San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar went 2-for-4 with a home run and a walk in Thursday's loss against the Colorado Rockies. Porfar took Nick Mears deep in the top of the seventh inning for his third homer of the season. The veteran has quietly been having a nice season for the Padres with a .295 batting average and 18 RBI. Profar should eventually regress, but he is worth riding while his bat is hot. For now, Profar is worth rostering, but managers would be wise to test the trade market and try to sell-high on the veteran. Profar will look to stay warm versus the division rival San Francisco Giants and Kyle Harrison on Friday evening.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo put together a strong performance versus the Texas Rangers to pick up his second victory of the season on Thursday. Castillo tossed six innings and allowed four hits, two runs, two walks and struck out six on the evening. Castillo has steadily improved as the season has gone on and managers could put to rest any worries from his early season outings. The 31-year-old remains one of the top pitchers in the game and managers can expect to have an ace in most of his starts moving forward. Next up is a matchup versus the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. Even against a good lineup, Castillo is pretty much a must-start.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez came up clutch for his team during Thursday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The veteran catcher blasted a two-run home run off right-hander Jose Berries. That home run ended up being enough as the Royals won the game 2-0. The 33-year-old now has seven home runs on the year and is showing no signs of slowing down.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Hector Neris notched his third save on Thursday, slamming the door on the Houston Astros in a 3-1 win. Neris was a little shaky in his inning of work, walking a pair before getting out of it. Since manager Craig Counsell said that Adbert Alzolay was being taken out of the closer role last weekend, Neris has converted on all three of his save opportunities and apparently taken that role over. He should be added in most leagues where saves are important.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez slugged his sixth home run of the season on Thursday as part of a narrow 2-1 win over the hosting Washington Nationals. Hernandez clubbed a solo shot to get the scoring started in the top half of the second inning while Yoshinobu's six scoreless innings helped keep the Nationals' offense at bay. After a mild season, by his standards, in his lone campaign with the Mariners in 2023, Hernandez is back to his slugging ways with a .255 average alongside those six home runs and an .807 OPS across 27 games his first 114 trips to the plate in a Dodgers uniform. Even with a 35.1% K% on the season, Hernandez is providing quality returns to those fantasy managers who invested in a bounce-back in 2024.

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.

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper celebrated the birth of his second child with a home run on Thursday in his return from the paternity list. Harper's third-inning two-run shot was his fifth of the season and gave the Phillies a 4-0 lead as part of an eventual 5-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Interestingly, Harper also homered in his first game back from the birth of his first child five years ago. The 31-year-old is now hitting .256 with those five long balls alongside 16 RBI and an .835 OPS across 22 games on the season. The two-time NL MVP has made a full-time transition to first base this season to take pressure off of his surgically-repaired elbow and has provided his typical big-time offense for fantasy managers early in the 2024 season.

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez was 3-for-4 with a grand slam, stolen base and two runs scored during Thursday's 6-4 win over the Boston Red Sox. Ramirez smoked a ball to right field in the second inning after battling through a 10-pitch at-bat against Chase Anderson. The five-time All Star is now slashing .260/.271/.471 with five homers, 23 RBI, three stolen bases and 18 runs scored. He has had a more aggressive approach at the plate this season which has resulted in only two walks through 24 games. Despite the lower than normal OBP, Ramirez seems to be recovering nicely from a slower start to the year and remains one of the best third-base options in fantasy.

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.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's afternoon contest against the visiting San Diego Padres. It's not surprising to see the club give the veteran a spell in an afternoon game following an evening game on Wednesday in which Blackmon led off as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in his club's 5-2 loss. The 37-year-old is off to a sluggish start this season, hitting .228 with one homer, one stolen base, and a .659 OPS across 86 trips to the plate. At this point, Blackmon's power and speed just aren't there and he should be left on the waiver wire in all fantasy formats, including NL-only leagues.

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.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (shin) is serving as the team's designated hitter and will bat second on Thursday against right-hander Luis Castillo and the visiting Seattle Mariners. Seager was removed as a precaution late in Wednesday's contest against the M's after he was hit by a pitch and suffered a left-shin contusion. The 29-year-old's shin swelled up after the game, but apparently he's feeling good enough on Thursday to serve as the DH against a pitcher that he's hit .300 against in 10 career at-bats. With Seager at DH, Josh Smith is starting at the 6 and batting sixth for Texas. Fantasy managers will want to get Seager back into all starting lineups. He's started off the 2024 season hitting .256 (22-for-86) with a homer, six RBI and 11 runs scored.

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.

The Philadelphia Phillies reinstated first baseman Bryce Harper from the paternity list on Thursday and optioned infielder Kody Clemens to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move after Wednesday's game. Harper is playing first base and batting third in his return in the series finale against the Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Nick Martinez on Thursday. Fantasy baseball managers will want to put the two-time MVP back in their starting lineups in all formats. He's hitless in two career at-bats against Martinez. The seven-time All-Star returns to a .241/.330/.443 slash line with four home runs, four doubles, 14 RBI, one stolen base and 10 runs scored in 91 plate appearances over his first 21 games of 2024. Harper will be hoping to extend his current six-game hitting streak in his return on Thursday.

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.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer threw two-and-a-third innings for Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday, allowing three earned runs on five hits (two home runs), no walks, and four strikeouts. The veteran threw 52 pitches, which was the expectation heading into the game. The 39-year-old will likely make at least one more start, working his way up to 60-70 pitches next time out, before rejoining the Rangers at some point in May. Scherzer was solid in 2023's regular season, going 13-6 with a 3.77 ERA (3.77 SIERA), and a 1.12 WHIP, but his K-BB% of 20.8% was his lowest since 2014. He had a rough postseason, going 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, and a 4.8% K-BB% over three starts. Hopefully he's able to shake off the rust and get back to form, both for the Rangers and for fantasy managers.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (back) made his first appearance of 2024 in Wednesday's minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Round Rock, surrendering three runs on five hits (two home runs) with four punchouts. The long ball plagued Scherzer a year ago as well, serving up 28 homers over 27 starts, so fantasy managers hope he's getting those issues out of his system before he rejoins the major-league roster. With Scherzer's target being an early-May return to Texas' rotation after offseason back surgery, he appears likely to make at least two more rehab starts before becoming available to fantasy managers. Even so, the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer has a chance to crush the late-round ADP he carried in the spring due to concerns he'd be out until midseason. Last season, Scherzer recorded a rock-solid 3.20 ERA (3.41 FIP), 0.95 WHIP, and 53:15 K:BB over 45 frames (eight starts) after joining the Rangers.