

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) remains on the 10-day injured list and is out of the team's starting lineup for Thursday's divisional contest against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Catcher Victor Caratini will serve as the DH and will hit sixth against Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom. Although Alvarez was able to hit in the batting cage before Thursday's game, the Astros will keep the 27-year-old All-Star on the IL for another day as a precaution. He should be able to return to Houston's starting lineup at some point this weekend during the four-game set against Texas, though. When he does return, fantasy managers are hoping that the muscle strain in his hand is in the rearview mirror and he can start producing at the plate after a rough start with a .210/.306/.340 slash line in his first 100 at-bats in 2025.


Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Raisel Iglesias recorded his seventh save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Nationals on Thursday. He allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning. This broke a streak of three straight appearances where he allowed at least one run. The 35-year-old has an unsightly 5.71 ERA and 1.40 WHIP on the year, which is a far cry from the 1.95 ERA and 0.74 WHIP he posted in 2024. He still has plenty of job security as the Braves closer, but he may not be the elite option anymore that he's shown to be in the past.


Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a stolen base, and two runs scored in Thursday's 5-2 loss to the Braves. This was the dual-threat's sixth home run and ninth stolen base of the year to go along with a .317/.379/.548 slash line in 32 games. The speedster didn't let his 10-game trip to the injured list with a hip flexor strain slow him down, with four of his stolen bases coming after he was activated on April 24th. He's one of the few players in the game who has legitimate 20 home run and 40 stolen base upside.


Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Blake Treinen (forearm) is going to start playing catch in the next few days, according to manager Dave Roberts. Treinen is reportedly pain-free, which is good news for the right-hander. He last pitched in a game on April 13 and is expected to return sometime in mid-June. Before suffering his forearm strain, he recorded two saves with 10 strikeouts and three walks in eight innings.


Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Martinez threw seven shutout frames and earned the win in a 7-1 victory over the White Sox on Thursday. He allowed two hits and struck out three. This was a nice rebound after allowing 10 hits in his previous outing, and this was his fourth straight start of at least six innings pitched. The veteran now has a 3.66 ERA on the season with 40 strikeouts and 11 walks in 51 innings. He won't blow you away with strikeout totals, but he's proven to be an innings-eater with decent enough ratios to be rostered in fantasy. He's lined up for a nice matchup in his next time out against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
