New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso will start on the bench on Monday in the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals. As a result, outfielder DJ Stewart will make his first career start at first base and will hit in the cleanup spot versus Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson. This will be Alonso's first day off of the 2024 season. The 29-year-old right-handed slugger has gone 2-for-36 (.056) with a home run, four RBI and 11 strikeouts in his last 10 games to drop his season slash line to .206/.295/.420, so it makes sense to give him a day to rest. Despite the recent slump, Alonso has eight home runs and elite power that makes him a must-start every day he's active. Stewart, who is hitting under .200, will be a boom/bust DFS play in the cleanup spot for the Mets in DFS lineups on Monday.

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San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado is not in the team's starting lineup on Monday for a series opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. With Machado on the bench, Donovan Solano will start at the hot corner and bat sixth against Cubs left-hander Justin Steele, who is making his first start off the injured list. Solano is hitless in two career at-bats against Steele and will be getting his first at-bat of the 2024 season after just being called up from the minors over the weekend. The 31-year-old Machado had started all nine games since returning from the paternity list last month. Since returning on April 26, Machado has gone 9-for-36 (.250) with a home run and nine RBI in 37 plate appearances. Machado will be back in the lineup on Tuesday.

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Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang is not in the team's starting lineup on Monday for the series opener against the Royals in Kansas City. With Turang getting a blow on Monday, Joey Ortiz will man second base for the Brewers and hit second in the batting order against Royals left-hander Cole Ragans. This will be only the third time this year that Turang hasn't been in the starting lineup for Milwaukee. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter is having a great season through 107 at-bats, slashing .299/.367/.411 with two home runs, 12 RBI, 14 stolen bases and 16 runs scored. Turang isn't much of a power hitter, but his speed plays in all fantasy leagues. Ortiz, who has gone 18-for-66 (.273) this year, will be a DFS sleeper on Monday in the two-hole.

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The Chicago White Sox recalled right-hander Mike Clevinger from Triple-A Charlotte on Monday and placed right-hander Dominic Leone (back) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 5) with lower-back tightness in a corresponding move. After re-signing with the White Sox late after the start of the regular season, Clevinger is finally ready to make his 2024 debut in the majors after giving up three runs on 10 hits while walking three and striking out seven in 7 1/3 innings over two minor-league starts with Charlotte. Fantasy managers should not expect him to go deep in Monday's contest, making him a poor streaming option in his first start of 2024. The 33-year-old isn't the high-upside he pitcher he once was in Cleveland, but he can be serviceable in deeper leagues and as a streamer in the right matchups.

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The St. Louis Cardinals moved outfielder Tommy Edman (wrist) to the 60-day injured list on Monday, meaning he won't be eligible to return to the team until May 24 now. Edman had surgery on his right wrist last October and has yet to make his 2024 debut with the Cardinals. However, he has resumed taking swings from both sides of the plate and is making progress. The 28-year-old switch-hitter has yet to be cleared for full baseball activities yet, though, so he still has more boxes to check off before he's activated from the IL later this month. Until Edman is activated, Dylan Carlson figures to see most of the playing time in center field for the Cardinals. When Edman is back in St. Louis, he'll be an everyday starter for the team.

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The St. Louis Cardinals placed right-hander Giovanny Gallegos (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list on Monday with a right-shoulder impingement and selected the contract of right-hander Chris Roycroft from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. Gallegos didn't record an out while giving up three earned runs on three hits for his first loss of the season against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, but it appears he wasn't pitching at 100 percent health. The 32-year-old allowed seven earned runs while recording no outs in his last two appearances, so something clearly wasn't right. The two poor outings have raised his ERA to a rough 12.00 on the year. With Gallegos on the shelf for at least the next two weeks, the Cards will ask more of setup men JoJo Romero and Andrew Kittredge.

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Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Taj Bradley (pectoral) is with the team on Monday before their series opener against the Chicago White Sox and seems likely to be activated from the 15-day injured list this week. Bradley has been out all season with a right-pectoral strain, but he's tracking toward making his season debut for the Rays later this week. The 23-year-old allowed one earned run in six innings while striking out eight for Triple-A Durham last Friday and is certainly worth a waiver-wire pickup now that he's on the cusp of his return, at least in deep-mixed fantasy leagues. His first start is likely to come this weekend against the New York Yankees, which won't be the best matchup to stream him, but his upside alone makes him worth stashing.

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Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said that top prospect Paul Skenes is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Indianapolis again this week. Skenes actually looked human in his last start with Indy on Sunday, giving up two runs on three hits while walking two and striking out only four in 4 1/3 innings pitched. The 21-year-old No. 1 overall pick last year threw just 66 pitches in the outing, so he definitely needs more time in the minors to get stretched out before the Pirates feel comfortable throwing him into the fire at the MLB level. Despite his subpar outing on Sunday, Skenes' numbers are still dominant. Through seven starts, he has a 0.99 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with only eight walks and 45 strikeouts in 27 1/3 innings. Skenes will be brought up to the big leagues sooner than later, and he needs to be rostered in all fantasy formats.

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Los Angeles Angels infielder Luis Rengifo (illness) was scratched from Monday's lineup against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rengifo missed the team's last two games on Saturday and Sunday against the Cleveland Guardians with an illness, but he's not sick anymore, and it's unclear why he was scratched from the series opener in Pittsburgh. Brandon Drury is now starting at third base and will hit sixth for the Halos against Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller. Rengifo has been hitting the ball well this year, going 30-for-91 (.330) with two homers, 11 RBI and nine stolen bases, so fantasy managers in deeper leagues will be hoping he's able to return soon. Drury, on the other hand, is hitting just .161 (15-for-93) with a homer and five RBI, but he's batting .600 in five career at-bats against Keller with a home run and six RBI.

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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jose Siri is not in the team's starting lineup on Monday as they take on the visiting Chicago White Sox. Siri went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts in the last two games over the weekend to drop his season line to .176/.262/.286 in his first 91 at-bats of the year. The 28-year-old Dominican outfielder has added two home runs, seven RBI, six stolen bases and 11 runs scored in 31 games played. Siri hasn't played great defense either so far this year, so if he continues to struggle offensively, he could find himself on the bench more often now that Josh Low (oblique) is back from the injured list. Jonny DeLuca is starting in center field and is batting in the nine-hole for the Rays in the series opener against the White Sox and right-hander Mike Clevinger, who is making his season debut.

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Cleveland Guardians rookie first baseman Kyle Manzardo is serving as the designated hitter and is batting seventh on Monday in his major-league debut against the visiting Detroit Tigers and right-hander Jack Flaherty. Cleveland called Manzardo up from Triple-A Columbus to add another bat to their lineup with outfielder Steven Kwan (hamstring) going on the injured list. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter was done nothing but hit in the minors since coming over in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays last year, and his mix of power potential and plate discipline make him an immediate waiver-wire pickup in at least deep-mixed fantasy leagues with a chance to play every day between DH and first base. The team's No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, could stick around after Kwan returns, too. It isn't the best matchup for his big-league debut, though, as Flaherty has so far been dominating hitters in 2024.

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Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe (hand) is back behind the dish and is hitting fifth for the Angels on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and right-hander Mitch Keller. O'Hoppe left the game on Saturday early against the Cleveland Guardians after taking a foul tip off his right hand, but X-rays came back negative and he will end up missing only one game as a result. Fantasy managers that have been rolling with the 24-year-old will want to get him back into their starting lineups this week. O'Hoppe will return to a .260/.317/.396 slash line with two home runs in his 29 games played so far in 2024. This will be the first time in his career that he's faced Keller.

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Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan (hamstring) is expected to miss four weeks with an acute hamstring strain, according to Mandy Bell of MLB.com. Kwan left Saturday's 7-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels with hamstring tightness in the top of the fourth inning. However, an MRI revealed a strain for the outfielder, which will cause him to be out for approximately one month. The 26-year-old has been one of the best hitters this season, batting .353 with three home runs, 11 RBI, six doubles, and two triples in 32 games. Fantasy managers should place him in one of their injured list spots and expect a return sometime at the beginning of June.

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The Cincinnati Reds optioned left-handed pitcher Sam Moll to Triple-A Louisville on Monday. Moll has been great out of the bullpen for the Reds in 2024, allowing zero earned runs across five inningssince making his season debut in late April. However, with Cincinnati needing a roster spot to officially activate Frankie Montas (forearm) for Tuesday's start, the southpaw is the odd man out. The left-hander has a career 3.31 ERA and 133 strikeouts in 147 appearances in his MLB career.

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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe (oblique/hamstring) was activated from the 10-day injured list ahead of the team's series opener against the Chicago White Sox on Monday. Lowe has battled through some injuries so far this season and spent most of spring training dealing with an oblique issue. Then, the outfielder felt some hamstring tightness a couple of weeks ago, which delayed his activation. However, the 26-year-old is now healthy enough to make his season debut on Monday. The left-handed slugger should be rostered in all formats heading into Week 7, especially after a breakout campaign in 2023. He hit .292 at the plate with 20 home runs, 83 RBI, and 32 stolen bases across 135 games last season.

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San Francisco Giants catcher Tom Murphy (knee) is expected to miss the next four to six weeks with a left knee sprain, according to manager Bob Melvin. Murphy suffered the injury in Saturday's 14-3 loss against the Philadelphia Phillies and now will be out for the next couple of weeks after undergoing an MRI on Sunday. The veteran catcher was hitting just .118 with one home run and two RBI in 13 games this season. With Patrick Bailey (concussion) also on the injured list, look for Blake Sabol to get more opportunities behind the plate.

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San Francisco Giants designated hitter Jorge Soler (shoulder) is not in the lineup for the team's series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday. Soler is currently battling a shoulder issue, which also kept him out of action in Sunday's 5-4 loss. The slugger's shoulder injury doesn't appear to be a long-term issue. However, fantasy managers should keep an eye on his status before Tuesday's game. The 32-year-old has gotten off to a slow start at the plate in 2024, hitting just .202 with five home runs and eight RBI in 34 games.

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San Francisco Giants right-hander Logan Webb had another rough outing Sunday in the 5-4 loss against the Philadelphia Phillies. Webb threw for four innings on Sunday, allowing five runs, one homer, and six hits, with six strikeouts and two walks. This makes it his second straight game where he was pulled early after allowing multiple runs. The 27-year-old right-handed pitcher recorded two clean starts before the Boston Red Sox series but has taken a turn for the worst. He now owns a 3.50 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and a 36: 12 K: BB across 46 1/3 innings in 2024. Webb's next projected start is against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, and they hold a batting average of .210 against right-handed pitchers, giving Webb a perfect bounce-back spot as a streaming option for fantasy managers.

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Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper hit a three-run homer Sunday in the 5-4 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Harper went 1-for-3, with his only hit being the three-run homer off Logan Webb in the third inning. He is hitting .234 (26-for-111) with five doubles, seven homers, 17 runs, 21 RBI, 24 walks, and 31 strikeouts in 31 games. Fantasy managers should continue to roll with Harper, and he will have favorable matchups in Week 7, facing the Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, and ending it against the Miami Marlins.

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Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said on Saturday that right-hander Max Scherzer (back, thumb) is still in a holding pattern until his right-thumb soreness subsides. The Rangers pushed Scherzer's scheduled minor-league rehab start for Double-A Frisco on April 30 back a few days because of his thumb soreness. He traveled with the team to Kansas City on Friday but has yet to throw off a mound since being pushed back. "He's not at a point where he can play catch. Every day he's getting a bit better, but it's slower than he would like. You can't rush it. It's day to day with this thing before he gets on the mound," Bochy said. Scherzer was originally slated to return in late June/early July after having surgery on his back for a herniated disc on Dec. 15, but his timeline has accelerated and he should be able to rejoin Texas' rotation in May, barring any further setbacks.

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