St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray (7-2) turned in one of his worst starts of the season in a 6-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. Gray yielded just one run in his first four innings, but the Brewers ambushed him for five in the fifth to chase him from the game. He ended the night allowing six earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and one walk over 4 1/3 innings. Gray had combined for 19 innings of three-run ball in his previous three starts to lower his season ERA to 3.35. Thursday's blowup caused that figure to climb to 3.84 over 79 2/3 frames. However, Gray still boasts terrific strikeout and walk numbers (85:15 K:BB), while underlying metrics such as FIP (3.22) and xFIP (3.05) are bullish on his chances of bouncing back. The 35-year-old will be in good position to do that in a start Wednesday against a weak Chicago White Sox offense.

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Chicago White Sox infielder Lenyn Sosa (hip) will start a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Friday, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin. While Sosa won't come off the 10-day injured list when he's eligible on Friday, he should be back with the White Sox next week, barring a setback in the minors this weekend. The 25-year-old has been out since earlier this month with a right-hip flexor strain. Before his injury, Sosa was slashing .274/.291/.383 with a below-average .674 OPS, four home runs, 10 doubles, 17 RBI, 15 runs scored and a stolen base in 57 games played. When he returns, the Venezuelan infielder should see regular playing time at the keystone in the Windy City. Sosa showed improvement with his contact skills last year and has dual eligibility in most fantasy leagues, making him attractive infield depth in AL-only leagues despite playing on a bad team.

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Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (shoulder) went back on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, less than a week after returning from a left-groin strain, with a left rotator-cuff strain. According to manager Matt Quatraro, the team doesn't think Ragans will require surgery, but he'll be shut down from throwing for "a while." The 27-year-old southpaw will receive a second opinion on his shoulder next week, which will help give KC a better idea of how long he might be out. Ragans spent 20 days on the IL because of his groin, but this absence will be longer. He allowed five runs and three walks in three innings in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cardinals last Thursday and now has a 5.18 ERA over 10 starts after finishing fourth in the AL Cy Young voting in 2024. Rotator-cuff injuries are pretty serious, so it's possible Ragans won't be the same until next year.

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Detroit Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 4-1 win against the Orioles. The homer was his seventh of the season, to go along with a .283/.313/.455 slash line. It's the second home run of the month for the 26-year-old, who has cemented himself as the full-time backstop for Detroit over backup Jake Rogers. While he may not be the most exciting option of the many young catchers having breakout seasons, he features above-average power and a solid batting average for the position. He makes for a good lower-end option for two-catcher leagues.

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Detroit Tigers outfielder Parker Meadows hit a three-run home run in Thursday's 4-1 win against the Orioles. This was his first homer of the season in his 10th game played, after spending the first two months of the year on the injured list with a nerve issue in his right arm. The 25-year-old hit in the ninth spot of the lineup in this game with a lefty on the mound, but he typically leads off against right-handers. The youngster was a popular breakout pick in the preseason after flashing power and speed in 2024 with nine home runs and nine stolen bases in 82 games.

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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal earned his seventh win of the season on Thursday, pitching seven scoreless innings while striking out six against the Orioles. He gave up three hits and walked two. This is the fourth straight start where he has gone at least seven innings, and he's only given up one run in that span of 30 innings. There's not much else to say about Skubal other than the fact that he is still the best pitcher in the league. The reigning AL Cy Young champ now has a 1.99 ERA on the season with 111 strikeouts and nine walks in 90 innings. We could see one of his best starts of the season in his next time out against a struggling Pirates offense.

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Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (ankle) left the game in the sixth inning after turning his right ankle after throwing a pitch, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. The young phenom was in the middle of an extremely impressive major league debut, throwing five no-hit innings while striking out five and walking three. The 6'7 righty looked dominant on the mound, featuring a fastball touching 102 mph and a slider at 96. He induced 13 whiffs in the 81-pitch outing. Hopefully the injury is minor, as Misiorowski is one of a small number of pitching prospects with true ace upside. More news on the extent of the injury should be available after the game.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia hit a three-run home run and walked twice in a 16-3 win over the Twins on Thursday. The slugger was stuck in a massive slump, so much so that he was benched for three games a week ago to mentally reset. The break seemingly worked wonders, as he has picked up at least one hit in seven straight games since. That includes a home run, two doubles, and two stolen bases in that span. The 32-year-old's overall slash line of .217/.263/.381 is still a sight for sore eyes, but this could be the start of him getting back on track. The upside is still immense, as he's only two years removed from hitting 39 home runs in 2023.

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The Los Angeles Angels are calling up infield prospect Christian Moore from Triple-A Salt Lake after taking him eighth overall in last year's MLB draft out of Tennessee, sources tell FanSided's Robert Murray. The 22-year-old did nothing but impress in the minors leagues and played in only 20 games at the Triple-A level, but as has been the case lately, the Angels aren't hesitating to bring up their top prospects sooner than later. Between Salt Lake and Double-A Rocket City this year, Moore hit .279/.374/.422 with a .796 OPS, five home runs, 32 RBI, 31 runs scored and eight stolen bases in 54 games played. He went 28-for-80 (.350) with four homers and 18 RBI in his 20 games at Salt Lake and he should immediately become the Halos' starting second baseman. Moore is a power over hit tool prospect, so expect plenty of swing and miss but plenty of homer upside at the keystone.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter stayed hot in Thursday's 16-3 lopsided win at Target Field over the Minnesota Twins, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two RBI, two runs scored, a stolen base and a walk. Carter didn't make his 2025 debut until May 6 due to injury but has made up for lost time and is now hitting .293 with a .903 OPS on the year thanks to four straight multi-hit games in which he's gone 10-for-16 with three home runs, five extra-base hits and two steals. The 22-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder is en fuego, as they say. It's still a small sample size in 2025 for Carter and he's only faced left-handers five times, but the big takeaway is that he's swinging the bat well and is healthy. At the very least, Carter will be on the strong side of a platoon in the outfield in Texas against righties and can provide a valuable power/speed combo in all fantasy leagues if he can stay healthy.

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Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger got in on the fun in Thursday's 16-3 blowout loss against the hosting Minnesota Twins at Target Field, going 3-for-6 on the day with a solo home run, three RBI, two runs scored and a strikeout. His 10th home run of the season came in the second inning off starter Bailey Ober with nobody on base, and the Rangers would never look back in this lopsided affair in the series finale. After being sent down to the minors briefly to work on his offensive approach, Burger is starting to figure it out, batting .350 (7-for-20) with two home runs in his last four games to raise his season average to .225 and his OPS to .676. The 29-year-old power-hitting corner infielder swings and misses frequently and is in the 26th percentile in strikeout rate, but he's in the 90th percentile in hard-hit rate and has an xBA of .252. The worst could be behind him in 2025.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford hit one of the team's six home runs on the day in Thursday's 16-3 blowout win over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in the series finale. It was part of a 2-for-4 day at the plate for Langford, and in addition to hitting his 13th home run of the year, he added three RBI, two runs scored, two walks and two strikeouts. It was a much-needed nice performance from the 23-year-old former fourth overall pick, as he entered Thursday's action hitting .186 (26-for-140) with six home runs, 15 RBI, seven steals, 17 runs, 15 walks and 46 strikeouts in 36 games since the start of May. Langford is swinging and missing a lot (28th percentile in strikeout rate), but he's also in the 84th percentile in hard-hit rate and has a high-upside power/speed combination. He's already up to 13 bombs after hitting 16 in 134 games in his rookie campaign in 2024.

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It wasn't Minnesota Twins right-hander Bailey Ober's best day on Thursday against the visiting Texas Rangers at Target Field. In an eventual 16-3 blowout loss, Ober was beat up to the tune of seven earned runs allowed on six hits (four home runs surrendered) while walking a season-high six and striking out three in 4 2/3 innings. The home run allowance has been a theme for the 29-year-old hurler during his recent struggles on the mound, as he's given up seven fence-clearers in his last three starts covering 15 2/3 innings. Things might not get much better in his next scheduled start next week against the Reds in Cincinnati. Overall, Ober is now 4-3 in 2025 with a 4.40 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with 57 strikeouts and 21 walks in 73 2/3 frames. He sits in just the 25th percentile in strikeout rate and 48th percentile in whiff rate.

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Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Andrew Heaney (calf) is making the start on Thursday against the division-rival Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field after experiencing cramping in his left calf in his last start on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Heaney took a no-decision in that outing despite allowing only one earned run with no walks and five strikeouts in six innings pitched. Despite only fanning 52 in 72 1/3 innings pitched through his first 13 starts of the 2025 season, Heaney has been a solid free-agent pickup for Pittsburgh, posting a 3.24 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. Under the hood, the analytics show that Heaney is due for some serious regression to the mean with a 4.70 xERA and 4.38 FIP, in addition to an xwOBA of .348. Against one of the best offenses in baseball on the road, we wouldn't recommend using Heaney in starting fantasy lineups on Thursday.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell (oblique) is expected to begin a rehab assignment next week, according to manager Pat Murphy. This is good news considering Mitchell has been sidelined since late April due to an oblique strain. Mitchell has resumed baseball activities and is inching his way closer to his eventual return. It's unclear how many rehab games Mitchell will need to play before returning to the Brewers outfield. The hope is that Mitchell can return to Milwaukee before the end of June.

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Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday. This marks the second time that Cortes will throw since going down with a left elbow flexor strain in April. If everything goes well on Friday, Cortes will hopefully begin to face hitters. After that, Cortes will head out on a rehab assignment before eventually rejoining the Brewers rotation. It sounds like Cortes is going to be out until at least around the All-Star break. The left-hander has only made two starts this season, but will hopefully be an option for the team in the second half.

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Detroit Tigers first baseman Colt Keith is out of the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. It's not shocking to see Keith out against a southpaw considering his struggles against them this season. However, Keegan Akin is starting and is likely only going to pitch an inning or two. Afterwards, right-hander Dean Kremer is expected to take over as the bulk pitcher. That means, Keith could possibly come into the game as a pinch-hitter, but it's probably safer for fantasy managers just to bench him here. Keith is more of a deep league option with four home runs, 19 RBI and a .241/.332/.385 slash line on the season. Spencer Torkelson will cover first base and bat cleanup on Thursday.

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Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Chicago Cubs. This is a rare off day for Hayes who has started in 14 of his last 15 games, including five straight contests. Hayes has been swinging the bat better lately with at least one hit in six of his last seven games. Despite that, Hayes has been putting together an underwhelming campaign at the plate. Jared Triolo will cover third base and bat ninth versus right-hander Jameson Taillon on Thursday.

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New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu is out of the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Kansas City Royals. This appears to be a regular rest day for LeMahieu who has started in five straight games. During that span, LeMahieu has recorded a hit in each of those contests, including two multi-hit performances. Despite his recent success, LeMahieu isn't worth a look in most fantasy formats right now. Pablo Reyes will cover second base and bat eighth versus right-hander Seth Lugo on Thursday.

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Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis is out of the starting lineup ahead of Thursday's game against the Chicago Cubs. Davis will head to the bench after starting in six of the last seven games. During that span, Davis has registered two multi-hit performances, but has only one hit over his last three games. He's likely the bulk of the playing time behind the plate with Endy Rodriguez (elbow) and Joey Bart (concussion) both sidelined right now. Despite that, Davis isn't worth a look in most fantasy formats at the moment. Brett Sullivan will do the catching and bat eighth versus right-hander Jameson Taillon on Thursday.

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