Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Matt Sauer will start the team's bullpen game in Thursday's series finale against the visiting Athletics, according to manager Dave Roberts. Sauer, a former second-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2017 will be making his first career "start" in the big leagues after debuting with the Kansas City Royals in 2024. The 26-year-old has allowed three runs (two earned) on nine hits while walking one and striking out eight in 11 2/3 innings over four relief appearances for the Blue so far this year. He made three starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier this year, though, and worked as many as five innings in relief against the Miami Marlins back on April 29. Sauer has the ability to go deeper than most typical openers, but he still won't be a recommended fantasy streamer against an A's team that isn't all that bad.

Chicago Cubs rookie right-hander Cade Horton is scheduled to make the start for Friday's series opener at Wrigley Field against the crosstown-rival Chicago White Sox. It will be Horton's first major-league start after he made his big-league debut on May 10 in a relief role against the New York Mets, yielding three earned runs on four hits (one homer) while walking none and striking out five in four innings for his first career win. While the 23-year-old pitching prospect's first MLB outing wasn't ideal, he did strike out five batters in a bulk-relief role and should remain in Chicago's starting rotation until left-hander Shota Imanaga (hamstring) returns from the injured list. In a matchup against a White Sox team that is dead-last in OPS (.620) on the season, fantasy managers should have Horton in their starting lineups on Friday.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho will retreat to the bench for Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays at Rogers Centre. Myles Straw will start in center field and bat eighth versus Rays right-hander Zack Littell. In 11 games since returning from offseason shoulder surgery on April 29, Varsho has gone 9-for-40 (.225) with five home runs, a double, 11 RBI, seven runs scored and a stolen base for the Blue Jays. He's had four built-in off days along the way to help ease him back into the fold. The 28-year-old isn't going to provide much in terms of average -- he has a career .225 average in 588 big-league games -- but it's been nice to see him go deep five times in his first 11 games. Straw is hitting a strong .290 (20-for-69) early on, but he'll be a low-upside DFS option with limited power down at the bottom of the order. He's never faced Littell.

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that outfielder TJ Friedl (wrist) was just available to pinch run or go in for defense on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox, and that will likely be the case again for Thursday's series finale. Friedl is going to grab a bat again to see how he feels, but Francona said the team is hoping he'll be ready to return for Friday's series opener against the Cleveland Guardians. The 29-year-old is dealing with a bone bruise in his right wrist that he suffered on a collision with teammate Elly De La Cruz on Tuesday. Will Benson is starting in center field again on Thursday and will hit sixth against White So right-hander Bryse Wilson. In his third start of 2025 on Wednesday, Benson went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk in the 4-2 loss. The left-handed hitter has faced Wilson eight times in his career and is hitting .125 with a homer and two RBI.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Harrison Bader (groin) is not in the team's starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. is starting in left field and will bat ninth against Orioles right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano. Bader exited in the middle of the third inning in Game 2 of the team's doubleheader on Wednesday against the O's with left-groin tightness, so it's not a big surprise he's out for the matinee game on Thursday. The 30-year-old veteran is being considered day-to-day for now, so check back on Friday to see if he's ready to return for the series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. Bader was signed by the Twins in the offseason mainly for his glove, but he's contributed nicely at the plate so far, too, slashing .300/.384/.464 with an .848 OPS, four homers, 18 RBI, 16 runs and four steals. Keirsey has never faced Sugano in his career.

Minnesota Twins first baseman Ty France (foot) will start on the bench for Thursday's series finale in Baltimore against the Orioles. It's not a big surprise after France was forced to leave Wednesday's game early in the fifth inning with a left-foot contusion in the first game of a doubleheader. The 30-year-old was also held out of Game 2. It's not considered a serious injury, but France will miss his second straight game. Fantasy managers will want to check back to see if he's able to return for Friday's series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. France hasn't homered since April 29 and has hit .227 (10-for-44) with three RBI, a steal and 10 strikeouts in 11 games so far in May. Kody Clemens is starting at first base on Thursday and is hitting eighth against Orioles right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano, who he has never faced in his career. Clemens will be a low-upside DFS sleeper.

Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews is out of the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the division-rival Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. This will be Crew's first game off in over a month, but it comes at a time when the second-year outfielder is really struggling at the dish. The 23-year-old former second overall pick in 2023 out of LSU has gone 6-for-52 (.115) with a homer, double, five RBI, five steals, five walks and 18 strikeouts in his last 15 games since April 29 to drop his season slash line to .189/.245/.318 in 148 at-bats. The good news is Crews does have 11 steals for his fantasy managers. Hopefully the mental day off will get him going moving forward. Alex Call is starting in right field for the Nats on Thursday and is hitting seventh against Braves right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver. Call has hit a strong .296 (24-for-81) but is still searching for his first homer in 2025.

Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, two RBI, and a walk in the Rangers' 8-3 win over the hapless Rockies on Wednesday night. Garcia now has six homers on the season and boosted his batting average to .229 with a .297 wOBA. Five of his six home runs have come at home, where he has a .327 wOBA compared to a .264 road wOBA. He'll stay at Globe Life Field for this weekend's series against the Rangers' in-state division rivals from Houston. Garcia's power potential can make him usable as a streaming or DFS option when playing at home, but he hasn't been consistent enough to be an option in standard-sized leagues to this point in the season.

Athletics first baseman/outfielder Tyler Soderstrom hit his first home run since mid-April on Wednesday night in a loss to the Dodgers. He had nine home runs in his first 19 games of the season, but then he didn't have a home run for 23 straight games. On Wednesday, he went 2-for-4 with home run No. 10 coming in the third inning off Yoshinobu Yamamoto to tie the game at that point. He later added a double to boost his batting average to .285 on the season with a .372 wOBA and .230 ISO. Soderstrom's breakout campaign took a bit of a break, but hopefully Wednesday's big game gets him back on track. The Athletics have one more game in Los Angeles against the Dodgers before heading to San Francisco for their rivalry weekend series against the Giants by the Bay. Soderstrom has been playing more in the outfield since the A's called up Nick Kurtz, but both young hitters have high power upside going forward as core pieces in the team's young lineup.

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy broke open Wednesday night's win over the Athletics with a three-run home run in the eighth inning off Tyler Ferguson. Muncy's homer was his only hit of the night, as he went 1-for-5 with a strikeout and three RBI. It was just his second home run of the season, and he is still hitting only .191 with a .285 wOBA on the year. He also has a 29 percent strikeout rate, which would be a career worst. The 34-year-old lefty veteran still has time to turn things around, especially if his homer on Wednesday is the start of a power surge. He'll need to find more consistency, though, before he becomes a regular fantasy option even in his regular role in the Dodgers' high-powered offense.

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood went 2-for-4 with a single, a double, and an RBI in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Atlanta Braves. The Maryland native singled off Braves pitcher Bryce Elder in the top of the first, but was kept off base until late in the game when he came up clutch with a go-ahead RBI. He stepped to the plate to square off against Braves' reliever Enyel De Los Santos in the top of the eighth and laced a double into the right-field corner that scored teammate Nasim Nunez and would prove to be the winning run. Wood obliterated that pitch, but it wasn't even his hardest-hit ball of the outing. That was his single, which registered at 113.5 MPH and would qualify for the hardest-hit ball of the contest. The 22-year-old is still striking out at an elevated clip (25.8%), but fantasy managers likely don't mind considering he's otherwise been a strong five-category producer. He's up to an excellent .274/.371/.536 triple slash with 11 homers, 11 doubles, 24 runs scored, 25 RBI, and five steals.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani got his team off to a strong start against the Athletics by taking the third pitch he saw from rookie Gunnar Hogland into the right field bleachers. He finished the night 2-for-4 with an intentional walk, two runs scored, and an RBI. Ohtani has five home runs in his last nine games and seven in his last 14. He is hitting .307 on the season after hitting .351 over his last nine games with a .541 ISO, a .540 wOBA, and 10 barrels during that nine-game stretch. Ohtani is on pace for 49 homers and 38 stolen bases in an impressive follow-up to his historic 2024. He remains an elite producer in all fantasy formats.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages hit a solo home run in the second inning of Wednesday night's 9-3 win over the Athletics. Pages led off the second frame with a 417-foot blast to left field, which was one of his three hits on the night. He finished 3-for-4 with a walk, a strikeout, one run scored, and one RBI. On the season, Pages is hitting a solid .291 with his seven home runs, five stolen bases, and a .365 wOBA. The 24-year-old righty has five multi-hit games in his last 10 contests while going 15-for-44 (.341) with two doubles, a triple, and Wednesday's home run. After a slow start, he's become a very productive piece in the Dodgers' outfield, and he definitely is worth a look if he's on waiver wires in standard mixed leagues. His role as a regular in the productive Dodgers' lineup gives him a high floor, and his recent form gives him a very good ceiling as well.

Miami Marlins pitcher Ryan Weathers allowed two hits over five innings of one-run ball in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Chicago Cubs. The 25-year-old struck out five and walked one, collecting his first win in his 2025 debut. Weathers was sharp throughout his minor-league rehab assignment as he worked his way back from a flexor strain in spring training, and he carried that into his first start against one of the league's top three lineups on a runs-per-game basis. He cruised through the first three frames, yielding just a walk and a single, but outfielder Seiya Suzuki deposited a hanging changeup over the wall in dead-center field in the fourth to account for the only damage against him. Weathers let up a bit of hard contact, but considering it was his first appearance and the quality of the lineup he faced, he was excellent. The former first-round selection was a popular breakout pick a few months ago in fantasy drafts, and the initial returns have been promising. He'll attempt to keep up the pace his next time out, which figures to come early next week against these same Chicago Cubs.

Miami Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers provided almost all the offense at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night, going 3-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs and a triple to power the Marlins to a 3-1 victory in their series finale in Chicago. Stowers homered on Tuesday as well and now has 10 long balls on the season, four of which have come in his last five games. In his first full season with the Marlins, Stowers is hitting an even .300 through his first 40 games with a .271 ISO and .403 wOBA. He still has a very high strikeout rate, but his exit velocity remains elite. He has a 51.0% hard-hit rate and 22.9% barrel rate this season, and he brings solid power potential from the middle of the Marlins' order. His strikeout rate could catch up with him eventually, but he's definitely hot enough to be a great mixed-league option if you need some power. The Marlins are headed home to face the Rays and Cubs over the next six days after Thursday's scheduled off day.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman went 3-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in his team's 6-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers. His other two hits were singles. The former second-overall pick has continued to enjoy a stellar season at the plate, picking up his sixth performance of at least three hits in 2025. Bregman gave the Red Sox their second lead of the outing in the top of the fourth when he led off the inning with dinger No. 11 of the season -- a 405-foot solo shot off of Tigers' ace Tarik Skubal that exited the bat at 105.3 MPH. It was his second knock off Skubal in the contest that exceeded 104 MPH. The LSU product is striking out a bit more than we're accustomed to, but he's otherwise been spectacular. Through 175 at-bats, Bregman still holds the best average exit velocity (92.4 MPH) and hard-hit rate (47.4%) marks of his career with a superb .314 average. He's probably due for some regression (.258 xBA), but he has outperformed his metrics before and has clearly rebounded this year after a subpar 2024.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal allowed seven hits and five earned runs over 6 1/3 innings in his team's 6-5 win over the Boston Red Sox. He walked one and struck out 11, but did not factor into the decision. The 28-year-old was mostly superb, tossing 67 of 95 pitches for strikes and inducing 21 whiffs for an elite 38% CSW. He was initially in line for a quality start, but Boston strung together a few hits in the seventh and plated three runs that Skubal was on the hook for (two after he was pulled). Fortunately, he wasn't in danger of being saddled with a loss, but it's an outing he'll want to forget. Even with the sizable run total let up, the California native still holds an exceptional 2.67 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 71:6 K:BB ratio through his first nine starts (54 innings). He'll carry a 4-2 record into his next outing, which projects to come on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals early next week.

Colorado Rockies left-handed pitching prospect Sean Sullivan logged five shutout innings during his Double-A season debut on Wednesday evening. Sullivan was sidelined during the start of the season after recovering from hip surgery. He made one start in the Arizona Complex League and with Low-A before getting the call to return to Double-A. On Wednesday, Sullivan allowed just two hits and no walks against Binghamton. He struck out three batters. This was a strong season debut for Sullivan. Last season, the southpaw logged 32 innings with Double-A Hartford and held a strong 1.97 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP. If he continues to find success, he should be in the mix to make his Triple-A debut early in the 2025 season.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitching prospect Chase Burns struck out seven batters across five innings of one-run ball on Wednesday against Double-A Birmingham. In this outing, Burns allowed just two hits and no walks. Since joining Double-A Chattanooga, Burns has logged 19 innings to the tune of a stellar 1.89 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP. He has struck out 28 batters and served up just two free passes. Burns began his season with High-A and held a 3.02 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP across three starts before getting the call to Double-A. The Reds drafted Burns with the second pick in last year's MLB Draft. Given his current production at Double-A, Burns should be in the mix to join the majors later this season.

Miami Marlins catching prospect Agustin Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run during their 3-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday evening. Ramirez went deep in the fourth inning against Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon. Over his last nine games, the young backstop has been swinging a hot bat, posting a stellar .294/.351/.588 slash line with four doubles, two home runs, and a 10:3 K:BB. Overall, the 23-year-old has looked quite comfortable through his first taste of the major leagues, holding a .260/.305/.571 line with nine doubles and five long balls across a 20-game stint. Under the hood, he has generated an impressive 51.7% hard-hit rate and a 12.1% barrel rate, which suggests his power numbers should continue to remain consistent. He should be viewed as a C1 in all formats, given his power upside.