Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz is getting the day off on Sunday in the series finale against the visiting Atlanta Braves. With Cruz retreating to the bench to rest up, Alika Williams will start at shortstop and bat in the nine-hole for the Bucs against Braves left-hander Chris Sale. Especially in the nine-hole, the light-hitting Williams should be avoided in fantasy lineups in a really tough matchup. Cruz has been in a rut at the plate recently and will be given the day off against a tough left-hander. The 25-year-old has only five hits in his last 35 at-bats (.143) average with no home runs, one RBI and 17 strikeouts in nine games since May 15 to drop his season line to .147/.302/.421. Cruz is extremely strong and has one of the fastest swings in the game, but he's currently leading the league with 72 strikeouts in 205 plate appearances.

From RotoBaller

The plan for Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill (knee) is to take Sunday and Monday off before returning to play on Tuesday in Baltimore against the Orioles. O'Neill is out of Sunday's lineup against the Milwaukee Brewers and is not going to play on Memorial Day on Monday in the series opener at Camden Yards. The 28-year-old is currently dealing with a sore right knee, but the Red Sox don't view the injury as very serious, so fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. Jarren Duran is playing left field on Sunday and is hitting leadoff, while Ceddanne Rafaela is in center field and occupying the nine-hole against Milwaukee and starter Tobias Myers. O'Neill has been a solid power contributor in his first year in Boston, clubbing 11 homers in 148 at-bats, but he only has 17 RBI to show for it.

From RotoBaller

Washington Nationals outfielder Jesse Winker (cramps) is out of the team's starting lineup on Sunday versus the visiting Seattle Mariners. Manager Dave Martinez said that Winker cramped up while running the bases in Saturday's win over Seattle, and now he'll receive a day off on Sunday. It's unclear exactly where Winker's cramping occurred, but fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now and check back to see if he's back in the lineup on Monday for the series opener on Memorial Day against the Braves in Atlanta. The 30-year-old veteran left-handed hitter has picked things up of late at the plate, but he's still hitting only .230 (37-for-161) on the season with six home runs, 21 RBI, six stolen bases and 23 runs scored. Ildemaro Vargas is in left field on Sunday and is batting fifth against Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo.

From RotoBaller

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (intercostal) once again is out of the team's starting lineup for Sunday's series finale in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. Fantasy managers should not be surprised, as manager Brian Snitker said before the series opener on Friday that Riley was more likely to make his return to action on Memorial Day on Monday for the series opener against the visiting Washington Nationals. The 27-year-old right-handed slugger is missing his 13th straight game but has surprisingly avoided landing on the injured list due to an intercostal strain. Riley swung a bat earlier in the week and will hopefully be back for fantasy managers to start next week. Zack Short remains at third base and will hit ninth against Pirates veteran left-hander Martin Perez on Sunday. Avoid Short in DFS contests.

From RotoBaller

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (hamstring) is serving as the DH and is batting second in the lineup on Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds and left-hander Brent Suter. Ohtani has been dealing with a hamstring contusion recently, but it's not serious enough to keep the 29-year-old two-way star out of the lineup on Sunday. In the team's 3-1 loss in Cincy on Saturday, Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a triple and three strikeouts. While the Japanese sensation deals with his hamstring issue, he's less likely to attempt any stolen bases if he gets on the basepaths. Fantasy managers need to leave the three-time All-Star and two-time MVP in all starting lineups, as he's still leading baseball with a .338 batting average (70-for-207) and also in slugging percentage (.628), OPS (1.034) and total bases (130) while adding 13 home runs, 35 RBI and 13 steals in his first year in LA.

From RotoBaller

Cincinnati Reds corner infielder Jeimer Candelario (neck) is not in the team's starting lineup on Sunday against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. Candelario will miss his second straight game due to neck stiffness, but he's apparently available off the bench for the series finale, so there's a chance he could return to the lineup for Monday's series opener against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Memorial Day. With Candelario out again Sunday, Santiago Espinal will man the hot corner and bat seventh against Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Candelario has left a lot to be desired so far in his first year with Cincy, although he's been better in May, going 19-for-74 (.257) with two of his five home runs and 10 RBI in 20 games played. Espinal does have six steals in 113 at-bats in 2024, but he's hitting .195 with two homers and is a weak DFS option against Yamamoto.

From RotoBaller

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller picked up his fourth straight quality start in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Braves. Keller pitched six-and-two-thirds innings of one-run ball, scattering six hits and striking out four batters while walking none. The outing lowered his season ERA to 3.59 (3.67 FIP) and the righty's WHIP now stands at 1.24. The former second-round draft pick isn't striking out as many batters as we're used to seeing (20.2% K%), but he's also reduced his HR/FB% to a career-low of 8.5% through 11 starts which has helped limit damage. The win was his sixth of the season, and hopefully he can sustain this success throughout the year, as last season he faded in the second half (first half 3.31 ERA, .278 wOBA vs. second half 5.59 ERA, .355 wOBA).

From RotoBaller

Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti struck out seven batters over five innings of work in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Athletics. Arrighetti also allowed five hits and walked three batters in the contest, ultimately taking the loss in the game. His record now stands at 2-5 with a 6.93 ERA and 1.78 WHIP. The righty has a decent 24.3% K%, but a BB% of 11.3% reduces his K-BB% to 13.0%. The 24-year-old will get the Twins at home in his next start, and for what it's worth, he's been better at home with a 4.29 ERA and .253 opponent batting average versus a 10.26 ERA and .360 opponent batting average on the road.

From RotoBaller

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar went 3-for-5 in Saturday's 7-6 win over the Cubs. One of his hits was a triple and the 26-year-old also stole his third base of the season. Nootbaar struggled when he initially came off the IL, however, over the last 12 games the left-handed hitter is slashing .341/.460/.561 with a .444 wOBA, 10 RBI, and six runs scored. The former eighth-round draft pick is making good contact (83.3% Contact%), has a 52.0% HardHit% (93rd percentile), and a strong BB% of 14.2% (95th percentile) on the season. With an xBA almost 50 points higher than his current batting average, it seems like there is room for this hot streak to run, and he's rostered in just 38% of Yahoo leagues.

From RotoBaller

Colorado Rockies outfielder Jordan Beck broke his left hand while trying to make a diving catch in left field during Saturday's game against the Phillies. There is no definitive timetable for his return yet, but he'll be sidelined for an extended period of time. After a hot start at Triple-A, Beck was called up to the majors only to struggle through his first 23 MLB games, hitting just .190 and posting a 1:30 BB:K (37.0% K%). The Rockies have summoned Sean Bouchard from Triple-A to take Beck's place on the roster. Bouchard has seen some success in limited action at the major league level in 2022 and 2023, but is probably off the radar for season-long fantasy for now. While Beck was not hitting well, managers who have an IL spot could stash Beck there until his return and hope that he eventually finds the stroke that made him successful at Triple-A.

From RotoBaller

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole threw another successful live batting practice session on Saturday. The Yankees will see how he feels today before determining next steps, but it sounds like he could potentially begin a rehab assignment "as soon as this coming week." Everything seems to be going according to plan which still puts Cole's return likely around the end of June or early July after he makes a few rehab starts, assuming he does not suffer any setbacks.

From RotoBaller

Oakland's RF JJ Bleday scored 28.0 fantasy points going 5-for-22 with three home runs and four RBIs in five games this week. Bleday is owned only in 6.0% of mixed leagues.

Giants' 3B Matt Chapman scored 27.5 fantasy points going 5-for-20 with three home runs and six RBIs in five games this week. Chapman is owned only in 43.6% of mixed leagues.

Angels' 2B Luis Rengifo scored 28.0 fantasy points going 9-for-21 with two home runs and four RBIs in five games this week. Rengifo is owned only in 47.2% of mixed leagues.

Mariners' LF Dylan Moore scored 28.0 fantasy points going 6-for-18 with two home runs and four RBIs in six games this week. Moore is owned only in 1.4% of mixed leagues.

Baltimore's CF Cedric Mullins had three stolen bases and a .188 average in six games this week. Mullins is owned only in 43.4% of mixed leagues.

Guardians' C David Fry scored 29.0 fantasy points going 6-for-9 with two home runs and five RBIs in four games this week. Fry is owned only in 15.5% of mixed leagues.

Tigers' RF Kerry Carpenter scored 27.0 fantasy points going 6-for-17 with three home runs and six RBIs in six games this week. Carpenter is owned only in 34.7% of mixed leagues.

Twins' SS Carlos Correa had a slash line of .294/.350/.824 going 5-for-17 with 4 RBIs in five games this week. Correa is owned only in 25.3% of mixed leagues.

Athletics' 3B J.D. Davis had a slash line of .438/.471/.812 going 7-for-16 with 3 RBIs in four games this week. Davis is owned only in 0.1% of mixed leagues.