Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald (oblique) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday, and the team will likely have him appear in another rehab game if all goes well there. There was some optimism that Sewald's next appearance would come for the major-league club, but it sounds like fantasy managers will have to wait a few more days before the hurler is reinstated from the 15-day injured list due to a strained left oblique. Look for the 33-year-old right-hander to re-enter Arizona's bullpen and reclaim his closing gig sometime during Week 5 of fantasy baseball, which begins on Monday with a three-game series versus the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Righty Kevin Ginkel owns a solid 3.48 ERA (2.85 FIP), 1.16 WHIP, and 11:2 K:BB with four saves through 10 1/3 innings, but fantasy managers should be trying to make other arrangements for saves before he reverts to a setup role upon Sewald's return.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell (groin) resumed playing catch on flat ground on Friday, which is a good sign for a player who is dealing with a multi-week absence due to a strained left groin. Snell believes he can rejoin San Fran's rotation right around May 7, when he's first eligible for activation from the 15-day injured list. The 31-year-old reigning National League Cy Young Award winner has obviously been a massive fantasy bust with an 11.57 ERA, 1.97 WHIP, and 12:5 K:BB through 11 2/3 innings (three starts), but his elite strikeout upside when healthy means he can't be jettisoned to any waiver wires. In the interim, former second-round pick Sean Hjelle may be needed as a starter for the Giants and has a 5.79 ERA and 0.85 WHIP with two punchouts and one walk in 4 2/3 frames this year. He'd line up for a decent matchup with the Boston Red Sox at some point next week in this case.

There is no timetable yet on Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (oblique), but general manager Justin Hollander said the team doesn't anticipate him being ready by the time he's eligible to be activated from the injured list. In a best-case scenario, it sounds like Crawford will be out at least two to three weeks with a Grade 1 right-oblique strain. The Mariners aren't going to rush the 29-year-old shortstop back with an injury that isn't easy to come back from, even if it's the least-severe variety. It's been a rough year so far for Crawford, as he's hit just .198 (17-for-86) with two home runs, nine RBI and 13 runs scored in his first 22 games. Until he's able to return, Dylan Moore should see most of the playing time at the 6 and will have elevated short-term fantasy value in deeper leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz (hand) was hit by a pitch in the eighth inning and was subsequently removed. Niko Goodrum pinch-ran for the 32-year-old after he was hit. Diaz took a 99 mph fastball from White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech to his hand as the Rays worked to dig themselves out of a 7-3 hole. Diaz had put together a decent day at the plate before exiting, going 1-2 with two walks. If Diaz is to miss any time, then the beneficiaries of his absence will be Austin Shenton and Goodrum. Shenton has slashed .143/.217/.238 on the season, and Goodrum has slashed .167/.286/.452. Neither option is great from a fantasy perspective, but Shenton has generally been the starter when Diaz gets rest. Prioritize Shenton if you're looking directly for a replacement from the Rays, but there are likely better options you can snag off the waiver wire.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb (hip, shoulder) has been held back from throwing activities the last few days as he's still experiencing soreness in his shoulder. He is scheduled to see Dr. Ken Akizuki Friday night. Cobb had been working his way back from a hip surgery he had in October and started to experience some setbacks after throwing a bullpen session a few weeks ago. The 36-year-old won't be eligible to come off the injured list until late May, but these setbacks may push his return further into June. This isn't the news the Giants wanted to hear after needing to put newly acquired Blake Snell on the 15-day injured list this week. Cobb will have a rotation spot available for him when he returns, but fantasy managers and Giants fans will need to exercise patience for a couple more months for that moment.

San Francisco Giants second baseman Thairo Estrada (hamstring) is not in the Giants' lineup for their Friday night tilt against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Estrada was removed from Wednesday's game against the Mets after dealing with hamstring tightness. As of now, Estrada is considered day-to-day. The 28-year-old is slashing .232/.253/.400 on the year so his impact to the Giants and fantasy managers' lineups may be fairly negligible. Tyler Fitzgerald is getting the start in his place and will bat eighth. Should Estrada return this weekend he would see Martin Perez on Saturday and Pirates rookie Jared Jones on Sunday.

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Chad Green (shoulder) is rehabbing for three to seven more days, at which point the team is hopeful that he can resume throwing. Green is recovering from a teres major strain in his right shoulder after landing on the injured list. The 32-year-old veteran hurler is probably at least several weeks away from being able to return to Toronto's bullpen. Green opened the 2024 season with increased fantasy importance because of injuries to both Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson. He took advantage of the short-term opportunity for save chances in Toronto, recording two saves with a 2.35 ERA and 1.04 WHIP while walking two and striking out seven in 7 2/3 frames. When Green returns from the IL, he'll return to a late-inning setup role in front of Romano.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah (shoulder) will make another minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Buffalo next Tuesday. Not only is Manoah rehabbing from a right-shoulder injury, but he hasn't been good in three of his four rehab starts to this point. In his last outing with Buffalo on Wednesday, the 26-year-old allowed six runs on seven hits while walking four in just three innings of work. Even if Manoah is getting healthier, his performances don't exactly endorse him for a big-league call-up to enter Toronto's starting rotation. Hi rehab assignment will be up on May 6, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him activated from the injured list and optioned back to Buffalo. Manoah's 2023 nightmare season has so far carried over to 2024.

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon (hamstring) said he has a high-grade partial tear of his left hamstring and doesn't have a timetable to return. The Angels placed Rendon on the 10-day injured list on Sunday, but the 33-year-old is certainly going to be out for an extended amount of time. Ever since signing a seven-year deal with the Halos, Rendon has mostly been in the trainer's room and has been one of the biggest disappointments in baseball after recording a league-high 126 RBI and a career-high 34 home runs in his final year with the Nationals in 2019. Before the injury, he was hitting .267 (20-for-75) with no homers, three RBI and three steals. We wouldn't blame you for dumping Rendon to the waiver wire at this point. Miguel Sano has been playing third since Rendon went down, but Brandon Drury could also see time there moving forward.

New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. This appears to be a routine rest day for the veteran slugger. Stanton has started in five straight games, so the team has decided to give the 34-year-old the night off. In the meantime, Aaron Judge will serve as the designated hitter while Trent Grisham will cover center field versus right-hander Colin Rea.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo continued his stellar work on the mound during Friday's game against the Detroit Tigers. The right-hander threw seven shutout innings while striking out nine batters in the win. Lugo only gave up three singles during this game and a pair of walks. He holds a 1.66 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 23/9 K/BB ratio across six starts. He'll look to continue his strong campaign against the Toronto Blue Jays next week.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado has been activated off the paternity leave list on Friday. That is great news after Machado missed a few games earlier in the week due to a personal matter. He's batting fourth and covering third base during Friday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. In a corresponding move, infielder Matthew Batten has been optioned to the minors. Fantasy managers should make sure to get Machado back in their lineups.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe (oblique) reportedly is feeling great during his minor-league rehab assignment. The 26-year-old says he's ready to return whenever the teams feels like bringing him back. In six games, Lowe is slashing .227/.346/.364 with a homer, and five RBI during his rehab stint. It sounds like Lowe is ready to return and could be activated off the injured list any day now.

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Colin Poche (back) has been placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday. The move is retroactive to April 24th with Poche dealing with back tightness. The organization has not given a timetable for how long Poche will be sidelined. This is a hit to the Rays bullpen with Pete Fairbanks already sidelined as well. The loss of these two pitchers should mean increased save chances for Jason Adam and Garrett Cleavinger.

Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz said that outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (hip) should be back soon, perhaps by mid-May. Until that day comes, the White Sox plan to have a platoon in center field between Tommy Pham and Rafael Ortega. Robert is rehabbing from a Grade 2 right hip-flexor strain and was given a timetable of six weeks when he was put on the injured list back on April 6. The oft-injured 26-year-old Cuban outfielder needs to remain stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy leagues, though, after making the All-Star team in 2023 and clubbing a career-high 38 home runs, driving in 80 and stealing 20 bases in 145 games. Pham, 36, went 5-for-17 with two stolen bases for Triple-A Charlotte and is worthy of a waiver-wire pickup in deep-mixed leagues for his modest power and stolen base contributions.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that right-hander Walker Buehler (elbow) will make another minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City next Tuesday. If all goes well, Buehler will then be activated to make his 2024 debut with the Dodgers. The 29-year-old hasn't pitched in a major-league game since 2022, but he got up to 86 pitches in 4 1/4 innings in his latest rehab start on Wednesday at Oklahoma City despite giving up five runs (three earned). His numbers on his rehab start have been nothing to write home about -- a 4.86 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, 16 strikeouts and nine walks in 16 2/3 innings -- but the most important thing is that he's healthy. Buehler could have some ups and downs early on with LA, but if he can show any of his pre-injury form in 2024, he has the potential to be a huge fantasy asset down the stretch.

Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury (knee) is back in the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Minnesota Twins and right-hander Bailey Ober, serving as the designated hitter and batting fifth. Miguel Sano is at third base for the Halos and is hitting cleanup. Drury didn't start at all during the recent three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles due to a knee injury but appeared on Wednesday late in the game and struck out in his only plate appearance. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues will be hoping that Drury can show some signs of life at the plate this weekend, as he's started the 2024 season with a weak .194/.270/.269 slash line with a home run and four RBI in 74 plate appearances. He's never faced Ober in his career.

Milwaukee Brewers veteran left-hander Wade Miley (elbow) needs Tommy John surgery and will spend the next 10 to 12 months rehabbing and then decide whether to continue his career. It's a tough break for the 37-year-old southpaw and the Brewers. Fantasy baseball managers that were stashing Miley in deeper leagues can now officially let go. "I've always said I want to go out on my own [terms]," Miley said. "I still feel like I've got more in the tank." While it sounds like the 14-year veteran wants to give it a shot to come back at some point in 2025, it's fair to wonder if he's already thrown his final pitch in the big leagues. Even if Miley rehabs for a comeback next season, he'll be off the radar in most fantasy formats. The former 43rd overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008 out of Southeastern Louisiana gave up five earned runs with four walks and two K's in his two starts in 2024.

Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez is not in the club's starting lineup on Friday for the start of a big series in Atlanta against the Braves. With Gimenez starting on the bench, Gabriel Arias will start at the keystone and will hit seventh in the order against Braves left-hander Chris Sale. Gimenez is hitting a modest .258 (24-for-93) on the year with no home runs, 14 RBI and three stolen bases in his first 24 games. The left-handed hitter is surprisingly hitting better against southpaws (.280) in 29 plate appearances than he is against righties (.250), but he'll still get the day off against the lefty Sale. Arias has gone 14-for-50 with a homer, eight RBI and two steals early on but is hitless in his two career at-bats versus Sale.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jarred Kelenic is out of the starting lineup on Friday with the team facing a left-handed pitcher. Veteran Adam Duvall will instead get the start in left field and will bat ninth against the visiting Cleveland Guardians and left-hander Logan Allen. Kelenic is hitting a strong .314 (16-for-51), although he has yet to clear the fences and has driven in only three runs in his first year in Atlanta. He's also only had one plate appearance against a southpaw this year, so fantasy managers should continue to expect him to sit regularly when Atlanta opposes a lefty. Duvall is a career .233 hitters against lefties in 921 plate appearances with 47 homers and 132 RBI. He has two home runs on the season but is a low-upside DFS play in the nine-hole against a pitcher he's never faced in his career.