St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Jose Fermin went 3-for-4 with his sixth home run of the season to power Triple-A Memphis to a victory. Through 26 games at Triple-A this season, Fermin has posted an excellent .393/.481/.708 slash line with a 13:3 BB:K and nine stolen bases. Fermin has appeared in only 30 games in the majors over the past two years, made just nine appearances earlier this season, and holds a cumulative .227/.338/.242 line. However, the 25-year-old is on pace to set career-highs in every category in the minors and could earn himself a more extended opportunity in the majors later this summer. When he is promoted, he is worth an addition in NL-only formats, as he could provide you with a nice power and speed combination.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl (thumb) is back to hitting flips and continues to progress. He's working toward getting back to taking batting practice soon. Friedl suffered a fractured left thumb 11 days ago but is already swinging a bat and is progressing nicely. If the 28-year-old doesn't suffer a setback with his thumb once he starts to take batting practice, he should be sent on a minor-league rehab assignment shortly after that. Surprisingly, Friedl is on track to return from the 10-day injured list when he's eligible early next month. When healthy, Friedl should be a lineup regular, at least against right-handed pitching, after hitting 18 home runs, driving in 66 and stealing 27 bases in a breakout 2023 campaign. He's been unlucky with injuries so far in 2024, though, and is currently hitting .182 (4-for-22) with no homers, two RBI and two steals.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitching prospect Cristian Mena threw five shutout innings on Wednesday and tied a season-high nine punchouts. Through 50 innings with Triple-A Reno, Mena has a 3.42 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 54:25 K:BB ratio. The 21-year-old got a small taste of Triple-A ball last season but struggled with a 5.95 ERA across 19 innings. While Mena is showcasing his elite strikeout upside, he is still struggling with his control. Mena should be expected to reach the major leagues later this summer and could become a must-stash player if he lowers his walk rate over his next few starts.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jake Fraley (hand) still has swelling on the outside of his right hand after being hit by a pitch on Tuesday. Fraley said he was going to try and take some swings to test it on Thursday, but he remained out of the starting lineup for the series finale versus the visiting San Diego Padres. X-rays came back negative on the 28-year-old left-handed hitter's hand, so he's considered day-to-day for now. If Fraley feels better while testing his hand on Thursday, he could return to the lineup at some point this weekend for a series against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. When healthy, Fraley is an option for fantasy managers in deeper leagues and in DFS lineups against right-handed pitching. The former second-rounder by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2016 out of LSU is currently hitting .272/.333/.359 with a homer, seven RBI and seven steals in 103 at-bats.

The Cincinnati Reds placed right-hander Emilio Pagan (triceps) on the 15-day injured list on Thursday due to right-triceps tightness. The move comes after Pagan had not appeared out of the Reds' bullpen since Sunday due to the injury. The 33-year-old veteran setup man had an MRI exam come back negative, so there's hope that he can return to the big-league roster when his 15 days are up. Pagan is a key setup man for the Reds in front of closer Alexis Diaz in his first year in Cincinnati and is currently sporting a 2-3 record, 4.19 ERA (4.32 FIP) and 1.34 WHIP with seven walks and 25 strikeouts in 19 1/3 relief innings. With Pagan out of the picture for at least the next two weeks, the Reds will need setup men Fernando Cruz and Lucas Sims to step up in high-leverage roles.