Toronto Blue Jays outfielders Kevin Kiermaier (illness) and George Springer (illness) are both out of Friday's lineup against the visiting Minnesota Twins because they are sick, according to manager John Schneider. Daulton Varsho is starting in center field and is batting second, while Cavan Biggio is in right field and is hitting seventh against Twins right-hander Joe Ryan. Davis Schneider is in left field and is batting leadoff for the Jays. With Springer under the weather and struggling offensively for much of the year so far, it's possible Schneider sees more time in the leadoff spot, even when Springer gets over his illness. Fantasy baseball managers will need to check back on Saturday to see if either Kiermaier or Springer are feeling well enough to get back on the field for the second game of the weekend series.

Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott and outfielder Brandon Marsh find themselves on the bench for Friday's contest against Miami Marlins left-hander Trevor Rogers. Cristian Pache is in left field for the Phillies and is batting in the eight-hole, while Whit Merrifield will play second base and bat sixth against Rogers. Stott is carrying a .250/.344/.389 slash line with three homers, 19 RBI, eight steals and 19 runs in 108 at-bats so far in 2024. Marsh will be out for the first time since May 1. The 26-year-old is batting .254 (30-for-118) with six homers, 20 RBI, five steals and 13 runs this year. Merrifield is the more realistic DFS sleeper target on Friday. He's never faced Rogers in his career and is hitting .237 (14-for-59) on the year with two homers, four RBI and four stolen bases.

Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel is not in the team's starting lineup on Friday for the start of a series at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. Rookie Trey Lipscomb will handle third base duties and will hit eighth against Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck. Senzel does have five home runs and 11 RBI in his first 70 at-bats of the year after getting hurt just before Opening Day and missing some time, but frequent strikeouts aren't helping his overall fantasy cause. The 28-year-old former second overall pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2016 out of Tennessee is batting just .214 (15-for-70) with eight walks and 26 strikeouts. He's going to need to do more the rest of the way to hold Lipscomb or others off at the hot corner for regular playing time. Lipscomb has gone 22-for-90 (.244) with a homer, six RBI and six steals in his first 27 MLB games.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (thumb) got a third opinion on his left-thumb injury on Thursday and told two Japanese media members that he won't need surgery. Yoshida received good news after being placed on the injured list with a strained left thumb, and avoiding surgery will be huge in terms of a quicker return to Boston's lineup. The 30-year-old is eligible to come off the IL now, but he's not close to a return. We'll give you updates on Yoshida's progress with his injured thumb as he progresses. In the meantime, the contact artist and primary DH for the Red Sox should be stashed in most fantasy formats. At the time of his unfortunate thumb injury, he was hitting a strong .275/.348/.388 with two home runs, 11 RBI and 12 runs scored in 80 at-bats. Rob Refsnyder will likely be the biggest beneficiary for Boston until Yoshida is able to return.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder (hamstring) is back in the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Washington Nationals and left-hander Patrick Corbin, serving as the designated hitter and batting second in the order. Refsnyder will return for Boston after leaving Sunday's game against the Minnesota Twins with left-hamstring soreness. Although the 33-year-old South Korean isn't high on the fantasy radar in any formats, he's facing a really good matchup and has hit .351/.467/.622 with a 1.088 OPS, a homer, eight RBI, a stolen base and seven runs scored in his first 37 at-bats. Refnsyder is known for hitting left-handers well in his career, too, so he should certainly be on the DFS radar in his return to the lineup after missing this week's series against the Atlanta Braves. He has one hit in three career at-bats against Corbin.