Many teams play seven games next week, so this is a key time for fantasy owners. Picking up surging hitters or effective two-start pitchers could result in a big move up the standings in the coming days.

Rangers first baseman Prince Fielder is expected to undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair a herniated disc in his neck and miss the rest of the season. Second baseman Jurickson Profar could also miss the rest of the season as the Rangers were hit with another double dose of bad injury news on Thursday.

Bradley Zimmer is expected to be taken in the first round of the First-Year Player Draft on June 5 as he follows in the footsteps of his brother, Kyle, a rising prospect for the Kansas City Royals.

Of the more than 7,000 stories submitted so far to the Baseball Memory Lab, a joint effort of the Major League Baseball Origins Committee and MLB Advanced Media, there is one by a longtime Red Sox fan named Sheldon Siegel that begins with a most appropriate word: “Unforgettable.” Indeed, his word is the very reason for BaseballMemoryLab.com, a repository of those stories that are unforgettable to each individual and worth preserving for future generations.

Dr. Maya Angelou, a 2014 Major League Baseball Beacon of Life honoree, will be unable to attend the Beacon Awards Luncheon on May 30 because of health reasons.

We’ve passed the first quarter of the season and are headed into Memorial Day weekend, which means it is getting late to call this stage of the season “early.” Here are 10 takeaways from 2014 to date.

The Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Foundation announced 11 nominees for its annual award that honors three individuals who reflect the values of the Hall of Famer and former Indians pitcher.

A pair of West Coast college juniors has distinguished themselves as the best available outfielders in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft. University of San Francisco center fielder Bradley Zimmer, ranked No. 10 on MLBPipeline.com’s Top 100 Draft Prospects list, and Oregon State left fielder Michael Conforto, No. 18, both have a chance to be selected in the top 10 picks and are expected to be off the board by midway through the first round.

Balloting continues for Major League Baseball’s 85th All-Star Game on July 15 at Target Field in Minnesota, and fans can cast their votes using the 2014 All-Star Game Ballot Sponsored by Experian. Deciding who should get voted into the starting lineup can be challenging. Richard Justice and Phil Rogers discuss National League first basemen.

Bob Watson doesn’t need to read history books to understand some of the struggles of Jackie Robinson, the baseball legend who broke the color barrier in 1947. Watson needs to simply reach back into his memory bank and recall the tumultuous 1960s.

Fans can watch on MiLB.TV as the Tigers’ No. 4 prospect, right-hander Jonathon Crawford, looks to keep an impressive run of starts alive Friday, when he is slated to take the mound for Class A West Michigan as the Whitecaps face Dayton at 7 p.m. ET.

Allowing two runs on seven hits in seven innings with five K’s and no walks, Mark Buehrle improved to 8-1 on the season as the Blue Jays defeated the Red Sox, 7-2, on Thursday.

Ryan Doumit’s pinch-hit, two-run single capped a three-run seventh inning as the Braves rallied from three runs down to beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-4, Thursday night at Turner Field in a bizarre game that saw three calls overturned by replay and a lengthy review following a double-switch.

Chris Sale, making his first start since April 22, held the Yankees hitless for 5 2/3 innings and settled for a six-innings of one-hit ball (10 strikeouts) as the White Sox grabbed a 3-2 victory Thursday night at U.S. Cellular Field in the opener of a four-game series.

The results were not pretty the last time the Marlins faced the Brewers. Coming out of last year’s All-Star break, Miami played Milwaukee three times at Miller Park. Not only were the Marlins swept, but they also failed to score a run in the entire series. This time around, the Marlins will look to generate some offense as they prepare for Friday night’s tilt in Miami, where they own the best home record in the Majors.

Mark Buehrle picked up his Major League-best eighth win as the Blue Jays hit two more homers in a 7-2 win over the Red Sox to complete a three-game sweep at Fenway Park.

President Obama had a compelling reason to become the first sitting president to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on Thursday.