The season is nearing a month old already, and there is never a shortage of storylines, from injuries and slumps to power surges and early surprises. We have plenty of those in the Fantasy 30 this week.
For that and more news around the league, here is a rundown of the latest notes and tidbits surrounding each of the 30 teams:
Arizona Diamondbacks -- Brandon Drury is out Thursday and could miss more time after jamming his right knee in a collision with Padres starter Trevor Cahill at first base Wednesday. After leaving that game, Arizona adjusted its defense by moving Chris Owings from shortstop to second base and inserting defensive wizard Nick Ahmed at shortstop. Don't be surprised if the Diamondbacks stick with this defensive alignment until Drury returns. For now, he is considered day-to-day.
Atlanta Braves -- Jose Ramirez is the top Braves reliever through the first month of the season, with four holds, a 1.64 ERA and 0.82 WHIP. He's done it by limiting opponents to four hits in 11 appearances (a span of 11 innings) as one of the primary setup men for closer Jim Johnson. This is a trend for the 27-year-old; he gave up only 26 hits in 32 2/3 innings last season with the Braves.
Baltimore Orioles -- The Orioles' staff is getting closer to a serious upgrade. Zach Britton is headed to Double-A Bowie on Friday for a rehab stint and could return to the big club as early as Sunday. Meanwhile, Chris Tillman is on track to make his next rehab start on Thursday for Single-A Frederick. Tillman could be back as early as May 2.
Boston Red Sox -- Dustin Pedroia returned to the lineup Thursday for his first game action since injuring his ankle and knee in the much-talked-about takeout slide by Baltimore's Manny Machado last Friday. Pedroia is lucky the injury wasn't more serious, and he immediately moves back into the leadoff spot, pushing Xander Bogaerts back down to his more customary sixth spot in the order.
Chicago Cubs -- Jason Heyward has three home runs in his last six games, all coming in a four-day span. Why is that significant? Because any chance that the 6-foot-5 right fielder has resumed his power hitting is a big deal. Remember, he hit only seven long balls in 592 plate appearances last season and hasn't reached 15 in a season since 2012, his third year in the league.
Chicago White Sox -- David Robertson's hot April -- he is perfect in save opportunities so far -- garners much of the attention, but the White Sox's bullpen as a whole continues to be a bright spot. The unit is second in the majors with a 1.96 ERA, and it has combined for 78 strikeouts, 21 walks and no blown saves.
Cincinnati Reds -- It's almost hard to remember that Devin Mesoraco still plays for the Reds, considering how few games he's played in recent seasons. In fact, since the start of 2015, he has played just 39 games due to hip and shoulder injuries. It will probably take some time for Mesoraco to ramp up to full speed and be the power-hitting catcher he was before the injuries, and for the time being, he's still off the fantasy radar as he splits duties with Tucker Barnhart behind the plate.
Cleveland Indians -- Trevor Bauer's major league career has yet to live up to the lofty expectations that came when he was selected third overall in the 2011 Major League Baseball draft, but there have been some highlights. His history against Houston has certainly been a bright spot. On Wednesday, Bauer improved to 6-0 with a 2.60 ERA in six career starts against the Astros.
Colorado Rockies -- Coors Field has shortened a lot of pitching careers in its day, but Greg Holland Jake McGee and Carlos Estevez haven't had a problem pitching at home this month. The trio have combined to allow only two earned runs over 15 innings during 15 appearances, and all three enter Thursday with an ERA under 1.70 at Coors.
Detroit Tigers -- Jose Iglesias returned to the Tigers' lineup Thursday after spending time on the seven-day concussion disabled list. The career .275 hitter was riding a six-game hitting streak before going on the DL, and his return moves Dixon Machado back to the bench as a utility man.
Houston Astros -- 32-year-old Cuban Yuli Gurriel tends to fly under the radar in Houston's star-studded lineup, and it doesn't help that most of his plate appearances come in the 6-8 spots in the order. Still, Gurriel shouldn't be overlooked, particularly against right-handed pitchers. He is 19-for-41 with five doubles and a home run vs. RHPs this season after batting a respectable .281 with six doubles and a homer in 89 at-bats vs. RHPs as a major league rookie last season. In other important Astros news, both Jose Altuve (head) and George Springer (hamstring) remained out of the starting lineup Thursday.
Kansas City Royals -- Milwaukee's Eric Thames and Washington's Bryce Harper lead the majors with seven home runs against right-handed pitching, but Mike Moustakas is right behind them with six. The 28-year-old lefty hitter is batting .304 with a 1.029 OPS vs. RHPs this season, but the chances of this hot start holding true over the course of the season remain small. Moustakas, who recently moved to the leadoff position, is a career .252 hitter against righties and with a .730 OPS.
Los Angeles Angels -- C.J. Cron was held out of the starting lineup for a third consecutive game Wednesday in order to get extra time to work out some problems in his swing. "He understands some of the mechanical things he needs to adjust," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It's not an overall thing, it's a simple adjustment to when he's going well, [what] he does. Hopefully it won't be a long time. He definitely feels good about what he's doing."
Los Angeles Dodgers -- Veteran lefty Rich Hill could see action out of the bullpen when he comes off the 10-day disabled list due to a recurring blister, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday that Alex Wood has made a case to stay in the rotation and will make his next start. This is almost certainly a short-term scenario for Hill, as his value is best served as one of the top starters behind Clayton Kershaw. If he could just stay healthy!
Miami Marlins -- J.T. Realmuto is one of the better hitting catchers in baseball, and it's important to pay special attention when he faces a right-hander. Realmuto has only three strikeouts in 54 at-bats vs. RHPs this season and is batting .389 with a .921 OPS. This is a trend, too, as Realmuto did quite well against righties last season, batting .322 with nine homers and an .806 OPS.
Milwaukee Brewers -- How about the April offense of the Brewers' catchers! Despite an even split of playing time between Manny Pina and Jett Bandy -- both have played 13 games and have 43 at-bats -- the two backstops have excelled in this role. Pina is batting .419 with six doubles and a home run, while Bandy is right behind him at .349 with three doubles and four long balls. These numbers won't last over the course of the season, but Milwaukee's offensive production out of the catcher spot is something 90 percent of the league would love to have.
Minnesota Twins -- Robbie Grossman's selectiveness at the plate has always been a double-edged sword, seeming like a good trait one day and a bad one the next. So far in 2017, it's worked to his favor. Grossman enters Thursday with a .437 on-base percentage, second only to Seattle's Mitch Haniger in the American League, and he already has 15 walks in his first 71 plate appearances of the season.
New York Mets -- Not the news out of New York that Mets fans like to hear: Noah Syndergaard was scratched from his start Thursday due to a "tired arm" and is set to undergo an MRI to explore whether there's further damage. Syndergaard struck out 10 batters in his last start against Philadelphia but allowed five runs on seven hits and took his first loss of the season. This is a situation to stay on top of as we await word on the MRI.
New York Yankees -- The upstart Yankees are set to get a little stronger in the near future, as Didi Gregorius (shoulder) is set to make his season debut Friday, and Gary Sanchez is nearing a return after being out since April 8 with a Grade 1 right brachialis strain. Gregorius' return will mean less playing time for 24-year-old Ronald Torreyes, who has filled in nicely and is batting .290 in 62 at-bats this season.
Oakland Athletics -- Early indications are good regarding Sean Manaea's shoulder tightness that forced him out of Wednesday's game early against the Angels. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the big lefty has experienced this before and doesn't think this is a major problem. No tests are currently planned, and if all goes well, Manaea could be back on the mound by Tuesday. Still, a drop in velocity and an early exit are reasons for at least some concern regarding Oakland's young southpaw.
Philadelphia Phillies -- Aaron Altherr is the Phillies' best defensive outfielder, but his production at the plate is what has kept him in the lineup lately. The 27-year-old is 8-for-20 with two doubles, 1 home run and 2 steals in his last five games. He enters Thursday with hits in eight of his last nine games.
Pittsburgh Pirates -- The biggest problem early in Tyler Glasnow's big league career is his lack of control, which is causing him to suffer from high pitch counts early in his starts. It took him 74 pitches to get through three innings Wednesday, and he left the game one out into the fourth inning after hurling 89 pitches. The hard-throwing righty needed 102 pitches to get through 4 2/3 innings in his previous start against the Yankees and needed 99 pitches to log five innings the start before that against the Cubs.
St. Louis Cardinals -- Mike Leake is one of the big positive stories coming out of April for the Cardinals. The veteran right-hander doesn't overpower anybody, but he has allowed only 20 hits and four walks through his first four starts, a span of 27 1/3 innings, and heads into the final days of the month with a sparkling 1.32 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. Sustainable? No. Encouraging for a short-handed rotation? Definitely.
San Diego Padres -- The team's starting left fielder, Travis Jankowski, headed to the 10-day disabled list earlier this week after a foul ball off his foot caused a bone bruise. Speed is the best tool for Jankowski, who was off to a slow start at the plate (.160 with 21 strikeouts in 50 at-bats), so this type of injury is far from ideal. There's no timetable for his return, but once he is back in the lineup, make sure Jankowski shows the type of speed he's known for before considering him as a streaming option.
San Francisco Giants -- The youthful exuberance rookie Christian Arroyo showed after his major league call-up this week drew some raised eyebrows from team veterans, but the rookie managed his first career hit off Clayton Kershaw and connected on his first career home run off Sergio Romo, quickly becoming a fan favorite in the Bay Area. Don't be surprised if the presence of Arroyo and addition of fellow fan favorite Michael Morse -- a 2014 World Series hero who immediately lightens up a tight, veteran clubhouse -- draw out more from scuffling players like Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt and Eduardo Nunez.
Seattle Mariners -- While Taylor Motter's bat probably can't keep up its current pace, you can count on the most versatile Mariner to gain eligibility at a number of positions in the months ahead. Motter filled in at shortstop while Jean Segura was on the DL, spent time at third base while Kyle Seager (hip) was sidelined, and he gets his first start of the season at first base on Thursday. The changes to Seattle's outfield due to Mitch Haniger's oblique injury and Leonys Martin being designated for assignment could also cause Motter to see more time in the the corner outfield spots.
Tampa Bay Rays -- Tim Beckham extended his hitting streak to seven games with a two-homer outing against Baltimore on Wednesday. The 27-year-old former No. 1 overall pick in 2008 is batting .407 (11-for-27) during that stretch, with a double, triple and stolen base to go with the two home runs hit against the Orioles.
Texas Rangers -- Delino Deshields helped ignite the Rangers' struggling offense in his second start at the leadoff spot in Wednesday's 14-3 win over Minnesota, and manager Jeff Banister took notice. "I think he made the most of it," Banister said, adding that Deshields will be atop the order in the team's next game Friday. "We've been searching for runs. He gave us a huge spark." Deshields is a more valuable fantasy asset when he bats first, so it's worth watching whether this is a role he can keep in the weeks ahead.
Toronto Blue Jays -- Aaron Sanchez (finger) successfully completed a 30-pitch bullpen session Tuesday and is set to throw off the mound Friday before returning to the Blue Jays for a start Sunday against Tampa Bay. Of course, this all comes down to him continuing to have no lingering effects from the blister on his middle finger that caused him to remove a portion of his finger nail. According to Jays reporter Gregor Chisholm, the return of J.A. Happ (elbow) from a sore elbow is not imminent.
Washington Nationals -- Stephen Strasburg was reinstated from the paternity list on Thursday after being present for the birth of his second child, and he is expected to return to the mound for a start sometime this weekend against the Mets. Strasburg, who has allowed at least two earned runs in all four starts this season, last pitched April 20 in Atlanta.