Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (foot) is back behind the dish to catch left-hander Jesus Luzardo and is hitting seventh on Thursday against the hosting Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Ryan Pepiot. Realmuto will surprisingly be back in the lineup a day after fouling a ball off his left foot and suffering a bruise in Wednesday's contest against Tampa. The 34-year-old veteran is looking for his first hit of the series against the Rays in the finale on Thursday. Realmuto hasn't done much for fantasy managers in general so far in 2025, slashing .235/.307/.374 with a below-average .681 OPS, three home runs, 12 RBI, 12 runs scored and four stolen bases in 31 games played. So far in five games in May, Realmuto has gone 4-for-18 with a homer, double, four RBI and three runs scored. He has never faced Pepiot in his big-league career.

Tampa Bay Rays rookie outfielder Chandler Simpson will start Thursday's series finale against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies on the bench. Kameron Misner is starting in center field for the Rays and is hitting eighth against Phillies left-hander Jesus Luzardo. The left-handed-hitting Simpson will get the day off against a tough southpaw. The 24-year-old former second-rounder in 2022 has gone 16-for-60 (.267) with a double, five RBI, six stolen bases and nine runs scored for the Rays in his first 16 major-league games. As long as he remains in the big leagues with Tampa, he'll provide plenty of speed for fantasy managers in deeper formats. Misner, who debuted in the majors last year in just eight games, is batting .271 (26-for-96) with three homers and 11 RBI in 31 games in 2025. He has yet to face Luzardo in his career and should be faded in DFS.

San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish (elbow) has been throwing bullpen sessions and recently traveled to the team's spring training complex in Arizona, where he's expected to face live hitters for the first time on Thursday. Darvish is working his way back from right-elbow inflammation that has kept him out all season so far, but barring a setback as he builds up his arm, he could return to the Padres' starting rotation at some point this month. Since the 38-year-old Japanese veteran hasn't started a minor-league rehab assignment, his return probably won't come until late May, at the earliest. The five-time All-Star is no longer in his prime and also dealt with injuries that limited him to 16 starts in 2024, but when healthy, he still has fantasy value. Darvish went 7-3 for the Friars last year with a solid 3.31 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, but also with a career-low 23.6% strikeout rate and a 6.6% walk rate.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on Thursday that he thinks outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (shoulder) could begin his throwing program this weekend. Yoshida was recently shut down from throwing earlier this week after receiving a cortisone shot in his surgically-repaired right shoulder, but he could start throwing again this weekend. Hitting hasn't been an issue for Yoshida, but the 31-year-old will not be cleared to make his 2025 major-league debut until he's able to throw without pain. The Japanese left-handed hitter might not be an option to rejoin the Red Sox's roster until June, as he'll likely need a minor-league rehab assignment first. He has hit for a strong .285 average in his first two seasons in the big leagues, but Yoshida has hit only 25 total home runs and may not be destined for everyday playing time whenever he comes off the IL.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said on Thursday that right-hander Kutter Crawford (knee) will throw a live batting practice session on Friday. Crawford reported to extended spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., at the end of April as he continues to build up his arm following a knee injury that he suffered in spring training. The 29-year-old appears to be on the verge of starting a minor-league rehab assignment finally, but even so, he probably won't be an option for Boston's starting rotation until either late May or early July, barring a setback. In a career-high 33 starts for the BoSox in 2024 in his fourth year in the majors, Crawford went 9-16 with a 4.36 ERA (4.65 FIP) and 1.12 WHIP with 175 strikeouts and 51 walks over 183 2/3 innings pitched. He also gave up a league-high 34 home runs. Whenever he makes his 2025 debut, Crawford will be a deep-league fantasy streamer.