As expected, the New York Mets activated outfielder Starling Marte from the bereavement list on Tuesday and optioned infielder Mark Vientos to Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move. However, Marte won't make the start on Tuesday versus the visiting Chicago Cubs, with DJ Stewart in right field and batting seventh against Cubs right-hander Javier Assad. The 35-year-old Marte will miss his fourth straight game but should be back in the lineup on Wednesday for the Mets. He's managed to stay healthy so far this year and is hitting a strong .288 (30-for-104) with four home runs, 12 RBI, six stolen bases and 16 runs scored in his first 25 games. Stewart has never faced Assad in his career and is hitting just .200 so far with three home runs for the Mets.

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Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho is not in the starting lineup on Tuesday with the team facing a left-handed pitcher. With Varsho getting the day off, Cavan Biggio will make the start in right field for the Jays and will hit ninth in the batting order against Royals left-hander Cole Ragans. Varsho has gone 5-for-17 (.294) with a solo home run against southpaws so far in 2024, but he also has just one hit in his last 14 at-bats over his last four games to drop his season slash line to .233/.324/.500. The 27-year-old left-handed slugger has added six home runs, 14 RBI and three stolen bases. Varsho should be back in Toronto's starting lineup on Wednesday. Biggio has very little fantasy upside in the nine-hole. He's hitting .229 (16-for-70) on the year with a homer and six RBI.

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Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (back) is playing first base and is batting cleanup for the Royals on Tuesday against right-hander Jose Berrios and the Toronto Blue Jays. Freddy Fermin is doing the catching and will bat sixth. Perez was scratched from Monday's lineup with back tightness, but he singled in a pinch-hit appearance late in the game and is back in the lineup a day later. Fantasy managers will want to get the 33-year-old All-Star back into their starting lineups immediately. Perez has been going off offensively with a .346/.404/.596 slash line with seven home runs in his first 29 games this year. He has a lot of experience against Berrios in his career, too, but he's hit just .214 with a home run and five RBI in 42 at-bats.

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Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said that the team and struggling first baseman Jose Abreu have decided that he will be optioned to the Florida Complex League in West Palm Beach, Florida, effective on Wednesday "to get some at-bats and his timing back right." The 37-year-old right-handed slugger also got off to a slow start with the Astros last year, but his struggles this year have fallen to another level. He's currently slashing an embarrassing .099/.156/.113 with no home runs, three RBI, three walks and 18 strikeouts in 77 plate appearances over 22 games. Abreu was a virtual lock for 100 RBI each season during his time with the Chicago White Sox from 2014-22, but he's fallen on hard time in Houston and isn't a must-stash in mixed fantasy leagues. Jon Singleton will see more playing time at first base now that Abreu is headed to the farm.

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Miami Marlins third baseman Jake Burger (intercostal) will begin his minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday with Triple-A Jacksonville, according to manager Skip Schumaker. Burger has been doing full on-field workouts since April 26 in Miami after exiting the top of the fourth inning in an April 14 game against the Atlanta Braves with a left-oblique strain. He suffered a left-oblique strain last year, and he said this injury felt similar to that one. Burger is expected to come off the injured list on the team's upcoming road trip, which begins in Oakland against the A's this Friday. Emmanuel Rivera has been seeing regular playing time at the hot corner with Burger sidelined, but Burger should take over everyday duties when he returns. The 28-year-old was hitting .228 (13-for-57) with three home runs and 15 RBI at the time of his injury.

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Miami Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett (shoulder) will make another minor-league rehab start this week before possibly joining the big-league club. Garrett resumed his rehab assignment on April 26 with Triple-A Jacksonville and threw three-plus innings in a 59-pitch outing. He was on track for a return before experiencing "dead arm" during his April 15 bullpen session, which was unrelated to his previous left-shoulder impingement, according to manager Skip Schumaker. The 26-year-old southpaw has yet to debut in the big leagues in 2024 but should be picked up off the waiver wire and stashed in deeper mixed fantasy leagues if he's available after he broke out for the Fish in 2023. Given all of the injuries to Miami's starters this year, Garrett will undoubtedly be inserted into the rotation immediately when he comes off the injured list.

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Miami Marlins right-hander Sixto Sanchez is serving as the opener on Tuesday in the series opener against the Colorado Rockies. It will be Sanchez's second straight appearance as the team's opener after he allowed three earned runs on five hits while walking one in just 2 2/3 innings last Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves. This matchup should be much more forgiving for the 25-year-old, but he's still not a recommended fantasy streamer because he's unlikely to go deep enough to qualify for a win or quality start. The Dominican hurler finally made it back to the big leagues this year after years of dealing with arm injuries, but so far he's underwhelmed with a 7.20 ERA and 1.70 WHIP while walking four and striking out six in 10 innings over eight appearances (one start).

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Miami Marlins shortstop Tim Anderson (thumb) is not in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday against the visiting Colorado Rockies. It's not much of a surprise after Anderson suffered a mild left-thumb sprain in Monday's contest. While it doesn't appear to be an injury that will send the shortstop to the injured, the 30-year-old could end up missing a few days at least. The Marlins consider him day-to-day for now. Vidal Brujan is starting at the 6 on Tuesday and will hit eighth against Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner. Anderson's surprising fall from grace last year with the Chicago White Sox has so far carried over to 2024 in his first year in Miami, as he's currently hitting .221 (21-for-95) with no home runs, five RBI and three stolen bases. Brujan will be a low-upside DFS sleeper in the eight-hole against a pitcher he's never faced.

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Third baseman Gio Urshela (hamstring) is traveling with the Detroit Tigers for their six-game road trip as he gets closer to a return from injury. Urshela is going through hitting and defensive drills, while also continuing to run as he looks to return from a right-hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since April 19. He's currently on the 10-day injured list. Before the injury, Urshela was the Tigers' everyday third baseman and was slashing .298/.310/.333 with six RBI. In place of Urshela, Detroit has been starting Matt Vierling at third base. Once Urshela returns from injury, he will resume being the everyday third baseman, but despite that, he is under 5 percent owned in Yahoo and ESPN fantasy leagues.

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The Milwaukee Brewers are set to call up prospect Tyler Black. The infielder is the Brewers' No. 4 ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline. Black has been hitting well as of late, as in his last 17 games, he's slashing 328/.425/.612 with five home runs and three stolen bases. Black has been primarily playing first and third base in the minors but is expected to challenge Jake Bauers for time at first base. Bauers has struggled as he's slashing .200/.250/.633 with two home runs. If Black can get consistent playing time, he is a viable fantasy option due to his on-base ability. Black is not on the 40-man roster so a corresponding move will need to be made by the Brewers.

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The Minnesota Twins have activated right-hander Jhoan Duran (oblique), who has missed the start of the season due to an oblique injury. Last season, the right-hander had 27 saves with a 2.45 ERA. Duran is one of the top closers in fantasy baseball and is expected to resume his role as the closer after his two-game rehab stint in Triple-A, as his fastball clocked in at an average of 101.8 mph. In a corresponding move, the Twins have designated right-hander Matt Bowman for assignment. Bowman had a 2.35 ERA in five games in 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs out of the bullpen.

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Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick is dealing with soreness in his hamstring. Astros manager Joe Espada said it is a day-to-day injury for the time being. McCormick is slashing .236/.325/.278 this season with 8 RBIs. With McCormick out of the lineup, Joey Loperfido will be getting some starts in the outfield, the manager revealed. Loperfido was expected to play some first base due to the struggles of Jose Abreu, but will now get some reps in the outfield due to the injury to McCormick. In the minors, Loperfido slashed .287/.393/.713 with 13 home runs in 25 games before the callup and is a fantasy option due to his power.

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The Colorado Rockies placed outfielder Nolan Jones (back) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 29) with a lower-back strain. With Jones going to the IL, Colorado selected the contract of outfielder Jordan Beck to the major league roster, and left-hander pitcher Lucas Gilbreath has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. This season, Jones is slashing .170/.243/.277 with one home run, as he last played on April 28 and went 1-for-2 with one strikeout. Beck is the Rockies No. 4 prospect, per MLB pipeline, will likely play everyday while Jones is on the IL.

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Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz hit a home run in Monday's victory against the San Diego Padres. The 22-year-old shortstop went 1-for-4 with his only hit being a solo home run. De La Cruz has had some rough stretches this season but has also been able to make an impact at times for the Reds. He is hitting .280 (28-for-100) with five doubles, one triple, eight homers, 19 RBI, 26 runs, 17 walks, 36 strikeouts, and 18 stolen bases through 29 games. With matchups in his favor against San Diego and Baltimore, De La Cruz should remain a starter in your lineups.

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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani contributed to Monday's 8-4 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ohtani went 2-for-4 with one run, one RBI, and walked once. He continues to be a huge contributor to an already powerful Dodgers lineup this season. He is slashing .341/.406/.635 through 31 games. He is 43-for-126 with 14 doubles, one triple, seven homers, 19 RBI, 25 runs, 15 walks and 25 strikeouts. There is no question about the power that Ohtani brings to the plate and, fantasy managers already know to continue locking him in.

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The Chicago White Sox signed first baseman Jared Walsh to a minor-league deal on Tuesday. He will report to Arizona before being assigned to Triple-A Charlotte. Walsh began the year with the Texas Rangers and went 12-for-53 (.226) with a home run, seven RBI and nine runs scored in 17 games while filling in at first base with Nathaniel Lowe starting the year on the injured list. Once Lowe returned from his injury, the Rangers cut Walsh. At this point, the White Sox are just looking for warm bodies with potential. For the time being, the 30-year-old Walsh will provide minor-league depth at first base. The former 39th-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels in 2015 out of Georgia has a career .239/.301/.438 slash line with 59 home runs and 191 RBI in six seasons, including this year.

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The St. Louis Cardinals moved starting pitcher Drew Rom (biceps) to the 60-day injured list on Tuesday to make room for pitcher Kyle Leahy as the 27th man for Tuesday's doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. Rom is dealing with a left-biceps injury and is scheduled to visit with Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas on Tuesday. Now that the 24-year-old left-hander is on the 60-day injured list, he won't be eligible to return to the Cardinals' bullpen until at least late May. The former fourth-round selection by the Baltimore Orioles in 2018 went 1-4 in his big-league debut in St. Louis last year and had a rough 8.02 ERA (5.75 FIP) and 2.08 WHIP with 19 walks and 32 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings over his eight starts. Rom showed plenty of strikeout potential in the minors, but his control has also been lacking.

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Oakland A's third baseman Tyler Nevin was locked in during Monday's 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nevin went 2-for-3 with one run, one homer, two RBI, and one strikeout. The 26-year-old continues to provide production after a slow start to the season. He's now hitting .301 (22-for-73) with two doubles, three homers, eight runs, eight RBI with five walks and 16 strikeouts through 23 games. At best, Nevin is an option in AL-only leagues, but he still has more to prove for those considering him off the waiver wire in deep-mixed leagues, especially since he plays for one of the worst teams in baseball.

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Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies brought in the only run on Monday in the 2-1 loss against the Seattle Mariners. Albies went 1-for-4, with his only hit being a double, but he also brought in the only run for Atlanta. The 27-year-old has provided production for a powerful Braves lineup this season, hitting .325 (26-for-80) in 19 games. He has nine doubles, two homers, 16 runs, 17 RBI, five walks, and 14 strikeouts. Albies returned from the 10-day injured list (fractured toe) four days ago and picked up where he left off for fantasy managers, remaining a consistent starter.

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Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is not in the team's starting lineup for Game 1 of a doubleheader on Tuesday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. With Baez resting, Zach McKinstry will get the nod at shortstop and will hit seventh in the lineup against Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson. It seems like ages ago that Baez was a two-time All-Star with the Chicago Cubs. He's really fallen on hard times in Detroit and is hitting just .193/.233/.277 in 25 games this year with just one home run, nine RBI, six stolen bases, four walks and 21 strikeouts in 90 plate appearances. Now that Baez's power production is down -- he hit just nine long balls in 2023 -- it's hard to justify starting him in mixed fantasy leagues. McKinstry is hitting .220 (9-for-41) and doesn't have a homer this year, but he has a solo home run in six career at-bats against Gibson.

From RotoBaller