The Pittsburgh Pirates are promoting outfielder/first baseman Esmerlyn Valdez from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, a source told Pirates insider Jason Mackey. In a corresponding move, the team optioned outfielder Billy Cook to Indy. The 22-year-old is considered Pittsburgh's No. 9 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and the Dominican should have an opportunity to play alongside fellow outfield prospect Jhostynxon Garcia in right field with Ryan O'Hearn (quadriceps) currently on the injured list. Valdez will receive his first major-league call-up after hitting .253/.381/.506 with an .888 OPS, 10 home runs, 29 RBI, and 25 runs scored in 46 games across 194 plate appearances at Triple-A. The 6-foot-2, 234-pound right-handed hitter has intriguing raw power and has matured as a hitter this year on the farm to lower his swing-and-miss and chase rate. Because Valdez will most likely be in a platoon against left-handed pitchers, fantasy managers shouldn't overspend to roster him in mixed leagues in his first taste of the major leagues.

New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham (knee) is not in the team's starting lineup for Thursday's series finale in the Bronx against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays, according to MLB.com. Rookie Spencer Jones will make the start in center field and will hit sixth against Blue Jays right-hander Braydon Fisher. Grisham injured his knee early in Wednesday's game against Toronto while running out a double, and he'll take a seat a day later in the series finale. It's unclear how serious the left-handed-hitting outfielder's injury is, but apparently, he's optimistic that he won't need to go on the injured list. The 29-year-old former first-rounder in 2015 by the Milwaukee Brewers had the best year of his career in 2025 in his second year with the Yankees, slashing .235/.348/.464 with an .811 OPS, 34 home runs, and 74 RBI in 143 regular-season games, but that's looking more like an outlier. Grisham currently has a .174 average (27-for-155) with six homers and 27 RBI, although he's sporting a nice 30:35 BB:K in 187 plate appearances.UPDATE: Imaging on Grisham's left knee came back clean on Thursday.

The Miami Marlins announced on Thursday that left-handed pitching prospect Robby Snelling (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery after consulting with Dr. Keith Meister, according to Craig Mish of Sports Grid. It's the worst-case scenario after the Marlins placed Snelling on the injured list with a sprained UCL following his first big-league start on May 8 against the Washington Nationals, when he allowed three earned runs while walking four and striking out two in five innings to take a loss. The club's No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, will now miss the remainder of the 2026 season and most likely the first half of next year as well. He can obviously be dropped by any fantasy managers who had scooped him up in redraft leagues after he was promoted to the majors. In long-term dynasty/keeper leagues, it's a big-time blow for his development, and could make him an interesting buy-low candidate.

New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga (back), who is on the 15-day injured list with lumbar-spine inflammation, will start a minor-league rehab assignment on Friday with Single-A St. Lucie, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Senga figures to have a lengthy rehab assignment after allowing 21 runs (20 earned) on 26 hits (five home runs) while walking 13 and striking out 23 in 20 innings across his first five starts with the Mets this year. He lost four of those five starts. The 33-year-old Japanese native was an All-Star in 2023 in his first year in the big leagues, but he made just one start the following season due to an injury, and he struggled late in 2025 and was eventually optioned to the minors to work on his mechanics. Things haven't started well for him in 2026 in his fourth year with the Mets, but if he can get past his back injury, he should have a spot in the Mets' banged-up rotation at some point in June. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues should be taking a wait-and-see approach. Senga is rostered in only 13% of Yahoo leagues at the moment.