Thomas has been on the injured list since near the end of April due to a sprained left MCL. The outfielder will likely need a week or so of rehab appearances, but then could return to the Washington lineup near the end of May. Thomas got off to a slow start prior to the injury, but was a solid fantasy option in 2023.

Devers set a franchise record by homering for the sixth consecutive contest when he took Rays starter Taj Bradley deep for a two-run homer to left field in the fourth inning. It was his 10th round-tripper of the season. The 27-year-old fantasy stalwart got off to a frosty start at the dish this season as he dealt with lingering shoulder and knee issues, but he’s certainly heated up lately with arguably the hottest stretch of his career, batting .286 (20-for-70) with seven homers in 18 contests since the start of May.

Bradley was burned by the long ball in this one as two-run homers by Rafael Devers and Ceddanne Rafaela in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively, accounted for nearly all of the damage against him. The 23-year-old former top prospect generated an eye-popping 22 swinging strikes and finished with a near-elite 36 percent CSW. He’ll bring a 4.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 23/3 K/BB ratio across 18 innings (three starts) into a home matchup on Sunday against the Royals. He should be rostered in all fantasy leagues at this juncture.

The 37-year-old right-hander gave up just two hits on the evening while allowing one base on balls. Only once did the Braves put a man in scoring position against him, and that was on Marcell Ozuna’s two-out double in the opening inning. He finished his night by retiring the final 13 hitters that he faced in order. Darvish got 14 swings and misses on 99 pitches on the night, posting a strong CSW of 34 percent. He now boasts a 2.08 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and a 46/13 K/BB ratio over 47 2/3 innings through his first nine starts on the season. He’ll look to keep the good times rolling when he does battle against the Yankees on Friday.

As expected, Riley will miss a sixth straight games as he deals with left side inflammation. The infielder is considered day-to-day, but his next chance to get in the lineup won’t come until next week. Zack Short will start while he rests.

Buehler authored his strongest start since returning earlier this month from a lengthy rehabilitation from his second career Tommy John surgery, scattering just three hits over six nearly-flawless frames. The hard-throwing 29-year-old righty generated only eight swinging strikes, but was consistently filling up the zone, resulting in a robust 35 percent CSW. He’s starting to look like an upper-echelon fantasy contributor again, but it’s probably going to take him some time to continue knocking off the rust. He’s in line for a rematch against the Reds on Friday in Cincinnati.

Soto blasted a solo homer in the first inning to put the Yankees on the board, his 10th of the season. He drove in another run with a single in the second, then went yard once again to lead off the fifth. A base hit in the eighth would make it a perfect day at the plate. It was the first multi-homer game for Soto as a member of the Yankees. The 25-year-old star outfielder is slashing .317/.414/.561 with 11 homers, 32 runs scored, 37 RBI, and four steals across 215 plate appearances.

Buxton returns to Minnesota’s lineup for Saturday’s showdown against the division-rival Guardians following a two-week absence due to right knee inflammation. The 30-year-old center fielder has managed to avoid serious injury so far, but has gotten off to an icy start at the plate, batting .250/.300/.391 with one homer and one steal in 100 plate appearances over 28 contests.

Rodriguez will take the ball on Saturday against the Mariners at Camden Yards following a nearly three-week stint on the injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. The 24-year-old burgeoning fantasy ace might have some workload limitations right out of the gate, but it’s a nice matchup for fantasy purposes against a Seattle lineup that has scored the fifth-fewest runs in baseball so far.

ESPN.com’s Tisha Thompson first reported on Friday night that Fletcher bet on sports, but not baseball, with the same California bookmaker — Mathew Bowyer — that took wagers from Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. The 29-year-old infielder played for the Angels from 2018-2023 and could wind up facing league discipline. It’s legal for players to bet on sports other than baseball, but not with an illegal bookmaker.