Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez continued his hot start to the season on Thursday, leading the Royals to a 10-1 win over the Chicago White Sox. Melendez went 2-for-4 with a double, a homer, two runs scored, and two RBI. The 25-year-old hasn't lived up to expectations in his first few years in the bigs, but it is important to remember that he is still young and he may be coming around, as he is hitting .333/.391/.667 so far this year. It is a small sample, but it is something worth keeping an eye on, especially in leagues where he is still catcher eligible.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds had himself a great day at the dish on Thursday, going 2-for-3 with a pair of walks in a 7-4 victory over the Washington Nationals. Reynolds added a double, an RBI, and a run to round out his batting line. The 29-year-old is off to a great start to 2024 with a .323/.447/.548 triple slash line to go along with a homer, three runs scored, and nine RBI. Reynolds should continue to be a solid all-around contributor to fantasy lineups this season.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo had another solid start on Thursday, picking up the win in a 10-1 trouncing over the Chicago White Sox. Lugo threw 6 innings of one-run ball, allowing eight hits and two walks while striking out three. The baserunners allowed were a bit alarming in this one, but Lugo was able to escape damage by inducing four double-play balls. That obviously isn't sustainable, but Lugo has shown that he can be a solid starter who can give decent length. He should be a good source of quality starts and shouldn't hurt fantasy manager's ratios either. Lugo is also a very good points league option.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley threw a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his second save of the season in an 8-5 win over the Miami Marlins. Helsley didn't allow a baserunner and struck out one. Maybe most importantly for Helsley, the velocity on his four-seamer was back up to 99.6 after being down a little bit from last season in his last few appearances. He should be back to his dominant self if he can keep the velocity up, and seems to be the clear-cut closer in St. Louis.

Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar threw a perfect ninth inning in a 7-4 win over the Washington Nationals to secure his first save of the season. Bednar had his stuff working in this one, striking out a pair while not allowing a baserunner. Although the Pirates are 6-1 so far, Bednar has only had two save opportunities and he blew his other one, so it was nice to see him convert here. If the Pirates continue to play well, Bednar could come close to his whopping 39-save season from last year. He is an elite option in fantasy.