Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury (knee) is back in the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Minnesota Twins and right-hander Bailey Ober, serving as the designated hitter and batting fifth. Miguel Sano is at third base for the Halos and is hitting cleanup. Drury didn't start at all during the recent three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles due to a knee injury but appeared on Wednesday late in the game and struck out in his only plate appearance. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues will be hoping that Drury can show some signs of life at the plate this weekend, as he's started the 2024 season with a weak .194/.270/.269 slash line with a home run and four RBI in 74 plate appearances. He's never faced Ober in his career.

Milwaukee Brewers veteran left-hander Wade Miley (elbow) needs Tommy John surgery and will spend the next 10 to 12 months rehabbing and then decide whether to continue his career. It's a tough break for the 37-year-old southpaw and the Brewers. Fantasy baseball managers that were stashing Miley in deeper leagues can now officially let go. "I've always said I want to go out on my own [terms]," Miley said. "I still feel like I've got more in the tank." While it sounds like the 14-year veteran wants to give it a shot to come back at some point in 2025, it's fair to wonder if he's already thrown his final pitch in the big leagues. Even if Miley rehabs for a comeback next season, he'll be off the radar in most fantasy formats. The former 43rd overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008 out of Southeastern Louisiana gave up five earned runs with four walks and two K's in his two starts in 2024.

Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez is not in the club's starting lineup on Friday for the start of a big series in Atlanta against the Braves. With Gimenez starting on the bench, Gabriel Arias will start at the keystone and will hit seventh in the order against Braves left-hander Chris Sale. Gimenez is hitting a modest .258 (24-for-93) on the year with no home runs, 14 RBI and three stolen bases in his first 24 games. The left-handed hitter is surprisingly hitting better against southpaws (.280) in 29 plate appearances than he is against righties (.250), but he'll still get the day off against the lefty Sale. Arias has gone 14-for-50 with a homer, eight RBI and two steals early on but is hitless in his two career at-bats versus Sale.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jarred Kelenic is out of the starting lineup on Friday with the team facing a left-handed pitcher. Veteran Adam Duvall will instead get the start in left field and will bat ninth against the visiting Cleveland Guardians and left-hander Logan Allen. Kelenic is hitting a strong .314 (16-for-51), although he has yet to clear the fences and has driven in only three runs in his first year in Atlanta. He's also only had one plate appearance against a southpaw this year, so fantasy managers should continue to expect him to sit regularly when Atlanta opposes a lefty. Duvall is a career .233 hitters against lefties in 921 plate appearances with 47 homers and 132 RBI. He has two home runs on the season but is a low-upside DFS play in the nine-hole against a pitcher he's never faced in his career.

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez wants to ease catcher Keibert Ruiz in now that he's returned from a bad case of influenza that caused him to lose 18-20 pounds. It will also give the skipper the opportunity to keep catcher Riley Adams' bat in the lineup on a regular basis after he posted a .793 OPS when he caught 11 of the last 13 games with Ruiz out. "We're definitely going to use him," Martinez said. "One, let him catch. And two, we can also DH Keibert like we've done in the past and let him continue to catch. He's done a great job. He's learned a lot over the years. He's really coming into his own. It's good to have him, to watch him play and to watch him get better every day he's out there." As long as the 27-year-old continues to play several times a week, he'll be valuable in two-catcher fantasy leagues.

Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel (illness) remains under the weather on Friday against the Miami Marlins and is not in the starting lineup. Rookie Trey Lipscomb will get the nod at the hot corner and will hit out of the eight-hole against Marlins right-hander Anthony Maldonado, who will be making his major-league debut. Senzel was scratched from Thursday's lineup, so this will be his second straight missed game. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues will want to check back on Saturday to see if Senzel is feeling well enough to play. The 28-year-old opened the year on the injured list and has only five hits (two home runs) in his first 25 at-bats with the Nationals. Lipscomb has gone 11-for-53 (.208) with a homer, four RBI and four steals in his first 16 big-league games this year.

Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas (rib) said he avoided a fracture in his left rib cage but instead suffered torn cartilage, which is an unusual injury without contact. Casas was told by a doctor that he "created my own car crash." He has a wide timetable for a return between three and nine weeks to start cardio activity/strengthening. Casas said he's very optimistic that he'll return this year, but fantasy managers could be waiting for a while to get the 24-year-old left-handed slugger back. The former 26th overall pick in 2018 is worth stashing in all fantasy formats, though, as he was already up to six home runs in his first 78 at-bats of 2024. For the foreseeable future, Bobby Dalbec should continue to see most of the playing time at first base in Boston, with Rob Refsnyder also potentially filling in.

New York Mets right-hander Tylor Megill (shoulder) is scheduled to start a minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday and throw two innings for High-A Brooklyn. Megill is getting close to returning to the big leagues while recovering from a right-shoulder strain that he suffered during his season debut on March 31 against the Milwaukee Brewers. The 28-year-old will probably need more than one rehab start before the Mets activate him from the injured list. When fully healthy, Megill should have a spot in New York's starting rotation, making him worth a deep-league pickup for pitching depth. He ended up making 25 starts for the Mets in 2023 and held a 4.70 ERA (4.96 FIP) and 1.57 WHIP with a career-high 105 strikeouts and 58 walks in 126 1/3 innings pitched.

New York Yankees designated hitter J.D. Martinez (back) is hitting fifth in his debut with the team on Friday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Miles Mikolas. Martinez is getting a late start to the 2024 campaign after signing with the team late in March. The 36-year-old veteran then tweaked his back while playing in extended spring training, further delaying his debut. Martinez is back now, though, and will give first baseman Pete Alonso more protection in the lineup. Martinez hit a strong .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, and while he can still provide some decent pop in mixed fantasy leagues, nobody should be expecting him to be quite that good in New York. The Mets plan to ease Martinez back in, so don't be surprised to see him get frequent days of rest.

The Miami Marlins placed left-hander Jesus Luzardo (elbow) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 23) on Friday with left-elbow tightness and recalled right-hander Anthony Maldonado from Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move. The Marlins scratched Luzardo from his start on Friday against the Washington Nationals, and now he's going to miss at least the next two weeks. The 26-year-old southpaw first felt pain in his elbow while playing catch on Thursday but doesn't think he'll be out for too long. We should know more after the Marlins reveal the results of the tests on Luzardo's left arm. Maldonado is the team's No. 18 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, but he hasn't gone more than two innings in any of his minor-league appearances this year and is likely to be sent back to Jacksonville after his major-league debut on Friday.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas will look to get straightened out when he takes the ball for a road contest against the New York Mets. The 35-year-old was knocked around for nine hits, including three homers, leading to five earned runs allowed in just 4 1/3 innings in a losing effort against the Brewers his last time out. It was the second consecutive outing and third of five on the season in which the veteran has allowed five earned runs in less than five innings this season. The rough outing raised his ERA to 6.49 through five starts, although his 4.05 xFIP, 4.28 SIERA, and solid 6% BB% suggest positive regression is likely moving forward.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt will be looking to get back into the win column for the third time this season on Friday versus the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. The veteran took a tough-luck loss his last time out after tossing 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball but also allowed six hits and three walks against the Padres his last time out. While the 35-year-old owns a solid 3.90 ERA on the season, he also sports a 4.77 FIP and a 4.47 SIERA that both suggest some regression could be on the horizon. Of course, there's at least a decent chance of that happening on Friday against a Dodgers offense that ranks second in baseball with a .348 wOBA on the season.

The Chicago White Sox have selected veteran outfielder Tommy Pham from Triple-A Charlotte. Fellow outfielder Kevin Pillar has been designated for assignment in order to clear a spot on the active roster. The White Sox agreed to a minors pact with Pham just a week ago and are bringing him up after he appeared in four games with Charlotte. Pham had a nice season in 2023, hitting .256 with 16 home runs and 22 stolen bases alongside a .774 OPS across 129 games between the Mets and Diamondbacks. Pham interestingly had to settle for a minors pact despite the quality season as he could once again become fantasy-relevant if his power and speed remain in his age-36 season.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (back) is set to make his debut with the team on Friday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. He's expected to give All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso more protection in the batting order after hitting 33 home runs in just 479 plate appearances in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, Martinez won't be hitting behind Alonso every day, at least not to start. Manager Carlos Mendoza said the team will ease Martinez into regular playing time, which makes sense given his age (36) and the fact he dealt with a back injury while ramping up this spring. Fantasy managers can't expect another 30-plus homer season from Martinez while getting a late start to the year, but he can provide notable pop in mixed leagues if he can stay healthy.

Detroit Tigers catcher Carson Kelly (rib cage) has been scratched from Friday's starting lineup against the visiting Kansas City Royals with left rib-cage soreness. He will be available off the bench, however. In his place, Jake Rogers will start behind the plate and will bat eighth against Royals right-hander Seth Lugo. The fact that Kelly is available off the bench means that his injury probably isn't very serious, so the 29-year-old backstop could have a chance to return for Saturday's contest. The former second-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 is hitting just .205 (9-for-44) on the year with a homer and six RBI for Detroit. Rogers has been even worse, going 6-for-45 (.133) with a homer and two RBI, so DFS gamers should look elsewhere at the catcher position on Friday.

Boston Red Sox infielder Romy Gonzalez (wrist) is not progressing as the team had hoped and is not close to a return from the 10-day injured list. Gonzalez landed on the injured list with a left-wrist sprain on April 13, but the good news is he's not dealing with any structural damage. There's no timetable on the 27-year-old's return since he has yet to resume baseball activities. Once he is able to come back from the injured list, Gonzalez will serve as infield depth for the BoSox up the middle behind Ceddanne Rafaela, and eventually, Vaughn Grissom (hamstring). So far in his first season in Beantown, Gonzalez has only seen action in two games and has gone 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout. He can continue to be ignored for fantasy purposes.

San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish (neck) threw a side session on Wednesday, after which "reports were favorable," according to manager Mike Shildt. "He was on the gas, but didn't have it to the floor... it was a positive first step." Darvish was put on the 15-day injured list on April 17 (retroactive to April 15) and last pitched on April 14 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 37-year-old was shut down in September of last year with a stress reaction in his right elbow and has dealt with back and neck issues in the past. It sounds like Darvish is improving, but at 37 years old, his recurring neck issue is something to keep an eye on when he returns. Before hitting the IL, he had a 4.18 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 22 strikeouts and 10 walks in 23 2/3 frames over his first five starts.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe finds himself on the bench again on Friday against the Detroit Tigers. This will be the second straight game that Renfroe will be starting on the bench. In his absence, the left-handed-hitting Adam Frazier will make the start in right field for the Royals and will hit eighth against Tigers right-hander Reese Olson. The 32-year-old Renfroe has hit just .149 (10-for-67) with two home runs, 10 RBI, five walks and 16 strikeouts in his first 72 plate appearances in 2024 and is quickly losing playing time in Kansas City's outfield rotation. Frazier, also 32, hasn't been much better, going 11-for-55 (.200) with no homers, four RBI and one stolen base in 22 games. He's never faced Olson in his career.

Miami Marlins left-hander Jesus Luzardo (elbow) was scratched from his scheduled start on Friday versus the Washington Nationals and will undergo testing for left-elbow discomfort, according to the team. The Marlins can ill-afford another injury to one of their starting pitchers, but the good news is they should be getting left-hander Braxton Garrett (shoulder) back soon. For now, fantasy managers that have the 26-year-old Luzardo rostered must keep him stashed and hope for the best. It's more bad news for a pitcher that has gotten off to a tough start in 2024, as he's posted a 6.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 27 strikeouts and 13 walks in five starts covering 26 innings. In Luzardo's place, pitching prospect Anthony Maldonado will make the spot start against the Nats.

Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies (toe) was activated from the 10-day injured list on Friday after he needed only the 10 days to recover from a fractured right big toe. Albies will be back in Atlanta's starting lineup on Friday for the series finale against the visiting Cleveland Guardians and left-hander Logan Allen, and fantasy managers will want to get him back into all starting lineup this weekend. The 27-year-old switch-hitter was hitting a strong .317/.386/.492 with two home runs and two stolen bases in 15 games played before injuring his toe and remains one of the better fantasy second baseman in a potent Braves lineup. Luis Guillorme and David Fletcher were splitting time at the keystone with Albies out. Fletcher was sent to the minors on Thursday.