New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole's (elbow) next outing could come in a minor-league rehab game on Tuesday, assuming he bounces back from Thursday's live batting practice session well. No matter what level Cole begins his rehab assignment at, the fact that he's on the precipice of returning to game action is a major step forward in his throwing program as he builds his arm back up from right elbow discomfort. If he indeed gets an appearance in the minors on Tuesday, it puts the hard-throwing 33-year-old fantasy superstar firmly on track to rejoin New York's rotation before the end of June. The first-place Yankees certainly aren't going to rush their ace back into the fray, but it's fair to wonder if there's more of a sense of urgency to get Cole back now with upstart right-hander Clarke Schmidt (lat) heading to the injured list with an indefinite absence on Thursday.

Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas (rib) has made significant progress in his recovery from torn cartilage in his left rib cage. Casas was scheduled to be examined on Thursday by the team's medical staff, and the Red Sox should have a better idea of when he'll be cleared to start swinging following that evaluation. He's been doing other baseball activities recently, including taking grounders and throwing, and Casas might have a chance to return to Boston when he's first eligible to come off the 60-day injured list on June 21. The 24-year-old former top prospect was slashing a promising .244/.344/.513 with six home runs, three doubles, 10 RBI, and 12 runs scored through 90 plate appearances (22 games) before going down, and he should be stashed in most fantasy leagues with a late-June return being the expectation.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back, knee) completed his work at Coors Field with a full session of batting practice, fielding, and baserunning ahead of Wednesday's matchup with the visiting Cleveland Guardians. Jones finished by practicing diving back into first base on pickoff moves, and he is scheduled to join Triple-A Albuquerque to resume his minor-league rehab assignment on Friday. His original rehab assignment for a strained lower back was halted when he hurt his left knee on May 17. Barring any setbacks this weekend, expect Jones to return to the Rockies as early as Monday's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds. The 26-year-old slugger was slashing a poor .170/.243/.277 with one home run, seven RBI, 11 runs scored, and two stolen bases through 26 games (94 at-bats) before getting sidelined, but his five-category upside when healthy at a hitter-friendly ballpark makes him worth stashing in all fantasy leagues.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (elbow) made his first minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Columbus on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits (one home run) and two walks with two strikeouts over 1 1/3 innings of work. Williams' velocity was fine, but another big takeaway from Thursday's outing is that he was only able to reach 32 pitches. That likely means Williams is going to require around five appearances in the minors before he's stretched out enough to rejoin the major-league rotation, meaning his 2024 debut with the Guardians is unlikely to arrive until sometime in late June. In the meantime, veteran right-hander Ben Lively has helped fill in with a 2.80 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 43:14 K:BB across 45 innings (eight starts) as a starter for Cleveland in 2024 and will be a prime streaming candidate in fantasy for Saturday's scheduled appearance at home versus the Washington Nationals.

Houston Astros rookie starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti gave the team's injury-plagued rotation a lift in Thursday's start against the division-rival Seattle Mariners, throwing six scoreless innings on two hits and three walks with eight strikeouts for his third win of the season. It was easily Arrighetti's best start in the major leagues thus far, achieving a career-high figure in punchouts. Even so, the 24-year-old rookie right-hander still carries a weak 5.98 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and 51:23 K;BB through 43 2/3 frames (nine starts) for the Astros this season. Arrighetti is slated to toe the rubber next on Tuesday in a favorable matchup at home against the St. Louis Cardinals, so his strikeout upside will make him a reasonable streaming option in fantasy on the heels of his most encouraging MLB performance.