Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that right-hander Hunter Greene (elbow) could return and hopefully make some starts before the All-Star break in mid-July, according to Charlie Goldsmith of FOX 19. Greene's next step will be live batting practice sessions. "He's doing really good," Francona said. Greene is currently on the 60-day injured list and has yet to pitch for Cincy this year after having surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow back in the middle of March. The 26-year-old is making rapid progress of late, though, and is getting closer to making his 2026 season debut, which is your cue to run to the waiver wire and pick him up. The hard-throwing former second overall pick in 2017 is currently rostered in only 63% of Yahoo leagues. There's obviously more risk since he's been out for an extended period of time, but when healthy, Greene has already shown that he can be a fantasy ace. He was a first-time All-Star in 2024, has posted an ERA of under 3.00 in the last two years, and sports an elite 30% strikeout rate in his first four seasons in the big leagues with the Reds.

Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo (abdomen) will sit out on Saturday at the Rogers Centre against the hosting Toronto Blue Jays after suffering an abdominal injury and being pulled from the game early on Friday, per MLB.com. Adley Rutschman is catching right-hander Kyle Bradish and will bat third against Blue Jays right-hander Braydon Fisher after a big four-hit, five-RBI performance in Friday night's blowout win. The severity of Basallo's injury is unknown at this time, but he could require a trip to the injured list and is unlikely to play again this weekend in the series in Canada. Sam Huff has been brought up as an emergency catching option for the O's in case Basallo needs to miss extended time. The 21-year-old Dominican backstop has had a pretty solid first full season in the big leagues, entering Saturday with a .273/.339/.494 slash line, .833 OPS, nine home runs, 26 RBI, and 25 runs scored in 52 games. Check back for an update on Basallo's status after he undergoes additional testing on his abdomen.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (shoulder) is not in the team's starting lineup on Saturday against the visiting Kansas City Royals after injuring his right shoulder while crashing into the outfield wall on Friday night, according to MLB.com. Ryan Kreidler is starting in center field for Minnesota and is hitting ninth in the order against Royals right-hander Luinder Avila. The good news for Buxton is that manager Derek Shelton said that the star outfielder won't go for any testing on his shoulder, so the Twins clearly don't believe he's dealing with a serious injury. Fantasy managers can consider Buxton day-to-day for now and check back on Sunday to see if he's active for the series finale at Target Field. The 32-year-old veteran doesn't run much these days in his 12th season in the big leagues, but he's been a great source of power. After clubbing a career-high 35 home runs and driving in 83 in 126 games in 2025, Buxton is already up to 18 homers in 2026 while slashing .257/.319/.549 with 28 RBI, 41 runs scored, and five stolen bases in 55 games across 248 plate appearances.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer (forearm) is getting closer to returning to the team's starting rotation after making a minor-league rehab start on Friday with Triple-A Buffalo, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. Scherzer tossed 3 2/3 innings on 73 pitches on Friday, giving up three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out five. His fastball averaged 93.4 mph and touched 95.7 mph, which are very encouraging for the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer. The Blue Jays are without Jose Berrios (elbow) and Cody Ponce (knee) for the rest of the season, along with Bowden Francis (elbow), and Dylan Cease (hamstring) and Shane Bieber (elbow) are on the injured list as well, so getting Scherzer back will be a big plus for this pitching staff. Scherzer has dealt with injuries over the last two seasons with the Jays, including his thumb, forearm, elbow, and ankle. When on the mound in Toronto, Scherzer has a 5.99 ERA in his 22 starts. It's clear he's no longer the dominant arm that we've become accustomed to, and it remains to be seen if he can give the team reliable innings the rest of the way.