Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was hitting the ball all over the place during Friday's game against the Chicago White Sox. He smacked his 12th home run of the season in the second inning off right-hander Shane Smith. His day wouldn't end there as Crow-Armstrong went 4-for-5 with three singles, a homer, and six RBI in the blowout win. If it wasn't for a two-way superstar on the Los Angeles Dodgers, Crow-Armstrong might be a darkhorse for National League MVP. Regardless, Crow-Armstrong is off to an impressive start and needs to be rostered in all fantasy formats.

Chicago White Sox infielder/outfielder Miguel Vargas came out of the gate slowly, but has been crushing the ball over the last two weeks or so. On Friday, Vargas continued his hot streak at the plate during their Crosstown matchup against the Chicago Cubs. Vargas crushed a two-run home run off right-hander Cade Horton to open the game. He got Horton again in the third inning, but this time it was a solo shot. Vargas finished his day 4-for-4 with two homers and three RBI in the loss. Vargas is hitting .351 with five homers and 13 RBI over his last 20 games. He's going to be a popular waiver wire pickup with the way he has been swinging the bat lately.

New York Mets right-hander Frankie Montas (lat) was scheduled to throw a live batting practice session in the Bronx on Friday before the team's series opener against the crosstown-rival New York Yankees, according to Newsday's Laura Albanese. It was a big step for Montas, as it was his first time facing live hitters since suffering a high-grade right-lat strain in mid-February at the start of spring training. The next step for the 32-year-old veteran will be to start a minor-league rehab assignment. Because of all the time off, Montas is expected to have a lengthy rehab assignment, but barring setbacks after he starts pitching in games, he could be activated from the 60-day injured list to make his Mets and 2025 debut in early June. The Dominican hurler made just one appearance in 2023 while recovering from shoulder surgery and was very inconsistent with the Brewers and Reds in 2024 with a 4.84 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 150 2/3 innings. Fantasy managers have to hope the Mets' coaching staff can turn him around.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (groin) left his start on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals with left-groin tightness, the team announced. Ragans did strike out seven batters and didn't give out any free passes on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium, but he also allowed four earned runs on five hits in five innings of work before being pulled in the sixth inning after a visit from trainer Kyle Turner. It's unclear how severe the 27-year-old southpaw's groin injury is, but his next scheduled start next Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants is now in question. Injuries have been an issue for Ragans this year, as he left his start on April 13 with cramps and then skipped a start on April 30 with a mild left-groin strain. He has recorded an out in the sixth inning just twice in his nine starts this year after failing to do so just eight times in 32 starts in 2024. Don't be surprised if the Royals place him on the injured list in the coming days.

The Chicago Cubs signed free-agent right-hander Kenta Maeda to a minor-league deal on Thursday, and he's expected to make a start as soon as next week at Triple-A Iowa with Justin Steele (elbow), Shota Imanaga (hamstring) and Javier Assad (oblique) all on the injured list. Maeda, 37, joins the Cubs after being released by the Detroit Tigers last week after giving up eight runs (seven earned) with eight strikeouts and six walks in eight relief innings in a low-leverage relief role. However, 172 of his 226 career games have been as a starter. Maeda will give Chicago another starting option but could also be sent back to the bullpen as the team's rotation gets healthier. Fantasy managers in the vast majority of leagues can continue to ignore the Japanese pitcher. In 29 outings (17 starts) for Detroit last year, Maeda had a 6.09 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with 96 K's and 31 walks in 112 1/3 innings.