Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly said that right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski will move to the bullpen this weekend with right-hander Jared Jones (elbow) returning from the 60-day injured list on Friday to make his season debut against the Minnesota Twins, according to Pirates insider Jason Mackey. Mlodzinski hasn't been bad this year, but he'll provide the Pirates with a valuable multi-inning arm out of the bullpen now that Jones is back. The 27-year-old former first-rounder in 2020 out of the University of South Carolina has gone 4-3 in 2026 with a decent 3.76 ERA (3.30 FIP) and 1.42 WHIP with 46 strikeouts and 20 walks in 55 innings across his 11 appearances (nine starts) for the Bucs in his fourth year in the league. Mlodzinski will now lose whatever little fantasy appeal he had in NL-only leagues with the move to the Pirates' bullpen. He's rostered in only 12% of Yahoo leagues, and that number will now most likely dip below 10% with the news of his demotion to the 'pen.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Thursday that right-hander Jared Jones (elbow) will come off the 60-day injured list to make his 2026 season debut on Friday against the visiting Minnesota Twins at PNC Park. Jones missed the entire 2025 campaign after undergoing UCL surgery on his right elbow last May, but he had a nice 2.89 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 24:6 K:BB in 18 2/3 innings over his five minor-league rehab starts and is definitely worth a pickup off the waiver wire in mixed leagues now that he's on the cusp of his season debut for Pittsburgh. In his final rehab tune-up on the farm, Jones went 4 1/3 innings and got up to 76 pitches, so he might not have any restrictions on Friday from a pitch-count perspective. However, the Pirates will most likely be looking to limit the 24-year-old's overall workload the rest of the way in 2026 after he missed all of last year. The former second-rounder in 2020 went 6-8 in his rookie season in 2024 with a 4.14 ERA (4.00 FIP) and 1.19 WHIP with 132 K's and 39 walks across 22 starts and 121 2/3 innings pitched. Jones' return is a big boost for the Pirates' rotation going forward.

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St. Louis Cardinals catching prospect Rainiel Rodriguez was promoted to Double-A earlier this month, but hasn't quite found his footing at the new level yet. The Cards' second-ranked prospect slashed .311/.430/.519 in 28 games at High-A before being promoted, and while he had a pair of multi-hit performances in his first three games there, he's since gone 5-for-34 (.147) with a 2:11 BB:K in nine games. The Dominican had an impressive showing in 2025, slashing .276/.399/.555 with 20 home runs in 84 games between the Complex League and Single-A, so this is seemingly his first run-in with adversity in the minor league system. Still, at only 19 years old, he's one of just three players that young at Double-A, the other being MLB's No. 1 and No. 2 prospects Jesus Made and Leo De Vries, so growing pains are expected, and with his pedigree, he should be able to get back on track. An MLB debut this season seems like a long shot, but perhaps a late-season call-up is in the cards if he can pick up the pace, otherwise, the right-handed hitter remains a strong dynasty asset and could have an impact in redraft leagues in 2027.

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Milwaukee Brewers infield prospect Jesus Made has had a good season at Double-A, but even by his standards, he has kicked it up a notch over the last week and a half. MLB's No. 1 overall prospect went 12-for-28 (.429) with a double, three home runs, and two steals (three caught) over a six-game stretch before an 0-for-4 day at the plate ended his hit streak. The switch-hitter is slashing .277/.353/.452 with six home runs and 18 steals through 42 games, and a promotion to Triple-A should be in the mix in the coming weeks. With Cooper Pratt already at Triple-A, shortstop is a bit crowded, but Pratt may head to the majors in the not-too-distant future, and Made also has the ability to play either second or third base, giving him multiple paths to a promotion. The 19-year-old isn't a stash candidate now, but is a star-in-the-making, and once he's at Triple-A, his all-around skillset could push him to the majors before the end of the year.

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Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo was one of the biggest breakout success stories of the 2025 season, as he hit 20 home runs and stole 27 bases while hitting .290 across 720 plate appearances. The 26-year-old has been considerably less productive so far in 2026, slashing .223/.336/.335 with two home runs, 20 RBI, 23 runs scored, and eight stolen bases across 220 trips to the plate. Perdomo posted a 6.2% barrel rate even in a breakout year in 2025, which always made him a likely regression candidate. Even still, there's reason to believe that Perdomo's production the rest of the way in 2026 will improve. With a 14.5% walk rate and a 13.2% strikeout rate, his plate skills remain elite. Perdomo has also hit just .248 on balls in play so far this season, significantly below his career mark of .287. Fantasy managers should not expect a full return to peak form, but Perdomo profiles as a steady compiler in every category other than home runs. At the right price, he could be a worthy buy-low candidate.

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Milwaukee Brewers shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt has been making his case for a major league debut over the last couple of weeks, going 17-for-56 (.304) over his last 14 games with three doubles, four home runs, three steals, and nearly as many walks (nine) as strikeouts (11) during that time. For the season, the Brewers' fourth-ranked prospect is slashing .236/.355/.382 with five home runs, 12 steals, and an impressive 28:29 BB:K through 43 games with the Sounds. Despite being more of a hit-over-power bat, the 6-foot-4 slugger is pacing to set a new career high in home runs (eight in '25 and '24), and his ability to steal bases continues to be an asset. David Hamilton (.196/.260/.239 in May) and Joey Ortiz (.191/.298/.298 in May) are holding down short in the majors, but their futility and Pratt's recent surge could be enough reason for the club to award him with an MLB debut soon. The former sixth-rounder received an eight-year, $50.75 million contract in the offseason, so the team clearly sees him as part of their future, and with his ability to make contact and steal bases, the 21-year-old could be an intriguing fantasy asset. Fantasy managers should put him on the redraft radar, and he could become a stash option in deeper leagues if he continues to show development.

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Entering play on Thursday, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell was hitting .242/.289/.386 with eight home runs, 29 RBI, 19 runs scored, and two stolen bases across 232 plate appearances. Adell put together a breakout season from a power perspective in 2025, logging an excellent 17.2% barrel rate and clubbing 37 home runs in just 573 plate appearances. His numbers have come crashing down to earth so far this season, as his barrel rate has fallen all the way down to 8.7%. However, Adell's power bat has come to life a bit in recent weeks, as he's hit four home runs in his last 16 games after hitting just four in his first 40. The 27-year-old appears to have gotten back to his old approach at the plate of sacrificing contact for power, as he's struck out in 30.1% of his plate appearances in May after posting a 20.1% strikeout rate through the end of April. While Adell's batting average could continue to drop, he may be on the verge of a power breakout and could be worth buying low on for fantasy managers desperate to add slugging to their roster.

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Across 232 plate appearances entering play on Thursday, Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene was hitting .305/.401/.440 with four home runs, 25 RBI, 30 runs scored, and one stolen base. While Greene has been a productive hitter, his power output has come down considerably from where it was in 2025, when he clubbed 36 home runs across 655 plate appearances. Greene's barrel rate is down from 17.1% last season to 12.6% this season. As the weather heats up in Detroit, Greene could find more power. However, if he doesn't, his current path to production may be unsustainable. With a 28% strikeout rate and a heavily inflated .435 batting average on balls in play, Greene's batting average seems likely to regress closer to his career mark of .268 over the course of a full season. As a result, fantasy managers may want to consider selling high on Greene before he runs into some batting average regression.

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San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado has been one of the best hitters in baseball for over a decade, but the 33-year-old has struggled mightily to this point in 2026. Across 220 plate appearances, Machado is hitting .169/.265/.339 with nine home runs, 27 RBI, 27 runs scored, and one stolen base. Machado's strikeout rate is a career-worst 23.2%, while his 7.7% barrel rate is his worst mark since his rookie season in 2015. As he hits his mid-30s, Machado could simply be suffering from age-related decline. Still, the veteran's extended track record of both consistency and durability makes it hard to believe he won't claw his way back to respectable production by the end of the year. Entering 2026, Machado had posted five consecutive seasons with at least 600 plate appearances, 27 home runs, and 90 RBI. Fantasy managers should not expect peak performance, but Machado still profiles as a worthy buy-low candidate.

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As we near the end of May, San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller has arguably been the most dominant reliever in baseball in 2026. Across 23 2/3 innings (23 games), Miller owns a 0.76 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 47 strikeouts, and 16 saves. He's averaging 101.2 miles per hour on his fastball and has struck out a completely ridiculous 52.2% of the batters he's faced. Barring injury, there's little reason to think that Miller won't continue to provide high-end closer production for fantasy managers. At the same time, managers with another viable ninth-inning option on their roster may want to consider shopping Miller now, when he's at the absolute peak of his value. If the offers for Miller are astronomical, trading him could be a way to build a more well-rounded overall roster. There's obviously nothing wrong with holding onto the 27-year-old, but selling high could be worth exploring.

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Across 241 plate appearances so far in 2026, Cincinnati Reds infielder Sal Stewart is hitting .256/.353/.473 with 12 home runs, 36 RBI, 34 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases. However, Stewart's overall stat line is buoyed by a red-hot start to the season, as he posted a .943 OPS through the end of April. The 22-year-old has slowed down considerably in May, slashing .226/.327/.355 with three home runs, seven RBI, 14 runs scored, and three stolen bases. Even with the rough month baked in, Stewart owns excellent walk (12.9%) and barrel (15.5%) rates for the year overall. He's also remained an everyday fixture in the heart of the Cincinnati lineup, and as a young player, it's not surprising to see him struggle a bit as the league adjusts to him. With Stewart's value at a relative low point, fantasy managers may want to see if they can buy low on him in hopes of a return to form in the summer months.

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Detroit Tigers outfield prospect Max Clark remains firmly on the stash radar after hitting safely in 12 of his last 14 games at Triple-A Toledo, going 16-for-60 (.267) during that stretch with four doubles, a triple, one home run, and two stolen bases. The Tigers' top-ranked prospect owns a respectable .267/.338/.390 slash line in 46 games for the Mud Hens, with two home runs and 11 steals, while his 14.8 percent strikeout rate shows he's not overmatched at the top level of the minors. The left-handed slugger is also drawing walks at a 9.5 percent rate thanks to a 77th percentile chase rate, displaying a good all-around approach. Although the organization is in no rush to get him to the majors, the former third-overall draft pick should get that chance in the coming weeks and should be considered a high-end stash option for his multi-category fantasy potential.

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Kansas City Royals left-hander Kris Bubic (elbow) has started his throwing progression, but he's still dealing with general arm fatigue, according to MLB.com. Bubic has continued to play catch, though, and he's expected to return to the Royals' starting rotation in June. He was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 18 (retroactive to May 15) with left-elbow soreness. Bubic won't be allowed to ramp up his throwing program until his arm fatigue goes away, so he could be looking at more of a late-June return. The 28-year-old southpaw went 3-2 with a 4.11 ERA (3.68 FIP) and 1.23 WHIP with 51 strikeouts and 26 walks in 50 1/3 innings pitched over his first nine starts this year before landing on the shelf. Bubic was a first-time All-Star in 2025, when he went 8-7 for the Royals with a career-low 2.55 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 116:39 K:BB in 20 starts. Even though we don't have a clear picture of when exactly Bubic might return, he's a worthy stash candidate in deeper mixed fantasy leagues for pitching depth for the rest of the year.

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Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel (ankle) said his MRI exam showed that he has left-ankle tendinitis, and he's not sure how long he'll be on the 10-day injured list, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. It's an injury that Schanuel has been dealing with since April, but it flared up recently. The Angels initially classified his injury as left-calf inflammation. At least for the foreseeable future, infielder Vaughn Grissom figures to take most of the available playing time at first base in Anaheim with Schanuel sidelined. Even in AL-only leagues, Schanuel isn't a must-hold while he's out, as the former 11th overall pick in 2023 out of Florida Atlantic is hitting .262 (50-for-191) with only four home runs, 24 RBI, and 18 stolen bases over his 49 games and 208 plate appearances in 2026. He also has a weak .313 on-base percentage and a career-low .700 OPS. Schanuel is currently rostered in just 12% of Yahoo leagues.

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Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jorge Soler (groin) recently said that he can run at 60-70% right now due to a nagging groin injury, but manager Kurt Suzuki shrugged at the suggestion that the right-handed slugger needs time off, according to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. "He just had a day off," Suzuki said. "We had a team day off (on Monday). He's swinging the bat fine. He's looking good. And he's in the lineup." Soler said the soreness started "a few days ago," but Suzuki said it's just something normal that players go through over the course of a long season. The 34-year-old, who is hitting .215/.298/.403 with a .701 OPS in 191 at-bats in 2026, was last out of the lineup on May 21. Despite not being 100%, he has exactly one hit in each of his last seven games he's started, but that has included just one extra-base hit. It doesn't appear that the Cuban outfielder is in danger of landing on the injured list, but fantasy managers can't really do much with Soler unless he's hitting for power. He has nine home runs, 30 RBI, and 25 runs scored on the year for the last-place Halos.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are recalling outfielder/first baseman Ryan Ward with Teoscar Hernandez (hamstring) going on the 10-day injured list on Thursday, according to Sonja Chen of MLB.com. Ward is the Dodgers' No. 19 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and led the minors with 36 home runs in 2025. The 28-year-old left-handed hitter and former eighth-round pick in 2019 out of Bryan University had two hits in six plate appearances with an RBI for the Blue earlier this year. In 47 games across 214 plate appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City this year, Ward has hit .254/.379/.418 with a .797 OPS, six home runs, nine doubles, a triple, 31 RBI, six stolen bases, and 28 runs scored. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound prospect consistently hits balls hard and has intriguing power for fantasy managers in deeper leagues looking for a spark. Ward could play regularly in L.A. going forward against right-handed pitchers with both Teoscar and Enrique Hernandez (oblique) out for at least several weeks, if not more.

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The Detroit Tigers placed veteran right-handed closer Kenley Jansen (pelvis) on the 15-day injured list on Thursday with pelvic inflammation and recalled left-hander Drew Sommers from the minors in a corresponding move, according to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. The Tigers initially announced that Jansen was removed from his outing on Wednesday night against his former team, the Los Angeles Angels, with a right-groin injury. The 17-year veteran and four-time All-Star has seven saves in 18 appearances in his first year with Detroit, but he's also gone 1-3 and has struggled to a 4.80 ERA (5.80 FIP) and 1.20 WHIP with 19 strikeouts and nine walks in 15 innings pitched. Will Vest hasn't been any better in 2026 and has also dealt with injuries, so right-hander Kyle Finnegan should be the reliever to target off the waiver wire now that Jansen is on the shelf. Finnegan has just one save this year and has walked 19, but he's allowed just five earned runs in 25 2/3 frames with 15 K's, and he has 113 career saves in six-plus MLB seasons. He is rostered in just 9% of Yahoo leagues right now.

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Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize (groin) played catch on Thursday but is still awaiting the results of an MRI exam after being pulled from his start early on Wednesday due to right-groin tightness, according to Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. McCosky notes that it's not a bad sign that Mize was able to throw on Thursday, although the Tigers don't have to make an immediate move with him. It's a positive development that the 29-year-old former first overall pick out of Auburn in 2018 did some throwing a day after his injury, but it doesn't necessarily mean that he will avoid the injured list. We should have a better idea of Mize's status in the next day or two. Mize was a first-time All-Star in 2025, his fifth year with the Tigers, and is currently sporting a career-low 2.27 ERA (2.38 FIP) and 0.96 WHIP, with a career-best 26.5% strikeout rate and a 6.5% walk rate in 47 2/3 frames across nine starts. As long as he can continue to miss more bats and stay healthy, Mize will be an intriguing matchup-based streamer in fantasy. He's rostered in 63% of Yahoo leagues right now.

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Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (shoulder) will start a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Friday, according to MLive Media Group's Evan Woodbery. Carpenter was cleared to resume playing in games after he took part in right-hander Justin Verlander's (hip) simulated game on Wednesday. If he can avoid any setbacks this weekend, Carpenter could be reinstated from the 10-day injured list to rejoin the Tigers' starting lineup at some point early next week. The 28-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder has been on the shelf for just under three weeks with an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder. Before his injury, Carpenter was batting a disappointing .216 (22-for-102) with six home runs, 17 RBI, 11 runs scored, 11 walks, and 40 strikeouts across 37 games (117 plate appearances). He won't offer much speed and strikes out too much to be an asset in on-base-percentage leagues, but Carpenter proved last year with his career-high 26 homers that he can help in the power department against right-handed pitchers. He's currently rostered in just under 40% of Yahoo leagues.

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Detroit Tigers infielder Gleyber Torres (oblique) will head to Triple-A Toledo on Friday for a minor-league rehab assignment, according to Evan Woodbery of MLive Media Group. Torres might be a day or two before he plays in his first game. The Tigers won't rush Torres once he starts playing in games down on the farm since he has been sidelined for almost four weeks due to a strained left oblique muscle. But barring a setback, Torres could be back with the big-league squad by the end of next week. The 29-year-old veteran Venezuelan second baseman will return to starting duties at the keystone in Motown when he's reinstated from the 10-day injured list. The three-time All-Star shouldn't be expected to return to the 20-homer mark, and he also has very minimal speed, but he has great plate discipline and should continue to be an asset in leagues that count on-base percentage. Torres was slashing .259/.389/.328 with two home runs, 11 RBI, 18 runs, 25 walks, and 22 K's in 32 games across 144 plate appearances for Detroit at the time of his injury.

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