
Chicago Cubs pitching prospect Cade Horton looked strong again in his latest outing on Thursday against Triple-A Louisville. Horton tossed four 2/3 shutout innings. He allowed just two hits and one walk, and struck out five batters. Through his first four outings of the Triple-A campaign, the top pitching prospect on the Northside has held an impressive 1.06 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP. During this stretch, he has held a 23:11 K:BB and allowed just one home run. Last summer, the former seventh overall pick battled numerous injuries and was able to pitch only 34 1/3 innings. While he was effective in his time with Double-A, Horton struggled in his first taste of Triple-A, allowing 15 runs in just 18 innings of work. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Horton's production as he could be in the mix for a relatively early MLB debut this season, given the season-ending injury to Justin Steele (elbow).


Milwaukee Brewers right-handed pitcher Tobias Myers (oblique) was activated off the 15-day injured list prior to his season debut on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants. Myers has been out of action since spring training due to this injury. In a corresponding move, the Brewers optioned left-handed pitcher Bryan Hudson to Triple-A Nashville. Myers made his MLB debut last season and performed quite well, holding a 3.00 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP across 138 innings of work. He tallied strikeouts at a modest 22.3 percent rate but showed strong command of his pitches, allowing walks at a 6.3 percent rate. He also generated a 38.7 percent hard-hit rate and an 8.0 percent barrel rate, which were both just below the average marks. Fantasy managers in deeper 15+ team formats should look to add Meyers ahead of his season debut, as he should remain in the Milwaukee rotation throughout the season. However, he is best to leave on your bench on Thursday, as he could face an innings limit in his debut.

Colorado Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings and outfielder Nick Martini will take a seat in Game 1 of their doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday afternoon. Fantasy managers should expect Stallings to return to the lineup for Game 2. Instead, Hunter Goodman will be behind the dish in the early game. Martini has typically taken a seat against left-handed pitching this season, and will follow suit in Game 1 as the Royals will send out Cole Ragans. As a result, Mickey Moniak will cover right field. However, Martini will return to the lineup for the second game this evening, as the Royals are scheduled to send right-hander Michael Lorenzen to the bump. The Rockies are best to fade in Game 1, facing Ragans, as he has struck out 42 batters and held a 3.58 ERA in 27 2/3 innings of work this season.

Seattle Mariners infielder Jorge Polanco will take a seat during Thursday's contest against the Boston Red Sox with left-hander Garrett Crochet set to take the mound. Through the early part of the campaign, Polanco has only made one start against a southpaw. Instead, Ben Williamson will cover the hot corner, and Cal Raleigh will shift to the DH spot, which will allow Mitch Garver to be behind the dish. Polanco has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, posting a strong .339/.356/.589 slash line with two doubles and four home runs. Under the hood, Polanco has generated an elite .424 xwOBA and a .354 xBA, which suggests his production is sustainable. Fantasy managers should expect the 31-year-old to return to the starting nine on Friday when they face Miami right-hander Cal Quantrill. The Mariners are not worth targeting in DFS, as they face Crochet, who enters this game with a 1.13 ERA.

The Minnesota Twins have optioned right-handed pitcher David Festa to Triple-A St. Paul. Festa was promoted to the majors to fill Pablo Lopez's rotation spot. However, with Lopez set to return to action this weekend, Festa will return to the top level of the minor leagues. Through three starts this season (13 innings), Festa held a 1.38 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP. During this minor stint, Festa struck out 15 batters and served up five walks. Last summer, the Seton Hall product made his MLB debut and posted a modest 4.90 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP across 64 1/3 innings of work. Fantasy managers should expect Festa to return to the big leagues when Minnesota needs additional depth in its rotation. However, given his modest showing, he is only worth holding onto in deeper AL-only redraft formats.
