Toronto Blue Jays right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer (thumb) tossed 4 1/3 innings during his first rehab outing on Friday evening. Facing Triple-A Columbus, Scherzer struck out four batters and allowed four hits and two runs. He did not allow a walk. This was a strong showing for the veteran, who is working his way back from a thumb injury that has kept him sidelined for most of the campaign. Scherzer hit the injured list shortly after his season debut. However, given that he already logged 56 pitches in this outing, he may only need a few more outings before returning to the majors. Scherzer battled injuries last season as well, but was effective when on the bump, posting a 3.95 ERA with a strong 1.15 WHIP across 43 1/3 innings. When he returns, he will likely replace Eric Lauer in the rotation.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter (wrist) is not in Saturday's lineup when the Rangers continue a series against the Chicago White Sox. Carter was removed from Friday's game after suffering a wrist injury. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status leading up to Sunday's game. This afternoon, the Rangers will give Wyatt Langford the start in center field, which will open left field for Sam Haggerty. Carter has begun to heat up at the plate following his rough start to the season. Over his last five games, the former top prospect has posted a stellar .556/.636/1.167 slash line with two doubles, three home runs, and two stolen bases. This afternoon, the Rangers are a viable target in DFS as they face Chicago right-hander Mike Vasil.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Jordan Beck is not in Saturday's lineup when the Rockies continue a series against the Atlanta Braves. Beck has been in the starting nine in each of the past nine games. During this stretch, the 24-year-old has posted a .333/.381/.410 line with three doubles, four RBI, one stolen base, and a 7:3 K:BB. This afternoon, the Rockies will give Sam Hillard the nod in left field. Hillard will also bat at the top of the lineup. Fantasy managers should expect Beck to return to action on Sunday. Through 59 games this season, Beck has been productive, holding a .265/.323/.465 slash line with eight home runs and eight stolen bases. This afternoon, the Rockies are best to fade in DFS as they will face Atlanta right-hander Spencer Strider.

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The Houston Astros placed rookie outfielder Jacob Melton (ankle) on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a right-ankle sprain and recalled outfielder Cooper Hummel from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move. The team also recalled infielder Luis Guillorme and optioned infielder/outfielder Shay Whitcomb. Melton, the team's No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, sprained his ankle in the blowout win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night and will now have to miss at least the next 10 days. After an initial slow start after his first big-league call-up, Melton had gone 4-for-9 at the plate with four RBI in his last four games, so it's bad timing for the young outfielder. When he's past his ankle injury, whether he gets another shot in the big leagues might depend on whether Yordan Alvarez (hand) is back from his lengthy IL stint. Jose Altuve is back in left field for Saturday's game against the Twins.

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The Houston Astros have shifted right-handed pitcher Spencer Arrighetti (thumb) to the 60-day injured list on Saturday. The 25-year-old has been sidelined with a fractured thumb since April. Arrighetti suffered this injury during a batting practice session. Arrighetti only made two starts before hitting the injured list. During this brief 9 2/3 inning stretch, Arrighetti held a 5.59 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP. He struck out eight batters and allowed walks at a high 12.8% rate. Arrighetti made his MLB debut last season and began to find his footing during the second half of the campaign, posting a 3.18 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP over his final 65 innings of work. While Arrighetti recently began playing catch from 70 feet, he still has a long road ahead of him. The team has yet to provide a detailed timeline. As a result, he is only worth stashing in 12+ team leagues.

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The Chicago White Sox announced on Saturday that they recalled first baseman Ryan Noda from Triple-A Charlotte and optioned first baseman Tim Elko to Charlotte in a corresponding move. The White Sox claimed Noda off waivers on Friday from the Boston Red Sox. Noda will immediately enter the starting lineup on Saturday against the Texas Rangers and right-hander Jacob deGrom, as he's starting at first base and batting seventh. This will be his first big-league start of 2025 after hitting a combined .204/.404/.375 with seven home runs, 21 RBI, 27 runs and four steals in 51 games at Triple-A Salt Lake (Angels) and Triple-A Worcester (Red Sox). The 29-year-old left-handed hitter could get plenty of run at first base against righties now that Elko is in the minors and Andrew Vaughn is with Milwaukee. Noda hit 16 bombs in 128 games in his rookie year in 2023 with the A's, but he's hit just .212 with 91 punchouts in 164 games over his two seasons in the big leagues.

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Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (hamstring) is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's contest against the hosting Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Brooks Lee will handle third base duties for the Twins and will hit sixth against Astros right-hander Hunter Brown. Lewis suffered a left-hamstring strain in Friday night's loss to the Astros, so it's no surprise the oft-injured slugger is out for the second game of the series. Given the 26-year-old's lengthy injury history and the fact he already spent time this year with a hamstring injury to the same leg, fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if Lewis ends up back on the IL with this new hammy ailment. The former first overall pick in 2017 hit his second homer of the season on Friday night, but he's been a disappointment overall in just 99 at-bats, batting just .202 with nine RBI and 10 runs scored.

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Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers will retreat to the bench on Saturday in Houston against the Astros at Daikin Park. Christian Vazquez is doing the catching for right-hander Joe Ryan and will hit ninth against Astros right-hander Hunter Brown. Jeffers has taken over primary catching duties for the Twins this year over Vazquez and is currently slashing .243/.341/.376 with four home runs, 21 RBI and 21 runs scored in 189 at-bats. He's gone hitless in his last three games and has struggled at the plate so far in June, going 6-for-32 (.188) with a homer, a double, three RBI, five runs scored, six walks and 10 strikeouts. The 34-year-old Vazquez offers almost nothing with his bat for fantasy managers, as he comes into Saturday's tilt hitting .204 (21-for-103) with two homers, nine RBI and 10 runs scored. He has never faced Brown in his career.

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Miami Marlins middle infielder Xavier Edwards is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's contest in D.C. against the hosting Washington Nationals. Javier Sanoja will get the start at the keystone and will hit ninth against Nationals right-hander Trevor Williams. After returning from a stint on the injured list, the switching-hitting Edwards has shifted over to second base for the Fish. Since his return on May 31, the 25-year-old has been swinging the bat well, going 14-for-40 (.350) with three doubles, four RBI and six runs scored in 11 games played. Edwards has little power to speak of, but he has 31 stolen bases in 2024 and has 11 on the year through 53 games this year, making him a useful middle infielder in fantasy for his speed. Sanoja will be a desperation DFS play out of the nine-hole for Saturday's action. He's hit .246 (34-for-138) this year with a homer and 14 RBI.

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Milwaukee Brewers right-handed pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski (ankle) is expected to make his next start against the Chicago Cubs. Misiorowski exited his MLB debut early after suffering an ankle/leg injury. However, following the game, Misiorowski noted that he felt fine and had minor swelling in his left ankle. Given this update, the hard-throwing right-hander was able to avoid a significant injury. In his MLB debut, Misiorowski was quite impressive, tossing five no-hit innings against the Cardinals. In this outing, he struck out five batters and allowed four walks. Earlier this season, in Triple-A, the top-ranked pitcher in the Milwaukee system performed at a high level, tossing 63 1/3 innings to the tune of a 2.13 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP. During this stretch, he struck out 80 batters. Even though he will have a tough task in his next start against the Cubs, he is worth starting in all leagues given his production at Triple-A and promising debut.

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb held the Dodgers to two runs in seven innings of work on Friday, allowing two hits (one home run) and three walks while striking out four batters on the way to picking up his sixth win of the season in the 6-2 victory over Los Angeles. It was also the righty's 11th quality start of the year, which is tied for the most in the majors. All in all, the 28-year-old owns a 2.58 ERA (2.34 FIP), 1.12 WHIP, and a strong 22.4 percent K-BB%. His next start lines up with Cleveland next Thursday in San Francisco, a team with the seventh-fewest runs per game average so far this season.

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Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson went 3-for-4 on Friday, including a double, three RBI, and three runs scored in a 12-4 win over the Rockies. The 31-year-old is riding a five-game hit streak and has reached base safely via hit or walk in 15 consecutive contests, going 16-for-55 (.291) with seven doubles, two homeruns, 13 RBI, 11 runs scored, and a 10:12 BB:K over that span. Although the batting average has tailed off over the last two seasons, the 2x All-Star is having another fine year, slashing .246/.350/.476 with 14 home runs, a .359 wOBA, and a 130 wRC+. The left-handed slugger will face off with rookie Chase Dollander in Colorado on Saturday, who brings a 6.85 ERA and 1.54 WHIP into the matchup, and with the Braves owning the highest implied run total on the board, Olson should be in play as a DFS option.

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San Francisco Giants infielder Casey Schmitt went 1-for-3 with a walk and a grand slam in Friday's 6-2 win over the Dodgers. The slam came off of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who had come into the game with just a 2.20 ERA and had allowed home runs in just four of his 13 starts before Friday. Schmitt has a hit in each of the last four games, with both of the home runs he's hit this year coming in that span as well. The 26-year-old missed a month earlier this season with an oblique injury and had only been getting sporadic starts upon his return until recently. With Matt Chapman going on the IL, Schmitt has been manning third base, and if he continues to hit, the former second-round draft pick could become an intriguing waiver wire add with his eligibility at 1B, 2B, 3B, and SS.

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Detroit Tigers pitcher Alex Cobb (hip), who has been on a minor-league rehab assignment, received another injection in his left hip to combat inflammation. Once the inflammation subsides, the veteran will resumehis rehab at Triple-A Toledo. The 37-year-old has made three rehab starts already, allowing just one earned run on two hits and five walks while striking out seven in a total of 6 1/3 innings pitched. The righty was aneffectivereal-life pitcherin 2023 for the Giants, posting a 3.87 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and a 14.6 percent K-BB% in 151 1/3 IP, but was limited to just 16 1/3 IP last year. For fantasy, however, the high WHIP and low strikeout rate make him less appealing, so managers may want toconsiderhim more as a spot starter once he returns in the coming weeks.

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Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick (oblique) began hitting off a tee on Friday. The 30-year-old has been out of action since May 29, and at that point had gone 11-for-43 (.256) with two doubles and no home runs along with a 5:14 BB:K in his limited playing time. He also stole one base and was caught stealing three times. The right-handed hitter has been unable to recreate the offense that made him a 22-home-run, 19-steal player in only 115 games back in 2023, and without regular at-bats, there isn't much fantasy appeal here. Nevertheless, he's still a ways away from a return, likely requiringa rehab assignment once his hitting progression is complete.

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Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen (forearm) threw a bullpen session on Friday. The veteran is inching closer to a return, but will likely need a few more bullpens and a rehab assignment beforereturning to the big league mound. The righty had eight games under his belt before landing on the IL in mid-April, notching two saves, three holds, and recording 10 strikeouts in eight innings pitched with a 3.38 ERA. Treinen made 50 appearances for the Dodgers last season, posting a 1.93 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and a strong 24.5 percent K-BB%, so the 36-year-old should still be effective once he returns, and the 6-foot-5 hurler could also pick up a few more saves along the way, so he could be a decent ratio enhancer in deep and NL-only leagues when that happens, although there is no ETA yet.

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Seattle Mariners outfield prospect Lazaro Montes went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run during their contest against High-A Tri-City on Friday evening. This performance snapped a seven-game power skid for the No. 2-ranked prospect in Seattle. During this minor skid, Montes posted a low .160/.300/.280 line with an 11:4 K:BB. However, over his last 14 games before the slump, the 20-year-old carried a .333/.410/.722 slash line with three doubles, six home runs, and a 15:7 K:BB. Montes has continued to show improvement at the High-A level and is nearing a promotion to Double-A. During his first taste of High-A last summer, Montes posted a solid .805 OPS. However, he has been able to raise that to a stellar .936 OPS through 60 games this season. Montes remains on track to contend for his MLB debut next summer.

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Arizona Diamondbacks infield prospect Jordan Lawlar went 3-for-5 with a double and a triple during their contest against Triple-A Sugar Land. In this game, Lawlar scored two runs and added three RBI. This outing also extended his hitting streak to four games. Since returning to Triple-A on May 31 after a brief taste of the majors, the top-ranked prospect in the desert has been productive, holding a .298/.389/.574 slash line with three doubles, two triples, two home runs, 10 RBI, and seven runs. However, at the majors, Lawlar appeared in just eight games and went 0-for-19 at the plate with three walks and a run. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression at Triple-A as he will likely be in the mix to return to the majors this season. However, given his struggles in the majors, he is only worth stashing in deeper formats for the time being.

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Chicago Cubs right-handed pitching prospect Cade Horton enjoyed a strong bounce-back outing on Friday afternoon during his contest against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In his outing, the top pitching prospect in Chicago logged 5 2/3 shutout innings with just three hits and a walk. He struck out four. In his last start, Horton struggled against the Detroit Tigers as he allowed a season-high four runs. However, prior to that outing, Horton held an impressive 2.16 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP over his last three starts (16 2/3 innings). Throughout his first 36 1/3 MLB innings, the former seventh overall pick has held a 3.47 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP. Given his consistent play, fantasy managers should expect the right-hander to remain in the rotation even when Shota Imanaga (hamstring) returns from the injured list.

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Milwaukee Brewers right-handed pitching prospect Logan Henderson struck out five batters en route to picking up the victory over Triple-A Norfolk on Friday. In this start, Henderson tossed 5 1/3 innings with nine hits and two runs (only one earned). He served up one free pass. Since returning to Triple-A in early June, Henderson has posted a 0.68 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP. During these 13 1/3 frames, the No. 12-ranked prospect in the system has struck out 15 batters and allowed just three walks. The 23-year-old earned a taste of the majors this season and held his own as he posted a 1.71 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP through his first 21 innings. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he could earn another call to the majors, especially if the Brewers need pitching depth. For now, he is a viable stash option in deeper 14+ team formats.

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