Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler was brilliant on Thursday, tossing six shutout innings while allowing just one hit while punching out eight on the afternoon as part of a 5-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds. He walked four on the day and was at 103 pitches by the end of his outing but managed to earn his second decision of the season. With the outing, the 33-year-old lowered his ERA to a tidy 1.93 mark on the season through six starts, striking out 46 while walking 11 across 37 1/3 innings of work. Somehow, he has managed to go just 2-3 on the young season. He lines up to take on the Angels in his next scheduled start next Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta surrendered five runs on five hits across 4 2/3 innings of work during Thursday's 7-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. He struck out five batters and allowed a season-high five walks in the no-decision. It was not the sharpest outing for the 27-year-old, who saw his season ERA balloon from 1.90 to 3.18 with the performance. Peralta remains one of the premier arms in fantasy baseball and today's outing was merely a blip on the radar. He should still be confidently started in all formats going into his next projected outing against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Chicago White Sox right-hander Mike Clevinger is starting for Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday night. This will be Clevinger's first minor-league start after previously pitching in extended spring training to try and get stretched out after re-signing with the club on a one-year deal on April 2. The 33-year-old is scheduled to throw four innings or 60 pitches on Thursday and then move to five innings or 75 pitches in his next minor-league start. If Clevinger looks good after those two outings on the farm, he could be called up to the big-league roster and start make his 2024 debut for the White Sox early in May. The former fourth-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels in 2011 went 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA and 1.23 WHIP while striking out 110 and walking 40 in 24 starts for Chicago last year. He'll be a deep-league streaming option, at best, once he returns to the majors.

The Washington Nationals reinstated catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and optioned catcher Drew Millas to Triple-A Rochester in a corresponding move, according to president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo. The 25-year-old Ruiz will return to the Nats after missing 11 games with influenza and he'll be back behind the dish while hitting fifth against Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ruiz appeared in two minor-league rehab games with Double-A Harrisburg this week. Before going on the injured list, he was hitting just .194 with a home run and three RBI in eight games. Ruiz will return as Washington's primary catcher, but fantasy managers may want to keep him benched until he can get going.

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's afternoon tilt against the Washington Nationals and left-hander MacKenzie Gore. Kike Hernandez will take over at the hot corner and hit fifth on Thursday. It's been another excellent season at the plate for the veteran who is hitting .241 with four homers, 15 RBI, a 14.7% BB%, and an .811 OPS across 102 trips to the plate, production that grades out 25% above the league average, as per his 125 wRC+. His season has contained some swing-and-miss with a bloated 32.4% K% on the season but fantasy managers can expect that mark to drop considering his 24.8% career mark.

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez (elbow) will come off the injured list and start on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies in Mexico City, according to manager Joe Espada. On the surface, the matchup against the Rockies is excellent. However, there are a couple reasons why fantasy managers should be hesitant to quickly throw the 30-year-old southpaw back into their starting lineups immediately. First off, Valdez has been on the injured list since April 9 with inflammation in his left elbow. Second, he's going to return to the big-league rotation without making a minor-league rehab start, which means he'll likely be limited from a pitch-count perspective. And third, he'll be extra shaky in the thin air in Mexico City.

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (oblique) said he was diagnosed with a Grade 1 right-oblique strain after undergoing an MRI exam and was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 24) on Thursday. In corresponding moves, infielder Leo Rivas' contract was selected from Triple-A Tacoma and right-hander Gregory Santos (lat) was moved to the 60-day injured list. Crawford was scratched from Wednesday's lineup and will now miss at least the next 10 days. The 29-year-old's strain isn't very serious, but it could easily keep him out beyond 10 days. Dylan Moore is making his second straight start at the 6 on Thursday in place of Crawford and is likely to see most of the playing time there as long as Crawford is out. Crawford has had a rough start to 2024, hitting under .200 with two home runs and nine RBI in 22 games.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta (elbow) will make at least one minor-league rehab start before returning from the injured list. Pivetta has already missed more than the 15 days required on his injured-list stint and he's going to need at least one start in the minors before fantasy managers will get him back. The 31-year-old is recovering from a right-elbow flexor strain but has resumed throwing off a mound and could make his rehab start soon. As long as he doesn't suffer a setback in that outing, he should join Boston's rotation shortly after that. The Canadian hurler looked fantastic in his first two starts before getting hurt, allowing just one earned run on eight hits while walking one and fanning 13 in 11 innings. The Red Sox and fantasy managers will be looking forward to his return in early May.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers (knee) isn't comfortable playing the field just yet after his knee injury, according to manager Alex. Cora. However, the skipper said that Devers will likely return to the hot corner on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs. Devers missed some time recently with a left knee injury, but he's been the team's designated hitter the last few days. Once the 27-year-old heads back to third base, it will allow outfielder Masataka Yoshida to return to the DH spot for Boston. The left-handed hitter has sat each of the last three games against a right-hander with Devers serving as the DH. Devers has battled a few nagging injuries already in 2024 and is hitting an uncharacteristic .231 (12-for-52) in the early going with three home runs and seven RBI. It's too early to be concerned with Devers.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton is getting a day off in a matinee game on Thursday versus the visiting Chicago White Sox. With Buxton starting on the bench, Austin Martin is starting in center field and will bat ninth against White Sox right-hander Michael Soroka. Not only has Buxton remained healthy through the first month of the season, but he's starting to pick it up at the plate of late, hitting .323 with a home run, four doubles and a triple in his last eight games to raise his season line to .247/.280/.403 with a home run, 10 RBI and seven runs scored in his first 77 at-bats. Buxton should be back in action for the start of a series against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night in Anaheim. Martin has never faced Soroka in his career and will be a low-upside sleeper in DFS in the nine-hole for the Twins.

Boston Red Sox outfielders Tyler O'Neill and Masataka Yoshida are not in the lineup for the matinee game on Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians. Rob Refsnyder is in left field and is batting third, while Wilyer Abreu is in right field and hitting cleanup against Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie. O'Neill is getting the day off after playing the last two games upon his activation from the injured list. He went 2-for-9 in the last two games with four strikeouts and is now hitting .298 on the year with seven home runs and eight RBI. Yoshida is still considered the team's primary designated hitter, but he's out for the third straight game while the club eases third baseman Rafael Devers back from his knee injury. Devers is expected to be back at the hot corner by Saturday, which means Yoshida should be back as the DH by then as well.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the Marlins but pitched another great game, throwing seven strong innings while allowing just one run on three hits (one home run) and a 2:6 BB:K. That makes four straight quality starts to begin the season and the 30-year-old has stepped up big at a time when the Braves needed it after Spencer Strider was lost for the year and Max Fried got off to a rough start. The 30-year-old hasn't been a regular starter since 2019 when he made 33 starts for the Chicago White Sox, but he looks the part so far in 2024 with a 0.72 ERA (2.71 FIP), 0.88 WHIP, and a 17.4% K-BB% in 25 IP. His next start lines up Tuesday in Seattle, the team that currently has the highest amount of strikeouts per game this season.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani enjoyed a big day at the dish in Wednesday's 11-3 rout of the Washington Nationals, going 3-for-6 with two RBI and two runs scored. Each of Ohtani's hits were doubles on Wednesday, with his final two two-baggers bringing Mookie Betts around for some insurance scores late in the contest. After this three-hit attack, the 29-year-old two-time American League MVP raised his triple-slash line to .371/.433/.695 to go with six home runs, 16 RBI, an MLB-leading 14 doubles, 22 runs scored, and five stolen bases over 121 plate appearances (26 games) in the 2024 regular season. After Thursday's series finale in Washington, Ohtani faces off with the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game set starting on Friday. In 20 games versus the Jays since 2021, Ohtani is batting .319 (22-for-69) with seven blasts, five doubles, 18 RBI, and 16 runs scored.

Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (toe) ran the bases as part of his workout on Wednesday. He appears to still be moving around well and is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list on Friday. Albies is recovering from a fractured right big toe that he suffered on April 16 and continues to make good progress. There's a chance the 27-year-old is activated when eligible on Friday to rejoin the lineup for the start of a series against the Cleveland Guardians without going on a minor-league rehab assignment. Albies has already been fielding ground balls and swinging a bat. Luis Guillorme and David Fletcher have been splitting time at the keystone for the Braves with Albies out. Fantasy managers will want to get Albies back into their starting lineups right away if he returns this weekend, as he was hitting .317 (20-for-63) with two homers, 14 RBI and two steals before his injury.

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (oblique) was scratched from Wednesday's lineup against the division-rival Texas Rangers in Arlington due to soreness in his right oblique. There's no word from the M's on the severity of the injury, but it might be fair to expect Crawford to get another day off during the series finale on Thursday. The 29-year-old on-base machine's fantasy value has been more noticeable in leagues that count walks, as evidenced by his .198/.296/.302 triple-slash line with two home runs, nine RBI, and 13 runs scored over 98 plate appearances (22 games) during the 2024 regular season. Super-utility player Dylan Moore drew the start at short in Crawford's stead on Wednesday, and he can steal bases in bunches when given playing time. In fact, Moore already has four swipes across 15 games and is worth a speculative add for those in need of speed.

San Francisco Giants second baseman Thairo Estrada (hamstring) exited Wednesday's loss to the visiting New York Mets in the sixth inning due to tightness in his left hamstring after going hitless in two at-bats. Estrada wanted to stay in the game before Jung Hoo Lee replaced him, so it doesn't seem like he's dealing with a significant injury at this time. Consider him day-to-day ahead of Friday's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and perhaps San Fran's day off on Thursday will be enough to prevent Estrada from missing any additional time. The 28-year-old veteran infielder is batting only .232 (22-for-95) with nine extra-base hits, 12 RBI, 11 runs scored, and zero stolen bases through 26 outings, and his fantasy value will remain diminished until he can climb his way up the Giants' batting order.

The Atlanta Braves are increasing the activity of catcher Sean Murphy (oblique). Murphy has caught a bullpen session in each of the past two days, but he's still not swinging a bat yet and may be at least a week away from being cleared to do so. Working his way back from tightness in his left oblique, Murphy is probably not going to be available to the Braves or fantasy managers before the end of April based on the current progress in his recovery. The 29-year-old All-Star backstop will need a rehab assignment before he's reinstated to Atlanta's major-league roster as well, but an early-May return is still in the cards. Former All-Star Travis d'Arnaud is surging after a slow start to the 2024 regular season, going 8-for-13 with five home runs and 11 RBI over his past five games, and he should be rostered in two-catcher leagues while he's hot.

Chicago White Sox right-hander Chris Flexen is lined up to start on Friday against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. It will be Flexen's fourth start of the season. The 29-year-old former 14th-round pick by the New York Mets in 2012 has appeared out of the bullpen for the Pale Hose his last two times out and is now sporting a 6.41 ERA (5.75 FIP) and 1.42 WHIP with seven walks and 11 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings pitched. Flexen has been more effective in his two relief appearances than his three starts, and the matchup against Tampa doesn't really make him attractive as a streaming sleeper in deep fantasy leagues on Friday. He'll be making the start on three days of rest. Flexen could be sent right back to Chicago's bullpen once Mike Clevinger is finally ready to make his season debut.

The Toronto Blue Jays placed outfielder Kevin Kiermaier (hip) on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with left-hip flexor inflammation and recalled utility man Addison Barger from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move. Kiermaier was injured in Tuesday's contest and will now miss at least the next 10 days. Considering the 34-year-old's injury history, it wouldn't be a surprise if he missed more than the required 10 days on the IL. Kiermaier will be eligible to return on May 4. Daulton Varsho is moving to center field and batting cleanup on Wednesday, while Barger will make his major-league debut in left field while hitting eighth against Kansas City Royals right-hander Alec Marsh. Barger, who hits from the left side, is likely to see some playing time against right-handed pitching and is worth a deep-league pickup for his power upside.

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez (elbow) threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session on Tuesday at Wrigley Field and is expected to come off the injured list and start one of the team's games in Mexico City against the Colorado Rockies this weekend. Right-hander Ronel Blanco will start the other game. The 30-year-old Valdez was put on the 15-day injured list on April 9 with left-elbow inflammation. The fact that he's not going to pitch in a minor-league rehab game before returning to the major-league starting rotation should have fantasy managers hesitant to use him in his first start back from the IL, even if the matchup is a juicy one against the Rockies away from Coors Field. The two-time All-Star should still be rostered in all fantasy leagues and was looking good in his first two starts of 2024 before going on the shelf.