Texas Rangers right-hander Michael Lorenzen (neck) allowed one run in four innings in his second minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday night. Lorenzen allowed three hits while walking two over 70 pitches (41 strikes). Because the 32-year-old veteran signed with the Rangers so late in spring training, he was placed on the injured list to start the regular season so that he could go to the minors and build up his arm before joining the big-league starting rotation. It's unknown if the team wants him to make another start down on the farm, but if they choose to activate him and bring him to the big leagues, his first start of 2024 could be as good as it gets next week against the lowly Oakland Athletics. Lorenzen doesn't have a ton of fantasy upside for those in mixed leagues, but there is still some streaming appeal in the right matchups in DFS and deeper formats.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. accounted for all of the team's offense in Wednesday's 6-1 loss to the visiting Seattle Mariners, crushing his third home run of the season. Guerrero tied the game at one run apiece with a towering 465-foot shot off Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert during the seventh inning. It doesn't look like Guerrero is going to recapture his 2021 Silver Slugger form, but he remains one of the most dependable assets one can find in fantasy baseball. While the 25-year-old three-time All-Star had a great spring, he's off to a sluggish start while hitting .200 (10-for-50) with a .742 OPS, three long balls, and five RBI across his first 13 regular-season outings. Guerrero looks to tee off on a Colorado Rockies pitching staff that ranks dead last in ERA (6.57), WHIP (1.78), and batting average against (.297) during a three-game weekend set starting on Friday.

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Kevin Ginkel walked a tightrope on the way to tallying his second save in as many days, fanning two hitters in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the division-rival Colorado Rockies. Ginkel got Charlie Blackmon and Kris Bryant to strike out but allowed a single and two walks to fall into a hairy situation on Wednesday. Nolan Jones flied out to get Ginkel out of the bases-loaded jam, but the 30-year-old right-hander needed 29 pitches to lock it down. Filling in for injured closer Paul Sewald (oblique), Ginkel is posting a solid 2.84 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with nine punchouts over 6 1/3 frames as Arizona's interim favorite for saves. With Sewald still likely a few weeks away from returning to the D-backs' bullpen, Ginkel should be rostered in the majority of fantasy leagues for the time being.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jordan Hicks turned in another successful showing in Wednesday's 7-1 victory over the visiting Washington Nationals, allowing just one run on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts over six innings. Nationals first baseman Joey Gallo homered during the second inning, but Hicks got plenty of run support and gained his second win of the season. The hard-throwing 27-year-old right-hander's first stint as a starter with the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2022 was a totally failed endeavor, but he's transitioning to the role very smoothly to begin 2024. Hicks now owns a shiny 1.00 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with 13 punchouts across 18 innings thus far, and he boasts more strikeout upside than he's shown to this point. It remains to be seen how his arm handles the workload over the course of a full season, but he's a must-roster fantasy player ahead of next Tuesday's start against the 1-11 Miami Marlins.

Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks collected his second save of the year in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels, striking out three batters to preserve the victory. Fairbanks sat down the first two hitters he faced before the lineup turned over and Luis Rengifo singled to right center to get the tying run to the plate, but the hurler was able to punch out Mickey Moniak to end the game. The flame-throwing 30-year-old right-hander is off to shaky start despite converting his first two save opportunities of the 2024 season, carrying a troubling 11.25 ERA and 2.50 WHIP with eight K's over his first four innings of work. Although the Rays feature a deep bullpen with plenty of options based on matchups, Fairbanks' stuff is the best of the bunch and keeps him positioned as Tampa Bay's preferred ninth-inning man going forward.