Houston Astros outfielder Joey Loperfido is starting in left field and is batting seventh in his major-league debut on Tuesday against the visiting Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Carlos Carrasco. Loperfido, the Astros' No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline, could see a decent amount of at-bats between first base and the outfield after the team optioned struggling first baseman Jose Abreu to the minors. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter was a former seventh-round pick in 2021 out of Duke and got the promotion to the majors after hitting .287 (29-for-101) with 13 home runs, 27 RBI and five steals in 25 games for Triple-A Sugar Land. Fantasy managers in deep-mixed leagues may want to hold off spending a bunch of waiver money on the youngster, but his power numbers at Sugar Land make him tempting as the Astros look to turn around their slow start in 2024.

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Boston Red Sox middle infielder Vaughn Grissom (hamstring, illness) isn't coming off the 10-day injured list on Tuesday because he has the flu. Grissom was expected to be activated from the IL for the game against the visiting San Francisco Giants, but he's being delayed while under the weather. Whenever he eventually joins the Red Sox, the 23-year-old former 11th-round selection by the Atlanta Braves in 2019 should be the team's regular second baseman in Beantown. Given Grissom's power/speed abilities, fantasy managers should be looking to pick him up off the waiver wire if he's still available. In 64 major-league games with the Braves in 2022 and 2023, Grissom hit .287/.339/.407 with five home runs, 27 RBI and five stolen bases.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida (hand), who is out of the lineup on Tuesday against the visiting San Francisco Giants, is going for an MRI exam on his injured left hand on Wednesday. Yoshida is active on Tuesday but is unlikely to play. The 30-year-old jammed his hand in the game on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs and could miss additional time, depending on the results of his MRI. With Yoshida out on Tuesday, Tyler O'Neill is serving as the designated hitter and batting third, while Rob Refsnyder is in left field and hitting fifth against Giants right-hander Logan Webb. Yoshida, who has basically been the team's full-time DH, is hitting a decent .275 (22-for-80) but with only two home runs and 11 RBI to this point through the first month of the season.

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Boston Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta (elbow) is expected to make a minor-league rehab start on Thursday, and barring any setbacks in that outing, the expectation is that he'll be ready to return to the Red Sox's starting rotation afterwards. Pivetta threw 50 pitches during a live batting practice session on Saturday and is expected to only need one rehab start before the Red Sox feel comfortable reinstating him from the injured list. If the 31-year-old doesn't have any setbacks on Thursday in the minors, he could make his next big-league start against the Atlanta Braves in their two-game series next week. That would be a matchup to fade Pivetta in fantasy, but the Canadian pitcher deserves to be rostered in pretty much all leagues after he started off the year with a 0.82 ERA and 0.82 WHIP with 13 K's in 11 innings in his first two starts before getting hurt.

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New York Mets outfielder Harrison Bader is getting the day off on Tuesday as the team takes on the visiting Chicago Cubs. Tyrone Taylor will replace him in center field and will hit sixth in the batting order against Cubs right-hander Javier Assad. Bader has cooled off in his last 26 plate appearances, going 3-for-26 with one RBI and four strikeouts in his last seven games to drop his season slash line to .265/.291/.325 in 86 plate appearances. The former third-rounder of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2015 out of Florida has just one home run on the year to go with seven RBI, five runs scored and 10 runs scored. Taylor is hitting .279 (17-for-61) with two home runs, 13 RBI and two steals on the year but will be a low-upside DFS sleeper toward the bottom of New York's batting order.

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As expected, the New York Mets activated outfielder Starling Marte from the bereavement list on Tuesday and optioned infielder Mark Vientos to Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move. However, Marte won't make the start on Tuesday versus the visiting Chicago Cubs, with DJ Stewart in right field and batting seventh against Cubs right-hander Javier Assad. The 35-year-old Marte will miss his fourth straight game but should be back in the lineup on Wednesday for the Mets. He's managed to stay healthy so far this year and is hitting a strong .288 (30-for-104) with four home runs, 12 RBI, six stolen bases and 16 runs scored in his first 25 games. Stewart has never faced Assad in his career and is hitting just .200 so far with three home runs for the Mets.

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Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho is not in the starting lineup on Tuesday with the team facing a left-handed pitcher. With Varsho getting the day off, Cavan Biggio will make the start in right field for the Jays and will hit ninth in the batting order against Royals left-hander Cole Ragans. Varsho has gone 5-for-17 (.294) with a solo home run against southpaws so far in 2024, but he also has just one hit in his last 14 at-bats over his last four games to drop his season slash line to .233/.324/.500. The 27-year-old left-handed slugger has added six home runs, 14 RBI and three stolen bases. Varsho should be back in Toronto's starting lineup on Wednesday. Biggio has very little fantasy upside in the nine-hole. He's hitting .229 (16-for-70) on the year with a homer and six RBI.

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Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (back) is playing first base and is batting cleanup for the Royals on Tuesday against right-hander Jose Berrios and the Toronto Blue Jays. Freddy Fermin is doing the catching and will bat sixth. Perez was scratched from Monday's lineup with back tightness, but he singled in a pinch-hit appearance late in the game and is back in the lineup a day later. Fantasy managers will want to get the 33-year-old All-Star back into their starting lineups immediately. Perez has been going off offensively with a .346/.404/.596 slash line with seven home runs in his first 29 games this year. He has a lot of experience against Berrios in his career, too, but he's hit just .214 with a home run and five RBI in 42 at-bats.

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Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said that the team and struggling first baseman Jose Abreu have decided that he will be optioned to the Florida Complex League in West Palm Beach, Florida, effective on Wednesday "to get some at-bats and his timing back right." The 37-year-old right-handed slugger also got off to a slow start with the Astros last year, but his struggles this year have fallen to another level. He's currently slashing an embarrassing .099/.156/.113 with no home runs, three RBI, three walks and 18 strikeouts in 77 plate appearances over 22 games. Abreu was a virtual lock for 100 RBI each season during his time with the Chicago White Sox from 2014-22, but he's fallen on hard time in Houston and isn't a must-stash in mixed fantasy leagues. Jon Singleton will see more playing time at first base now that Abreu is headed to the farm.

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Miami Marlins third baseman Jake Burger (intercostal) will begin his minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday with Triple-A Jacksonville, according to manager Skip Schumaker. Burger has been doing full on-field workouts since April 26 in Miami after exiting the top of the fourth inning in an April 14 game against the Atlanta Braves with a left-oblique strain. He suffered a left-oblique strain last year, and he said this injury felt similar to that one. Burger is expected to come off the injured list on the team's upcoming road trip, which begins in Oakland against the A's this Friday. Emmanuel Rivera has been seeing regular playing time at the hot corner with Burger sidelined, but Burger should take over everyday duties when he returns. The 28-year-old was hitting .228 (13-for-57) with three home runs and 15 RBI at the time of his injury.

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Miami Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett (shoulder) will make another minor-league rehab start this week before possibly joining the big-league club. Garrett resumed his rehab assignment on April 26 with Triple-A Jacksonville and threw three-plus innings in a 59-pitch outing. He was on track for a return before experiencing "dead arm" during his April 15 bullpen session, which was unrelated to his previous left-shoulder impingement, according to manager Skip Schumaker. The 26-year-old southpaw has yet to debut in the big leagues in 2024 but should be picked up off the waiver wire and stashed in deeper mixed fantasy leagues if he's available after he broke out for the Fish in 2023. Given all of the injuries to Miami's starters this year, Garrett will undoubtedly be inserted into the rotation immediately when he comes off the injured list.

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Miami Marlins right-hander Sixto Sanchez is serving as the opener on Tuesday in the series opener against the Colorado Rockies. It will be Sanchez's second straight appearance as the team's opener after he allowed three earned runs on five hits while walking one in just 2 2/3 innings last Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves. This matchup should be much more forgiving for the 25-year-old, but he's still not a recommended fantasy streamer because he's unlikely to go deep enough to qualify for a win or quality start. The Dominican hurler finally made it back to the big leagues this year after years of dealing with arm injuries, but so far he's underwhelmed with a 7.20 ERA and 1.70 WHIP while walking four and striking out six in 10 innings over eight appearances (one start).

From RotoBaller

Miami Marlins shortstop Tim Anderson (thumb) is not in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday against the visiting Colorado Rockies. It's not much of a surprise after Anderson suffered a mild left-thumb sprain in Monday's contest. While it doesn't appear to be an injury that will send the shortstop to the injured, the 30-year-old could end up missing a few days at least. The Marlins consider him day-to-day for now. Vidal Brujan is starting at the 6 on Tuesday and will hit eighth against Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner. Anderson's surprising fall from grace last year with the Chicago White Sox has so far carried over to 2024 in his first year in Miami, as he's currently hitting .221 (21-for-95) with no home runs, five RBI and three stolen bases. Brujan will be a low-upside DFS sleeper in the eight-hole against a pitcher he's never faced.

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Third baseman Gio Urshela (hamstring) is traveling with the Detroit Tigers for their six-game road trip as he gets closer to a return from injury. Urshela is going through hitting and defensive drills, while also continuing to run as he looks to return from a right-hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since April 19. He's currently on the 10-day injured list. Before the injury, Urshela was the Tigers' everyday third baseman and was slashing .298/.310/.333 with six RBI. In place of Urshela, Detroit has been starting Matt Vierling at third base. Once Urshela returns from injury, he will resume being the everyday third baseman, but despite that, he is under 5 percent owned in Yahoo and ESPN fantasy leagues.

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The Milwaukee Brewers are set to call up prospect Tyler Black. The infielder is the Brewers' No. 4 ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline. Black has been hitting well as of late, as in his last 17 games, he's slashing 328/.425/.612 with five home runs and three stolen bases. Black has been primarily playing first and third base in the minors but is expected to challenge Jake Bauers for time at first base. Bauers has struggled as he's slashing .200/.250/.633 with two home runs. If Black can get consistent playing time, he is a viable fantasy option due to his on-base ability. Black is not on the 40-man roster so a corresponding move will need to be made by the Brewers.

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The Minnesota Twins have activated right-hander Jhoan Duran (oblique), who has missed the start of the season due to an oblique injury. Last season, the right-hander had 27 saves with a 2.45 ERA. Duran is one of the top closers in fantasy baseball and is expected to resume his role as the closer after his two-game rehab stint in Triple-A, as his fastball clocked in at an average of 101.8 mph. In a corresponding move, the Twins have designated right-hander Matt Bowman for assignment. Bowman had a 2.35 ERA in five games in 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs out of the bullpen.

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Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick is dealing with soreness in his hamstring. Astros manager Joe Espada said it is a day-to-day injury for the time being. McCormick is slashing .236/.325/.278 this season with 8 RBIs. With McCormick out of the lineup, Joey Loperfido will be getting some starts in the outfield, the manager revealed. Loperfido was expected to play some first base due to the struggles of Jose Abreu, but will now get some reps in the outfield due to the injury to McCormick. In the minors, Loperfido slashed .287/.393/.713 with 13 home runs in 25 games before the callup and is a fantasy option due to his power.

From RotoBaller

The Colorado Rockies placed outfielder Nolan Jones (back) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 29) with a lower-back strain. With Jones going to the IL, Colorado selected the contract of outfielder Jordan Beck to the major league roster, and left-hander pitcher Lucas Gilbreath has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. This season, Jones is slashing .170/.243/.277 with one home run, as he last played on April 28 and went 1-for-2 with one strikeout. Beck is the Rockies No. 4 prospect, per MLB pipeline, will likely play everyday while Jones is on the IL.

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Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz hit a home run in Monday's victory against the San Diego Padres. The 22-year-old shortstop went 1-for-4 with his only hit being a solo home run. De La Cruz has had some rough stretches this season but has also been able to make an impact at times for the Reds. He is hitting .280 (28-for-100) with five doubles, one triple, eight homers, 19 RBI, 26 runs, 17 walks, 36 strikeouts, and 18 stolen bases through 29 games. With matchups in his favor against San Diego and Baltimore, De La Cruz should remain a starter in your lineups.

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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani contributed to Monday's 8-4 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ohtani went 2-for-4 with one run, one RBI, and walked once. He continues to be a huge contributor to an already powerful Dodgers lineup this season. He is slashing .341/.406/.635 through 31 games. He is 43-for-126 with 14 doubles, one triple, seven homers, 19 RBI, 25 runs, 15 walks and 25 strikeouts. There is no question about the power that Ohtani brings to the plate and, fantasy managers already know to continue locking him in.

From RotoBaller