason to stash Varland away, as Hoffman has struggled mightily this season, with three blown saves, a 7.59 ERA, and a 2.06 WHIP despite an elite 42.1 percent strikeout rate. Varland's 98 mph average fastball velocity gives him the look of a prototypical closer as well, and although his only save this year was the first of his career, the 28-year-old should be in consideration for a fantasy roster spot, as even without saves, he could help improve fantasy managers' category stats. He's still available in nearly 70 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

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Tampa Bay Rays reliever Bryan Baker appears to be the preferred bullpen option for saves right now. The 6-foot-6 hurler was charged with a blown save his last time out, but he had come on to face the meat of the Pirates' order in the eighth in an attempt to preserve a win, so it shows the confidence the team has in him. Before that, the right-hander had converted four save chances, and for the season, he owns a 4.32 ERA (2.70 xERA), 1.20 WHIP, and a 9:3 K:BB in 8 1/3 innings pitched. Griffin Jax (8.00 ERA, 1.89 WHIP) lost the closer role in the early going and has yielded runs in two of his last three appearances, so the struggles continue for him, and Garrett Cleavinger (calf) is on the injured list with a calf issue. Edwin Uceta (shoulder) has encountered setbacks in his recovery from a shoulder injury and won't be back any time soon, so Baker's job looks to be secure for the time being. The 31-year-old is still available in 70 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak is a hot bat worth scooping off the waiver wire. The former first-overall draft pick is in the midst of an eight-game hit streak that has pushed his season-long slash line to .324/.347/.750 with a .326 wOBA and 182 wRC+. The left-handed hitter has belted eight home runs so far this year, tied for fourth-most in the majors, and is coming off a 24-home run campaign in 2025. The drawback for fantasy is that he rarely sees opportunities against left-handed pitchers, logging just 11 plate appearances against them in 2026 compared to 61 plate appearances against right-handers. Still, with the power he's been displaying, especially at Coors Field, the 27-year-old is a must-add in most leagues, particularly those that allow daily lineup changes. The 6-foot-1 slugger is still available in over 60 percent of Yahoo! leagues for the taking and is worthy of the use of a high-priority waiver claim or FAAB bid.

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Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM on Friday that outfielder/designated hitter George Springer (toe) could return from the 10-day injured list in a "day or two." Springer won't rejoin Toronto's starting lineup for the series opener on Friday against the Cleveland Guardians, but he could be back before the series finale on Sunday. The 36-year-old veteran has been sidelined since fracturing his toe on April 11, but he's made good progress since then and is expected to return to the big-league roster without requiring a minor-league rehab assignment. Fantasy managers can't realistically expect Springer to be as good as he was in 2025 in a resurgent season in which he hit .309/.399/.560 with a .959 OPS, 32 home runs, 84 RBI, and 18 stolen bases in 140 regular-season games, but he should still be rostered in all fantasy leagues for his power/speed contributions in a hitter-friendly home environment at Rogers Centre. Before fracturing his toe, Springer was struggling offensively, going 10-for-54 (.185) with two homers, six RBI, four runs, and a stolen base in 14 games played.

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