Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon (hamstring) will start on the bench again on Thursday in the series finale against the visiting division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Blackmon is dealing with right-hamstring tightness and will miss his second straight game. He'll give way to Jake Cave in right field, with Elehuris Montero serving as the designated hitter and batting fifth against Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone. Cave is hitting in the six-hole. Blackmon doesn't have the power stroke he once had earlier in his career, but he's picked things up in June (.333 average with a homer, seven doubles, two RBI and two steals) to raise his season slash line to .266/.337/.410 with a .747 OPS in 222 at-bats. The 37-year-old veteran has actually been better against lefties in a smaller sample size than against righties in 2024.

Minnesota Twins shortstop prospect Brooks Lee has performed exceptionally well since returning to Triple-A and is fast approaching his MLB debut. Lee was reinstated from the injured list on June 4 after recovering from a herniated disc back in spring training. Through his first 11 games of the season at St. Paul, the former eighth overall pick has posted a stellar .340/.380/.553 slash line with two home runs, 10 RBI, 16 total hits, and a 3:8 BB:K ratio. Last season at Triple-A, the Cal Poly product held a .237/.304/.428 slash line through his first taste of that level. Even though Lee has spent the majority of his minor league career at shortstop, he logged his first game at the keystone earlier this season, which suggests that the Twins value his bat and want him in the majors as soon as possible. Currently, Carlos Correa has served as the major league shortstop while Willi Castro has played second base. Even though Castro has performed well this season, Lee can provide the Twins with a high-upside bat, which could help keep them in the AL Central Division race. The number 14 overall prospect on MLB Pipeline is a must-stash candidate in deeper redraft leagues for now and should be rostered in all keeper and dynasty formats.

Oakland Athletics infielder Abraham Toro (shoulder) is not in the starting lineup once again on Thursday against the visiting Kansas City Royals. Toro will miss a third straight game due to a sore shoulder. Aledmys Diaz is starting at the hot corner for the A's and will bat ninth against Royals right-hander Seth Lugo. Toro has been one of the bright spots for the A's this year and has gotten some run at the top of the batting order as well. He's currently slashing .256/.298/.381 with six home runs, 24 RBI, three stolen bases and 31 runs scored in 273 at-bats in his first year in Oakland. Even if Toro continues to hit leadoff and play regularly, his counting stats will likely be lacking for fantasy managers in deeper leagues. Diaz will be playing in only his eighth game of the year on Thursday. He has only two hits in 22 at-bats with an RBI and five K's.

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux and outfielder Jason Heyward are both out of the lineup on Thursday with the team facing left-hander Ty Blach and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Chris Taylor will take over at second base and bat ninth, while Teoscar Hernandez is in right field and batting cleanup for the Blue. Miguel Vargas will draw into left field and bat in the seven-hole. Taylor has hit .286 with an .833 OPS, a home run and four RBI in 28 career at-bats against Blach, but he's in the nine-hole and has hit just .115 (11-for-96) this year with a homer and nine RBI. Hernandez has never faced Blach in his career but is nevertheless an attractive DFS play in the heart of the Dodgers' batting order at hitter-friendly Coors Field. He's hitting .253 (20-for-79) with eight of his 18 homers this year against lefties.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said he's hopeful that outfielder Kyle Tucker (shin) can begin doing baseball activities on the field this weekend. When Tucker initially fouled a ball off his shin in early June, he was listed as day-to-day and expected to avoid the injured list. The 27-year-old has been slow to recover, though, and ended up landing on the IL and has yet to resume baseball activities. He's already missed more than two weeks now, but it sounds like he's finally making progress and could be cleared for a minor-league rehab assignment soon after he starts baseball activities. As long as Tucker doesn't suffer a setback, he should be able to rejoin Houston's lineup before the All-Star break in mid-July. Tucker is an elite fantasy commodity in all categories when he's healthy.