Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that outfielder Tyler O'Neill (neck) is out of Thursday's starting lineup against the hosting Washington Nationals with the same neck soreness that he dealt with last week. Hyde is hoping that O'Neill will be available off the bench on Thursday. Ramon Laureano is drawing the start in right field and is hitting seventh against Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore, who he has hit .833 against with three RBI in six career at-bats. The 29-year-old O'Neill missed two games last week with the neck injury, and it could turn into an injured-list situation if it doesn't clear up by the weekend. For now, though, fantasy managers should consider the Canadian outfielder to be day-to-day. O'Neill has gotten off to a poor start in his first year in Baltimore, hitting .215 (14-for-65) with two homers, 10 RBI and 21 K's in 74 trips to the plate. He's gone 1-for-20 with 11 K's in his last five games.

Athletics outfielder/designated hitter Brent Rooker will take a day off for the first time this season in Thursday's contest against the division-rival Texas Rangers. The left-handed-hitting Seth Brown will serve as the DH and will hit sixth against Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom. Brown has only faced deGrom twice in his career, but he did take him deep for a solo home run. Rooker is hitting .235 (24-for-102) on the year -- he's probably not going to be much of an average or on-base asset for fantasy managers -- but he does have seven long balls, 13 RBI and 15 runs scored in his first 24 games of the 2025 season. The 30-year-old power threat has been much more consistent of late, going 11-for-33 with three homers, a double and five RBI in his last eight games. Expect Rooker to be back in action for Friday's series opener against the Chicago White Sox.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Kumar Rocker (shoulder) has been placed on the 15-day injured list on Thursday. This comes a day after Rocker gave up five runs over 1 2/3 innings of work during Wednesday's game against the Athletics. Rangers' manager Bruce Bochy said Rocker is dealing with a mild right shoulder impingement. The young right-hander has only made it through the fifth inning once so far this season. He has a ton of potential, but a little time off might be good for him. Jack Leiter (hand) is expected to rejoin the rotation soon, so he'll likely take over the void in the rotation.

New York Mets infielder Jeff McNeil (oblique) has been activated from the 10-day injured list on Thursday. McNeil appears to be ready for the weekend series after missing the beginning of the season due to an oblique issue. The veteran infielder hit .393 during his rehab assignment, so hopefully he can keep the good times rolling on the big league roster. The assumption is that McNeil will see regular playing time against right-handed pitching. Fellow infielder Brett Baty was optioned to Triple-A to make room for McNeil on the active roster. It sounds like McNeil should play quite frequently, but fantasy managers can still take a wait-and-see approach here.

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday. Well, this was expected with fellow infielder Jeff McNeil (oblique) being activated from the 10-day injured list. Someone needed to be sent down and Baty seemed like the good choice considering his struggles. So far, Baty is slashing .205/.246/.352 with one home run, four RBI, and a 19/3 K/BB ratio this season. The Mets are hopeful that Baty can still be an everyday contributor at some point. For now, Baty will head back to the minors to get everyday at-bats in Triple-A.