Detroit Tigers infielder/outfielder Javier Baez went 2-for-4 with a home run during their 9-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday evening. Baez went deep in the ninth inning with a two-run shot that also scored Jace Jung. This home run was off Los Angeles closer Kenley Jansen. The 32-year-old has been swinging a hot bat over his last seven contests. During this stretch, Baez has posted an impressive .417/.400/.917 slash line with three doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, and five runs. He also swiped one bag and held a 6:1 K:BB. Before this surge, Baez posted a .258/.300/.303 slash line with three doubles and no home runs. While Baez is enjoying an impressive run at the plate, his .288 xwOBA and 32.8 percent hard-hit rate suggest it may not be sustainable. However, he does have a favorable matchup on Saturday evening, facing Angels right-hander Kyle Hendricks.

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Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz swiped two bags during their loss to the San Diego Padres on Friday evening. Cruz also scored two runs and drew two walks. Through the first month of the campaign, the 26-year-old has flashed elite five-category upside. Through his first 30 contests, Cruz has held a .245/.364/.519 slash line with eight home runs and 14 stolen bases. Under the hood, he has generated an elite .422 xwOBA with a .580 xSLG, which places him in the 96th and 94th percentile, respectively. In addition, Cruz has shown a strong eye at the plate, drawing walks at a 15.5 percent rate and showing high speed upside, placing in the 88th percentile in sprint speed. Given his ability to hit for power and make an impact on the basepaths, he remains a must-start option in all standard formats.

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray tossed seven shutout innings on Friday evening en route to picking up the victory over the Colorado Rockies. Ray allowed just two hits and two walks. He struck out eight batters. This was another impressive showing for the southpaw, as he has struggled through the first month of the season. In his most recent outing, Ray also logged seven innings of work, but allowed five hits and two runs. Prior to these two outings, the left-hander carried a modest 4.07 ERA with a high 1.56 WHIP across his first 24 1/3 innings of work this season. During this rough start, Ray struck out just 25 batters and allowed five long balls. However, the 33-year-old has been able to turn the corner and is flashing high upside. Given his recent two starts, he should be viewed as a must-start option in all standard formats going forward.

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New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo went 3-for-3 with three runs, a home run, and two walks during their victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Nimmo enjoyed a perfect day at the plate. Nimmo would go deep in the seventh inning with a solo shot off St. Louis reliever John King. Nimmo was dealing with an illness earlier in the week but appears to have found his footing. Over his last 12 contests, Nimmo has posted a solid .283/.320/.500 slash line with one double, three long balls, and 13 RBI. Through 31 total games, Nimmo sits with a modest .229/.279/.441 line. However, his .350 xwOBA and .274 xBA suggest he should continue to see positive regression throughout the campaign. He remains a strong option in all formats on Saturday, facing St. Louis right-hander Erick Fedde.

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Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo tossed six 1/3 innings of one-hit ball en route to earning the victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday evening. Woo did not allow a run or a walk. He struck out eight batters for the second straight outing. This was Woo's first scoreless start of the young campaign. His lone hit came in the fifth inning when Texas backstop Jonah Heim hit a line drive to center field. Through Woo's first 38 1/3 innings of the campaign, the Cal Poly product has posted an impressive 2.58 ERA with a strong 0.83 WHIP. Woo has flashed elite command as he has held a 38:7 K:BB. Last season, Woo logged a career-high 121 1/3 innings and showed similar control as he served up walks at a 2.8 percent rate. Given his strong command, Woo remains a must-start option in all formats as he should continue to boost your team's WHIP ratio. In addition, he is showing higher strikeout upside, which could open the door for him to enjoy a career year.

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Chicago Cubs right-handed pitcher Chris Flexen earned his first save of the season during their demanding victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday evening. Flexen was called on to log the last three innings of work after starter Ben Brown tossed six shutout frames. With the Cubs holding a sizeable lead throughout the evening, they did not call on their typically high-leverage options. Flexen allowed just one hit and two walks across his three innings of work. He did not allow a run and struck out four. This was the 30-year-old's first appearance for the Cubs this season. He opened the campaign with Triple-A, but given the season-ending injury to Justin Steele (elbow), the Cubs may opt to keep Flexen on the MLB roster. Last summer, the veteran tossed 160 innings of work to the tune of a 4.95 ERA with the White Sox, operating primarily as a starting pitcher. He could eventually earn spot starts, but for now, he should not be targeted in any formats, serving in a bulk relief role.

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto continued his impressive start to the campaign with another brilliant outing on Friday evening against the Atlanta Braves. Yamamoto logged six scoreless innings en route to earning his fourth victory. Yamamoto struck out six batters and allowed just one hit and two walks. His only hit came in the sixth inning when third baseman Austin Riley hit a double. Both of his free passes were served up to designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. Through his first 40 innings of the season (seven starts), Yamamoto has posted a 4-2 record with a stellar 0.90 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. During this stretch, the right-hander has posted a 49:13 K:BB and allowed just two home runs. Under the hood, he has generated a 61.5 percent ground-ball rate and sits in the 89th percentile in xERA. He remains a must-start option in all formats..

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New York Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones hit his ninth home run of the Double-A regular season on Friday during their contest against Richmond. Jones went 1-for-4 at the plate with two walks and two punchouts. This outing also extended his current hitting streak to five games. During this stretch, he has gone deep twice and held a 9:6 K:BB. After an underwhelming season at Double-A last summer, the No. 3-ranked prospect in the Yankee system appears to be taking the next step in his development. Through the first 25 games of the 2025 campaign, Jones has held a .236/.382/.573 slash line, which is a strong improvement compared to the .259/.336/.452 line he held across 122 games at Double-A last summer. If Jones continues to hit for power, he could earn the call to Triple-A.

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Cincinnati Reds starting pitching prospect Chase Burns posted the best start of his professional career on Friday evening against Double-A Montgomery. The former second overall pick from last year's MLB Draft tossed five innings of one-run ball. He allowed five hits and no walks. He tallied a season-high eight punchouts. This was his second start at the Double-A level, and the Wake Forest product has looked quite comfortable. In his first nine frames at this level, Burns has struck out 13 batters and allowed just two runs and one free pass. The top pitching prospect opened the campaign at the High-A level, where he tossed 11 2/3 innings to the tune of a 3.09 ERA and a stellar 0.86 WHIP. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye on the hard-throwing right-hander as he should be in the mix to make his MLB debut in the second half of the season.

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Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene went 3-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI in Friday's 9-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels. Greene crushed a solo shot off Angels closer Kenley Jansen in the top of the ninth inning to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead. The 24-year-old got another at-bat in the ninth frame and crushed a two-run shot off Jake Elder for his second home run of the game. Greene became the 62nd player to homer twice in one inning. He made history, becoming the first player to ever hit two long balls in the ninth. Greene has now homered four times over his last five games. Overall, he is slashing .276/.324/.504 with eight home runs, 20 RBI, and 19 runs across 136 plate appearances. Greene should be in all fantasy lineups while he continues to wield a hot bat.

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Seattle Mariners outfield prospect Lazaro Montes went 2-for-4 with a home run during their contest against High-A Eugene on Friday. Montes entered this contest riding a seven-game home run drought. During this power slump, Montes posted a .250/.400/.417 slash line with two doubles and one triple. This was Montes' sixth home run of the young season. Through his first 25 games of the campaign, the No. 2-ranked prospect in the Seattle system has held a solid .270/.411/.596 line with an elite 26:21 K:BB. Last season, the No. 40-ranked prospect in the sport earned a taste of High-A, where he posted a .260/.378/.427 slash line across 51 games. Given his steady progression at this level, Montes should be in the mix for an early Double-A promotion this season.

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Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh went 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in Friday's 13-1 win over the Texas Rangers. Raleigh blasted a solo shot off Rangers starter Leiter in the fourth inning to put the Mariners on the board. His home run traveled 432 feet with an exit velocity of 110.7 mph. In his next at-bat, the 28-year-old belted a grand slam off Leiter in the fifth inning to expand Seattle's lead to 5-0. Raleigh leads the majors with 12 home runs and has gone deep thrice over his last four games. Overall, he is slashing .242/.350/.592 with 12 home runs, 23 RBI, 21 runs, and four stolen bases over 140 plate appearances in 2025. Fantasy managers should continue to roll with Raleigh in all leagues.

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Seattle Mariners shortstop prospect Colt Emerson went 2-for-4 with his first home run of the High-A regular season. Emerson has had a modest start to the campaign, holding a .258/.365/.371 slash line. However, Emerson has now tallied a hit in each of his previous two games and appears to be turning the corner on his slow start. Emerson is considered the top prospect in the Seattle system on MLB Pipeline and the No. 19 in the sport. Last summer, the former 19th overall pick spent most of his time with Low-A Modesto before moving up to High-A. At Low-A, Emerson was very productive as he posted a .293/.440/.427 slash line with 12 doubles and two home runs. Fantasy managers should expect Emerson to spend most of the campaign with High-A.

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Mariners' C Cal Raleigh had five RBIs going 2-for-4 with two home runs in a 13-1 win over Texas on Friday, May. 2.

Cincinnati's SP Hunter Greene recorded 12 strikeouts in 6 innings collecting the win in a 6-1 win over the Nationals on Friday, May. 2.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong went 2-for-5 with two solo home runs in his team's 10-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. He's up to five home runs in his last nine appearances and has not punched out in his previous 20 at-bats after doing so in all but four games on the season prior. The 23-year-old has really flashed his power-speed prowess in 2025, as he's up to eight home runs and 12 steals to go along with 23 RBI and 25 runs scored. Crow-Armstrong is an excellent baserunner and fielder, and has increased his average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage while dropping his strikeout rate for the second consecutive season. Even at his spot deep in the Cubs' lineup, he'll still get plenty of RBI and run-scoring opportunities.

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Cincinnati Reds Pitcher Hunter Greene allowed two hits and one earned run over six innings pitched in Friday's 6-1 win over the Washington Nationals. He struck out 12 batters and issued just two free passes, improving to 4-2 to start the year. Greene was dominant through five innings, striking out six batters in the second and third innings alone, but he ran into a bit of trouble in the sixth when a Tyler Stephenson ground-rule double led to a TJ Friedl sac fly that allowed the Nats to eek out a run. Otherwise, the 25-year-old was superb -- inducing 18 swings-and-misses, and topping his previous season-high in strikeouts by four. He'll carry a stellar 2.53 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 55 strikeouts in 44.2 innings pitched (tentatively) into a start against the Atlanta Braves next week.

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Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer went 1-for-1 with a home run in his team's 5-3 win against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday. The Connecticut native scored twice, walked twice, swiped a bag, and reached on an error (catcher's interference on a six-pitch at-bat). Springer was productive again as he continues his torrid stretch to start the season. He's slashing a robust .314/.423/.523, with seven doubles, 12 off his total from last year in 459 fewer at-bats. His batted ball metrics support the production, as the 35-year-old is sporting a 50% hard-hit rate and 92.6 MPH exit velocity -- marks he hasn't sniffed in years. Furthermore, he's eclipsed his hardest hit ball of 2024 (112.3 MPH) in the early going. Health has always been a knock against Springer, but it appears he'll be a strong option if he can stay on the field.

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Athletics starting pitcher Gunnar Hoglund pitched six innings of one-run ball to earn his first career victory against the Miami Marlins on Friday. He allowed six hits and struck out seven in the quality start. The former -- two-time -- first-round pick threw 56 of 81 pitches for strikes and induced 11 swings-and-misses (six on his fastball) in his dazzling debut. Hoglund pitched well in the Pacific Coast League (six starts, 2.43 ERA) and has an interesting shape on his fastball, which has rise and arm-side movement. It's undoubtedly an eyebrow-raising effort, as he figures to stick for at least a little while after an efficient first outing. It's worth mentioning he let up a good bit of hard contact, including a home run, a double, and six hard-hit balls in excess of 100 MPH. Still, the 25-year-old looks to be worth an add. He's previously capped out at 130.2 innings (2024).

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried allowed one hit and no runs in seven innings pitched in his team's 3-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. The 31-year-old walked two and struck out six in the quality start, improving his record to 6-0 on the season. The veteran fired 61 of 92 pitches for strikes while letting up a lone single -- in the fifth inning -- during the scoreless gem. Fried has been spectacular all season, and Friday was no different. He's allowed two earned runs or fewer in each of his seven appearances, with five straight quality starts, and one earned over his last 20.2 innings pitched. He'll carry a microscopic 1.01 ERA and 0.94 WHIP into his next start, which should come in the latter half of their series with the Padres next week.

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