The Houston Astros are skipping right-hander Ronel Blanco's spot in the starting rotation this weekend against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks with the intent of returning to a six-man rotation during a stretch of 16 games without an off day. Blanco has been Houston's most consistent starter this year in a season in which their rotation has been decimated by injuries, but he threw a career-high 52 innings during the regular season in 2023 and is already at 148 1/3 frames this year over his 26 starts. Eventually, it's expected that Blanco will shift to Houston's bullpen, either at the tail end of the regular season or for the start of the postseason. The 31-year-old has been great in 2024, though, throwing a no-hitter early in the year while going 10-6 with a 3.03 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP and 144 strikeouts in 148 1/3 innings in his first full year in the team's rotation.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Dean Kremer (forearm) is scheduled to take the mound against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. This comes less than a week after Kremer was hit in the forearm by a comebacker on the mound. Luckily, it appears Kremer is fine and he should be able to handle his normal workload on the mound. This season, Kremer holds a 4.51 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 99/44 K/BB ratio across 20 starts. He could have some low-end streaming appeal for fantasy managers looking for pitching help. He'll look to rebound after giving up four earned runs in his last outing.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell gave a short outing on the mound during Thursday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Snell struggled heavily as he needed 42 pitches to get out of the first inning. He gave up two hits, allowed one earned run, and walked two batters during his short lived outing. The veteran southpaw didn't have his command, but will certainly get plenty of rest before his next start against the Milwaukee Brewers. Snell has been solid with five quality starts in his last five outings. These kinds of performances will frustrate fantasy managers, but they will need to stick with him.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez was able to do some damage at the plate during Thursday's game against the Oakland Athletics. It has been a frustrating year for Rodriguez, but he appears to be turning a corner at the plate. On Thursday, Rodriguez went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and scored twice in win over the A's. Rodriguez now has eight hits and five RBI over his last six games. It's still a disappointing season for the superstar outfielder, but at least Rodriguez can finish it on a strong note.

Oakland Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker continued his stellar campaign during Thursday's game against the Seattle Mariners. The 29-year-old took Bryan Woo deep in the fifth inning and then homered off Andres Munoz in the ninth inning to cap off a four RBI day for Rooker. He has been hitting everything at the plate as he extended his hitting streak to nine games on Thursday. Rooker is slashing .298/.372/.587 with 35 long balls and 97 RBI this season. Fantasy managers can continue to ride his bat into the postseason.