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Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel will start Sunday's series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays on the bench. In his absence, Ildemaro Vargas will get the start at third base and will bat seventh in the order versus Rays right-hander Taj Bradley. Senzel will get a day to rest after starting in each of the team's last nine games. The 29-year-old former top prospect of the Cincinnati Reds has struggled of late as well, batting just .140 (6-for-43) with a homer, double, two RBI, three walks and 10 strikeouts in 46 plate appearances in his last 13 games since June 13. Senzel does have seven home runs in 190 at-bats, but otherwise he hasn't done much for fantasy managers with a .216 average (41-for-190) with 18 RBI and 23 runs scored in his first year with the Nat. Vargas is a low-upside DFS sleeper who has never faced Bradley in his career.

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Veteran right-hander Julio Teheran opted out of his minor-league deal with the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, according to the team. Teheran had gone 1-1 with a 9.18 ERA and 2.04 WHIP while striking out 12 and handing out 11 free passes in 16 2/3 innings in his four starts for Triple-A Norfolk, so the Orioles understandably had no designs on bringing him up to the big leagues anytime soon. The 33-year-old had a bloated 8.82 ERA and 1.81 WHIP in eight minor-league starts for Triple-A Iowa in the Chicago Cubs' minor-league system earlier this year and allowed four earned runs on six hits (one homer) while walking two and striking out three in just 2 2/3 frames in his only big-league start in 2024 for the New York Mets. Teheran is probably a long shot at this point to resurface in the big leagues with another team in a starting role.

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Houston Astros rookie outfielder Joey Loperfido is not in the team's starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against the hosting New York Mets. It will be Loperfido's first day off after starting in each of the team's last six contests. The 25-year-old has gone 4-for-19 (.211) with two doubles, two RBI, a walk, a stolen base, two runs scored and seven strikeouts in six games since he returned from the injured list on June 21. The former seventh-round pick in 2021 out of Duke has just one home run in his first 58 major-league at-bats this year, but he's also hitting an impressive .293/.349/.397 with a .746 OPS, seven RBI and two stolen bases in 21 total games. Mauricio Dubon will get the nod in left field on Sunday and will hit eighth for the Astros against Mets right-hander Luis Severino. Dubon is hitless in four career at-bats versus Severino.

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The St. Louis Cardinals optioned right-handed pitching prospect Gordon Graceffo back to Triple-A Memphis on Sunday and selected the contract of right-hander Jacob Bosiokovic from Memphis in a corresponding move. Bosiokovic will be making his major-league debut when he appears in a game with St. Louis. Graceffo, the team's No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline, made his big-league debut out of the bullpen for the Cardinals on Saturday against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds and looked good, giving up just one run in 4 1/3 innings pitched. The 24-year-old former fifth-rounder in 2021 out of Villanova has gone 8-5 with a 3.84 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with a 70:29 K:BB in 75 innings over 14 starts at Memphis this year and has a good chance at returning to the Cardinals in 2024, but it remains to be seen if it will come in a starting role at all.

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Milwaukee Brewers infielder Joey Ortiz (neck) remains out of the team's starting lineup on Sunday versus the visiting division-rival Chicago Cubs, but his absence from the lineup is still considered precautionary as he deals with neck soreness. With Ortiz out again, Andruw Monasterio will man the hot corner and will bat ninth for the Brew Crew against Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks. Ortiz was scratched from Saturday's lineup but could be back in Monday's lineup for the series opener at Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies. The 25-year-old has earned decent playing time this year in Milwaukee by hitting .275 (58-for-211) with seven home runs, 28 RBI, five steals and 32 runs scored. Monasterio should be avoided in DFS, as the Venezuelan infielder has gone just 8-for-46 (.174) in limited action in 2024 with a homer and six RBI.

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San Francisco Giants rookie right-hander Spencer Bivens will make his first career major-league start on Sunday against the visiting division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Bivens made his big-league debut this year and has allowed three earned runs on six hits (three home runs) while walking four and striking out 11 in nine innings in his first five appearances out of San Francisco's bullpen. The 30-year-old's last outing for the Gigantes came on Thursday, when he went only one inning. Bivens has topped out at 49 pitches in his five outings, so fantasy managers should be avoiding him as a desperation deep-league streamer, especially against the potent Dodgers lineup.

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New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez and outfielder Harrison Bader are both out of the lineup on Sunday for the series finale against the visiting Houston Astros. Luis Torrens is doing the catching and is batting eighth, with Brandon Nimmo in center field and hitting out of the two-hole against Astros right-hander Shawn Dubin. Alvarez will get a much-needed day of rest after starting each of the team's last 17 games. The 22-year-old backstop has been raking, too, slashing .471/.558/.822 in that time frame with three home runs and five doubles. Bader will get a day off after going 6-for-20 with two home runs, three doubles and two stolen bases while starting each of the last five games. Ben Gamel also draws into New York's lineup on Sunday in left field while batting seventh.

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The Colorado Rockies announced on Sunday that they designated infielder Elehuris Montero for assignment on Sunday to make room for the return of catcher Elias Diaz (calf) from the 10-day injured list. Montero hit .243/.290/.426 with 11 home runs, 39 RBI and 40 runs scored in 307 plate appearances over 85 games in his second major-league season in 2023 for the Rockies. However, he could be on his way to a new organization in 2024 after slashing just .206/.268/.305 with four long balls, 28 RBI and 23 runs scored in 66 games for the Rockies this year while striking out 55 times in 246 plate appearances. The 25-year-old wasn't even able to keep his spot on the active roster with veteran Kris Bryant (oblique) hurt again this year. Montero being moved off the roster is good news for the power-hitting Michael Toglia.

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New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (hand) is out of the starting lineup again on Sunday against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays. Soto said he may get an MRI exam or CT scan on his right hand on Monday. He felt pain and weakness while swinging in batting practice before Saturday's game, although he said his hand feels better on Sunday. The Yankees have the day off on Monday, so there's a chance the 25-year-old superstar will be ready to play in Tuesday's series opener against the Cincinnati Reds as long as nothing shows up on his imaging on Monday. Aaron Judge is manning right field on Saturday and batting third, while Trent Grisham is in center field and in the nine-hole for the Yankees against Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Monday to see the results of Soto's tests.

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The Colorado Rockies announced on Sunday that they reinstated catcher Elias Diaz (calf) from the 10-day injured list and designated infielder Elehuris Montero for assignment in a corresponding move. Diaz will serve as the designated hitter and will bat fifth for the Rockies for Sunday's series finale against the hosting Chicago White Sox and left-hander Garrett Crochet. It's not the greatest matchup for Diaz's return against Crochet, but the 33-year-old backstop has pretty much been a must-start in single-year fantasy leagues in 2024 with a .303/.352/.439 slash line in 198 at-bats. With Diaz back, Jacob Stallings will fall back into backup duties behind the plate, although he's making another start at catcher on Sunday. Montero heads to the farm after hitting just .206 (46-for-223) with four homers and 28 RBI on the year.

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Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) had his hitting progression pushed back again on Saturday, with manager Bruce Bochy saying that Jung will visit with a specialist on Monday to evaluate the readiness of his surgically-repaired right wrist. Bochy said Jung will not test the wrist in batting practice this weekend as originally planned. Because he will require a ramp-up of at least seven to 10 days that could include more minor-league rehab games once he's medically cleared, the delay makes it possible that he won't be ready to return to Texas' active roster until after the All-Star break. The 26-year-old has been out since suffering a fractured right wrist on a hit-by-pitch on April 1 and had his first rehab assignment shut down last week due to a flare-up of tendon inflammation above the surgery site. Fantasy managers must remain patient and keep the right-handed slugger stashed in all leagues.

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The New York Mets optioned right-hander Tylor Megill and left-hander Danny Young to Triple-A Syracuse after Saturday's loss to the Houston Astros and selected the contracts of left-hander Tyler Jay and right-hander Matt Festa from Syracuse in corresponding moves. The team also transferred left-hander Brooks Raley (elbow) to the 60-day injured list and designated outfielder Duke Ellis for assignment. Megill surrendered six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings in the loss to Houston on Saturday and will now head to the minors after posting an ERA over 7.00 in five starts in June. With Megill out of the rotation, rookie left-hander Christian Scott is expected to make his return to the big leagues. Raley will miss the rest of this year and the start of 2025 after having an internal-brace procedure on his left elbow.

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Cincinnati Reds infielder Jeimer Candelario (hamstring) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting third for the Reds on Sunday in the series finale against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals and veteran right-hander Lance Lynn. Hamstring tendonitis caused Candelario to be held out in each of the team's last four games, but he'll return to close out the series. Fantasy managers may want to keep him on their bench, though, as he's hitting just .188 with a .725 OPS with a solo home run in 16 career at-bats against Lynn. The 30-year-old Candelario is most likely to see most of his playing time moving forward at DH or first base with rookie Noelvi Marte expected to be Cincy's regular third baseman the rest of the way. He's hitting .245 (66-for-269) and has been a solid source of power (14 homers) in his first year with the Reds.

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Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Triston McKenzie has been optioned to Triple-A on Sunday. This news shouldn't shock anyone considering how poorly McKenzie has pitched lately. McKenzie has allowed 12 earned runs and issued 11 walks over his last three starts. This season, McKenzie holds a 5.11 ERA through 16 starts with the Guardians. The potential is certainly there for McKenzie but he still needs to work through some mechanical issues in the minor leagues. In a corresponding move, right-hander Gavin Williams has been reinstated from the injured list.

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Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams (elbow) has been reinstated off the injured list on Sunday. The former top prospect will make his return to Cleveland after being sidelined since the beginning of the season due to elbow inflammation. This is great news for the Guardians rotation considering how well Williams pitched with the big league club last season. He posted a 3.29 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 81/37 K/BB ratio across 16 starts. The Guardians might ease him back into things right away. However, Williams should be a reliable fantasy contributor once he's back up to full speed. In a corresponding move, right-hander Triston McKenzie heads back to Triple-A after struggling early on this season.

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Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the New York Yankees. This appears to be a regular rest day for Bichette who has started four straight games since returning from the injured list. During that time, Bichette went 3-for-17 with three walks and a double. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will shift over to shortstop and bat leadoff versus right-hander Gerrit Cole on Sunday.

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez was strong on the mound during Saturday's outing against the Seattle Mariners. The right-hander recorded nine strikeouts while allowing only one run over six innings of work in the win. This is now back-to-back outings that Lopez has recorded at least nine strikeouts and allowed just one run over his last 14 innings. He'll hope to keep the good times rolling ahead of his next start against the Houston Astros.

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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Reese Olson looked good on the mound during Saturday's outing against the Los Angeles Angels. Olson struck out nine batters while allowing two runs over six innings in what ended up being a no-decision. He gave up a pair of runs early in the third inning, but Olson settled down after that. The 24-year-old has allowed two runs or fewer in three straight starts. He'll take a 3.32 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 81/26 K/BB ratio into his next start against the Cincinnati Reds.

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New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (hand) is reportedly scheduled to undergo an MRI exam or CT scan on Monday. The superstar outfielder has been sidelined since suffering a hand injury during Friday's game. Soto reportedly felt pain in his hand when he was swinging during batting practice on Saturday. The Yankees haven't posted their lineup for Sunday's game, but it would be shocking to see Soto in there. For now, fantasy managers should consider Soto as day-to-day until after the testing is finished.

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