Chicago White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi is taking a seat on the bench on Thursday against the visiting Atlanta Braves with a left-hander on the mound. Corey Julks will make the start in left field for the Pale Hose and will bat sixth against Braves left-hander Chris Sale. Benintendi has been on the bench in two of the last four games with the team facing left-handers in those games. The 29-year-old left-handed hitter could start finding himself on the bench even more often, though, as he's been a non-factor all year on offense. The former seventh overall pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2015 out of Arkansas is hitting a measly .199/.245/.308 with a career-worst .552 OPS with six homers and 22 RBI in 62 games in his second year in Chicago. Against lefties, he's gone 4-for-46 (.087) with a homer, two RBI and 13 strikeouts.

Chicago White Sox outfielder Gavin Sheets (heel) is out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the visiting Atlanta Braves. Sheets was removed from Wednesday's contest against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers early with a bruised left heel, so it's not a huge surprise that he's being held out the following day. The good news is that the 28-year-old left-handed hitter is day-to-day after X-rays on his foot came back negative. When he's able to return, Sheets will probably only see action in Chicago's outfield against right-handed pitching now that Eloy Jimenez is back in the fold. With Sheets sitting on Thursday, Corey Julks will get the start in left field and bat sixth in a tough matchup against Braves left-hander Chris Sale. Julks will be a low-upside dice roll for DFS lineups with his .223 average (21-for-94) and only three home runs on the year.

The Chicago Cubs placed right-hander Javier Assad (forearm) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to Monday) on Thursday with a right-forearm extensor strain. In corresponding moves, the Cubs signed right-hander Vinny Nittoli and moved right-hander Yency Almonte (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list. Assad's injury could help explain why he hasn't been as good in June, posting a 5.49 ERA with a .304 average against with 12 earned runs allowed in 19 2/3 innings over his four starts. Given the timing of the injury, the 26-year-old will not be able to rejoin the Cubbies' starting rotation until after the All-Star break in mid-July. It's unclear who will take Assad's rotation spot for an upcoming matchup this weekend against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers. Heading into June, Assad had an ERA under 3.00.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Conforto and infielders Brett Wisely and David Villar are all sitting on Thursday against the visiting Chicago Cubs with left-hander Shota Imanaga on the mound in the series finale. Austin Slater is starting in left field and batting leadoff, Nick Ahmed is at shortstop and hitting eighth, and Thairo Estrada is at second base and batting seventh for the Gigantes. Conforto has swung a hot and productive bat for the Giants of late, but he'll take a seat against a southpaw despite the fact that he's hitting .292 (14-for-48) with three of his nine homers against lefties in 2024. The matchup against Imanaga isn't ideal, but Slater becomes a DFS sleeper out of the leadoff spot on Thursday. He's gone 10-for-56 (.179) with only four RBI against left-handers this year.

San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey will have the day off in a matinee affair in Thursday's series finale against the visiting Chicago Cubs. Curt Casali will take his place behind the dish to catch right-hander Jordan Hicks while batting ninth against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga. Bailey has proven to be one of the more productive hitting catchers in the big leagues this year, as he's currently batting .285 (51-for-179) with six home runs, 24 RBI and 23 runs scored in 55 games in just his second season in the major leagues. The 25-year-old switch-hitter has gone 18-for-69 (.261) with two home runs, a double and five RBI in 20 games in the month of June. DFS managers should be able to find better options at catcher than Casali in the nine-hole in a tough matchup against Imanaga.