Cincinnati Reds outfielder Spencer Steer (ankle) is sitting out of the starting lineup again on Tuesday against the visiting San Diego Padres. Steer didn't play on Sunday and remains sidelined despite the Reds having a scheduled day off on Monday. The 26-year-old was able to make a pinch-hitting appearance on Sunday, though, and says he's available off the bench once again on Tuesday. It means that Steer is unlikely to land on the injured list, and fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. In his absence on Tuesday, rookie Jacob Hurtubise is starting in left field and batting leadoff against Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove, who is making his first start off the injured list. Hurtubise has DFS sleeper upside in the leadoff spot and has gone 2-for-8 with a walk and a strikeout in his first six big-league games this year.

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San Diego Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove (elbow) has officially been reinstated from the 15-day injured list and is returning to start on Tuesday on the road in Cincinnati against the Reds. Musgrove is returning from a bout with right-elbow inflammation that has sidelined him since May 1. The 31-year-old has been hit around a bit so far in 2024 and has been leaving the ball up often, but he did look a lot better against these same Reds in San Diego his last time out on May 1, when he went six innings with two runs allowed and a season-high nine strikeouts. It's a very favorable matchup, as the Reds rank 28th out of 30 teams with a .652 OPS, but Musgrove will still be a shaky option for fantasy lineups because of the fact that he didn't go on a minor-league rehab assignment before returning. He enters the day 3-3 with a bloated 6.37 ERA and 1.51 WHIP with 36 K's in 41 innings over eight starts.

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San Diego Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) is out of the starting lineup on Tuesday for the series opener in Cincinnati against the Reds. Bogaerts hurt his left shoulder diving for a ball on Monday early on in the first game of a doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves and was kept out of Game 2, so this will be his second straight missed game. Luis Arraez will once again start at second base and hit leadoff, while Donovan Solano is the designated hitter and is batting sixth against Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott. Tests on Bogaerts' shoulder on Monday came back negative, so he's currently considered day-to-day. Fantasy managers will have to check back on Wednesday to see if he's back in action. Bogaerts has been a disappointment so far in 2024 with a .219 average, four homers, 14 RBI and four steals, but he just snapped a six-game hitting streak on Monday.

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Cleveland Guardians rookie outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez is making his major-league debut on Tuesday against the visiting New York Mets and right-hander Adrian Houser, starting in right field and batting seventh. Rodriguez enters the starting lineup in Cleveland for the first time after being called up from Triple-A Columbus on Monday. The 24-year-old could see a decent amount of at-bats for the Guardians until Steven Kwan (hamstring) is able to return from the injured list, making him worth a look off the waiver wire in AL-only leagues. MLB Pipeline has Rodriguez ranked as the team's No. 16 prospect. The Puerto Rican outfielder earned his call-up by hitting .276/.389/.449 with an .838 OPS, seven homers, 28 RBI and four steals in 43 games for Columbus.

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New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty and outfielder Harrison Bader are out of the lineup on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians. Baty went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Monday and is now hitting just .228 (31-for-136) with three homers and 15 RBI this year. The 24-year-old has already lost some playing time at the hot corner to Mark Vientos, and he could be on the bench more often moving forward if he doesn't start hitting soon. It appears to be just a normal day off for Bader, who is batting a solid .281/.322/.341 in 135 at-bats with a homer, 12 RBI and six stolen bases for the Mets. Vientos is at third base and is batting seventh on Tuesday, with Tyrone Taylor in center field and hitting fifth against Guardians right-handed spot starter Xzavion Curry.

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Cleveland Guardians right-hander Carlos Carrasco (neck), who was scheduled to start on Tuesday against the visiting New York Mets, has been scratched and placed on the 15-day injured list with an acute neck spasm. Xzavion Curry has been recalled from Triple-A Columbus and will make the spot start on Tuesday. The 37-year-old Carrasco will be out for at least the next two weeks and possibly longer given his age. Although he currently has an ERA of 5.16 and a WHIP of 1.46 in 45 1/3 innings this year, Carrasco had been pitching better of late in his last three starts. However, he's also sporting a weak 17.2 percent strikeout rate and doesn't have a ton of fantasy upside in deeper leagues when he's in Cleveland's starting rotation.

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Cleveland Guardians right-hander Xzavion Curry was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to make a spot start on Tuesday against the visiting New York Mets after the team placed right-hander Carlos Carrasco (neck) on the 15-day injured list. Curry may not be a very attractive streamer in fantasy on Tuesday, but he did toss five scoreless innings with one walk and three strikeouts in a no-decision in his only start of the year for the Guardians on April 15 against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The 25-year-old has gone 0-5 with an 8.79 ERA and 1.81 WHIP with 14 walks and 27 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings over seven outings (six starts) for Columbus, though, which explains why he'll be an extremely volatile deep-league streamer on Tuesday despite the good matchup. If Curry pitches well on Tuesday, he could stick around in Cleveland's rotation until Carrasco returns.

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The Miami Marlins will activate shortstop Tim Anderson (back) from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday and have optioned infielder Tristan Gray to Triple-A Jacksonville in a corresponding move, according to sources. Anderson ended up missing the minimum 10 days on the injured list due to lower-back tightness and should be back at shortstop on Tuesday for the team's contest against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers and rookie left-hander Robert Gasser. The 30-year-old went 4-for-9 with a home run in two minor-league rehab games with Jacksonville, so hopefully he can use that as a springboard for better offensive performances in the big leagues after really struggling since the start of last season. Anderson is returning to a .197/.234/.221 slash line with no homers, six RBI and three steals in his first 122 at-bats with the Fish.

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New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said last week that he's willing to negotiate a contract extension for outfielder Juan Soto during the season. But with Soto in a contract year in 2024, most MLB executives see it as highly unlikely that he and his agent, Scott Boras, will sign an extension before he reaches the open market. "There's no chance," an American League executive said. "I think he ultimately signs back with the Yankees, but Scott takes his guys into free agency." Another AL executive put the Yankees' chances of signing Soto before the end of the year at 5%. The 25-year-old left-handed slugger is liking the Bronx so far, hitting .311/.411/.552 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI in his first 48 games in pinstripes, so he definitely has a reason to stick around. Obviously, Soto is a must-start in all fantasy lineups when he's healthy.

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One American League executive thinks it's possible that the Toronto Blue Jays could move one or both of shortstop Bo Bichette and first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. this summer given the team's 21-25 start and the competitive state of the AL East. "I don't think they're opposed to it," the executive said. "They've talked to teams about it. The asks were ridiculous, but I think they're going to try to retool a lot, and using those guys to get pieces may be the way to do it." Both players are scheduled to reach free agency after the 2025 season, so any acquiring team would have them for the rest of this year and another full season. Bichette, a two-time All-Star, has had a sluggish start with a .230 average, only two homers and 16 RBI in 43 games. Guerrero is hitting .286 but with only four homers and 21 RBI in 45 games.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis (forearm) is scheduled to make a minor-league rehab outing for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday and throw two to three innings or 45 pitches, according to manager John Schneider. If Francis comes out of that appearance without any issues, the Blue Jays are hoping he'll be ready to come off the injured list after that and rejoin the pitching staff this weekend. In his first two rehab appearances, Francis threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings with two hits allowed, five strikeouts and just one walk. The 28-year-old was in Toronto's starting rotation to open the year due to injuries to other pitchers, but he's likely to return in a long-relief role this weekend, which puts him off the fantasy radar in the vast majority of leagues.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday and optioned right-hander Ryder Ryan to Indianapolis in a corresponding move. Bae has earned the call-up to Pittsburgh by dominating Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .367/.479/.551 slash line with a 1.030 OPS, four home runs, 15 RBI, seven stolen bases and 23 runs scored in 27 games on the farm. The 24-year-old South Korean will essentially serve as a super-utility player for the Pirates, as he played center field, left field and second base for Indianapolis. Bae made his major-league debut for the Bucs in 2022 and has played in 121 games the previous two years, hitting .240 (88-for-367) with two homers, 38 RBI and 27 stolen bases. His speed will mainly be attractive for fantasy managers in NL-only leagues.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Chad Green (shoulder) said he felt good during a nine-pitch minor-league rehab outing on Sunday for Triple-A Buffalo. Green will throw another inning for the Bisons on Wednesday, and the Blue Jays are hoping he'll be ready to return from the injured list after that. The 32-year-old veteran tossed a scoreless inning on Sunday and struck out one. He landed on the injured list in the middle of April after straining his right shoulder, but Green appears to be healthy now and ready to rejoin Toronto's bullpen as a late-inning setup man in front of closer Jordan Romano. When Romano opened the 2024 season on the injured list himself, Green filled in as the Jays' primary ninth-inning man. Green is a handcuff option for Romano and can also be useful in holds leagues.

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New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty, who opened the year as the team's starting third baseman, has already seen his playing time cut because of a timeshare with Mark Vientos. It's unclear how long the Mets plan to continue the platoon at third, but it's not a roster construction designed for the long haul. At some point, the Mets will need to make a decision. In four games since rejoining the Mets, Vientos is 4-for-14 with two doubles, while Baty is 2-for-10 with a double. Over the last month since April 20, Baty is 13-for-77 (.169) with a 30.2% strikeout rate. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Baty has given the team strong defense at third, but they need more from him at the plate from a position that's known for providing much more offense. If the 24-year-old Baty doesn't pick things up soon at the plate, he could start losing even more playing time to Vientos.

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Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Daniel Hudson locked down Monday's win over the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks, striking out two batters in a clean ninth inning for his third save. Hudson needed 20 pitches to retire the side in order and stymie Arizona's late comeback attempt, but he got the job done in Monday's save situation. The 37-year-old veteran right-hander has flourished out of LA's bullpen this season, posting a 2.70 ERA and 0.75 WHIP while fanning 22 and walking only one with three saves over 20 innings of work. While save opportunities have been few and far between for the Dodgers as of late, Hudson should be viewed as the temporary favorite for ninth-inning work until star closer Evan Phillips (hamstring) returns from his minor-league rehab assignment.

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Los Angeles Angels closer Carlos Estevez hung on for his seventh save of the year in Monday's win over the division-rival Houston Astros, allowing one run on two hits and one walk in the ninth inning. It was another shaky outing for Estevez, who allowed the potential game-winning run to get to the plate in the form of Astros third baseman Alex Bregman before putting out the fire. Although the 31-year-old veteran right-hander was an All-Star in 2023, he's blown three saves to go with a 5.17 ERA (3.85 FIP) over 15 2/3 innings in 2024. Estevez and his expiring contract should make him a trade candidate for the Halos later this summer, but his 17:2 K:BB and closer's role in Anaheim means he needs to be rostered in all fantasy leagues at the moment. It probably wouldn't hurt fantasy managers to field some sell-high trade offers, though.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman took a tough-luck no-decision in Monday's defeat to the visiting Seattle Mariners, allowing one run on three hits and one walk with six strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings. Dominic Canzone took Stroman deep in the eighth inning, but the hurler posted his second straight quality start despite witnessing closer Clay Holmes implode for a blown save in the ninth. The 33-year-old two-time All-Star will take an improved 3.05 WHIP, 1.30 WHIP, and 48:26 K:BB over 56 innings (10 starts) for the Yankees into his next scheduled start against the San Diego Padres on Saturday at Petco Park. Despite the tough matchup on paper, Stroman is 3-0 with a microscopic 0.47 ERA and 21:8 K:BB in three appearances versus the Padres since 2021.

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto tallied his fifth win of the year in Monday's victory over the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, tossing 6 1/3 strong innings of two-run ball on seven hits and one walk with eight strikeouts. Yamamoto rebounded after allowing four runs in his last start, turning in the fifth quality start in his last six appearances on Monday, and he hasn't lost since the Seoul Series with the division-rival San Diego Padres back in late March. The 25-year-old Japanese import has lived up to the hype during his first year in the major leagues, submitting a 3.17 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a superb 61:11 K:BB through 10 starts (54 innings) for the Dodgers this season. Yamamoto will look to keep the good times rolling in Sunday's scheduled start against the Cincinnati Reds, but it will come at the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.

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San Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez picked up his 13th save of the season in Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader with the Atlanta Braves, throwing a clean ninth inning on just seven pitches. The Padres came from behind to win the opener of Monday's twin bill, scoring four runs in the eighth inning to provide Suarez with the chance to convert his first save since May 8. The 33-year-old right-hander has excelled as San Diego's go-to ninth-inning man this season, going a perfect 13-for-13 on save opportunities while surrendering a lone run with an 18:4 K:BB across 20 1/3 innings. As long as he continues throwing this well, Suarez should remain the Friars' clear-cut stopper going forward.

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Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna launched two home runs during Monday's doubleheader with the San Diego Padres, clubbing two solo shots across the two outings. Ozuna clobbered a Dylan Cease slider in the third inning of Game 1, later tagging Padres right-hander Andy Vazquez for another solo jack in the fifth inning of Game 2. Well on his way to the third All-Star nod of his career, the 33-year-old veteran slugger is slashing a prolific .327/.405./642 with 14 long balls, nine doubles, 43 RBI, and 27 runs scored through 185 plate appearances (44 games) as Atlanta's everyday DH in the heart of their lineup. Next up for Ozuna is a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, and he's batting .333 (9-for-27) with one round-tripper and five RBI in his last eight games against the Cubs on the road.

From RotoBaller