Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (back) is serving as the DH and is batting third in Monday's series opener against the hosting Texas Rangers and right-hander Kumar Rocker, according to MLB.com. Alvarez ended up missing just one game on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs due to back discomfort. Now that the 28-year-old Cuban left-handed slugger is back in the mix, he needs to be returned to all starting lineups in traditional fantasy leagues. Alvarez, a three-time All-Star and former American League Rookie of the Year, remains one of baseball's best all-around hitters, slashing .300/.415/.595 this year while leading the league in OPS (1.010) and total bases (113) in 53 games played. He has added 15 home runs, 31 RBI, 31 runs scored, and a stolen base across 229 plate appearances. Alvarez is in the 100th percentile in xwOBA, the 100th percentile in expected slugging percentage, and the 92nd percentile in hard-hit rate. The dude is an absolute stud. He has never faced Rocker in his career.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease (hamstring) will be placed on the 15-day injured list with a left-hamstring injury, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. Cease allowed two earned runs with a walk and eight strikeouts in only 4 2/3 innings in a start on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and was pulled early due to discomfort in his left hamstring. The 30-year-old will now miss at least the next two weeks despite manager John Schneider saying the imaging on Cease's hamstring was positive. Fantasy managers will be hoping that it's a minimal stay on the IL for Cease, who has been very sharp in his first year with the Blue Jays in 2026. The former sixth-round pick by the Chicago Cubs in 2014 has gone 3-3 so far on the year with a 3.05 ERA (2.57 FIP) and 1.21 WHIP with a league-leading 92 strikeouts and 26 walks across 11 starts and 62 innings pitched. Fantasy managers should be holding Cease everywhere. It's unclear who might take his spot in the starting rotation for the short term.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (forearm) said he will take batting practice on Monday with an eye on live batting practice on Friday. If that goes off without a hitch, Langford will likely embark on a minor-league rehab assignment this weekend, according to Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. Langford has not played with the Rangers since April 21 and had a setback with his right-forearm injury while playing in extended spring training in late April, which is why he's still on the 10-day injured list. The 24-year-old former fourth overall pick out of the University of Florida in 2023 is making good progress of late, though, and could be reinstated from the IL at some point next week if he can avoid another setback this week. Langford still has intriguing power/speed upside despite all of his nagging injuries early in his career. He was hitting .238 (19-for-80) with only one homer in 20 games before his injury this year, but he slashed .247/.335/.423 with a .758 OPS, 38 homers, 136 RBI, and 41 stolen bases in his first two years in the big leagues for Texas.

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Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (elbow) is not in the team's starting lineup for Monday's series opener in Toronto against the visiting Miami Marlins. Lenyn Sosa will start at first for the Jays and will bat ninth against Marlins right-hander Janson Junk. Guerrero is not ready to return to action after he left Sunday's series finale prematurely against the Pittsburgh Pirates after he was hit by a pitch on his right elbow. Thankfully, X-rays came back negative, so he's being considered day-to-day for now. Fantasy managers will want to check back to see if Vlad is ready to return for Game 2 of the series on Tuesday at the Rogers Centre. The 27-year-old five-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner has only three home runs on the season through 188 at-bats, but he's hitting a strong .287 (54-for-188) with a .386 on-base percentage, 22 RBI, 32 runs, and four steals in 53 games played. Sosa should be ignored in DFS lineups out of the nine-hole for Toronto.

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New York Yankees left-hander Max Fried (elbow) played catch on Monday for the first time since being shut down with a left-elbow injury, according to Greg Joyce of the New York Post. However, manager Aaron Boone said not to read too much into that because it doesn't mean that Fried is ready to ramp up his throwing program. "There's nothing really that would say he can start the ramp-up process yet," Boone said after Fried underwent follow-up imaging. In a best-case scenario, the 32-year-old southpaw might be able to rejoin the Yankees' starting rotation by mid-June, but the end of June or beginning of July might be more realistic. The former seventh overall pick by the San Diego Padres in 2012 is currently on the 15-day injured list, but he must be stashed in all fantasy baseball leagues. Before getting hurt, Fried went 4-3 with a 3.21 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 50 strikeouts and 19 walks in 61 2/3 innings across his 10 starts. He has been an All-Star in three of his last four seasons and is a fantasy ace when he's healthy.

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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was found guilty on Monday and criminally responsible for the crime of sexual and psychological abuse against a minor, but ESPN's Juan Arturo Recio reports that he will not serve a sentence. The 25-year-old won't have to spend any time behind bars as long as he meets the conditions set by a judge, which is a curious decision by the justice system in the Dominican Republic. Franco remains on the restricted list in MLB, and the Rays won't be required to pay any of his salaries from the 11-year, $182 million contract he signed with the organization back in November of 2021. Major League Baseball could decide to discipline Franco in their own way, but either way, the once-promising shortstop prospect is unlikely to ever play professional baseball in the United States again. Franco was an All-Star in his last year with the Rays in 2023 and slashed .282/.340/.454 with a .795 OPS, 30 home runs, 130 RBI, and 40 steals in 265 games played in his three MLB seasons.

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San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello said there's a good chance that right-hander Logan Webb (knee) will come off the 15-day injured list to pitch during the series against the division-rival Colorado Rockies in Denver this weekend, but nothing is final, according to Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News. Webb is not expected to need another minor-league rehab start. In his lone rehab start with Triple-A Sacramento, Webb threw 62 pitches over 3 1/3 innings, so he could be somewhat limited in his first start back in the big leagues at hitter-friendly Coors Field this weekend. The 29-year-old has been sidelined since early May with bursitis in his right knee, making him a pretty risky fantasy start in his first game action for the Gigantes this weekend. The two-time All-Star is still rostered in 96% of Yahoo leagues despite his current 5.06 ERA (3.54 FIP) in his eight starts before going on the IL. Webb has struck out 42 and walked only 15 in 48 innings in 2026.

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Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said on Monday that left-handed reliever A.J. Puk (elbow) is likely to get seven or eight appearances on a minor-league rehab assignment as he works his way back from an internal-brace surgery on his left elbow last June, according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. It could push Puk's return from the 60-day injured list into the middle of June. Right now, veteran Paul Sewald is the D-backs' primary closer, but upon Puk's return, he could be thrust right into the ninth-inning mix, making him a potential stash candidate right now in deeper fantasy baseball leagues. The 31-year-old former sixth overall pick by the Athletics in 2016 out of the University of Florida had a 3.38 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, four saves, 12 strikeouts, and two walks in eight innings pitched last year before having season-ending elbow surgery, and he has an 11.2 career K/9 and 26 saves in six big-league seasons. Puk is widely available on the waiver wire right now and is currently rostered in just 2% of Yahoo leagues.

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Cleveland Guardians left-handed reliever Erik Sabrowski (elbow) is being placed on the 15-day injured list on Monday with left-elbow inflammation, according to the team. Right-hander Codi Heuer is being recalled from Triple-A Columbus in a corresponding move. Although Sabrowski isn't in the mix for saves in Cleveland as a late-inning setup man, he's still rostered in 25% of Yahoo leagues and has been one of the best all-around relievers in baseball so far in 2026. The 28-year-old Canadian southpaw leads the league with 17 holds and has gone 2-1 with a stingy 1.71 ERA (1.84 FIP) and 0.95 WHIP with 39 strikeouts and 13 walks in 21 innings pitched out of the bullpen. Sabrowski also had a 1.84 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 42:21 K:BB in 29 1/3 relief innings for Cleveland last year. Only he and Mason Miller of the Padres are in the 100th percentile in strikeout rate in 2026, which tells you all you need to know. In fantasy leagues that reward points for holds, Sabrowski is worth holding.

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Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (shoulder) is not in the team's starting lineup for the second straight day due to left-shoulder soreness in Monday's series opener against the visiting Houston Astros, according to MLB.com. Ezequiel Duran is starting at third base and is batting cleanup, while Michael Helman will start at the 6 and hit ninth against Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai. Jung is considered day-to-day after being pulled from Saturday's game in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels due to shoulder soreness. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Tuesday to see if Jung is ready to return to action for Game 2 of the series at Globe Life Field. Injuries have been an issue for the 28-year-old former eighth overall pick in 2019 out of Texas Tech, but the right-handed slugger has made some adjustments at the plate in 2026 and is hitting over .300 with five homers, 21 RBI, 22 runs, and a steal in 182 at-bats. Fantasy managers will be hoping that his minor shoulder injury won't slow him down.

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Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton confirmed that infielder Brooks Lee is the team's primary third baseman going forward after Royce Lewis was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. "Once we made the move to option Royce, we talked about what was best for our club right now. We felt moving Brooks to third was the best thing for our club," Shelton said. Lee will occasionally play some shortstop, but he will mostly see time at the hot corner. It's not like Lee was great defensively at the 6, and he has made four straight starts at third since Lewis was sent to the minors. Top prospect Kaelen Culpepper could force his way to the big leagues soon and take over duties at shortstop in Minnesota, but until that happens, it will be Ryan Kreidler at short for the Twins. Lee, a 25-year-old switch-hitter in his third year in the majors, is currently slashing .254/.309/.395 with a career-best .704 OPS, five homers, 26 RBI, 22 runs, and three steals across 49 games played. He has eligibility at second, third, and shortstop in Yahoo leagues and is rostered in 25% of those formats.

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New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said on Monday that right-hander Kodai Senga (back) will make another minor-league rehab start on Thursday, per Max Goodman of NJ.com. Senga made his first rehab start on Friday for Single-A St. Lucie and allowed two earned runs on four hits while walking one and striking out two in 3 1/3 innings. He threw 36 of his 63 pitches for strikes. Depending on how he fares in his second rehab start this week, the Mets could choose to reinstate Senga from the 15-day injured list after that. The 33-year-old Japanese native wasn't very good at all in his five starts for the Mets this year before tweaking his back, though, so don't be surprised if the Mets aren't in any rush to bring him back to the big-league starting rotation. Senga has gone 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA (6.13 FIP) and 1.95 WHIP with 23 strikeouts and 13 walks in 20 innings. It also isn't out of the question that Senga returns as a long man out of New York's bullpen. After a strong first year in MLB in 2023, in which he was an All-Star, Senga hasn't quite been the same after making just one start in 2024 due to injury. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues can take a wait-and-see approach on Senga.

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New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said on Monday that catcher Francisco Alvarez (knee) is already hitting and could be back well before his eight-week timetable, according to NJ.com's Max Goodman. "He's built different," Mendoza said. Alvarez is recovering nicely after undergoing surgery to fix a torn meniscus in his right knee less than two weeks ago. If everything continues to progress well for Alvarez, he'll have a chance to rejoin the Mets as their starting catcher before the end of June. Until then, the Mets will continue to move forward with Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger splitting the duties behind the plate in Queens. Alvarez continues to struggle to stay healthy in the big leagues, but when he's active, he can provide above-average power at the catching position for fantasy managers. The 24-year-old Venezuelan had a career-high 25 homers in 123 games in 2023 in his first full season in the majors, but he has combined for 22 homers in the last two seasons. Because of his latest injury, Alvarez is now only rostered in 16% of Yahoo leagues.

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New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said on Monday that shortstop Francisco Lindor (calf) has started running and doing other baseball activities such as fielding grounders and hitting, according to Max Goodman of NJ.com. Finally, the 32-year-old Puerto Rican shortstop is making progress after already missing more than a month with a pretty serious left-calf strain. Lindor still has a ways to go before he can rejoin the major-league roster, but barring a setback once he's cleared for a minor-league rehab assignment, he should be back at some point in June to try and help the Mets climb out of the basement in the National League East. Until then, Bo Bichette will continue to handle starting shortstop duties, with Brett Baty playing third base against right-handed pitching. Lindor should remain stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy baseball leagues despite his injury and slow start to the 2026 season. Before getting hurt, the five-time All-Star was batting just .226 (21-for-93) with two long balls, five RBI, 14 runs scored, and two steals in 24 games played.

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Even though Boston Red Sox left-hander Payton Tolle is scheduled to face off against the first-place Atlanta Braves in his next outing this week, he has done enough to warrant waiver-wire consideration in fantasy leagues where he's still available. The 23-year-old southpaw picked up another quality start by allowing three earned runs in six innings while walking two and striking out nine for a no-decision in his last outing on May 22 against the Minnesota Twins. Tolle now has four quality starts in his six starts in 2026, posting a 2.45 ERA (2.84 FIP) and 0.82 WHIP with 39 strikeouts and only nine walks in 36 2/3 innings pitched. He has yet to allow more than three earned runs in an outing and is one of the more promising, young left-handed arms in all of baseball. Tolle made his big-league debut last year with the BoSox and wasn't quite as good, recording a 6.06 ERA and 1.59 WHIP with 19 K's and eight walks in 16 1/3 frames over seven appearances (three starts). Tolle is rostered in 62% of Yahoo leagues, and he'll have a nice test this week against Atlanta.

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Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (elbow) didn't bounce back well from his minor-league rehab start on Saturday with Triple-A Omaha, manager Matt Quatraro told Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Ragans felt similar symptoms in his elbow as before, although he didn't feel anything while pitching on Saturday. He is being shut down for two to three days before being re-evaluated. It's unfortunate news after the 28-year-old southpaw gave up one run with three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings in his rehab start over the weekend. Ragans is on the 15-day injured list with an impingement in his left elbow and appeared to be making strides towards potentially rejoining the Royals' starting rotation in the near future, but now that's all up in the air. The former first-rounder by the Texas Rangers in 2016 was a fantasy ace as a first-time All-Star in 2024, but he has dealt with injuries over the last two seasons. Before his elbow injury landed him on the IL, Ragans went 1-4 this year with a 4.84 ERA and 1.41 WHIP with 45 K's and 23 walks in eight starts across 35 1/3 innings. He should still be stashed everywhere for his strikeout upside.

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Los Angeles Dodgers pitching prospect River Ryan recently returned from his injured stint at Triple-A and is quickly in the mix to join the MLB rotation. Ryan spent a month on the Triple-A injured list with a minor hamstring injury, but has looked sharp in his return. Over his last two outings with Oklahoma City, Ryan has logged nine innings with just one earned run, four hits, and a stellar 11:1 K:BB. Additionally, Ryan has seen his stash value skyrocket as of late, given that Blake Snell recently joined Tyler Glasnow on the MLB injured list, leaving a clear spot for Ryan to join the rotation. The 27-year-old made his MLB debut in 2024 and held his own, posting a 1.33 ERA over 20 1/3 innings, but did not take the mound in 2025 after undergoing an internal brace procedure. However, with his lengthy injury history behind him and a clear opening, Ryan carries elite stash upside in the short term, as he appears to be the clear next-best option for this pitching staff.

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Minnesota Twins infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper continues to showcase his elite five-category profile at Triple-A and enters Week 9 as a must-stash prospect. Culpepper opened the campaign with Triple-A St. Paul after splitting the 2025 season between Double-A and Triple-A. Over 113 total games over the top levels last summer, Culpepper posted a .289/.375/.469 line with 20 home runs and 25 stolen bases. Through 45 games at St. Paul, the infielder has already gone deep 10 times while swiping 11 bags. He has held a .247/.347/.462 line with a .809 OPS. Over his last 12 games, he has posted a stellar 8:8 K:BB with two of these long balls and four stolen bases. Given that the Twins lack many proven options in their current infield and the recent demotion of Royce Lewis, Culpepper could have his name called in the immediate future. He should be viewed as a top stash target in all leagues ahead of Week 9.

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New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (illness) remains out of the starting lineup for the second straight day due to the flu in Monday's series opener against the visiting Cincinnati Reds, according to MLB.com. Nick Morabito will make the start in left field at Citi Field and will bat seventh against Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo. Carson Benge is serving as the designated hitter for the MEts and will bat leadoff. Soto is still under the weather, but hopefully, he'll be ready to return at some point during this series early in the week against the Reds. Soto has been picking things up at the plate recently, going 14-for-37 (.378) with six home runs, 10 RBI, four stolen bases, and 11 runs scored in his last 10 games since May 14 to raise his season slash line to .294/.390/.559 with a .949 OPS. The 27-year-old four-time All-Star only has 10 homers on the year, but he also missed some time with a calf injury early on. When active, Soto is a must-start in all traditional fantasy formats.

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Seattle Mariners pitching prospect Kade Anderson enjoyed a dominant bounce-back effort after a season-worst showing. On May 15, the former LSU superstar's near-perfect regular season came to a sudden halt as he allowed six hits and five runs, both of which set season highs. However, on May 22, the left-hander quickly returned to form, logging 4 2/3 shutout frames with three hits and a 7:2 K:BB. Removing his lone outlier outing from his game log, the former No. 3 overall pick would carry an incredible 0.52 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and a 54:7 K:BB over a short 34 2/3 inning stint with Double-A. Given his current production, the sotuhpaw is already on the verge of reaching Triple-A and may only need a brief taste of the level before reaching Seattle. Even though there is no clear spot for him on the MLB roster, he possesses the highest upside among pitching prospects to stash, making him a priority target in all formats.

From RotoBaller