Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said on Wednesday that both starting pitchers Cristian Javier (forearm) and Jose Urquidy (forearm) are "getting opinions from other doctors." Espada said earlier this week that both pitchers were examined by doctors on Monday, but their imaging results haven't been disclosed. Javier was unable to throw a scheduled bullpen session on Sunday due to right forearm discomfort, and he was then placed on the injured list for the second time this season. Urquidy, on the other hand, has missed the entire season with a right forearm strain and was close to rejoining Houston's rotation before suffering a setback during a minor-league rehab assignment. This could lead to a pretty significant development for the two hurlers, who both currently have no clear timetable for a return to the Astros. Although Urquidy isn't a must-stash fantasy player, we'd recommend holding onto Javier until more is known.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Luke Raley (lat) is not in the team's starting lineup on Thursday against the visiting division-rival Houston Astros due to a sore lat. Raley will receive the day off to let it calm down, but it remains to be seen if he'll be back in for Friday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. It doesn't sound like a serious injury for the 29-year-old left-handed hitter, so hopefully he'll be back on the field at some point this weekend against the Halos. All four of Raley's homers this year have come in May, a month in which he's hit a strong .292 (21-for-72) with two doubles and nine RBI in 78 plate appearances and 23 games to earn more run in Seattle's lineup against right-handed pitching. Dominic Canzone is starting in left field on Thursday and will hit sixth in the order against Astros rookie right-hander Spencer Arrighetti.

Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Jeffrey Springs (elbow, lat) threw long toss on Thursday and made 45 throws out to 90 feet, just five days after being shut down. Lat soreness caused Springs to be pulled from his second minor-league rehab outing last Saturday while pitching in the Florida Complex League at the rookie level. The 31-year-old southpaw appears to have made some nice progress since last weekend, though, and he's beginning to ramp up his throwing program once again. We'll update everyone once we know when Springs will be cleared to make another rehab start as he continues to make his way back from Tommy John surgery that he had last April. Springs will be on the fantasy radar when he's healthy. He made only three starts in 2023 before being shut down but he went 9-5 in 2022 with a strong 2.46 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with a 144:31 K:BB in 33 outings (25 starts).

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Shawn Armstrong is listed as the starter for the team's game on Thursday against the visiting Oakland Athletics. Armstrong is serving as the opener for this contest for Tampa, with left-hander Tyler Alexander expected to take over as the bulk reliever after Armstrong goes an inning or two. The 33-year-old has performed well as the opener four other times for the Rays this year, but that doesn't mean he's a viable streamer for fantasy purposes. Armstrong is currently 1-1 on the year with a 3.91 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, one save, 30 strikeouts and nine walks in 25 1/3 innings over 20 appearances (four starts). Alexander has a good matchup once he enters the game, but the 29-year-old southpaw hasn't been nearly as effective as Armstrong has been this year.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil threw a season-high eight innings of one-run ball on his way to earning his seventh win of the season in Wednesday's 2-1 victory over the Angels. The righty allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out nine batters, culminating in his sixth straight quality start. Gil finishes out a fantastic May winning all six of his starts with a 0.70 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and a 22.7% K-BB% during the month. He'll get a favorable matchup his next time out too, drawing the Twins at home on Tuesday. Minnesota has the ninth-lowest team batting average and is middle-of-the-pack in terms of team strikeouts.

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ty Blach threw seven strong innings in Wednesday's victory over the visiting Cleveland Guardians, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks with five strikeouts for his second win of the campaign. After giving up two runs on three hits and two walks in the first inning for the brunt of the damage to his ledger, Blach found a groove with six scoreless innings from that point on. The 33-year-old veteran left-hander will bring an ordinary 4.15 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and a 17:7 K:BB across 34 2/3 innings (five starts) into his next scheduled start against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field on Tuesday. Severely lacking swing-and-miss stuff, Blach is nothing more than a low-upside fantasy streamer under the most favorable conditions.

Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano logged his eighth save of the year with one strikeout in the ninth inning of Wednesday's win over the hosting Chicago White Sox, but not before he allowed a solo home run in the victory. Romano served up a solo homer to White Sox catcher Korey Lee, but he still locked down the save fairly comfortably on Wednesday. The hard-throwing 31-year-old right-hander has gone 8-for-9 on save chances this season, but fantasy managers will want to see him sharpen up on his 6.59 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 13:4 K:BB over 13 2/3 innings after the hurler's late start to the campaign due to injury. While Romano is still Toronto's preferred ninth-inning man, he'll need to cut down on the homers if he wants to avoid losing out on save opportunities, as he's already given up four long balls.

Minnesota Twins outfielder/infielder Willi Castro collected three hits in Wednesday's loss to the division-rival Kansas City Royals, going 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in the defeat. The three-hit attack should help get Castro back on track after he went hitless in five of his past six outings. With Royce Lewis (quad) sidelined, the 27-year-old switch-hitter has taken on a more pronounced role across the diamond for the Twins, slashing a respectable .258/.332/.419 with four home runs, 16 RBI, 27 runs scored, and seven stolen bases across 208 plate appearances (55 games) in 2024. Castro is worth holding in the majority of fantasy leagues for his speed and positional eligibility until Lewis returns from his minor-league rehab assignment.

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed reliever Keynan Middleton (forearm) is headed for further testing on his forearm and could need UCL replacement or repair surgery on his right arm. It would be a tough blow for Middleton and the Cardinals after the free-agent signee was expected to be an integral piece of the team's bullpen this year. Middleton has yet to pitch in 2024 because of persistent pain in his arm. The 30-year-old is set to undergo an MRI exam on Friday, so we should know more then on whether he'll have to miss all of the 2024 season. He signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Cardinals in free agency back in February. If Middleton needs to go under the knife, not only would he miss all of this year, but he probably wouldn't be ready to go for the start of the 2025 season, either.

Oakland Athletics right-hander Luis Medina (knee) gave up two earned runs on four hits while walking two, hitting two batters and striking out six in 3 2/3 innings in his third minor-league rehab start on Tuesday with Triple-A Las Vegas. Medina made his first start in the Arizona Complex League on May 15 and gave up six runs over two innings while striking out three. He followed that up by throwing 2 1/3 innings (42 pitches) for Vegas on May 22, allowing five runs on four hits with one walk and a strikeout. The 25-year-old made some notable improvements in his third rehab start but will probably require a few more starts in the minors before the A's consider moving him to their big-league roster. When healthy, Medina's nasty fastball-slider combination can make him a worthwhile deep-league streamer.

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said prior to Tuesday's game against the division-rival Boston Red Sox that starting pitcher Dean Kremer (triceps) is continuing to improve. Kremer isn't experiencing as much soreness as he recovers from a strained right triceps, and he's expected to play catch "soon." The 28-year-old right-hander is a streaming option in fantasy when healthy, as evidenced by his serviceable 4.32 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 49:18 K:BB, and a career-best .204 average against over nine starts (50 innings) in 2024, but that doesn't mean he's a must-stash player. Veterans Albert Suarez and Cole Irvin will help plug up Baltimore's banged-up rotation in the meantime, and both hurlers will be worth streaming during the upcoming weekend set at home against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Toronto Blue Jays reinstated right-hander Chad Green (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list on Tuesday and optioned right-hander Erik Swanson to Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move. Green will be available out of the bullpen for Toronto for Tuesday night's game in Chicago against the White Sox for the first time since being put on the injured list in mid-April with a right-shoulder strain. The 33-year-old veteran tossed three scoreless innings on a minor-league rehab start with Buffalo and should be ready to immediately jump into his late-inning setup role in front of closer Jordan Romano. Green is valuable in holds leagues and as a handcuff to Romano. Swanson has come apart in 2024 and will look for answers on the farm. The 30-year-old has allowed 14 earned runs on 20 hits (five homers) while walking four and fanning 10 in 13 2/3 relief innings in 2024.

San Francisco Giants first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) has been placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. The Giants expect him to miss around a month of action. This was expected to happen after Wade suffered a hamstring injury during Monday's game. This is a shame, considering Wade has been an on-base machine this season. Wilmer Flores figures to see increased playing time at first base for the Gigantes with Wade set to miss time. Trenton Brooks is at first on Tuesday and is hitting ninth against Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler.

The Oakland Athletics reinstated infielder Aledmys Diaz (calf) from the 60-day injured list on Tuesday and designated infielder Tyler Nevin for assignment in a corresponding move. Diaz is finally back from a strained right calf that he suffered in spring training in early March, but he won't immediately return to Oakland's starting lineup against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 33-year-old hit just .154 in 32 plate appearances in 10 games during his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Las Vegas and is probably going to be a utility man for the A's until further notice, making him only attractive as depth in AL-only leagues behind Max Schuemann at the 6 and Abraham Toro at second base. Nevin had become a waiver-wire consideration in deeper fantasy leagues due to his hot start in April, but since then he's had just one hit in 43 at-bats and is off the active roster.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that designated hitter Shohei Ohtani will not start the second game of the team's doubleheader on Tuesday against the hosting New York Mets at Citi Field. Catcher Will Smith will serve as the DH for the nightcap of the twin bill, with Austin Barnes likely doing the catching against Mets veteran left-hander Jose Quintana. Ohtani is the DH and is batting in the two-hole for Game 1 against Mets right-hander Tylor Megill, but he'll get to rest in the second game with a southpaw on the mound. It's been a pretty successful year at the plate so far for the two-way superstar in his first year in LA, as Ohtani currently leads the league in average (.336), slugging percentage (.621), OPS (1.024) and total bases (131) while also adding 13 homers, 35 RBI and 13 stolen bases in 53 games.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday's series opener against the hosting New York Mets that if all goes well with closer Evan Phillips (hamstring), he will return on Friday for the start of a weekend series against the division-rival Colorado Rockies. Phillips has logged one outing on his minor-league rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga as he works his way back from Grade 1 right hamstring strain, and he'll likely make another appearance or two before the Dodgers activate him from the injured list. Over 14 appearances before going down, the 29-year-old right-hander allowed a single run with a 17:4 K:BB and converted each of his eight save chances over 13 2/3 innings of work as LA's established closer. Veteran Daniel Hudson figures to be first in line for save opportunities for the early part of Week 10 of fantasy baseball.

San Diego starting pitcher Michael King struck out seven across five innings of one-run ball on Monday. He allowed three hits and one free pass. King has looked dominant at times this season but has also had several blow-up starts, making him a difficult asset to trust in fantasy. He has logged five starts with only allowing at most one earned run but two starts of allowing at least six earned runs with an overall 4.03 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. However, he has shown excellent strikeout upside with a 26.3% K rate, which places him in the top 73 percentile among all qualified pitchers. The 29-year-old will look to post another strong outing on Sunday as he takes on the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Cincinnati Reds corner infielder Jeimer Candelario had a successful return to the lineup in Monday's 3-1 win over the Cardinals. The 30-year-old went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk. Candelario got things going, pulling a first-inning Lance Lynn fastball over the right-field wall for his sixth HR of the season. Despite the move to a favorable home park, Candelario has struggled offensively, slashing .222/.299/.419 with 20 RBI in 187 plate appearances. He has hit for more power at home but has actually batted worse with a .202/.333/.440 slash line compared to a .241/.259/.398 slash line on the road. While it seems likely that Candelario's overall numbers will improve as he starts to hit better at home, fantasy managers will have to be patient until he can start producing more consistently.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (elbow) said Monday that he has progressed to throwing from 60 feet. The two-way superstar is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery and hasn't pitched since 2023. He said his sessions have been 60 to 70 throws at up to 80 mph. He and the Dodgers are hoping he can return to the mound in 2025. Ohtani has still been a top fantasy player without pitching, as he has slashed an impressive .336/.403/.621 with 13 home runs, 35 RBI, and 13 stolen bases in 239 plate appearances. He has a way to go before providing fantasy value as a pitcher again (in 2025), but Ohtani should continue to be one of fantasy's best hitters.