St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera went 3-for-4 with four RBI in Friday's 10-3 win over the Kansas City Royals. He has picked up right where he left off after missing some time due to a bone bruise in his left knee earlier in the year. The 24-year-old has gone 10-for-22 in his six games back and boasts an absurd slash line of .419/.480/.907 on the season. Herrera has a strong quality of contact metrics with a strikeout rate below 20%. Herrera is currently rostered in 50% of Yahoo Fantasy leagues, and fantasy managers should quickly pick him up in all formats as he has the potential to be a top-five fantasy catcher for the rest of the season.

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Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk in Friday's 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers. It's been a miserable start to the season for Walker so far, as this effort brings his season slash line to just .210/.283/.358. His home run on Friday was his fifth of the season, but his first since April 28th. The 34-year-old is striking out at his highest rate since 2018 with his worst Barrel% since 2021. It is still relatively early in the season, so there should still be some optimism for a turnaround, but there should also be some level of concern for fantasy managers.

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Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (2-3) allowed one run on five hits and two walks over seven innings in Friday's 4-2 win against the Boston Red Sox. He struck out eight to earn his second win of the season. Sale outlasted fellow left-handed ace Garrett Crochet in a classic pitcher's duel. The 36-year-old generated 15 swings-and-misses in this one as he is putting together a strong month of May after a rocky start to the season. After posting a 4.84 ERA in March and April, Sale looks to return to his usual self with a 1.40 ERA and 26:6 K:BB in May. Sale will look to keep it rolling in his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road on Thursday against the Washington Nationals.

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan (4-2) dominated the Milwaukee Brewers in Friday's 3-0 victory, blanking them over six innings and picking up his fourth win of the year. Ryan led the Twins to their 12th consecutive victory, allowing only two hits and a walk while striking out nine. The 28-year-old is putting together a remarkable season so far as his 0.79 WHIP ranks second in baseball among starting pitchers. He lowered his season ERA to 2.42 with a dominant 63:6 K:BB ratio. Ryan is currently slated to make his next start on Wednesday at home against the Guardians.

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Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and a walk in Friday's 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Greene has been hot in May, slashing .320/.404/.680 with five home runs and 11:6 K:BB over 13 games. The 24-year-old is posting career-best quality of contact metrics with an excellent 15.5% Barrel% and 48.3% HardHit%. After slugging 24 home runs last season, Greene has already slugged 11 in the first few months of 2025. Greene will look to continue his power surge against the Blue Jays this weekend and remains a strong fantasy asset in all formats.

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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Andre Pallante (4-2) allowed two runs on seven hits with no walks while striking out four across seven innings in Friday's 10-3 win over the Kansas City Royals. He picked up his fourth win of the season. The 26-year-old produced 13 out of his outs through ground balls, which has been the formula for Pallante. His 3.38 groundout-to-airout ratio leads all starting pitchers by a wide margin. Pallante sports a 4.11 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 32 strikeouts across 50 1/3 innings this season. He won't rack up many strikeouts, but he's a solid streaming option and a viable play in deeper leagues. Pallante will look to build on Friday's performance in his next scheduled start on Wednesday against the Tigers.

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Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Jose Quintana (biceps, shoulder) had additional tests on Thursday, and the results were promising, according to manager Pat Murphy. The Brewers are optimistic that it will be a minimum injured-list stint for Quintana, who is eligible to return on May 26. Quintana was put on the IL on Wednesday with a left-shoulder impingement, but it looks like it won't be long before he'll be back in the big leagues. If he does return when eligible, he'll be lined up for a matchup against the Boston Red Sox. The Colombian hurler has an ERA under 3.00 through his first six starts (34 innings) for the Brew Crew this year, but his 4.56 FIP indicates the soft-tossing lefty has been a bit fortunate to this point. Quintana also has only 24 strikeouts in his 34 innings pitched, and his lack of strikeout upside makes him a volatile low-upside fantasy streamer when he's healthy.

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The Chicago Cubs signed free-agent right-hander Kenta Maeda to a minor-league deal on Thursday, and he's expected to make a start as soon as next week at Triple-A Iowa with Justin Steele (elbow), Shota Imanaga (hamstring) and Javier Assad (oblique) all on the injured list. Maeda, 37, joins the Cubs after being released by the Detroit Tigers last week after giving up eight runs (seven earned) with eight strikeouts and six walks in eight relief innings in a low-leverage relief role. However, 172 of his 226 career games have been as a starter. Maeda will give Chicago another starting option but could also be sent back to the bullpen as the team's rotation gets healthier. Fantasy managers in the vast majority of leagues can continue to ignore the Japanese pitcher. In 29 outings (17 starts) for Detroit last year, Maeda had a 6.09 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with 96 K's and 31 walks in 112 1/3 innings.

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The New York Yankees announced on Friday that they designated left-hander Tyler Matzek for assignment and reinstated right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga (elbow) from the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. The team also reinstated right-hander Clayton Beeter (shoulder) from the 15-day IL and optioned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Matzek didn't look great out of the Yankees' bullpen after returning from an oblique injury, allowing three earned runs on 11 hit while walking five and striking out seven in 6 1/3 innings. Injuries have really set the 34-year-old veteran southpaw back in recent seasons, but he should be able to latch on with another team in need of some left-handed relief arms. Loaisiga, 30, is returning from an internal-brace procedure on his right elbow, but he could quickly fall into a high-leverage relief role for the Yanks. Don't forget about him in holds leagues.

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New York Mets left-hander Sean Manaea (oblique) will throw another bullpen session on Tuesday, according to Newsday's Laura Albanese. Now that Manaea is throwing off the mound again, his next step will be to face live hitters before eventually being cleared to go on a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw started a throwing program in the middle of April after receiving platelet-rich plasma injections in his injured oblique. If Manaea avoids setbacks once he starts pitching in games again, he should be able to return to New York's starting rotation in June, but there's no clear timetable for his return. Fantasy managers that have been stashing him are just hoping he can recapture the form he had in 2024 after he made a mechanical adjustment with his arm slot. The former first-rounder had a 3.47 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with a 24.9% strikeout rate in 32 regular-season starts.

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New York Yankees third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera (ankle) had some ligament damage around his broken left ankle, according to manager Aaron Boone, so his surgery was a little more involved. Boone said that it's "probably unlikely" that Cabrera will play again this season, but there's no specific timetable for his return yet. Fantasy managers that have been holding the 26-year-old in redraft leagues can probably drop him at this point for reinforcements. Cabrera had been serving as New York's primary third baseman and was hitting .243/.322/.308 with a homer, 11 RBI and 17 runs in 107 at-bats before his injury. Oswald Peraza and rookie Jorbit Vivas should continue to split playing time at the hot corner in the Bronx going forward, although veteran DJ LeMahieu could also factor in at the position once Jazz Chisholm Jr. (oblique) returns to second base.

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New York Mets right-hander Frankie Montas (lat) was scheduled to throw a live batting practice session in the Bronx on Friday before the team's series opener against the crosstown-rival New York Yankees, according to Newsday's Laura Albanese. It was a big step for Montas, as it was his first time facing live hitters since suffering a high-grade right-lat strain in mid-February at the start of spring training. The next step for the 32-year-old veteran will be to start a minor-league rehab assignment. Because of all the time off, Montas is expected to have a lengthy rehab assignment, but barring setbacks after he starts pitching in games, he could be activated from the 60-day injured list to make his Mets and 2025 debut in early June. The Dominican hurler made just one appearance in 2023 while recovering from shoulder surgery and was very inconsistent with the Brewers and Reds in 2024 with a 4.84 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 150 2/3 innings. Fantasy managers have to hope the Mets' coaching staff can turn him around.

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The Orange County Register's Jeff Fletcher reports that Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (knee) has begun hitting off a batting machine. He is also throwing and doing agility work on the field while running on an Alter-G treadmill at 75 percent of his body weight. Trout appears to be making good progress, but the Angels are surely going to be extra cautious with the three-time MVP and 11-time All-Star who had season-ending surgery on the same knee a year ago. The 33-year-old veteran doesn't have a specific timetable for a return, and in a best-case scenario the Angels and fantasy managers will get him back at the end of May. Fantasy managers shouldn't be dropping Trout at this point, but the 15-year veteran is now very injury-prone and appears to be sacrificing contact for power later in his career. He had nine homers in his first 29 games but was hitting just .179 (19-for-106).

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Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (groin) left his start on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals with left-groin tightness, the team announced. Ragans did strike out seven batters and didn't give out any free passes on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium, but he also allowed four earned runs on five hits in five innings of work before being pulled in the sixth inning after a visit from trainer Kyle Turner. It's unclear how severe the 27-year-old southpaw's groin injury is, but his next scheduled start next Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants is now in question. Injuries have been an issue for Ragans this year, as he left his start on April 13 with cramps and then skipped a start on April 30 with a mild left-groin strain. He has recorded an out in the sixth inning just twice in his nine starts this year after failing to do so just eight times in 32 starts in 2024. Don't be surprised if the Royals place him on the injured list in the coming days.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Willi Castro (knee) left Friday's game early against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field with a right-knee contusion, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes. Castro fouled a ball off his right knee in his first at-bat of the night before eventually striking out. The 28-year-old was then replaced on defense in left field by Kody Clemens, who shifted to the outfield from second base. It doesn't appear that Castro's injury is too serious, but he'll likely undergo more testing and could be out as the season continues in Milwaukee on Saturday. Minnesota's outfield depth has been tested in recent days with injuries to Byron Buxton (head) and Harrison Bader (groin), leading to extra playing time for DaShawn Keirsey Jr. The good news is that Buxton has cleared the league's concussion protocol, and Bader is also considered day-to-day.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Luis Matos (shoulder) was scratched from the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting Athletics due to right-shoulder discomfort, according to MLB.com's Justice delos Santos. With Matos out in the series opener, David Villar is serving as the designated hitter and will bat seventh against A's left-hander JP Sears. The Giants will likely put Matos through some tests, but for now we'll consider him day-to-day and check back on Saturday to see if he's available to return to the lineup. The 23-year-old Venezuelan outfielder has been a non-factor for fantasy managers so far in 2025, slashing a weak .167/.219/.350 with three home runs, four RBI, eight runs scored and a stolen base in just 60 at-bats. The 28-year-old Villar won't be much of a DFS play for the Gigantes near the bottom of the lineup. He's gone 4-for-16 with an RBI and a run scored.

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Chicago White Sox infielder/outfielder Miguel Vargas came out of the gate slowly, but has been crushing the ball over the last two weeks or so. On Friday, Vargas continued his hot streak at the plate during their Crosstown matchup against the Chicago Cubs. Vargas crushed a two-run home run off right-hander Cade Horton to open the game. He got Horton again in the third inning, but this time it was a solo shot. Vargas finished his day 4-for-4 with two homers and three RBI in the loss. Vargas is hitting .351 with five homers and 13 RBI over his last 20 games. He's going to be a popular waiver wire pickup with the way he has been swinging the bat lately.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was hitting the ball all over the place during Friday's game against the Chicago White Sox. He smacked his 12th home run of the season in the second inning off right-hander Shane Smith. His day wouldn't end there as Crow-Armstrong went 4-for-5 with three singles, a homer, and six RBI in the blowout win. If it wasn't for a two-way superstar on the Los Angeles Dodgers, Crow-Armstrong might be a darkhorse for National League MVP. Regardless, Crow-Armstrong is off to an impressive start and needs to be rostered in all fantasy formats.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Kutter Crawford (knee) has been transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on Friday. This move shouldn't shock anyone as Crawford still needs at least a month to recover from his knee injury. The Red Sox shifted Crawford to the 60-day IL in order to open up a roster spot for right-hander Nick Burdi on the 40-man roster. The organization is hopeful that Crawford can get on the mound in possibly June or July. Crawford isn't someone that needs to be held onto with his timetable unclear right now.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Richard Fitts (pectoral) has been ramping up his activities and could begin a rehab assignment next week. Fitts has been sidelined due to a pectoral strain for over a month. That being said, Fitts could require a few rehab starts before rejoining the Red Sox rotation. The Red Sox could use the help with Tanner Houck (elbow) landing on the injured list. Fitts threw five shutout innings during the game he got injured, but he wasn't great before that. He could be worth a look in deep leagues once he's back on the mound for the Red Sox.

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