Boston Red Sox first infielder Romy Gonzalez (back) remains out of the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the hosting Kansas City Royals and right-hander Michael Lorenzen at Kauffman Stadium. Abraham Toro will make another start at the cold corner and will bat seventh. Gonzalez has missed a few games now due to a minor back injury, but he's expected to avoid a trip to the injured list and return at some point this weekend against the Royals. The 28-year-old has yet to go deep in 52 at-bats this year, but he's hitting over .300 and has plenty of appeal in AL-only leagues now that we know Triston Casas (knee) is done for the rest of the season. Toro makes for an unattractive DFS sleeper while hitting .111 (1-for-9) early on in his tenure with Boston. He's also gone hitless in three career at-bats against Lorenzen.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder/designated hitter Anthony Santander is out of the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. George Springer is serving as the designated hitter and is batting cleanup, while Jonatan Clase is starting in left field and is batting ninth against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo. Santander does have five home runs early on in his first season with the Blue Jays, but he's hitting under .200 with 36 strikeouts in 160 plate appearances after he was a first-time All-Star in 2024 in his final season with the Baltimore Orioles. The good news is Santander has swung the bat better so far in seven games in May, going 8-for-29 with a homer, double, four RBI, three runs scored, three walks and five strikeouts. Springer has hit .167 with a .417 OPS and one RBI in 12 career at-bats against Castillo, while Clase has never faced him.

The Toronto Blue Jays announced on Friday that they placed second baseman Andres Gimenez (quadriceps) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 8) with a right-quadriceps strain. In corresponding moves, the team selected infielder Michael Stefanic's contract from the minors and designated right-hander Dillon Tate for assignment. It's been a rough start to Gimenez's first season in Toronto, as he's now headed to the IL after hitting .195 (25-for-128) with three homers, 10 RBI, 17 runs scored and nine steals in his first 36 games. The 26-year-old was injured on Wednesday and will be eligible to return on May 18. Ernie Clement is starting at second and batting sixth against Seattle Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo on Friday. Clement should see most of the playing time at the keystone while Gimenez is on the IL.

Colorado Rockies infielder Thairo Estrada (wrist) did some fielding drills at Coors Field on Wednesday and then ran the bases and did fielding drills on Thursday. Estrada resumed swinging a bat last weekend as he gets closer to making his Rockies debut while recovering from a fractured right wrist that he suffered in late March. The 29-year-old was put on the 60-day injured list on March 27 and still does not have a firm timetable for a return. He will eventually go on a minor-league rehab assignment and could be looking at a return to the big leagues in June. When he's healthy, he won't be a big fantasy producer, but he's expected to play regularly at second base for the Rockies. Estrada had back-to-back 14-homer seasons in 2022-23 with the San Francisco Giants but fell out of the rotation quickly last year after hitting .217/.247/.343 with nine homers and 47 RBI in 96 games played.

Cincinnati Reds right-handed pitching prospect Connor Phillips (shoulder) has been activated off the 7-day injured list at Triple-A. Phillips was dealing with shoulder fatigue. He made three rehab appearances with High-A Dayton and allowed three hits with one run. He struck out six batters. The 24-year-old made his MLB debut during the 2023 campaign and posted a high 6.27 ERA with a 1.50 WHIP. Last summer, Phillips spent the entire campaign with the Louisville Bats and struggled as well, posting a career-high worst 8.01 ERA with a 2.02 WHIP. During this stint, he struck out just 77 batters and served up a high 60 walks. Fantasy managers should expect the No. 15-ranked prospect in the system to return to the starting rotation at Triple-A.