St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker is not in the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting New York Mets at Busch Stadium. This marks the third time that Walker has started on the bench in the team's last seven games. Lars Nootbaar is in right field and is batting leadoff, while Brendan Donovan is starting in left field and hitting third against Mets right-hander Clay Holmes. The 22-year-old Walker might need to pick it up offensively to avoid losing even more playing time going forward. He's batting just .206 (21-for-102) on the year with two homers, nine RBI, nine runs and two steals while striking out 33 times and walking eight times. Walker has gone just 4-for-31 with two RBI and 10 K's in his last nine games. Both Nootbaar and Donovan have swung the bat well through the first month of 2025 and will be solid DFS plays on Friday.

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Los Angeles Dodgers infielder/outfielder Tommy Edman (ankle) remains absent from the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the hosting Atlanta Braves. Edman sat out of Wednesday's series finale against the Miami Marlins and won't be back on Friday despite having a scheduled off day on Thursday. The 29-year-old's injury isn't considered very serious, though, and manager Dave Roberts said he expected Edman to return in one of the first two games of this weekend's series. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Saturday to see if he's active. Veteran Miguel Rojas will start at second base again and will hit ninth on Friday against Braves right-hander Grant Holmes. DFS gamers should look elsewhere, as Rojas has very little fantasy upside at the bottom of the lineup. He's gone 12-for-44 (.273) this year with no homers, two RBI and two runs scored as a backup infielder.

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Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (hip) is absent from the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener on the road against the Baltimore Orioles. Freddy Fermin is doing the catching for right-hander Michael Wacha and will hit eighth, while Mark Canha will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth against Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer. Perez, who should be considered day-to-day, will take the day off after being pulled early from Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays with left-hip soreness. Check back to see if the 34-year-old veteran is back in action on Saturday. The nine-time All-Star has gotten off to a disappointing start in 2025, going 28-for-118 (.237) with only two homers, 16 RBI and eight runs. Neither Fermin nor Canha have faced Kremer in their careers. Canha has hit an impressive .345, but he has yet to leave the yard in his 29 at-bats for KC.

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Tampa Bay Rays left-handed-hitting second baseman Brandon Lowe will head to the bench on Friday against a left-handed pitcher in the series opener in the Bronx against the division-rival New York Yankees. Curtis Mead will start at the keystone and hit eighth against Yankees southpaw Max Fried. Lowe has just two hits and six strikeouts in 22 plate appearances against lefties on the year, which is why he's on the bench against one of the better lefties in the game. The 30-year-old veteran hasn't been much better against righties, either, going 21-for-90 (.233) with four home runs and 15 RBI in 95 trips to the plate. Since April 23, Lowe has gone 5-for-33 with a homer, two RBI and 11 K's in 36 plate appearances over eight games. Mead is hitless in just two career at-bats against Fried and has gone 6-for-37 (.162) on the year with no homers and two RBI.

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Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler is retreating to the bench for a rest day in Friday's series opener in Miami against the hosting Marlins. Seth Brown will get the start in right field for the A's and will hit sixth against right-hander Valente Bellozo. It's a good time for Butler to get a little breather, as he's gone 9-for-52 (.173) with three homers, a double, six RBI, one steal and 23 strikeouts in 12 games over the last two weeks. The 24-year-old especially looks lost against left-handers of late and will sit the bench after going 0-for-5 with four strikeouts in Thursday's win over the Texas Rangers. Overall, he's hitting .244/.316/.415 with five homers, 11 RBI, 18 runs and five steals in 123 at-bats for the A's. With Butler on the bench on Friday, shortstop Jacob Wilson will move up to the leadoff spot. Brown will be avoided by most DFS gamers with a .172/.314/.310 slash line with a solo homer in his 29 at-bats this year.

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The Boston Red Sox activated catcher Connor Wong (finger) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and optioned catcher Blake Sabol to Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move. Wong is immediately back in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener at Fenway Park against the visiting Minnesota Twins and right-hander Joe Ryan, doing the catching and batting seventh. The 28-year-old backstop has recovered from a broken finger that he suffered on April 7 and will return to being Boston's starting catcher, sending Carlos Narvaez to a backup role. Wong broke out in 2024 for the BoSox to the tune of a .280/.333/.425 slash line with 13 home runs, 52 RBI and eight stolen bases in 126 games. He had gone just 2-for-23 with three walks and seven strikeouts in nine games this year before getting hurt, so fantasy managers will be hoping he can turn things around now that he's back.

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Boston Red Sox rookie second baseman Kristian Campbell (ribs) remains out of the starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park. Campbell was scratched from Thursday's series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays as a precaution with sore ribs, and now he'll miss his second straight game. The good news is that the 22-year-old infielder's injury isn't considered serious, and he's being deemed day-to-day heading into the weekend. The former fourth-rounder in 2023 out of the Georgia Institute of Technology has settled in nicely as the team's starting second baseman in his first 103 big-league at-bats, batting .301 with four homers, 12 RBI, 18 runs and two stolen bases. David Hamilton will once again start at second and bat eighth on Friday against Twins right-hander Joe Ryan. He represents a low-upside DFS sleeper at the bottom of the lineup.

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Cleveland Guardians outfielder Nolan Jones is back on the bench for Friday's contest on the road in Toronto against the Blue Jays and right-hander Chris Bassitt. It's the second straight day the left-handed hitter has been benched against a righty, with Jhonkensy Noel starting in right field again and batting eighth. Jones was the team's preferred option against righties in right field earlier this year, but the former second-rounder appears to have lost that designation after going 12-for-71 (.169) at the plate with a homer, five RBI, five runs and two steals. The 26-year-old outfielder has gone 12-for-63 (.191) against righties. The problem for Cleveland is that Noel hasn't been much better, slashing .186/.210/.305 with two home runs, eight RBI and eight runs scored in 59 at-bats. Fantasy managers should be staying away from the team's right-field platoon for the time being.

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Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho will take the day off on Friday against the visiting Cleveland Guardians at Rogers Centre. Myles Straw will draw into the lineup in center field and will bat eighth against Guardians left-hander Logan Allen. The left-handed-hitting Varsho will be rested against the southpaw after returning from the injured list earlier this week. In his first three games played in 2025, the 28-year-old has gotten off to a good start, going 3-for-10 with two home runs, three RBI, two runs scored, three walks and four strikeouts. The two homers are especially encouraging after Varsho had offseason shoulder surgery. Fantasy managers should expect him to return on Saturday against righty Gavin Williams. Although Straw is hitting .304 (14-for-46) this year, he's a low-upside DFS option on Friday and has never faced Allen in his career.

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Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte (hamstring) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list on Friday, and outfielder Jorge Barrosa was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Thursday in a corresponding move. Arizona's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the hosting Philadelphia Phillies isn't out yet, but fantasy managers should expect Marte to be back in there against left-hander Jesus Luzardo. The 31-year-old All-Star is finally back with the Snakes since landing on the IL on April 15 with a left-hamstring strain. Although the matchup isn't a great one against Luzardo, fantasy managers will want to get Marte back in their lineups in all redraft leagues. Before landing on the shelf, the Dominican switch-hitter had yet to homer in 26 at-bats, but he was hitting .346 with a .469 on-base percentage and .930 OPS.

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Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas is sitting out of Friday's series opener against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park. Cal Stevenson will start in center field and bat ninth against Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly. Rojas will get a breather after starting the last 14 games in center field after Brandon Marsh (hamstring) landed on the injured list. The 24-year-old Dominican has taken advantage of the extra playing time this year by hitting .305 (18-for-59) with a homer, nine RBI, eight runs scored and four stolen bases. The counting stats are nothing to write home about, but he has been serviceable outfield depth at the bottom of Philly's lineup for those in NL-only formats. Stevenson should be avoided in DFS in the nine-hole against Kelly. He has gone 1-for-6 so far in 2025 with one RBI.

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Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that second baseman Gleyber Torres' hamstring was feeling a little tight, which is why he was removed as a precaution in Thursday's win over the Los Angeles Angels. Torres will not start in Game 2 of the series in Anaheim but was not sent for testing. Torres continued to swing a hot bat in the 10-4 victory against the Halos on Thursday before leaving the game, going 3-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk to raise his season slash line to .300/.360/.475. The Venezuelan infielder has added four home runs, 15 RBI, 13 runs scored and four stolen bases in 80 at-bats in his first year in Detroit as their starting second baseman. Fantasy managers will want to make sure to remove him from their lineups on Friday, but he should be back in there on Saturday. Torres has already been on the injured list once this year.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) is still building strength in his quadriceps muscles, and the Braves don't know exactly when he will begin playing in minor-league rehab games, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Bowman's best guess is that Acuna will begin his minor-league rehab assignment in a couple of weeks. The Braves aren't rushing the 27-year-old former MVP back from his ACL tear last season, even though he was cleared to begin ramping up baseball activities several weeks ago. A return in May has always been the Braves' target for Acuna, but it could be closer to late May, depending on how he's looking when he resumes playing in games. When Acuna is ready to return, he shouldn't be limited in what he can do and is expected to resume right-field duties immediately. While he may not run as much, Acuna can still be a fantasy difference-maker when he's back. Stay patient.

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Cincinnati Reds outfielders Gavin Lux and Jake Fraley are both out of the starting lineup with a left-hander on the mound for Friday's series opener against the visiting Washington Nationals. Santiago Espinal is in left field and is batting fifth, while Blake Dunn gets the nod in right field and is in the nine-hole against Nationals southpaw Mitchell Parker. The Reds will rest Lux after he went hitless in his last 10 at-bats. He's gone just 2-for-19 with an RBI and nine strikeouts against lefties this year. Lux has slashed a strong .317/.410/.426 with an .836 OPS in his first 101 at-bats with Cincy this year, but his counting stats have left plenty to be desired with only one homer, one steal, 15 RBI and 14 runs. Fraley is out of the lineup for the third straight game with the Reds facing a string of lefties. Neither Espinal nor Dunn have faced Parker in their careers.

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Athletics right-handed pitching prospect Gunnar Hoglund has officially been called up from Triple-A Las Vegas and will make his first major-league start in Friday's series opener on the road against the Miami Marlins. Hoglund, who is considered the team's No. 14 prospect per MLB Pipeline, gets his first big-league call-up after posting a strong 2.43 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 30 strikeouts and seven walks in 29 2/3 innings at Vegas in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. The 25-year-old was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates (2018) and the Toronto Blue Jays (2021) in the first round and should have an opportunity to stick in the A's starting rotation moving forward if he performs well in an excellent matchup in Miami on Friday. Hoglund is two years removed from Tommy John surgery and is primarily a fastball-slider pitcher. Take a look at him as a streamer and as a rotation piece in AL-only leagues.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have promoted infielder Liover Peguero from Triple-A Indianapolis. In a corresponding move, the Pirates optioned right-handed pitcher Hunter Stratton to Triple-A. Peguero has spent 63 games in Pittsburgh over the past three seasons and held an overall .237/.280/.370 slash line with seven home runs. He spent most of his time in the majors during the 2023 campaign, where he posted a .237/.280/.374 line. Through the start of the Triple-A regular season, Peguero has held a modest .258/.309/.382 line with six doubles and one home run. Fantasy managers should expect Peguero to have a utility role in the big leagues. As a result, he should only be targeted in deeper NL-only formats if he is given opportunities during this stint.

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Boston Red Sox right-handed pitcher Hunter Dobbins is slated to start Saturday's contest against the Minnesota Twins. Dobbins made his MLB debut earlier this season and has performed quite well. Through his first 11 innings of work, Dobbins has posted a 2.54 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP. He has struck out 11 batters and shown strong command, serving up walks at a 4.3 percent rate. He has generated an elite 3.0 percent barrel rate with an 86th percentile xERA and an 82nd percentile xBA. Dobbins is replacing Walker Buehler (shoulder) in the rotation, who is currently day-to-day with a shoulder injury. If Buehler were to hit the injured list, Dobbins should be the top candidate to replace him in the rotation. Dobbins is worth considering as a streaming option facing Minnesota.

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Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert (elbow) could return before the end of the month. Shannon Drayer reported that his outlook is "better than what it was initially." Gilbert was placed on the 15-day injured list with a Grade 1 flexor strain. The 27-year-old has yet to resume throwing; however, given this report, Gilbert may not need too much time to ramp up before he is cleared to return. Through his first 30 1/3 innings of work this season, the 27-year-old has posted a strong 2.37 ERA with a stellar 0.79 WHIP. He has tallied 44 punchouts while generating groundballs at a 51.5 percent rate. When Gilbert returns, he will be viewed as a high-end SP1 for the remainder of the campaign. While he remains sidelined, Emerson Hancock and Logan Evans should continue to see opportunities in the rotation.

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Miami Marlins right-handed pitcher Valente Bellozo was recalled ahead of his start on Friday evening against the Athletics. The 25-year-old has already logged eight innings in the major leagues and held a solid 2.25 ERA with a 1.63 WHIP. He struck out six batters and served up four walks. Last summer, Bellozo made his MLB debut and logged 68 2/3 innings to the tune of a 3.67 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP. Bellozo has enjoyed a strong start to the campaign at Triple-A Jacksonville as he has held a stellar 1.40 ERA with a 1.19 WHIP across 19 1/3 innings. Fantasy managers in deeper NL-only formats should consider Bellozo as a streaming option, as he has enjoyed success earlier this season. However, he may not be given an extensive workload, which could limit his upside.

From RotoBaller