
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller picked up his fourth straight quality start in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Braves. Keller pitched six-and-two-thirds innings of one-run ball, scattering six hits and striking out four batters while walking none. The outing lowered his season ERA to 3.59 (3.67 FIP) and the righty's WHIP now stands at 1.24. The former second-round draft pick isn't striking out as many batters as we're used to seeing (20.2% K%), but he's also reduced his HR/FB% to a career-low of 8.5% through 11 starts which has helped limit damage. The win was his sixth of the season, and hopefully he can sustain this success throughout the year, as last season he faded in the second half (first half 3.31 ERA, .278 wOBA vs. second half 5.59 ERA, .355 wOBA).

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (hamstring) is serving as the DH and is batting second in the lineup on Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds and left-hander Brent Suter. Ohtani has been dealing with a hamstring contusion recently, but it's not serious enough to keep the 29-year-old two-way star out of the lineup on Sunday. In the team's 3-1 loss in Cincy on Saturday, Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a triple and three strikeouts. While the Japanese sensation deals with his hamstring issue, he's less likely to attempt any stolen bases if he gets on the basepaths. Fantasy managers need to leave the three-time All-Star and two-time MVP in all starting lineups, as he's still leading baseball with a .338 batting average (70-for-207) and also in slugging percentage (.628), OPS (1.034) and total bases (130) while adding 13 home runs, 35 RBI and 13 steals in his first year in LA.

Cincinnati Reds corner infielder Jeimer Candelario (neck) is not in the team's starting lineup on Sunday against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. Candelario will miss his second straight game due to neck stiffness, but he's apparently available off the bench for the series finale, so there's a chance he could return to the lineup for Monday's series opener against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Memorial Day. With Candelario out again Sunday, Santiago Espinal will man the hot corner and bat seventh against Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Candelario has left a lot to be desired so far in his first year with Cincy, although he's been better in May, going 19-for-74 (.257) with two of his five home runs and 10 RBI in 20 games played. Espinal does have six steals in 113 at-bats in 2024, but he's hitting .195 with two homers and is a weak DFS option against Yamamoto.

Washington Nationals outfielder Jesse Winker (cramps) is out of the team's starting lineup on Sunday versus the visiting Seattle Mariners. Manager Dave Martinez said that Winker cramped up while running the bases in Saturday's win over Seattle, and now he'll receive a day off on Sunday. It's unclear exactly where Winker's cramping occurred, but fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now and check back to see if he's back in the lineup on Monday for the series opener on Memorial Day against the Braves in Atlanta. The 30-year-old veteran left-handed hitter has picked things up of late at the plate, but he's still hitting only .230 (37-for-161) on the season with six home runs, 21 RBI, six stolen bases and 23 runs scored. Ildemaro Vargas is in left field on Sunday and is batting fifth against Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo.

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (intercostal) once again is out of the team's starting lineup for Sunday's series finale in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. Fantasy managers should not be surprised, as manager Brian Snitker said before the series opener on Friday that Riley was more likely to make his return to action on Memorial Day on Monday for the series opener against the visiting Washington Nationals. The 27-year-old right-handed slugger is missing his 13th straight game but has surprisingly avoided landing on the injured list due to an intercostal strain. Riley swung a bat earlier in the week and will hopefully be back for fantasy managers to start next week. Zack Short remains at third base and will hit ninth against Pirates veteran left-hander Martin Perez on Sunday. Avoid Short in DFS contests.
