Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that outfielder Roman Anthony (back) will sit out of Thursday's series finale at Fenway Park against the division-rival New York Yankees as the Red Sox look to avoid the sweep, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI. Outfielder Jarren Duran will bat leadoff, and outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela will be in the two-hole in the batting order against Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler. Boston held Anthony out of Wednesday's loss to New York due to a sore back. He's considered day-to-day for now and will miss a second straight game. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Friday to see if he's feeling good enough to return to the starting nine in the series opener in Houston against the Astros. The 21-year-old former second-rounder in 2022 has gotten off to a slow start in 2026 in his first full season in the big leagues, going 18-for-80 (.225) with a homer, four RBI, 11 runs scored, and two stolen bases. It's too early to be worried about Anthony, and hopefully the time off this week will get him right when he returns to the field.

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St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (back) has continued to "undergo preventative care" for a lower-back issue that dates back to last year, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Winn dealt with back spasms in 2025 and has already had hip and shin injuries this season. There's no current injury that fantasy managers should be worried about, but it's a situation to monitor, and it could mean that the Cardinals will give Winn more regular days off in the future. Goold mentions that the team is "seeking ways for him to reduce mileage." The 24-year-old former second-rounder in 2020 didn't look great initially to open the 2026 campaign, but he's heating up of late and appears to be locked in at the plate. Overall, Winn is slashing .257/.354/.400 with a .754 OPS, a homer, nine RBI, 11 runs scored, and three steals in 70 at-bats. He's currently riding an eight-game hitting streak in which he's gone 12-for-31 (.387) with a homer, three doubles, a triple, eight RBI, six runs, and a steal. Keep Winn locked into starting lineups where he's rostered.

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Los Angeles Angels right-handed reliever Kirby Yates (knee) allowed three earned runs on two hits (one homer) while walking none and striking out one in an inning of work with Triple-A Salt Lake on Wednesday during a minor-league rehab outing. Yates threw 11 of his 16 pitches for strikes, but the velocity on his fastball was down a bit on Wednesday, and he's likely to need at least a few more appearances down on the farm before the Halos consider reinstating him from the 15-day injured list to make his 2026 season debut. The 39-year-old veteran is a stash candidate for fantasy managers in deeper leagues who are desperate for saves. Yates has 98 saves in his 11-year MLB career, and he's also a two-time All-Star, but he really struggled with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025 and won't be guaranteed regular save opportunities with the Angels when he returns to the major-league roster. Right-hander Jordan Romano is currently the team's primary closer early in the year. Right now, Yates is rostered in just 14% of Yahoo leagues.

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The New York Mets are calling up infielder Ronny Mauricio from Triple-A Syracuse again on Thursday, sources told Francys Romero. Mauricio has been on fire at Syracuse, hitting .333 with five home runs and a 1.142 OPS in the month of April, and he could see decent playing time in New York if shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf) is forced to the injured list after being pulled from Wednesday's win over the Minnesota Twins early. If Lindor misses extended time, it's unclear if the Mets will want to move third baseman Bo Bichette to shortstop or put Mauricio there. If Bichette slides over to the 6, Mauricio will be a candidate to play at third base as well, alongside Brett Baty. The 25-year-old switch-hitting Dominican has only hit .234/.294/.359 with a .653 OPS, eight homers, 20 RBI, and 11 stolen bases in 89 games over three big-league seasons, but Mauricio is worth consideration as a deep-league waiver-wire pickup if he gets an opportunity for everyday playing time with the Mets if Lindor goes on the IL.

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Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami homered again on Wednesday against the Diamondbacks and has gone yard in five straight contests. The 26-year-old slugger in his first season in the majors is hitting .256 with a .436 wOBA and a 66.7% hard-hit rate through his first 24 games. Murakami has a total of 10 homers on the year with 19 runs scored, 19 RBI, 21 walks, and 32 strikeouts. His power has been a huge boost to the middle of the White Sox lineup, and he has exceeded expectations in his transition from the NPB in Japan. He is definitely worth starting right now for as long as he stays so hot, and it will be fascinating to see if he can maintain this production throughout the season.

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New York Mets relief pitcher Luke Weaver got the call to close out his team's first win after losing 12 straight, and the 32-year-old righty earned the win by closing out the Twins. He came on to get the last out of the eighth inning, walking Ryan Jeffers but then retiring Luke Keashall with the bases loaded. The Mets scratched out a run in the eighth, and Weaver struck out the side in the ninth to preserve the win. He's 2-0 on the year now, despite allowing six runs in 10 innings across his 10 appearances. The Mets have continued to publicly stay committed to closer Devin Williams, but if they were to make a change, Weaver would be an obvious candidate to replace him. Weaver isn't a must-add in most formats yet, but if you need a Williams handcuff or are trying to get ahead of a potential move in deep leagues, he's worth watching as a late-inning option if Williams continues to struggle.

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San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Ryan Walker earned his third save of the season on Wednesday night, issuing a walk but recording three outs to preserve his team's 3-0 victory. Walker seems to be back in the main closer role for the Giants and has picked up two saves in the last two days. On the season, he has worked 11 innings in 11 games with 12 strikeouts and four earned runs allowed for a 3.27 ERA and 3.78 FIP. Walker is the only pitcher on the Giants with more than one save, with Erik Miller and Blade Tidwell also earning a save earlier this year. Miller and Tidwell could cover occasionally, but it seems that Walker has stepped back in as the team's primary closer. While he isn't an elite option, he should be a solid source of saves if you need a bullpen boost.

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Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Robert Suarez picked up his second save of the season on Wednesday, allowing one hit but only needing eight pitches to preserve his team's 8-6 win over Washington. Suarez is an outstanding short-term option if you need saves since he'll be filling in for the next few weeks while closer Raisel Iglesias (shoulder) is on the injured list. Suarez had 36 and 40 saves in the last two seasons for the Padres, so he's very comfortable in the role and should be a top option for as long as Iglesias is out. He would be the regular closer on many teams, but he was the team's high-leverage setup man before Iglesias' injury. This season, Suarez has given up just one run in 10 2/3 innings this year with a 1.36 FIP and 11 strikeouts.

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Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Luis Pena is "fine" and recovering after a medical scare on Wednesday night. The top prospect was taken by ambulance to the hospital after overheating in the dugout. The game was stopped and ultimately called in the eighth inning after the emergency, but Pena "Sounds like he's fine according to our docs," according to Brewers GM Matt Arnold. Pea was administered IV fluids and is doing better. The 19-year-old is the No. 2 prospect in the team's system according to MLB Pipeline and is hitting .372 with a home run and six stolen bases in his first 12 games this season for the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. While this was a scary situation and could cost him a few days, it seems as if there will be no long-term effects on Pena's season.

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Boston Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle will start on Thursday, as expected, as the Red Sox try to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Yankees in Boston. Tolle was held out of his last start in Triple-A in anticipation of his promotion, and he'll get a chance to earn his spot in the rotation over the next few weeks. In his three starts in Triple-A this season, Tolle gave up five runs in 15 innings while piling up 19 strikeouts. He threw five scoreless innings with six strikeouts in his most recent start for the Worcester Red Sox against the Columbus Clippers. Last season, Tolle pitched 16 1/3 innings in the majors with a 6.06 ERA, 6.26 FIP, and 19 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. He has high strikeout upside, and the 23-year-old lefty will be an important young pitcher to watch while he fills in for the injured Sonny Gray (hamstring) for the next few weeks.

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Diamondbacks' 2B Ildemaro Vargas had five RBIs going 2-for-5 with two home runs in a 11-7 win over the White Sox on Wednesday, Apr. 22.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II has been seeing the ball well of late, and that continued in Wednesday's 8-6 win over the division-rival Washington Nationals in D.C. Harris led the charge by going 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI to raise his season average to .296 and his OPS to .880. In his last 10 games, Harris is slashing .412/.459/.882 with five home runs, nine RBI, and a stolen base in 37 plate appearances. There aren't many hitters in baseball more locked in than Harris right now. Wednesday's performance was Harris' seventh multi-homer game of his career. The 25-year-old third-rounder in 2019 can be streaky and inconsistent for fantasy managers, but he had his first career 20-20 season in 2025, and he can still be plenty valuable in all leagues for his power/speed skills in a strong Braves lineup. Harris has stolen exactly 20 bases in three of his four full major-league seasons. While he's on fire at the dish, keep him locked into your starting fantasy lineups everywhere.

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The New York Mets announced that shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf) was removed from Wednesday's game early against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field with left-calf tightness. Lindor's injury came on the same day that the Mets reinstated star outfielder Juan Soto (calf) from the 10-day injured list. The 32-year-old veteran did go 2-for-2 before he injured his calf while running the bases in the fourth inning. The Mets will have Lindor undergo an MRI exam on Thursday, so we should have a better idea of how much time he'll miss at that point. Like most of the Mets' hitters early on in 2026, Lindor has struggled at the plate in the first month-plus of the season. He entered Wednesday's game batting .209 (19-for-91) with two home runs, four RBI, 13 runs scored, and two stolen bases, but one of his homers came on Tuesday night. If Lindor's calf injury is serious enough to send him to the IL, Bo Bichette and Marcus Semien would both be options to move to the 6 for the Mets.

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Through his first 9 2/3 innings (10 games) of 2026, New York Yankees closer David Bednar has pitched to a 3.72 ERA and 1.76 WHIP with 13 strikeouts and six saves. While the 31-year-old has blown just one save and does not appear to be in any danger of losing the ninth-inning role for the Yankees, Bednar has not been particularly sharp. His 10.9% walk rate is the worst mark of his career, and his average fastball velocity is down from 97.1 mph to 95.9 mph. Some of Bednar's struggles can be chalked up to his .429 opponent batting average on balls in play, which seems likely to regress closer to his career mark of .296 over a larger sample. Still, it's worth noting that Bednar is allowing more contact this season and is also allowing a 61.5% ground ball rate, both of which could result in an elevated opponent BABIP. Before 2026, Bednar had never allowed a ground ball rate higher than 44.1% over the course of a full season. Bednar remains a quality closer option for fantasy managers, but his unorthodox early-season production could be worth monitoring.

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Fresh off a 49-homer campaign in 2025, veteran third baseman/designated hitter Eugenio Suarez agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Cincinnati Reds before the 2026 season. The 34-year-old hasn't quite gotten his power bat working through his first 100 plate appearances this year, as he's hitting .231/.300/.363 with three home runs, 11 RBI, and 10 runs scored. Suarez's barrel rate is down from 14.3% to 8.6%, while his hard-hit rate currently sits at a career-worst 20.7%. Suarez has a long history as both a prodigious and streaky power hitter, so it's too early for fantasy managers to panic. He also has the benefit of playing his home games in the hitter-friendly environment of Cincinnati, so he could easily get hot as the weather starts to heat up. Still, signs of age-related regression for Suarez are worth monitoring as he enters his mid-thirties. The Reds also have several potentially capable corner infield/designated hitter options, so Suarez could eventually start to lose some playing time if his production remains merely middling.

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Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Griffin Jax got off to a disastrous start to the 2026 season, allowing five earned runs across his first four outings (two innings pitched). The 31-year-old has stabilized his numbers to some degree since then, posting scoreless outings in five out of his last seven appearances. Still, Jax owns an 8.00 ERA and a 1.89 WHIP across nine innings pitched on the year. Jax's strikeout rate is down from 35% to 22.7%, while his 15.9% walk rate is more than double his 7.4% rate from 2025. The Rays' closer job remains largely up for grabs with the news that reliever Edwin Uceta (shoulder) experienced a setback in his recovery from a shoulder injury. Jax could eventually work his way back into the ninth-inning mix, but his early-season struggles make him very difficult for fantasy managers to rely on with any degree of confidence.

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Atlanta Braves right-hander Didier Fuentes was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to make his first MLB start against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. However, the 20-year-old struggled against the Nats, allowing seven hits and four earned runs in just three innings of work. After the game, Atlanta announced that Fuentes is being sent back down to Triple-A, with Braves pitching prospect JR Ritchie taking his place on the roster. On the bright side, Fuentes showed off his swing-and-miss stuff by recording seven strikeouts against Washington. The young flamethrower will almost certainly get another chance to crack the Atlanta rotation at some point in 2026. Still, for now, it appears as though the organization wants him to continue to refine his arsenal in the minors. Fuentes will regain waiver-wire appeal if and when he gets called back up, but he can probably be cut in the majority of redraft formats.

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Detroit Tigers closer Kenley Jansen picked up his sixth save of 2026 on Wednesday in his team's 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Jansen allowed two walks and a hit but worked around the traffic in a scoreless ninth inning. The 38-year-old is off to a strong start to his first season in Detroit, as he's worked to a 1.35 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with eight strikeouts and six saves across his first eight appearances (6 2/3 innings). Jansen may not be able to bring the same level of dominance he once did at his peak, but the veteran right-hander has proven that he is still capable of consistently recording high-leverage outs. As long as he can stay healthy, Jansen should continue to be a reliable source of saves for fantasy managers.

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Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell was one of the breakout success stories of the 2025 season, hitting 37 home runs in 573 plate appearances. Through his first 112 plate appearances of 2026, the 27-year-old is hitting .269/.313/.375 with three home runs, 15 RBI, 12 runs scored, and one stolen base. Adell's power hasn't quite been where it was in 2025, as his barrel rate is down from 17.2% to 5.1%. Adell may be sacrificing power for contact, as he's also cut his strikeout rate from 26.4% to 19.6%. While Adell would be able to hit for both power and average in an ideal world, fantasy managers would likely prefer him to rediscover his 30-homer form. If he can get back to hitting the long ball consistently while holding some of his contact gains, Adell could put together his most complete MLB season to date.

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The Atlanta Braves are promoting right-handed pitching prospect JR Ritchie to the MLB roster to start Thursday's contest against the Washington Nationals in his MLB debut. In a corresponding move, the Braves are demoting fellow prospect Didier Fuentes to Triple-A. Ritchie is considered the team's No. 2-ranked prospect on MLB.com and the overall No. 81 in the sport. Ritchie has enjoyed a dominant start to the Triple-A season and is being rewarded with an early promotion. Through his first five starts of the season, the right-hander has logged 27 1/3 innings to the tune of a stellar 0.99 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. During this stretch, Ritchie has struck out 28 hitters and served up 13 free passes. Last summer, the right-hander spent time in High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A and posted a 2.64 ERA and 1.01 WHIP over 140 games. Given the elite upside he has flashed at Triple-A, Ritchie carries solid streaming upside facing the Nationals.

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