Chicago White Sox pitching prospect Nick Nastrini performed well in his big-league debut versus the Kansas City Royals on Monday. Nastrini suffered the loss, but didn't look overmatched in his first outing. The right-hander went five innings and allowed three hits, two runs, two walks and five strikeouts. Nastrini should be expected to remain in the rotation with the White Sox season going nowhere and it being wise to develop young talent, but nothing is guaranteed. Moving forward, Nastrini now is nothing more than a streamer in favorable matchups, but he has the upside to help in deeper leagues, if he continues to improve. The right-hander is in line to face a tough Philadelphia Phillies lineup this weekend and should be avoided.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are calling up outfield prospect Andy Pages. Pages, 23, receives the promotion after hitting a ridiculous .371 with five home runs, 15 RBI and two stolen bases in 62 at-bats for Triple-A Oklahoma City. The Cuban product has recovered in a strong way from a torn labrum that shortened his 2023 campaign and will to carry his successes to the next level. Pages has always shown plenty of power in his bat and has good plate discipline. Playing time will be a factor in his ability to help fantasy managers, but veterans Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez haven't done much to earn everyday starts so far. Managers in dynasty leagues should already have Pages rostered and he is worth a speculative add in redraft leagues with managers keeping an eye on his playing time.

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Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Ben Brown earned his first quality start of his career in a no-decision on Monday versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. Brown went six innings and allowed one hit, one run, two walks and struck out four on the evening. The rookie has been very impressive since filling in for the injured Justin Steele (hamstring). Steele is still a few weeks away from returning, but fellow starter Jameson Taillon (back) is returning this week and the question around the Cubs has been who will he be replacing. Brown has earned another turn in the rotation, but managers will want to wait and see how Taillon's return effects the rotation. If Brown were to remain in the rotation, he would face a weak Miami Marlins lineup this weekend and would be worthy of rostering in deeper leagues.

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Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim will get a routine day off on Tuesday versus the Detroit Tigers. With the Rangers playing last night, Heim will get the afternoon to rest his knees. Heim has been off to a nice start this season with a .271 batting average to go along with two homers and 11 RBI as part of a strong Texas Rangers lineup. In place of Heim on Tuesday with be backup catcher Andrew Knizner. Knizner is hitless in 11 at-bats this season and can be avoided against Casey Mize and the Tigers. Heim should return to the lineup on Wednesday.

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Jon Heyman of the MLB Network is reporting that infielder Tony Kemp has agreed to a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins. The veteran spent Opening Day with the Baltimore Orioles, but was recently let go in favor of top prospect Jackson Holliday. In his brief time with the Orioles, Kemp was hitless in nine at-bats. The veteran should provide solid depth for a Twins team that has lost infielders Royce Lewis (quadriceps) and Carlos Correa (side) to injuries early on in the season, but can be avoided in fantasy leagues.

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After being recalled from Triple-A earlier in the day, Oakland Athletics outfielder Esteury Ruiz provided the team with its only offense in Monday's loss versus the St. Louis Cardinals. Ruiz only got one at-bat in the contest as he was summoned to pinch-hit for outfielder Lawrence Butler in the bottom of the eight inning, but he made the most of it with a solo home run. Ruiz was mysteriously demoted earlier in the season, but he is back with the club now and should get plenty of reps in the outfield for Oakland. Power is not a big part of his game, but you are paying for his base stealing ability that is game changing with home runs being added value. Due to his speed, he is worth rostering in most formats, but managers should keep an eye on his playing time.

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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray posted another strong outing on Monday versus his former team, the Oakland Athletics. Gray went six scoreless innings and allowed four hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Gray missed the beginning of the season with a hamstring injury, but he has not missed a beat in his two starts this season with 11 scoreless innings, no walks and 11 strikeouts. Gray will eventually walk a batter this season, but managers could not have asked for a better start to the season then what Gray has given them. Moving forward, Gray is lined up to face the division rival Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.

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Miami Marlins infielder Luis Arraez went 3-for-4 with three singles in Monday's loss versus the San Francisco Giants. The strong performance raises his batting average to .284. Arraez was a breakout star last season with Miami as he hit .324 with 10 homers and 69 RBI, but has started slow in 2024. For the season he has no homers and just one RBI. Managers shouldn't panic yet as he is getting hits, but being at the top of a bad lineup will limit his other opportunities. At this rate it is probably best to remain patient versus selling low on Arraez as many managers spent a higher draft pick on him. He will look to keep it going versus Jordan Hicks in Game 2 of series.

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Baltimore Orioles third baseman Gunnar Henderson went 2-for-4 with a walk and home run in Monday's victory against the Minnesota Twins. The home run would be his fourth of the season. In addition, he is hitting .250 with 11 RBI, 11 runs and four stolen bases. The young shortstop had a fabulous rookie campaign in 2023 and it looks like his managers won't have to worry about a sophomore slump. Hitting atop one of the best lineups in the league, Henderson is in a great position to help managers across the board in all formats. Next up will be a matchup versus Chris Paddack on Tuesday evening.

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Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo improved to 3-0 with a victory against the Chicago White Sox on Monday. Lugo tossed seven innings on scoreless ball and allowed four hits with one walk and four strikeouts. It was the second time this season that Lugo has earned a quality start against his division foe. With the outing, Lugo now has an impressive 1.05 ERA. Facing the White Sox twice in four starts is always helpful, but Lugo also has held his own against the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros. Lugo's biggest flaw for fantasy managers is that he doesn't collect many strikeouts and that makes him more attractive as a streamer than a must-roster player outside of very deep leagues. Lugo will look to improve to 4-0 when he squares off in a tough matchup against the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.

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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola carved up the Colorado Rockies in his longest outing of the season on Monday. Nola went 7 1/3 innings and allowed four hits, one run, one walk and struck out nine. Unfortunately for Nola, his offense could not do enough while he was on the mound and he earned a no-decision. The veteran has really bounced back in a nice way after allowing seven runs (six earned) in his first start of the season as he has given up just three runs combined over his last three starts. Nola has consistently been one of the best starters over the course of his career and remains a must-start in all matchups. Next up for Nola is a dream date with the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zach Eflin earned a quality start in Monday's victory against the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander matched his season high of 6 1/3 innings and allowed six hits, no runs, no walks and struck out five on the evening, It was a nice turnaround from his previous outing, which was also against the Angels, but one that saw him allow five runs. Eflin has now made four starts on the young season with mixed results. For the season, he is now 1-2 with a 4.63 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Despite a couple hiccups this season, managers should remain confident with Eflin and he is worthy of rostering in most formats. Eflin will look to keep it going versus the division rival New York Yankees on Saturday.

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Miami's SP Edward Cabrera recorded 10 strikeouts in 6 innings in a 4-3 loss to the Giants on Monday, Apr. 15.

Cincinnati Reds third baseman prospect Cam Collier went 1-for-4 for High-A Dayton on Sunday, extending his hit streak to eight straight games to begin the season. The lefty hitter also drove in his eleventh run of 2024 and is now hitting .353 (12-for-34) with a pair of home runs on the season. The 19-year-old was a first-round draft pick in 2022 for the Reds and has shown well for his age over his first couple of seasons in the minors. Collier is the seventh-ranked prospect for Cincinnati with both Noelvi Marte and Sal Stewart ranked in front of him at third base. Marte would have been with the big league club if not for his suspension, but Collier isn't expected to debut until 2026 so it's hard to say what the landscape will be at that point. It is possible, however, that he'll need to eventually make a move to first base. Dynasty managers will want to see him grow into more power though if he's going to man either corner infield spot, as he hit just six home runs in 390 at-bats last season.

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Colorado Rockies top prospect Adael Amador is hitting just .105 (2-for-19) over six games at Double-A Hartford. On the bright side, the second baseman has walked seven times compared to just three strikeouts, and he's swiped four bases. The keen eye at the plate is nothing new either, with 160 walks over the course of his minor league career as compared to 136 strikeouts. Per MLB.com's scouting report, his Hit tool grades better than his Power tool (60 vs 45), but the switch hitter did manage to hit 12 home runs in just 69 minor league games last season, and he's just 21 years old. He's not expected to see the big leagues until next season, and he's not doing much to force the issue at this point, but if Brendan Rodgers continues to scuffle (Rodgers was also scratched Monday for unknown reasons), then perhaps we see him sooner rather than later.

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San Diego Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth (calf) felt tightness in his calf while trying to beat out a ground ball in the eighth inning in Monday's 7-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. He played first base in the bottom of the eighth frame before being replaced at first base by Brett Sullivan in the ninth inning. "Too early to tell," manager Mike Shildt said about Cronenworth's injury. He went 0-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in the game before departing early. The 30-year-old left-handed hitter should be considered day-to-day for now, while fantasy managers should check back on Tuesday to see if there's an update on his condition and whether he'll be in the starting lineup. Cronenworth entered the week hitting .265 (18-for-68) with three homers and 14 RBI on the year in 18 games played.

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San Diego Padres closer Robert Suarez notched his sixth save of the season in Monday's 7-3 win over the Brewers. Suarez came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by four with two outs and runners on first and second. He allowed a single to load the bases but ended the game with a flyout. The 33-year-old has been excellent this season pitching at the end of games, converting all of his save opportunities with a 1.04 ERA, eight strikeouts, and four walks in 8 2/3 innings pitched. After much debate on how the Padres would handle saves this season, it seems pretty clear that Suarez is their top option.

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Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins did it all in Monday's 7-4 win over the Twins. Mullins went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, three RBI, and an amazing diving catch. The 29-year-old is off to an encouraging start after a down 2023 and is now slashing .265/.321/.551 with four HR, 12 runs scored, 13 RBI, and two stolen bases in 57 plate appearances. He should provide fantasy value as long as he can produce enough to see routine time in one of baseball's best lineups.

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San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill had another productive offensive game in Monday's 7-3 win over the Brewers. Merrill went 3-for-5 with three singles and a stolen base. The 20-year-old has made an excellent first impression in the big leagues, slashing .356/.433/.441 with one home run, 12 runs scored, seven RBI, and three stolen bases in 67 plate appearances. He is currently rostered in just 59% of leagues and is worth a look in all leagues at this time.

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Washington Nationals outfield prospect Dylan Crews hit a grand slam for Double-A Harrisburg on Sunday. The slam was part of a three-hit day at the plate for the Nats' top prospect (MLB No. 7) that included four RBI, two runs scored, and his first stolen base of the year. The 22-year-old is now 9-for-33 (.273) with two home runs, nine RBI, six runs scored, and a BB:K of 2:10 in 2024. The 2023 No. 2 overall pick may very well see Washington D.C. this season, having a 2024 ETA per MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list. As such, dynasty managers and even season-long fantasy managers would be wise to keep tabs on Crews, as his offensive scouting grades are impressive. The righty hitter has 60-grade Power, a 60-grade Run tool, and a 70-grade Hit tool.

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