
Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk in Friday's 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers. It's been a miserable start to the season for Walker so far, as this effort brings his season slash line to just .210/.283/.358. His home run on Friday was his fifth of the season, but his first since April 28th. The 34-year-old is striking out at his highest rate since 2018 with his worst Barrel% since 2021. It is still relatively early in the season, so there should still be some optimism for a turnaround, but there should also be some level of concern for fantasy managers.


St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera went 3-for-4 with four RBI in Friday's 10-3 win over the Kansas City Royals. He has picked up right where he left off after missing some time due to a bone bruise in his left knee earlier in the year. The 24-year-old has gone 10-for-22 in his six games back and boasts an absurd slash line of .419/.480/.907 on the season. Herrera has a strong quality of contact metrics with a strikeout rate below 20%. Herrera is currently rostered in 50% of Yahoo Fantasy leagues, and fantasy managers should quickly pick him up in all formats as he has the potential to be a top-five fantasy catcher for the rest of the season.


Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan (4-2) dominated the Milwaukee Brewers in Friday's 3-0 victory, blanking them over six innings and picking up his fourth win of the year. Ryan led the Twins to their 12th consecutive victory, allowing only two hits and a walk while striking out nine. The 28-year-old is putting together a remarkable season so far as his 0.79 WHIP ranks second in baseball among starting pitchers. He lowered his season ERA to 2.42 with a dominant 63:6 K:BB ratio. Ryan is currently slated to make his next start on Wednesday at home against the Guardians.


Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (2-3) allowed one run on five hits and two walks over seven innings in Friday's 4-2 win against the Boston Red Sox. He struck out eight to earn his second win of the season. Sale outlasted fellow left-handed ace Garrett Crochet in a classic pitcher's duel. The 36-year-old generated 15 swings-and-misses in this one as he is putting together a strong month of May after a rocky start to the season. After posting a 4.84 ERA in March and April, Sale looks to return to his usual self with a 1.40 ERA and 26:6 K:BB in May. Sale will look to keep it rolling in his next start, which is scheduled to come on the road on Thursday against the Washington Nationals.


Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and a walk in Friday's 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Greene has been hot in May, slashing .320/.404/.680 with five home runs and 11:6 K:BB over 13 games. The 24-year-old is posting career-best quality of contact metrics with an excellent 15.5% Barrel% and 48.3% HardHit%. After slugging 24 home runs last season, Greene has already slugged 11 in the first few months of 2025. Greene will look to continue his power surge against the Blue Jays this weekend and remains a strong fantasy asset in all formats.
