New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (elbow) will throw another live batting practice on Saturday per Yankees manager Aaron Boone. Cole threw a live batting practice on Tuesday without setbacks so another positive session on Saturday would be a great sign for the Yankees' ace. When Cole is able to return from the injured list at the end of May he will likely need multiple rehab starts before being able to rejoin the Yankees' rotation. New York has surprisingly been able to succeed without Cole pitching at all this season, finding themselves atop the AL East with a 35-17 record and a three game lead over the Baltimore Orioles. This gives a little bit more cushion for Cole to not rush his return and take his time. Fantasy managers should continue stashing the Cy Young winner on their bench until he's active, likely at some point in late June or early July.

The San Francisco Giants have signed relief pitcher Drew Pomeranz to a one-year deal. The veteran southpaw was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. Pomeranz struggled to the tune of a 6.00 ERA in eight appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 35-year-old hasn't pitched in the majors since 2021 due to multiple injuries. This is a low-risk signing for the Giants to see if Pomeranz has anything left in the tank.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb (shoulder) is set to resume a throwing program during the weekend. The 36-year-old suffered a setback in his recovery process roughly a week ago. Now, the Giants are ramping up Cobb's activities again in hopes that he can join the Giants rotation. However, Cobb is not close to being ready to pitch in the MLB again. It's good to see him throwing again, which is a step in the right direction.

San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (elbow) will face live hitters on Saturday for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of last year. It's a pretty major development for the veteran southpaw. The 32-year-old began throwing bullpen sessions for the Giants during spring training but still isn't expected to be an option for their starting rotation until around the All-Star break in the middle of July. For a pitcher that has had issue with control in the past, fantasy managers may want to temper expectations for Ray for the second half of the 2024 campaign. On the flip side, the American League Cy Young winner in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays has plenty of strikeout upside with a 28.9% strikeout rate in 10 big-league seasons.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal (groin) is back behind the plate and is batting eighth for the Pirates on Friday in their series opener against the visiting Atlanta Braves and left-hander Ray Kerr, who will be making his first career spot start. The switch-hitting Grandal has a hit in his only career at-bat against Kerr. The 35-year-old backstop missed two games this week with left-groin soreness but is ready for the weekend series in Pittsburgh. As long as former first-rounder Henry Davis remains in the minors to work on his swing, Grandal will continue to split the catching duties with Joey Bart. Grandal is a pretty low-upside DFS play at the catcher position on Friday, though, and he's batting just .214 (9-for-42) with two homers and eight RBI after getting a late start to the 2024 season due to injury.

The Atlanta Braves signed free-agent infielder Joey Wendle to a major-league contract on Friday and optioned infielder Luke Williams to Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move. Wendle has landed with another team quickly after he was released by the Mets earlier this week after going 8-for-36 (.222) with no home runs, one RBI and three runs scored in limited playing time as a utility infielder. The former sixth-round pick in 2012 out of West Chester by the Cleveland Guardians has not been able to replicate his All-Star campaign in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Rays, when he hit .265/.319/.422 with 11 home runs, 54 RBI and eight stolen bases in 136 games played. Since then, he's hit .237/.273/.331 with five homers, 53 RBI and 20 steals in 231 games and will find playing time even more difficult to come by, although he could immediately see action at third base if Austin Riley (intercostal) lands on the injured list.

With Washington Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas' (knee) return on the horizon, both outfielder Victor Robles and first baseman/designated hitter Joey Meneses are in danger of losing their roster spot. Robles, 27, looked good in spring training, only to get hurt less than a week into the regular season. He hasn't played much since rejoining the team and has gone just 2-for-23 with five walks and nine strikeouts. Robles has been in a decline since 2019 and the Nats may finally give up on him and designated him for assignment (since he's out of minor-league options). The other option would be to send Meneses to the minors. Meneses did homer on Wednesday, but he's slashing just .234/.299/.299 while hitting in the heart of Washington's batting order.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler delivered another strong performance in Thursday's victory over the visiting Texas Rangers, striking out five batters and allowing just two runs on five hits and two walks over seven innings for his sixth win of the campaign. Wheeler has been a quality-start machine in 2024, with Thursday's showing already being his eighth out of 11 appearances this year. The early favorite to bring home his first National League Cy Young Award, the 33-year-old All-Star right-hander owns an outstanding 2.53 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 76:21 K:BB over 67 2/3 frames as Philly's ace this season. Wheeler's next act is slated to arrive during Tuesday's scheduled start against the San Francisco Giants at the pitcher-friendly Oracle Park, where he'll once again be one of the top fantasy plays on the slate.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman shined in Thursday's victory on the road over the Detroit Tigers, fanning a season-high 10 batters while throwing six innings of one-run ball on three hits and two walks for his third win of the campaign. It was almost certainly Gausman's finest effort of the season, as it was his first double-digit strikeout performance this year. The 33-year-old strikeout machine missed some time during spring training due to injury, and while he has work to do to improve on his lackluster 4.47 ERA and 1.43 WHIP through 10 starts, Gausman's superb 53:13 K:BB is a reason for optimism. Tuesday's matchup against the last-place Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field marks Gausman's next projected start, a prime opportunity for Toronto's ace to right the ship further.

San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin says it's unlikely that outfielder Michael Conforto (hamstring) will be activated from the 10-day injured list in time for the club's series that starts on Friday against the New York Mets. After hitting the IL back on May 12, Conforto has ramped up his running progression but likely hasn't progressed quickly enough in his rehab from a strained right hamstring to return to the Giants when first eligible this weekend. The 31-year-old former New York Met was slashing a respectable .280/.331/.490 with seven home runs, seven doubles, and 20 RBI in 38 games (143 at-bats) as San Fran's everyday left fielder before getting hurt, and he's a decent stash in the majority of fantasy leagues. In Conforto's absence, former first-rounder Heliot Ramos is worth a look in NL-only formats while hitting .296 (16-for-54) with two homers, nine RBI, and one stolen base over 14 outings this year.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado went 1-for-5 with two RBI during Thursday's 6-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds. The 31-year-old has not had the best year at the plate in 2024 and has not hit a home run since May 3. Machado owns a .230/.279/.361 slash line with five homers, 27 RBI and two stolen bases across 48 games. We may be watching Machado's decline happen in real time as he is on pace for some of the worst numbers of his career. Despite the slow start, he is still a top-10 fantasy option at third base due to the lack of depth at the position.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos put on a power display as the Phillies completed a sweep of the defending World Series-champion Texas Rangers on Thursday, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run to raise his batting average on the year to just .206. Castellanos' solo home run in the seventh inning gave the team an insurance run at 5-2 late in the game. The 32-year-old veteran two-time All-Star came into the day hitting just .200 on the year, and his long ball on Thursday was just his fifth in 51 games played. Castellanos definitely isn't the higher-average hitter he was earlier in his career, but he still figures to be a pretty good buy-low candidate in fantasy circles who will also continue to get plenty of RBI opportunities in a potent Phillies lineup. His homer on Thursday was the first time clearing the fences since May 12.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit his 15th home run of the season in the team's 5-0 shutout win over the visiting Seattle Mariners in the series finale at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. Judge finished the contest 2-for-2 with a double, solo home run, two runs scored and two walks to boost his season average to .276 and his OPS to 1.027. His homer off right-hander Luis Castillo gave the Bombers a 2-0 lead early in the game, and they never looked back with Luis Gil dominating on the mound for the Yanks yet again. Judge didn't look all that great in the first month of the season in April, but those concerns have quickly evaporated, as he entered Thursday's game with a .373 average (25-for-67) with eight homers, 16 RBI and 18 walks in 20 games in May. Judge is locked in right now and needs to be in fantasy lineups every day.

The Cincinnati Reds placed right-hander Emilio Pagan (triceps) on the 15-day injured list on Thursday due to right-triceps tightness. The move comes after Pagan had not appeared out of the Reds' bullpen since Sunday due to the injury. The 33-year-old veteran setup man had an MRI exam come back negative, so there's hope that he can return to the big-league roster when his 15 days are up. Pagan is a key setup man for the Reds in front of closer Alexis Diaz in his first year in Cincinnati and is currently sporting a 2-3 record, 4.19 ERA (4.32 FIP) and 1.34 WHIP with seven walks and 25 strikeouts in 19 1/3 relief innings. With Pagan out of the picture for at least the next two weeks, the Reds will need setup men Fernando Cruz and Lucas Sims to step up in high-leverage roles.

The San Francisco Giants placed left-hander Blake Snell on the paternity list on Thursday and recalled relief pitcher Nick Avila from Double-A Richmond in a corresponding move. Snell should be back in time for his next start against the Philadelphia Phillies. The reigning National League Cy Young winner made his return from the injured list on Wednesday to face the Pittsburgh Pirates and he'll now leave the team for a few days. In his return from a groin strain, Snell allowed four earned runs on four hits while walking a season-high four batters and striking out five in 3 1/3 innings in a no-decision. The 31-year-old southpaw remains winless on the year with a nightmarish 11.40 ERA and 2.07 WHIP with 17 strikeouts in 15 innings of work over four starts. Snell should be able to get things figured out and has been notorious for being a slow starter, so he's worth some buy-low offers if you're in need of a strikeout artist.

Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud will get a day to rest in the matinee affair on Thursday at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs to wrap up the series. With d'Arnaud on the bench, Chadwick Tromp will do the catching for right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver and will hit in the eight spot against Cubs right-hander Ben Brown. d'Arnaud has admirably held down the fort as Atlanta's primary backstop with Sean Murphy (oblique) on the injured list since getting hurt on Opening Day. The 35-year-old veteran catcher got off to a hot start with regular playing time in April, but he's cooled off so far in May, going 9-for-43 (.209) with no homers, one RBI and 13 strikeouts in 14 games played. With Murphy's return coming soon, d'Arnaud is going to find himself on the bench more often in the near future. Tromp has gone 11-for-45 (.244) with no homers and six RBI in limited action in 2024.

Texas Rangers right-hander Jon Gray has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a mild groin strain after it was apparent that he wasn't going to be able to make his next scheduled start for the team. Gray injured his groin during his start on Tuesday in the loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, and now he'll have to sit out for at least the next two weeks after an MRI exam revealed a strain in his groin. We'll keep tabs on the 32-year-old's recovery process as he tries to make it back to the Rangers' rotation when he's eligible. Fantasy managers should look to keep Gray stashed on their rosters after he went 2-2 with a strong 2.21 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 56 strikeouts in 57 innings over 11 outings this year. It's unclear who will take Gray's next turn in the rotation, which comes up on Sunday against the Minnesota Twins, but Nathan Eovaldi (groin) could be an option coming off the injured list.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager will get a day to rest on Thursday in the series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies. In his absence, Josh Smith will handle shortstop duties and will bat third against Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler. Ezequiel Duran is manning the hot corner and batting eighth for the Rangers. Seager appears to just be getting a regular day of rest during a day game after he cleared the fences in three straight games. After a slow start to the year in 2024 after having offseason sports-hernia surgery, Seager is starting to hit a stride at the plate and is currently batting .278 (20-for-72) with six of his eight home runs on the year and 11 RBI in 19 games in the month of May. He's a must-start when he's in the Texas lineup. Smith has been swinging a hot bat this year as well and is in an enviable lineup spot on Thursday, but the matchup against Wheeler will be a challenge.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Chris Bassitt went seven strong innings in Wednesday's 9-2 victory over the White Sox. The veteran allowed five hits and two walks while striking out four on his way to earning the win. It was the righty's fifth quality start out of 10 starts, and his record now stands at 4-6. This season has been a bit of a mixed bag, as the 35-year-old has a 4.39 ERA on the season despite Wednesday's strong outing, and owns a 1.46 WHIP with a low 10.0% K-BB%. His K% is slightly below average at 20.5%, but it's the walks that have been hurting him, as his BB% stands at 10.5%. He's also got an elevated .314 BABIP, which isn't normal for him (career .281), so perhaps there's been a bit of bad luck too. You're probably only using Bassitt in easier matchups like this one against the Sox, and as luck would have it, he'll face them again in his next start next Monday in Chicago.