Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar picked up his fifth save of the season in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Giants. It wasn't without drama though. A day after allowing a walk, two hits, and three earned runs to the Giants, Bednar gave up a two-run home run to Jorge Soler to lead off the bottom of the tenth inning to bring the Giants within a run. The 29-year-old was able to strike out three of the next four batters to preserve the win. This season has not gone at all to plan for the Pirates closer who was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023. Bednar's ERA has swelled to 11.70 with a 1.60 WHIP and three blown save opportunities to go along with his five saves. His job doesn't seem to be in jeopardy at this point, but the Pirates and fantasy managers alike would relish some clean innings going forward.

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes went 2-for-5 with his first home run of the season in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Giants. The home run was a solo shot that came off of Giants lefty reliever Taylor Rogers in the tenth inning, right after Bryan Reynolds hit a two-run go-ahead home run to put the Pirates up 3-1. Hayes' blast added an insurance run that would prove pivotal, as the Pirates would go on to win by one run after Jorge Soler hit a two-run shot of his own in the bottom half of the inning to bring the Giants within a run. It was Hayes' second straight multi-hit effort and eleventh in 25 games, now hitting .281 on the season with nine RBI and 12 runs scored. While the 27-year-old is off to a solid start, managers are likely somewhat disappointed in his power output so far and the fact that he has zero stolen bases after totaling 30 over the past two seasons.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds blasted an extra-inning go-ahead two-run home run in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Giants. The switch-hitter went 2-for-5 in the game with the home run breaking a 1-1 tie in the top of the tenth inning. The home run came off of the Giants' LHP Taylor Rogers and was the first home run of the year that Reynolds has hit off of a lefty with his other three coming off righties. The 29-year-old is having a solid season thus far, posting a .264/.372/.418 slash line with four home runs, 17 RBI, 11 runs scored, two stolen bases, and a strong 14.7% BB% through 28 games.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jose Siri was removed from Saturday's game against the Chicago White Sox in the third inning due to lack of hustle. According to Rays manager Kevin Cash, Siri was pulled out of the game because he disliked how he went after an Eloy Jimenez double in the second inning. Niko Goodrum replaced him for defense in the third inning. Siri went 0-for-1 with a strikeout before being removed. Cash also said he considers the issue over, with no carryover. Siri could be back in the lineup in the series finale. The 28-year-old struggled this season, slashing .179/.270/.269 with a home run, six RBI, nine runs, and six stolen bases over 26 games. Siri is mainly an option in deep leagues until he can turn things around at the plate.

New York Yankees utility player Jon Berti (groin) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Sunday. Berti was placed on the injured list two weeks ago with a left groin strain. The 34-year-old will begin a rehab assignment on Sunday and could be activated from the injured list as soon as next week. He is slashing .211/.250/.211 with an RBI and two runs scored over six games in 2024. Berti qualifies at second base, third base, shortstop, and outfield in most leagues but is mainly a fantasy option in AL-Only or deep-league formats when he returns from the injured list.

Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez (5-0) allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out eight over eight innings in Saturday's 5-1 win over the San Diego Padres. Suarez was brilliant on Saturday and picked up his fifth win of the season. The 28-year-old's scoreless inning streak ended 32 2/3 frames after he surrendered a solo shot to Eguy Rosario in the eighth inning. His breakout season continues as Suarez owns a 1.32 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, and 40 strikeouts over 41 innings in 2024. Suarez will look to continue his impressive season in his next start at home against the San Francisco Giants.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (hand) was removed from Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers for precautionary reasons. Stephenson was hit in the right hand by a pitch and replaced in the game by Luke Maile. The 27-year-old went 1-for-2 with a run scored before being removed. According to Reds manager David Bell, the removal of Stephenson was precautionary. Stephenson avoided a severe injury and could be back for Sunday's series finale against the Rangers. He is slashing .231/.338/.415 with three home runs, 10 RBI, 12 runs, and a stolen base over 23 games in 2024. Stephenson is expected to be fine and solid fantasy option in two-catcher formats.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Paul Sewald (oblique) will have his rehab slowed a bit due to soreness. He was scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday but was scrapped after feeling soreness during a rehab stint with Triple-A Reno. The 33-year-old has been sidelined all season with a strained left oblique. He was on track to return from the injured list soon, but Sewald needs more time to recover from his oblique strain. Kevin Ginkel will continue to be Arizona's primary closer while Sewald is sidelined. Ginkel has been solid handling ninth-inning duties for the D-Backs, converting 4-of-6 saves while posting a 3.48 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and an 11:2 K: BB across 10 1/3 innings.

Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez is back in the Guardians lineup and hitting second for Saturday night's game against the Atlanta Braves. Gimenez was out on Friday against Braves' southpaw Chris Sale but gets a matchup today against Charlie Morton. The lefty has never faced Morton in his career. He's hitting for a fairly average .664 OPS but has been hitting better on the road, increasing his OPS to .785 away from Progressive Field. Charlie Morton has fared much worse against lefties in 2024, putting Gimenez in a favorable matchup. Those looking for an option in DFS formats may want to entertain adding the Guardians' lefty into their lineup on Saturday night.

The Chicago Cubs traded first baseman Garrett Cooper to the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations on Saturday. The Red Sox will be taking on the remainder of Cooper's $1.75 million salary for 2024. Cooper was designated for assignment by the Cubs earlier in the week. Boston has been decimated by injuries to start the season, including their starting first baseman Triston Casas who suffered a torn cartilage in his ribs last week. That injury spurred the need for Boston to add a first baseman to the roster and Garrett Cooper appears to be their man, at least in the immediate future. Cooper slashed .270/.341/.432 in 41 PA for the Cubs, a line that easily exceeds the production the Red Sox are seeing from Bobby Dalbec. Fantasy managers should grab Cooper off the waiver wire as he should be thrust into a starting role fairly quickly.

Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele (hamstring) is moving on to the next step of his rehab and is likely to pitch for Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, according to skipper Craig Counsell. The 28-year-old tossed 47 pitches in an extended spring game in Arizona on Friday and has seemingly come out of the outing feeling fine. The southpaw tossed 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball on Opening Day against the Texas Rangers but suffered a hamstring strain that has cost him significant time. Steele was in Cy Young contention for much of the 2023 season before struggling late in the year but still posted a 3.06 ERA and a 19.6% K-BB% on the back of an elite 5% BB% across 30 starts a season ago.

The New York Mets have placed outfielder Starling Marte on the bereavement list while infielder Mark Vientos has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to take his spot on the active roster. The 35-year-old has been off to a hot start this season, hitting .288 with four home runs, six stolen bases, and a .769 OPS across 111 trips to the plate, good for a 119 wRC+ that sits 19% above the league average. Marte plummeted down draft boards after a 2023 season that saw him hit .248 with only five homers alongside 24 stolen bases and a .625 OPS across 86 games in 2023, by far the worst offensive season of his career. However, he has rewarded managers who bet on a bounce back in drafts this spring.

New York Mets outfielders Harrison Bader and Starling Marte are both out of Saturday's lineup. As a result, Tyrone Taylor will play in center field and bat seventh, and DJ Stewart will man right field and bat fifth. Bader has put up a solid .267 AVG during his first month in Queens but will get a breather since he has not registered a hit in his past three games. Marte, who has been off to a great start with a .288 AVG and four home runs, will miss his first game of the season. Both Taylor and Stewart have a tough matchup today as they will face Sonny Gray, who enters Saturday with a dominant 1.04 ERA and 0.87 WHIP, and both will be popular fades in DFS.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta (elbow) is scheduled to throw live batting practice on Saturday and will throw 50 pitches. As long as Pivetta doesn't suffer any setbacks with his elbow during the session, he should embark on a minor-league rehab assignment next week. It remains to be seen how many rehab starts the Red Sox want him to make, but he's clearly making progress and could be back in the team's starting rotation sooner than later. The 31-year-old has been sidelined since early April with a right-elbow flexor strain but was looking great before his injury. In his two starts for Boston in early April, Pivetta had a 0.82 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 13 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched while going 1-1. Fantasy managers that drafted him need to hang onto him with his return around the corner.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen (hamstring) left his start early on Friday against the Seattle Mariners with hamstring tightness, but after the game, both manager Torey Lovullo and Gallen were optimistic that it was just a cramp or spasm. Gallen thinks he might even be able to make his next start. "I didn't feel like it was really too severe, honestly," Gallen said. His next test will come Monday, when he's scheduled to throw his between-starts bullpen session. It's good news that both Gallen and the team don't think his injury are very serious, but it doesn't mean he won't eventually land on the injured list. The 28-year-old gave up three earned runs in five-plus innings on Friday and now has a 3.38 ERA in six starts. If he does make his next scheduled start next Wednesday against the Dodgers, he'll be extra risky in fantasy in a tough matchup.

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, shortstop Gavin Lux and outfielder Josh Outman, who all hit left-handed, are out of Saturday's lineup against left-hander Yusei Kikuchi and the Toronto Blue Jays. Enrique Hernandez will play third and bat sixth, Miguel Rojas is at shortstop and hitting eighth, and rookie Andy Pages is in center field and will bat seventh for the Blue. Muncy is hitting a modest .258 (23-for-89) this year with five home runs and 18 RBI, but he's gone just 5-for-25 (.200) with one homer and 10 strikeouts against lefties. Lux has struggled in general, hitting .183 (13-for-71) and has yet to go deep. Outman's fantasy stock has really fallen as he's fallen into a platoon with Pages. Hernandez is the DFS play to consider with a .256 career average and 55 homers in 1,417 plate appearances against southpaws. He's also hitting .308 in 13 career at-bats against Kikuchi.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith went 4-for-5 in Friday's 12-2 victory over the Blue Jays, with two of his four hits going for extra bases, including a double and his second home run of the season. The 2023 All-Star also drove in three runs and scored three times. This was the second straight game Smith has recorded four hits, raising his season slash line to .376/.413/.527 and putting himself in position as the third-highest-scoring backstop for fantasy thus far. The Dodgers face Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi on Saturday night. Smith is hitting a scorching .520/.581/.680 against lefties so far this season and is 1-for-3 off Kikuchi in his career.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele (hamstring) threw 47 pitches in 2 1/3 innings in an extended spring game on Friday in Arizona. Steele will continue his rehab program there for now, but pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said on Thursday that the hurler should be able to start shifting into a five-day routine following his recent period of building up his workload. The 28-year-old star left-hander is recuperating from a strained left hamstring, and while it's unclear how long his rehab stint will last, Steele might be able to get back into Chicago's rotation in early May if all continues to go well in his recovery. Rookie right-hander Ben Brown has shown some promise with a 3.72 ERA (2.88 FIP), 1.03 WHIP, and 18:6 K:BB over 19 1/3 innings (six appearances) for the Cubs, and he'll be a decent streaming option for fantasy managers in Saturday's scheduled start against the Boston Red Sox.

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced that starting pitcher Zac Gallen (hamstring) left Friday's start against the Seattle Mariners due to tightness in his right hamstring. Before exiting, Gallen surrendered three runs on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts over five innings of work. He was pulled from the game after his 64th pitch in the sixth inning and relieved by Scott McGough. Although the extent of the setback won't be known until Gallen is evaluated further, the D-backs and fantasy managers should be relieved the ace isn't dealing with an injury to his throwing arm. It remains to be seen if Gallen will need a trip to the injured list, or if he'll just need his next turn in the rotation skipped, but his next start is tentatively slated for Wednesday's series finale versus the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The 28-year-old workhorse right-hander owns a 3.38 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 35:9 K:BB over 32 frames (six starts) this year.

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald (oblique) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday, and the team will likely have him appear in another rehab game if all goes well there. There was some optimism that Sewald's next appearance would come for the major-league club, but it sounds like fantasy managers will have to wait a few more days before the hurler is reinstated from the 15-day injured list due to a strained left oblique. Look for the 33-year-old right-hander to re-enter Arizona's bullpen and reclaim his closing gig sometime during Week 5 of fantasy baseball, which begins on Monday with a three-game series versus the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Righty Kevin Ginkel owns a solid 3.48 ERA (2.85 FIP), 1.16 WHIP, and 11:2 K:BB with four saves through 10 1/3 innings, but fantasy managers should be trying to make other arrangements for saves before he reverts to a setup role upon Sewald's return.