


Los Angeles Dodgers right-handers Tony Gonsolin (back) and Evan Phillips (shoulder) are both scheduled to begin minor-league rehab assignments with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday. Gonsolin is scheduled to start on Thursday and pitch around two innings. Gonsolin is recovering from a back injury that he suffered in early March while lifting weights, but both he and Phillips are getting close to rejoining the big-league roster in the month of April. Given L.A.'s stacked starting rotation, though, it's unclear if the 30-year-old Gonsolin will serve as a starter or long reliever for the Blue when he's cleared to be activated. Phillips, 30, didn't pitch at all during spring training due to a right-shoulder injury that had been bothering him since the World Series last October. He led the Dodgers in saves the last two years but has lost considerable fantasy value after the team added Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates to the bullpen in the offseason.



The San Diego Padres rewarded young outfielder Jackson Merrill with a nine-year, $135 million contract extension on Wednesday morning, and then he proceeded to go 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a run scored and a strikeout in the 5-2 win over the visiting Cleveland Guardians at Petco Park. Merrill's second home run of the 2025 campaign came off right-hander Ben Lively and extended the Padres' lead to 4-0 at the time. The 21-year-old seems to be finding barrels every time he swings the lumber in the early going of just his second MLB season, as he entered Wednesday's contest against Cleveland with eight hits in 20 at-bats with six RBI in six games played. In a strong Padres lineup, Merrill's fantasy arrow is pointing firmly up. He was an All-Star and won a Silver slugger award as a rookie in 2023, when he slashed an impressive .292/.326/.500 with 24 homers, 16 steals and 90 RBI in 593 plate appearances.


Seattle Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo was finally able to beat the Detroit Tigers for the first time in his career on Wednesday in the team's 3-2 win at T-Mobile Park while also picking up his first win of the 2025 campaign. The 32-year-old veteran allowed two earned runs on five hits (one homer) while walking two and striking out five in seven innings of work. One of the two runs he allowed on the day came on a solo home run to infielder Trey Sweeney. Castillo lost his first outing of the year against the division-rival A's last week, but he gave up just two runs while striking out four in five innings. While he displayed a drop in strikeout rate in 2024 and may no longer be a fantasy ace, his first two outings of 2025 remind us that he's still fantasy relevant in all formats. Castillo is lined up to make his third start of the year next week against the Houston Astros.


Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki had himself a day in the team's 10-2 victory over the hosting Athletics in Sacramento on Wednesday, going 3-for-5 with two home runs, a career-high five RBI, two runs scored, a walk and a strikeout. Suzuki is now tied for the major-league lead in RBI with 11 after entering the day with a league-leading 16 strikeouts in eight games played. The 30-year-old outfielder got off to a slow start in 2025 by going 2-for-21 through his first five contests, but he's since gone deep four times with 11 RBI in his last four games to completely flip the switch in the early going. Although durability has been a bit of an issue early on in Suzuki's MLB career, he's managed 20-plus homers in the last two seasons and also stole a career-high 16 bags in 2024. If he's able to make more contact in 2025, a breakout could be coming.


Miami Marlins infielder Xavier Edwards came ready to hit at the plate during Wednesday's game against the New York Mets. Coming into this game, Edwards was 1-for-11 over his last three games, but made up for it on Wednesday. Edwards went 4-for-6 at the plate with one RBI and one steal in what ended up being a 6-5 loss in 11 innings. The speedy infielder hasn't been off to an ideal start to the season, but hopefully this four-hit performance will help him get back on track. Fantasy managers should stick with him as his speed alone should make Edwards worth rostering.
