
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (back) was pulled from Friday's game against the Baltimore Orioles in the second inning. He left Friday's game with lower back discomfort. He went 1-for-1 with a single before being replaced in the bottom of the second inning. The 32-year-old has dealt with back issues in the past, and it's unclear how severe the latest injury is for Yelich. He is considered day-to-day. Yelich has been swinging a hot bat during the young season, hitting .316/.409/.737 with five home runs and two swiped bags. If Yelich were to miss time, Blake Perkins could be a candidate to handle left field.

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Joc Pederson (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This appears to be a routine rest day for Pederson against a left-handed starting pitcher. The D-Backs will play matchups here and go with Blaze Alexander at designated hitter versus Steven Matz. There's not a ton of value here with Alexander, so most fantasy managers should be able to find a better streaming option. The expectation is that Pederson should return to the lineup following this game.

Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz (illness) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Oakland Athletics. Ruiz is set to miss his third game in a row due to an illness. The good news is that this shouldn't be something that lands Ruiz on the injured list. In the meantime, Riley Adams will cover behind the plate and bat seventh versus right-hander Paul Blackburn on Friday. Fantasy managers should be able to find a better streaming choice than Adams for Friday's slate.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (shoulder) is scheduled to make his next minor league rehab start on Saturday at Double-A Corpus Christi. The 41-year-old appears to be progressing well and could return after this outing. Obviously, the Astros don't want to rush back Verlander, but they need help in the rotation. Fantasy managers will have to check back after Saturday to see how Verlander is feeling. He'll be a must-have fantasy option once he's back on the mound.

Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. (hip) is trending towards a six-week absence, according to general manager Chris Getz. The organization recently gave a timetable of 6-8 weeks for Robert who is recovering from a hip injury. It's encouraging to hear that Robert might only miss six weeks of action. Barring any setbacks, Robert could be back in the lineup before the end of May. In the meantime, Gavin Sheets should see regular at-bats with Robbie Grossman and Kevin Pillar seeing more action as well.
