New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) had a "heavy day" of throwing on Tuesday, and manager Aaron Boone said he doesn't know when Cole is scheduled to throw from a mound. When asked if the All-Star break was a realistic time for Cole to return, Boone said he wouldn't speculate. MLB's Bryan Hoch thinks Cole is close to throwing off a mound, but he still needs to go through a whole spring training progression to build up his arm, so it wouldn't be a surprise of the reigning American League Cy Young winner isn't able to return to the Yanks until the second half of the season. The 33-year-old continues to throw multiple times per week on flat ground, but he still has a ways to go before making his 2024 debut. He is eligible to come off the 60-day injured list on May 25, but that's not going to happen. Fantasy managers must stay patient.

The Los Angeles Angels placed corner infielder Miguel Sano (knee) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 28) on Wednesday and selected the contract of outfielder Willie Calhoun from the minors in a corresponding move. Right-hander Zac Kristofak was also designated for assignment. Sano hasn't played since last Friday due to left-knee inflammation and will now miss more time. The 30-year-old former Twin has gotten off to a decent start with a .262 average (16-for-61) in his first year with the Halos, but his signature power has yet to show up. Sano has gone deep just once and has driven in only five runs before injuring his knee. Until Sano returns, Luis Rengifo should play daily for the Angels at either third base or second base.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that third baseman Isaac Paredes was out of the starting lineup in Wednesday's loss to the Milwaukee Brewers because his body and arm are "barking a little bit." The Rays have a scheduled off day on Thursday before beginning a weekend series on Friday at home against the visiting New York Mets, so we'd expect Paredes to be back in action then. If the 25-year-old Mexican infielder is back in there on Friday, fantasy baseball managers will want to get him back into their lineups in all formats. Paredes is currently slashing a strong .291/.358/.509 with an .867 OPS, seven home runs, 17 RBI and 14 runs scored in 110 at-bats. He had a career-high 31 long balls in 2023 and also drove in a career-high 98 runs.

The Boston Red Sox acquired infielder Zack Short from the New York Mets on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations. Short finds a new home in the American League after the Mets designated him for assignment recently. Because the 28-year-old utility infielder is out of minor-league options, he'll join Boston's big-league roster for the time being as infield depth. The former 17th-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2016 out of Sacred Heart University has the ability to play shortstop, second base and third base. Before being DFA'd, Short appeared in 10 games for the Mets this year and went 1-for-9 at the plate with two walks and four strikeouts. He's a career .172/.266/.304 hitter in four big-league seasons and is off the fantasy radar.

The Boston Red Sox are expected to sign first baseman Dominic Smith after the Tampa Bay Rays released him from his minor-league contract on Wednesday. The Red Sox are short-handed at first base with injuries to Triston Casas (rib) and the recently signed Garrett Cooper (wrist), so they will take a flier on the 28-year-old, who can also play the outfield. Cooper is expected to be fine, though, and the Red Sox also have Bobby Dalbec capable of manning the cold corner, so Smith will probably just be a left-handed bench option at first base. Smith hit .254/.326/.366 with 12 home runs in 153 games with the Washington Nationals in 2023 and had gone 21-for-80 (.263) with two homers and 11 RBI at Triple-A Durham this year before being granted his release.

Boston Red Sox first baseman/designated hitter Garrett Cooper (wrist) is dealing with a bruise and is going to be OK after being hit by a pitch on his right wrist in Tuesday's game against the visiting San Francisco Giants. Cooper was recently scooped up by Boston as a replacement at first base for the injured Triston Casas (rib). The veteran right-handed slugger went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts and the hit-by-pitch in his first game with the Red Sox on Tuesday. He began the 2024 season with the Chicago Cubs and is now hitting .256 (10-for-39) on the year with a home run, six RBI and three runs scored in his first 13 games played. It remains to be seen if he'll be back in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Giants, but between the injuries to Casas and Masataka Yoshida (hand), Cooper should have a regular role in Beantown in the short-term.

Miami Marlins shortstop Tim Anderson (thumb) has been scratched from Wednesday's lineup against the visiting Colorado Rockies as a precautionary measure due to a mild left-thumb sprain that he suffered in Monday's game. Vidal Brujan will get another start at the 6 for the Fish and will hit eighth in the batting order against Rockies right-hander Dakota Hudson. Anderson remains day-to-day and could be back as earlier as the series finale against the Rockies on Thursday. The 30-year-old two-time All-Star is still reeling from a terrible year in his final season in 2023 with the Chicago White Sox. He's gone 21-for-95 (.221) with no home runs, five RBI and three steals in his first 29 games for Miami. Brujan is a light-hitting switch-hitter who also hasn't homered in 2024 in 40 at-bats.

The Minnesota Twins announced that outfielder Byron Buxton (knee) left Wednesday's game against the Chicago White Sox with right-knee soreness after he came up limping after attempting to steal second base in the second inning. He was thrown out easily and gingerly walked off the field. Willi Castro moved to center field, while Jose Miranda entered the contest to play third base. The 30-year-old has had surgery on his right knee twice, so this certainly is daunting news for a player with an extremely long injury history. There's a good chance Buxton will land on the injured list, but we'll wait for more news on the severity of the injury. Before leaving, Buxton singled in his only at-bat. If Buxton ends up missing extended time, Manuel Margot may be the biggest beneficiary in Minnesota's outfield.

San Diego Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts is out of the starting lineup on Wednesday for the series finale against the visiting Cincinnati Reds. It will be just the second time this year that Bogaerts will open the game on the bench for the Friars after starting each of the team's last 16 games. Tyler Wade will get the start at the keystone and will hit in the nine-hole against Reds right-hander Graham Ashcraft. Wade will be one to avoid in DFS contests on Wednesday's slate of action. The 31-year-old Bogaerts isn't in danger of losing playing time as the Padres' regular second baseman, but he has done very little for fantasy managers in 2024, hitting .217 (28-for-129) with only two home runs, 11 RBI, two stolen bases and 17 runs scored in 32 games this year.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielders Andrew McCutchen and Michael Taylor are not in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics. With both players out, Bryan Reynolds will serve as the designated hitter and bat second, while Jack Suwinski will cover center field and hit eighth against A's right-hander Ross Stripling. Connor Joe is manning left field and batting third in the order. The veteran McCutchen has gotten off to a slow start in 2024, hitting just .190 (15-for-79) with three home runs, seven RBI and one steal. Taylor has been a bit better with a .253 average (19-for-75), but he has yet to go deep with six RBI and three stolen bases. Reynolds is a daily must-start in season-long fantasy leagues, while Joe is a nice low-cost DFS play with an average just under .300 in his first 89 at-bats in 2024.

Oakland Athletics outfielder/designated hitter Brent Rooker will take a seat on the bench on Wednesday versus the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Catcher Shea Langeliers will move to designated hitter and will bat cleanup, while Kyle McCann will do the catching while hitting seventh against Pirates right-hander Quinn Priester. The 29-year-old Rooker will get the day off after starting in each of the team's last 11 games since coming off the 10-day injured list on April 19. In those 11 contests, he's gone 8-for-38 (.211) with three home runs, two doubles, eight RBI and a stolen base. Rooker has five dingers so far in 2024 and has added 13 RBI in his 68 at-bats. Langeliers is hitting just .176 (16-for-91) but does have six long balls, which makes him attractive in DFS at the weak catcher position while in the cleanup spot against a young pitcher.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe will retreat to the bench on Wednesday as the team faces the Toronto Blue Jays. Adam Frazier will get the nod in right field for the Royals and will hit eighth against Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt. Renfroe has gone 1-for-12 in the last four games to drop his season line to a weak .150/.218/.268 in 80 at-bats. The 32-year-old veteran right-handed slugger has added just two home runs, 10 RBI and seven runs scored for the Royals and could lose playing time moving forward unless he turns it around soon. Frazier hasn't been much better at all, though, and should be avoided in DFS formats on Wednesday. The left-handed batter is hitting .185 (12-for-65) with no homers, five RBI and one stolen base.

After the Milwaukee Brewers' benches-clearing brawl against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, pitchers Freddy Peralta (five games) and Abner Uribe (six games) and manager Pat Murphy (two games) have been suspended. Both Peralta and Uribe are appealing their suspensions and won't have to sit out immediately for the series finale against Tampa on Wednesday. Peralta is being suspended for intentionally throwing at Rays outfielder Jose Siri. The 27-year-old was ejected as a result. Since he's appealing, he should be able to make his next scheduled start on Sunday versus the Chicago Cubs. Uribe incited the benches-clearing incident when he threw a punch at Siri after he grounded out in the eighth inning. The 23-year-old reliever has three saves on the year but also a 6.75 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in 13 appearances for Milwaukee.

The Detroit Tigers optioned right-hander Matt Manning back to Triple-A Toledo after the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals. Manning served as the team's 27th man for the doubleheader and picked up a no-decision when he allowed four earned runs on seven hits (one home run) while walking two and striking out seven in 4 2/3 innings against St. Louis. He's now made three spot starts for Detroit this year. The 26-year-old threw 5 2/3 shutout innings in his first appearance but has now allowed eight earned runs in his last two outings despite striking out 14. We'll likely see Manning again at some point, and if any of the Tigers' regular starters are injured, he'll be the first to take their rotation spot.

St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (back) is set to undergo an MRI exam on Thursday after pitching through a back issue on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. Matz went just 3 1/3 innings against Detroit on Tuesday and allowed seven hits (one home run) and four earned runs while walking two and striking out only one. The Cardinals will wait for the results of the MRI before deciding what to do next with the 32-year-old veteran southpaw. Fantasy managers that have Matz rostered in deeper leagues should prepare for the possibility that he will go on the injured list. After his poor start on Tuesday, he's now 1-2 on the year with a 6.18 ERA and 1.73 WHIP while striking 17 in 27 2/3 frames over his first six starts in 2024.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that Josh Lowe (hamstring, oblique), whose expected return last Saturday from an oblique strain was further delayed by right-hamstring tightness, will resume a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Thursday and then be evaluated on a day-to-day basis. It was a minor setback for the 26-year-old. As long as he doesn't suffer another setback, he could make his season debut with Tampa at some point this weekend or early next week. There's no reason that Lowe should be available on waiver wires after he slashed .292/.335/.500 with an .835 OPS, 20 home runs, 83 RB, 32 stolen bases and 71 runs scored in 501 plate appearances over 135 games for the Rays last year.

Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud is getting the day off in the series finale on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners. With d'Arnaud riding pine, Chadwick Tromp will catch left-hander Chris Sale and will bat ninth for the Braves against Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock. With Sean Murphy (oblique) on the injured list, d'Arnaud has become Atlanta's primary catcher and has thrived with the opportunity. The 35-year-old veteran is currently hitting .282 (20-for-71) with five home runs, 16 RBI and 12 runs scored in his first 25 games of the year. With a scheduled off day on Thursday before a showdown on the road in LA against the Dodgers, d'Arnaud should be back behind the dish on Friday. Tromp is one to avoid in DFS formats in the nine-hole.

The Baltimore Orioles activated left-hander John Means (forearm) from the 15-day injured list on Wednesday. We knew that the O's planned to activate Means at some point this week, but now it's official. The 31-year-old southpaw will take the rotation spot of the injured Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder) for now, but eventually one of Albert Suarez or Cole Irvin will get booted from the rotation when right-hander Kyle Bradish (elbow) returns this week. It's unclear yet when Means will make his season debut for the O's. If it doesn't come in the series finale on Thursday against the New York Yankees, it should come this weekend in a series against the Reds on the road in Cincinnati. He struck out eight hitters and threw 95 pitches in his final minor-league rehab start, so Means shouldn't be limited at all from a pitch-count perspective.

Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers is taking a day off on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox in the series finale. Jeffers has played a big part in the Twins' current nine-game winning streak, but he'll get a blow in this one with a scheduled off day coming on Thursday. The 26-year-old had started each of the team's last seven games and has swung a hot bat so far in 2024, going 26-for-88 (.295) with five home runs, 17 RBI, a stolen base and 15 runs scored in 26 games. He's clearly become Minnesota's primary catcher over Christian Vazquez, who is behind the dish on Wednesday and batting ninth against White Sox right-hander Chris Flexen. Vazquez will be a low-upside catching option in DFS contests in the nine-hole. He has a hit in two career at-bats against Flexen.

Chicago White Sox outfielder/designated hitter Eloy Jimenez is not present in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday versus the visiting Minnesota Twins. This will be Jimenez's first day off after playing in 14 straight games following his activation from the injured list in the middle of last month. Since returning from his injury, he's hit .255/.328/.436 with three home runs and a stolen base for fantasy managers. After a scheduled off day on Thursday, he should return to his DH duties on Friday on the road in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Robbie Grossman is serving as Chicago's DH on Wednesday and is hitting leadoff for the Pale Hose against Twins right-hander Bailey Ober. Grossman is batting .600 in five career at-bats against Ober and will have elevated DFS sleeper appeal on Wednesday in the leadoff spot despite going just 11-for-57 (.193) this year.