Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe and outfielder Aaron Hicks will both start on the bench for Thursday's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays. It's not surprise that O'Hoppe is out for the day game following a night game. Matt Thaiss is doing the catching and batting fifth, while Mickey Moniak is in right field and batting sixth against Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot. Neither Thaiss nor Moniak have faced Pepiot in their careers. O'Hoppe has been very hot to start the year, going 18-for-53 (.340) with two home runs and seven RBI in his first 16 games, while Hicks has been the opposite, going 7-for-44 (.159) with a homer and four RBI in his first 13 games with the Halos. Hicks has started just one of the team's last four games and is losing fantasy value quickly in AL-only leagues.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers will undergo an MRI on his left knee after he felt discomfort. Devers was pulled from the game on Tuesday but gave it a go as designated hitter on Wednesday. Manager Alex Cora states that the MRI is precautionary in nature to make sure the knee is structurally sound. Devers is not in the lineup Thursday, so we'll await to see the results of the MRI to get a better understanding of the injury and whether or not he'll be able to play this weekend. The 2x All-Star is off to a slow start at the plate, hitting just .188 with two home runs, five RBI, and five runs scored through 13 games. On the bright side he's got a 9:10 BB:K, with three of those strikeouts coming on Wednesday alone.

New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes notched his seventh save of the season in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Blue Jays, tying him for the league lead in all of baseball. Holmes allowed one hit but did not allow a run, a feat he's managed in all of his appearances so far this season, resulting in a perfect 0.00 ERA. The 31-year-old also has a 1.11 WHIP, although he isn't striking out many batters at just 15.4%. As long as he's locking down saves though, fantasy managers won't mind. After two straight 20+ save campaigns with New York, Holmes appears well on his way to 20+ again and is a top option at closer.

Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Joc Pederson homered for the second straight game in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Cubs. Pederson came on to pinch hit in the sixth for Blaze Alexander, lining out to first in his initial at-bat before homering in the next at-bat in the bottom of the ninth off of lefty Drew Smyly. Pederson is off to a solid start this season, hitting .333 (11-for-33) with two doubles, two home runs, five RBI, and seven runs scored. Last season, Pederson saw an increase in his BB% by 3.7% over the prior year, up to 13.4%, and it appears he's brought the keen eye into 2024, having walked nine times while striking out just once. The result is a superb .467 OBP thus far.

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner extended his hitting streak to seven games as his team held on for a 7-6 win over the Colorado Rockies, going 3-for-5 with a solo home run and two runs scored. Turner went back-to-back with teammate Kyle Schwarber with a long ball as the Phils ambushed Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner for four runs in the first inning, later doubling to lead off the fifth and scoring a run during the frame. The 32-year-old fantasy superstar is off to a much better start than that of his Philly debut season in 2023, now slashing a potent .329/.386/.487 with two big flies, six RBI, 12 runs scored, and seven stolen bases through 19 outings in 2024 following Wednesday's three-hit attack. Turner looks to stay hot during an upcoming weekend series at home versus the Chicago White Sox. In six games against Chicago since 2022, Turner is hitting .292 with two homers, four RBI, and three thefts across 22 at-bats.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout continued his strong start to the 2024 campaign with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, also drawing an intentional walk in the ninth inning. Trout homered to deep right center in the first inning to get the Halos into the scoring column, which was already his eighth round-tripper of the young season. The 32-year-old perennial All-Star has been excellent so far this year, slashing .282/.363/.690 with an American League-high eight homers, 11 RBI, 12 runs scored, and three stolen bases while returning early-round numbers in all fantasy settings. His RBI upside will likely be held back by Anaheim's underwhelming lineup all season long, but the swipes are a welcome sight after the oft-injured Trout stole only three bags across 201 games from 2022 to 2023. After Thursday's series finale against the Rays, Trout gets a three-game series at the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Erick Fedde recorded the win in the second game of Wednesday's twin bill against the division-rival Kansas City Royals, striking out five over 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the 2-1 victory. Fedde gave up three hits and three walks, and the ChiSox scratched a run during the fourth inning to help get Fedde his first win of the 2024 season. The 31-year-old right-hander has a solid 3.10 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 19:5 K:BB across 20 1/3 innings (four starts) so far this year. Fedde's next start is scheduled to come at Target Field on Tuesday against ace Pablo Lopez and the Minnesota Twins, when he'll be worthy of streaming consideration in fantasy baseball versus an injury-riddled offense that's scored the third-fewest runs (58) in baseball through 17 games.

Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber bashed two home runs to help complete a series sweep of the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, gathering three RBI in the 7-6 win. In a four-run first inning against Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner, Schwarber homered to deep right before greeting Peter Lambert in the sixth frame with a two-run blast to make a 7-1 ballgame. Fantasy managers who drafted the 31-year-old three-true-outcomes slugger probably know the deal already; Schwarber is hitting just .230 (17-for-44) but is making up for it with five homers, nine RBI, 13 runs scored and 10 walks in his first 19 games of the season. A big weekend could be in store for Schwarber, as he'll get a three-game series at home against a Chicago White Sox club that holds the seventh-worst ERA (4.46) and sixth-worst WHIP (1.40) in the major leagues this year. He did go hitless in 10 at-bats against Chicago last year, though.

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Chad Green (shoulder) was unavailable during Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the division-rival New York Yankees due to shoulder soreness he felt following Monday's appearance against the Yankees. Manager John Schneider hopes Green is good to go by Friday for the start of a three-game weekend set on the road against the San Diego Padres. The 32-year-old right-hander picked up two saves and helped bridge the gap until Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson were able to rejoin Toronto's bullpen on Tuesday, and he has a strong 2.35 ERA and 1.04 WHIP while striking out seven batters and walking two over 7 2/3 innings during the 2024 regular season. With that said, Green doesn't hold a whole lot of fantasy appeal at the moment outside of leagues that weigh holds.

The Los Angeles Angels announced on Wednesday that relief pitcher Robert Stephenson (shoulder, elbow) will miss the rest of the 2024 season due to an elbow injury, and they'll have more details on his setback on Thursday. Working his way back from discomfort in his right shoulder, Stephenson was removed from his first rehab minor-league appearance on Sunday after facing just one hitter and feeling something in his right elbow. The hard-throwing 31-year-old right-hander signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Halos after notching a 2.35 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and 60:8 K:BB over 38 1/3 innings with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023, and it's worth noting he dealt with inflammation in his right elbow in 2023. Carlos Estevez will be leaned on for ninth-inning work in Anaheim's bullpen for the remainder of the year, and he's converted three of his first four saves while giving up only two runs with a 5:0 K:BB in six innings.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. finally got on the board in the home run department during Wednesday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Houston Astros, going 2-for-5 with a solo home run in the fifth inning. Fantasy managers who spent the No. 1 overall pick on the reigning National League MVP this spring will certainly be relieved to hear that following his 16-game homerless drought to begin the 2024 season, as Acuna launched one 422 feet to center field to give the Braves a 2-1 lead. The 26-year-old is still doing just fine from a fantasy perspective, hitting .294 (20-for-68) with a .797 OPS, six RBI, 17 runs scored, and eight stolen bases to go with the aforementioned long ball atop Atlanta's potent lineup. Acuna now gets set for a marquee three-game weekend set at home versus the defending-champion Texas Rangers beginning on Friday. He hit a big fly in each of his three games against Texas in 2023.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (elbow) is playing catch again on Wednesday in New York, which is his first time doing so on back-to-back days after increasing his throwing distance to 75 feet on Tuesday. Manager Aaron Boone said there is no set date for Cole to get on a mound, though. The Yankees will continue to take things slowly with the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, who is building his stamina back up. If all continues to go well in his recovery from discomfort in his right elbow, Cole has a chance to return to New York's rotation when he's first eligible to come off the 60-day injured list in early June. Right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil should continue making starts for the Yanks through the month of May at least, but the two hurlers are only low-end fantasy streamers under the appropriate circumstances.

Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury (hamstring) will only be available to pinch hit on Wednesday and Thursday to wrap up a series against the Tampa Bay Rays, according to manager Ron Washington. The Angels are being cautious with his left-hamstring tightness on the turf at Tropicana Field. The 31-year-old veteran infielder will miss his third straight start on Thursday, but there's a chance he could be back in there for the start of a series on Friday in Cincinnati against the Reds. In the meantime, expect Luis Rengifo to get another start at the keystone on Thursday in Tampa. Drury has gotten off to a slow start offensively for the Halos in 2024, going 11-for-54 (.204) with only one home run, three RBI and five runs scored in his first 15 games. It sounds like he should avoid a trip to the injured list.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill (head) doesn't sound likely to return to the lineup on Thursday in the series finale against the Cleveland Guardians and he's just doing OK, per manager Alex Cora, after colliding with third baseman Rafael Devers in the outfield on Monday. O'Neill has been working out but hasn't done anything on the field yet. The good news is that he continues to clear the league's concussion protocol and should be able to return at some point this weekend after needing eight stitches to close up a cut above his eye. Fantasy managers should check back on Friday to see if the 28-year-old outfielder is back in there against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Jarren Duran is starting in left field again and batting leadoff on Wednesday against Guardians right-hander Ben Lively, with Wilyer Abreu in right field and hitting cleanup.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani continued his stellar stretch at the plate during Wednesday's game against the Washington Nationals. The two-way superstar went 3-for-4 at the plate with a stolen base during their 2-0 loss. This performance marked the 10th time this season that Ohtani has posted a multi-hit game. The 29-year-old is hitting .360 with four home runs and 10 RBI in 21 games this season.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (groin) made a significant impact during his return to the lineup on Wednesday. The 33-year-old backstop is playing through a Grade 1 left groin strain that he suffered earlier in the week. On Wednesday, Perez smacked a go-ahead two-run home run off right-hander Michael Kopech in the eighth inning. Perez is off to a red-hot start at the plate this season. He has five home runs and 17 RBI through 17 games.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins came up clutch for his team during Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Twins. There was some thought that Mullins would return to the leadoff spot this season, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Instead, Mullins normally sits in the sixth spot where he has hit well this season. On Wednesday, Mullins was hitless until he blasted a walkoff two-run home run off right-hander Griffin Jax. Mullins now has five home runs and 15 RBI through 18 games.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers (knee) is serving as the team's designated hitter against the visiting Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Ben Lively on Wednesday. Fantasy baseball managers will want to get Devers back into their starting lineups on Wednesday despite the fact that he's had a rather slow start to the year in 2024 by his standards. After missing some time last weekend with a shoulder injury, Devers was removed from Tuesday night's game early with left-knee discomfort. The 27-year-old Dominican infielder has hit just .205 (9-for-44) with two home runs, three doubles and five RBI in his first 12 games this year and he's gone hitless in three career at-bats against Lively, who will be making his season debut on Wednesday.

The Chicago Cubs moved right-hander Julian Merryweather (back, ribs) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list on Wednesday to open up a spot on the 40-man roster for right-hander Colton Brewer, who was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs also recalled right-hander Hayden Wesneski from Iowa and optioned left-hander Luke Little and right-hander Daniel Palencia to Iowa. The 32-year-old Merryweather was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his ribs and in his back last week and he won't be eligible to return to the club until early June. He won't resume throwing for three weeks and may not be able to return to the Cubs' bullpen until closer to the All-Star break. Injuries continue to bother Merryweather in his MLB career.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (knee) will start his minor-league rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday. Kepler landed on the injured list with a right-knee contusion but was able to run the bases this week and will now start playing in minor-league games to end the week. Barring a setback with St. Paul, the 31-year-old left-handed outfielder could be able to return from the IL by early next week. When healthy, Kepler should play regularly against right-handed pitchers despite getting just one hit in his first 20 at-bats of the season. Until Kepler is able to return, the likes of Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach and Manuel Margot will battle for extra playing in right field for the Twins.