Seattle Mariners outfielder/first baseman/designated hitter Luke Raley will head to the bench on Saturday night with the Mariners facing Houston Astros' lefty Framber Valdez. The left-handed hitting Raley is hitting .224 with no home runs, three RBI, and four runs scored in 60 plate appearances. Sam Haggerty gets the start in left field. Raley and Haggerty appear to be in a left-field platoon at this time. Raley will look to be the starter when the Mariners face right-handed pitching.

Los Angeles Angels second baseman is out of the lineup on Saturday as he is sick. Brandon Drury will be hitting fifth starting at third base and Ehire Adrianza will be hitting second and starting at second base against the Cleveland Guardians. Adrianza has been getting extra playing time when Rengifo or Drury are out. Rengifo should be considered day-to-day. Rengifo has been having a solid season, hitting for an .839 OPS after a slow start to the season. As long as Rengifo is feeling better tomorrow he should be expected to be back in the lineup against Guardians starter Carlos Carrasco.

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed reliever Keynan Middleton (forearm) threw a bullpen session off a mound on Saturday for a second straight day. He said he'll throw twice more in St. Louis next week and then head to Double-A Springfield for a minor-league rehab assignment. Middleton has been pain-free since receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right arm on April 6, and it looks like the 30-year-old is getting close to making his season debut out of the Red Birds' bullpen. He had a 3.38 ERA (4.20 FIP), a 1.24 WHIP, two saves, 23 walks and a career-high 64 strikeouts in 50 2/3 relief innings last year with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees and figures to hold a late-inning setup role for the Cardinals when he's healthy, making him an option for those in holds leagues.

The Chicago White Sox placed infielder Danny Mendick (back) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 2) with lower-back tightness on Saturday and recalled infield prospect Bryan Ramos from Double-A Birmingham in a corresponding move. Mendick was scratched from Friday's lineup against the St. Louis Cardinals and will now be forced to miss at least 10 days. In the meantime, Ramos, the club's No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, could see ample playing time at the hot corner until Mendick is recovered. For what it's worth, infielder Braden Shewmake is starting at third on Saturday. The 30-year-old Mendick will hit the shelf after hitting .256 (10-for-39) with a home run, three RBI and a stolen base in limited action for the Pale Hose this year.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitchers Jeffrey Springs (elbow) and Drew Rasmussen (elbow) are both scheduled to throw in an extended spring game around May 20. The Rays' rotation is arguably ruined by injury more than any other in baseball, but at least two of their key arms are progressing toward a return at some point later this summer. Springs is likely closer to doing so in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and barring any setbacks, he could be in line to rejoin Tampa Bay's rotation by July's All-Star break. Rasmussen, on the other hand, is a weaker stash in fantasy leagues because his return from a hybrid internal brace procedure last July is not expected to arrive until the final months of the year. Over his last three seasons (196 innings), Springs owns a 2.53 ERA (3.14 FIP), 1.03 WHIP, and 231:49 K:BB and can be stashed in deep competitive leagues.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (oblique) swung off a tee in Seattle during the team's series earlier this week against the Mariners. Murphy felt good, and he's going to keep building up from there. There was originally some hope that Murphy would have been over his Grade 1 left oblique strain, which he suffered back on March 29, by early May, but there's no clear timeline for his return at this stage of his recovery. The 29-year-old All-Star backstop probably won't be back with the Braves until the mid-to-late portion of May. In Murphy's stead, former All-Star Travis d'Arnaud has operated as Atlanta's primary catcher and is worth streaming in all fantasy formats in the meantime. d'Arnaud is slashing a robust .282/.358/.592 with five home runs, seven doubles, 16 RBI, and 12 runs scored in 81 trips to the plate (25 games) this year.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is back in the Dodgers' lineup and batting second on Friday night after sitting vs Arizona Diamondbacks lefty Jordan Montgomery on Wednesday night. It marked Ohtani's first day off of the 2024 season. The lefty gets a matchup against Atlanta Braves right-hander Charlie Morton, who's posting up another solid season with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. Ohtani is one-for-seven in his career against Morton and has struck out against the veteran in three of those at-bats. Fantasy managers should keep Ohtani in their lineups, but there may be sneakier options with cheaper costs in the late slate for DFS players.

Washington Nationals outfielder Joey Gallo (shoulder) will start a minor-league rehab assignment with Low-A Fredericksburg on Saturday. Gallo will return to live games after recently landing on the injured list due to a sprained AC joint in his left shoulder. If the 30-year-old left-handed slugger can avoid a setback with his shoulder, he could be off the injured list and back with the Nationals by early next week. Gallo still has plenty of power and is a lineup regular for the Nats when healthy, but it's hard to ignore his low batting average and swings and misses. Before going on the shelf, Gallo was sporting a .122/.286/.311 slash line with three home runs, five RBI, one stolen base and eight runs scored in 74 at-bats.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks (arm), who is dealing with a nerve issue in his arm, is scheduled to start a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Tuesday. We don't know all the details on the exact nature of Fairbanks' injury, but he's obviously doing well and is getting close to a return to the major-league roster. The 30-year-old right-hander could be eased into high-leverage situations at the back of Tampa's bullpen when he returns, but when fully healthy, Fairbanks is this team's primary closer. In the meantime, Jason Adam and Garrett Cleavinger will split the save opportunities with the Rays. Fairbanks' injury could help explain his current 9.00 ERA and 2.29 WHIP in just seven innings pitched before he went on the injured list.

Chicago White Sox infielder Danny Mendick (back) has been scratched ahead of Friday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The team has decided to pull Mendick from the lineup due to back tightness. This sounds like a minor issue that should only sideline Mendick for a day or two. In the meantime, Braden Shewmake will cover third base and bat ninth on Friday.

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Estevan Florial is not in the team's starting lineup on Friday to begin a series against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. With Florial sitting, Jose Ramirez is serving as the designated hitter and is batting third, while Gabriel Arias starts at the hot corner and hits eighth against Angels right-hander Jose Soriano. The 26-year-old left-handed-hitting Florial has been due some rest after starting the season with a rough .196/.286/.429 slash line with three home runs, two doubles, a triple, nine RBI, one stolen base, five runs scored and 26 strikeouts in 64 plate appearances and his first 20 games with Cleveland this year. If Florial continues to struggle against right-handers, he could be on the bench more often.

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Isaac Paredes is serving as the team's designated hitter and will bat second on Friday versus left-hander Jose Quintana and the visiting New York Mets. Paredes got the day off in the team's last game on Wednesday due to general body soreness, but he's back in there on Friday as the DH. Curtis Mead is starting at third base and is batting in the nine-hole for the Rays. The 25-year-old Paredes should be returned to all fantasy lineups on Friday, as he's hitting a strong .291/.358/.509 on the year with an .867 OPS, seven home runs, 17 RBI and 14 runs scored in 110 at-bats. He's also gone 9-for-27 (.333) in 31 plate appearances against lefties this year and has a hit in his only career at-bat against Quintana.

Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jorge Mateo turned in a big game in a 7-2 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday. Mateo went 1-for-2 with a homer and two RBI in the win over Baltimore's division rivals. He was also hit by a pitch in the win. Mateo's solo shot came in the fourth inning off Carlos Rodon and traveled 425 feet with an exit velocity of 105.5 MPH. The blast goes down as Mateo's first of the season, to go along with a .268 average, seven runs, three RBI, and four steals. Known more for his speed, Mateo has reached double-digit homers just once in his career, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect a power surge out of him in the coming weeks.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle put together a big game in a 7-2 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday. Mountcastle went 2-for-4 with a homer, two runs, and two RBI in the win over Baltimore's AL East rivals. The veteran's homer was a solo shot off of Carlos Rodon in the third inning. The blast traveled 405 feet and had an exit velocity of 107 MPH. Mountcastle is off to a solid start in 2024, hitting .290 with five homers, 18 runs, and 16 RBI across 107 at-bats thus far.

Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim tallied two hits for the seventh time of the season to lead the Rangers to a series victory over the Washington Nationals. Heim laced a single to left field in the second frame and was able to cross home plate via an Ezequiel Duran double. The 28-year-old then knocked an RBI single in the eighth inning to score Nathaniel Lowe to increase the Texas lead. During the young season, Heim has proven to be a solid batting average contributor with a .263 AVG, which is on pace to be a new career-high. Heim remains a strong second catcher in two-catcher leagues and is a sneaky play in DFS due to the strong lineup around him.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon had a start to forget on Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles. The left-hander was tagged for seven runs (six earned) on eight hits with six strikeouts. He did not issue a walk, but he gave up three homers in the defeat. Prior to this outing against a tough Orioles lineup, Rodon had not allowed more than three runs in any outing this season. He will carry a 3.68 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 36/14 K/BB into his next projected start against the underperforming Houston Astros. Rodon still deserves to be rostered in most fantasy formats.

Houston Astros right-hander Cristian Javier (neck) will embark on a minor-league rehab assignment this weekend. It was reported earlier this week that Javier had a shot to come off the 15-day injured list to start this weekend against the Seattle Mariners, but that won't be the case. Instead, the 27-year-old will make a start in the minors. If that goes well, he should come off the IL to join Houston's rotation at some point late next week. The Dominican hurler should be rostered in all fantasy formats after starting the 2024 season with a 2-0 record, 1.54 ERA (3.57 FIP) and 1.11 WHIP with 11 walks and 18 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings over his first four starts. When Javier is back in the fold in Houston, rookie Spencer Arrighetti will likely be sent back to the minors.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Triston McKenzie submitted his best showing of the 2024 regular season in Wednesday's 3-2 extra-inning victory over the Houston Astros, fanning six hitters while surrendering two runs on five hits (one home run) and one walk over a season-high seven innings. It hasn't been a great start to the year for McKenzie, who missed most of last season due to injury, but he cruised through Houston's dangerous lineup in the first five innings. Kyle Tucker tagged him for a homer in the seventh, leaving McKenzie with a no-decision. The 26-year-old right-hander improved his ERA to 4.34 with a 1.48 WHIP and a troubling 24:18 K:BB over 29 innings (six starts) to begin the campaign. Monday's home start against the division-rival Detroit Tigers offers him a great chance to build on Wednesday's display. In seven career starts (43 IP) against Detroit, McKenzie has a 1.05 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, and 50:11 K:BB.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil quieted the division-rival Baltimore Orioles in Wednesday's 2-0 road victory, throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings on two hits and one walk with five strikeouts en route to a win. Singles by Heston Kjerstad and Jordan Westburg were the only marks left on Gil's ledger besides a Ryan O'Hearn walk, and it was a strong rebound performance after the hurler allowed five runs in five innings during his previous start on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers. The 25-year-old right-hander has helped eat innings for the Yankees while they wait for Gerrit Cole (elbow) to return, recording a workmanlike 3.19 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 40:20 K:BB over 31 frames (six starts) so far this season. Gil gets a stiff draw against the Houston Astros and right-hander Justin Verlander in Tuesday's scheduled start at Yankee Stadium. Houston is third in baseball with a .263 average as a team through 30 games.

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval tallied 10 strikeouts in Wednesday's 2-1 defeat to the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, tossing five innings of two-run ball on four hits and two walks en route to a loss. It was Sandoval's first game with double-digit punchouts since 2022, but Kyle Schwarber's two-run single in the second inning proved to be enough to saddle the hurler with a loss on a day the Phillies struck out 18 times. The 27-year-old southpaw will take an underwhelming 5.91 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, and 38:16 K:BB over 32 frames (seven starts) for the Halos into in his next scheduled appearance on Tuesday on the road against the struggling Pittsburgh Pirates, who are scoring just 2.4 runs per game over their last 21 contests.