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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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (wrist) is back in the starting lineup for Thursday's series opener against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Sonny Gray at American Family Field, serving as the designated hitter and batting cleanup. A swollen right wrist caused Yelich to miss the last two games, but he's back in there to start a crucial divisional series against a pitcher that he has plenty of experience with. The 33-year-old left-handed hitter has hit .250 against Gray with a home run and four RBI in 24 career at-bats. Fantasy managers will be hoping that Yelich can pick things back up after going just 3-for-17 with eight strikeouts in his last five games played. He's hitting just .233 on the season but with 13 homers, 41 RBI and 10 stolen bases, and he ranks in the 72nd percentile in average exit velocity and sports a .248 xBA.

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New York Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (groin) is out of the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the hosting Kansas City Royals after being pulled from Wednesday's game with left-groin tightness. The previous day, the 27-year-old left the contest prematurely with neck tightness, so it's not much of a surprise that he's out on Thursday. Oswald Peraza is starting at third and batting ninth on Thursday against Royals right-hander Seth Lugo. For now, fantasy managers should consider Chisholm to be day-to-day and check back to see if he's active for Friday's series opener in Beantown against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. Peraza, who has hit .170 (17-for-100) with three homers, 11 RBI and 13 runs scored this year, would become the team's primary third baseman if Chisholm requires another stint on the injured list.

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Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins will take the day off on Thursday against the visiting Detroit Tigers and left-hander Tarik Skubal. Colton Cowser will handle center field duties and will hit ninth, with Dylan Carlson playing left field and batting eighth. Mullins actually has reverse splits against lefties this year, going 13-for-46 (.283) against them, but with just two of his 10 home runs on the season. He's hitting just .217 (31-for-143) against right-handers in 2025. Since returning from a stay on the injured list due to a hamstring injury, Mullins has gone 2-for-8 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in two games. DFS managers should be looking to avoid both Cowser and Carlson against last year's American League Cy Young winner. Cowser has never faced Skubal, while Carlson is hitting .143 against him in seven career at-bats.

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New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is getting his first breather of the 2025 season in Thursday's series finale at Kauffman Stadium against the Kansas City Royals. With Judge on the bench, Cody Bellinger will shift to right field and will hit cleanup against veteran right-hander Seth Lugo. Judge has been the best player in baseball this year, but everyone needs a break eventually. The 33-year-old two-time MVP and six-time All-Star is hitting an absurd .394/.490/.779 with a 1.269 OPS, 25 home runs, 59 RBI, 64 runs scored and six steals in 249 at-bats. He has also homered four times in his last three games. Expect to see him back in the lineup for Friday's series opener at Fenway Park against the division-rival Boston Red Sox. Bellinger is currently riding an eight-game hitting streak (10-for-33 with a homer and four RBI) and has hit .286 with a homer and two RBI in seven career at-bats against Lugo.

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New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz bailed the Mets out on Thursday at Citi Field to help them sweep the division-rival Washington Nationals, but it wasn't easy. He was called on to clean up the mess that Ryne Stanek created in the top of the ninth inning when he allowed three straight hits to open the inning. Diaz walked the first batter he faced to load the bases and then gave up a hit to Josh Bell to cut the Mets' lead to just two. A wild pitch scored another run, but the 31-year-old right-hander got out of the jam to help the team win 4-3 with two groundouts to end the ball game. It wasn't easy, but Diaz got the job done and has only blown one of his 16 save chances on the year. He has given up just one earned run in his last 18 2/3 innings pitched and has struck out 42 and walked 12 in his 28 1/3 innings this season. Diaz remains an elite fantasy closer.

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New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil continued to swing a hot bat in Thursday's 4-3 victory over the division-rival Washington Nationals at Citi Field to complete the sweep. McNeil went 1-for-2 in the contest with a three-run home run off right-hander Michael Soroka in the first inning to set the tone. The 33-year-old former National League batting champion now has three long balls in his last four games and is hitting .340 (16-for-47) in his last 13 games to raise his season average to .270 and his OPS to .911. He got a late start to the 2025 season due to injury but has now clubbed seven home runs and driven in 22 runs in his first 38 games played in 2025. McNeil hit only .238 (101-for-424) a season ago for the Mets in 129 games with 12 home runs and 44 RBI. We want to see more from McNeil before saying he's back, but there's no denying he's seeing the ball well right now at the plate.

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New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga (hamstring) suffered a right-hamstring strain during his start on Thursday against the division-rival Washington Nationals and will go on the 15-day injured list, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. The Mets won't know the exact severity of his hamstring injury until Senga undergoes an MRI exam on Friday. The 32-year-old injured himself covering first base on a ground ball in the sixth inning in which he came down awkwardly on his right leg on a high throw that he had to jump for. It's unclear how much time he'll need to miss, but it's a big blow for fantasy managers and the Mets. Before leaving, Senga was masterful, tossing 5 2/3 shutout innings while allowing just one hit, walking one and striking out five for his seventh win of the year. Keep Senga stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy formats.

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St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (toe) remains out of action for Thursday's series opener against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Nolan Gorman will get another start at second base and will hit seventh against Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, who is making his MLB debut. Donovan is dealing with a sprained capsule in the joint of his left big toe and will miss his second straight game, but he doesn't believe it's a situation that will land him on the injured list. The 28-year-old could return to the lineup at some point this weekend in Milwaukee. Gorman continues to be a disappointment for the Cardinals offensively and enters Thursday's action hitting just .220 (24-for-109) with three homers, 14 RBI and 14 runs scored. However, he's batting .368 (7-for-19) with two homers, a double and five RBI in eight games in June.

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The Detroit Tigers announced on Thursday that they optioned right-hander Beau Brieske to Triple-A Toledo and selected the contract of left-hander Matt Gage from Toledo in a corresponding move. To make room for Gage on the 40-man roster, right-handed pitching prospect Jackson Jobe (elbow) was moved to the 60-day injured list. Brieske gets the boot down to the farm after a rough outing on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles in which he surrendered five runs in just one-third of an inning. The 27-year-old reliever has struggled in 2025 in his fourth year in the big leagues, going 1-3 with a career-worst 6.55 ERA, a 1.64 WHIP, one save, 16 K's and 12 walks in 22 innings pitched. Gage, 32, gets the call after posting a 1.67 ERA with 28 K's and only four walks in 32 1/3 innings for the MudHens. He allowed six runs (four earned) with nine walks and 20 K's in 19 2/3 big-league innings the last two years.

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Seattle Mariners first baseman/outfielder Luke Raley (oblique) is scheduled to start his minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Tacoma, according to The Seattle Times' Adam Jude. It could be a rather lengthy rehab assignment for Raley, who has been sidelined since late April with a strained right oblique. But once the 30-year-old veteran left-handed slugger returns to Seattle, he could be on the strong side of a platoon in right field against right-handed pitchers. Before his injury, he was hitting just .206/.345/.324 with two home runs, eight RBI, 10 runs scored and two stolen bases in 24 games played. Raley's power/speed combination makes him worth rostering in deep-mixed leagues as a depth piece. In 2023 and 2024 with the Tampa Bay Rays and Mariners, Raley combined for 41 home runs, 107 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 255 games.

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