Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Jason Heyward (back) did more hitting/baserunning on Tuesday and will take live batting practice in San Diego this weekend. Heyward is getting closer to a minor-league rehab assignment, which could last between two and five games, according to manager Dave Roberts. The 34-year-old left-handed hitter also took batting practice on the field before last Saturday's game against the Atlanta Braves and finally appears to be putting his back injury in the rearview mirror after originally landing on the injured list way back on April 3. Given how good rookie outfielder Andy Pages has looked since debuting in the big leagues, Heyward may struggle for regular playing time in LA's outfield when he returns from the injured list.

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Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Bobby Miller (shoulder) threw a bullpen session on Monday. "Velocity was good. He'll throw another one. ... From everything I've seen (a rehab assignment) is coming pretty quickly, which is really encouraging," manager Dave Roberts said. This was Miller's second bullpen session since he was placed on the injured list on April 13 due to right-shoulder inflammation. The 25-year-old is going to need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment soon, but it's unclear if he'll need to make more than one start on the farm before rejoining the Dodgers' starting rotation. Despite posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 11 2/3 innings in his first three starts in 2024 before getting hurt, Miller needs to be rostered in all fantasy formats for his high-end strikeout upside with the best offense in baseball backing him each time out.

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Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw (shoulder) threw his second bullpen session on Tuesday. Manager Dave Roberts said the session consisted of 20 pitches (all four-seam fastballs), and that Kershaw's left shoulder continues to feel good. His next steps will be ramping up in bullpens and mixing in breaking pitches. The skipper said it's all been "really encouraging" so far. The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer is recovering from left-shoulder surgery last November and is slowly ramping up as he attempts to return to LA's starting rotation after the All-Star break. Kershaw has been injury-prone in recent years, but when he's been healthy, he's been fantasy relevant with the best offense in baseball backing him.

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Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is getting a breather on Wednesday against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers. Freddy Fermin will do the catching for right-hander Brady Singer and will bat eighth in the order against Brewers right-hander Joe Ross. It's a regular day of rest for Perez in a day game after a night game. The 33-year-old backstop has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball to start the 2024 season, as he's slashing .326/.387/.558 with a .945 OPS, eight home runs, a league-leading 31 RBI and 15 runs scored in 129 at-bats. Perez should be back in action for the Royals for the series opener in Los Angeles on Thursday against the Angels. Fermin is batting just .218 (12-for-55) with a homer and two RBI and is low-upside streamer in DFS in the eight-hole on Wednesday.

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Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will get the day off on Wednesday for the series finale against the visiting Miami Marlins in a day game following a night affair. Austin Barnes will instead do the catching for right-hander Gavin Stone and will hit in the nine-hole versus Marlins left-hander Ryan Weathers. Barnes is hitless in two career at-bats against Weathers and should be avoided in DFS as a light-hitting backstop at the bottom of the order. The Fresh Prince will get off his feet after going hitless in his last two games. However, Smith has been one of the most valuable fantasy catchers so far in 2024, as he's hitting a strong .331/.387/.508 with an .895 OPS, four home runs, 26 RBI and 22 runs scored in 142 plate appearances. He should be back in there after a scheduled off day on Thursday for the start of a big series on Friday in San Diego against the division-rival Padres.

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Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette has been dropped to sixth in the batting order for Wednesday's contest in Philadelphia against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola. It's the lowest spot in the batting order that Bichette has hit since August of 2022. The 26-year-old All-Star is hitting just .189/.246/.268 on the year with a homer, 11 RBI, three stolen bases, nine walks and 22 strikeouts in 138 plate appearances over 33 games. Since April 24, Bichette has gone 3-for-40 (.075) with an RBI and eight strikeouts in 11 games. He's really in an early season funk right now and should be avoided in DFS lineups until he breaks out of it. With the move down the lineup for Bichette, outfielder Daulton Varsho is hitting in the two-hole for Toronto on Wednesday. Bichette is hitting .429 in seven career at-bats against Nola with a homer and two RBI, so perhaps he can get going in a tough matchup.

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St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is out of the team's starting lineup on Wednesday for the series finale against the visiting New York Mets. Alec Burleson will get the start at first base and will hit fifth against Mets left-hander Jose Quintana. Goldschmidt is hitting .545 with a 1.651 OPS, three home runs and 11 RBI in 22 career at-bats against Quintana in his career, but the slugging 36-year-old right-hander has also gone hitless so far in the month of May and could use a day off to clear his head. Goldy, like many of St. Louis' hitters, has been ice-cold to start the year and is currently slashing just .195/.287/.263 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 133 at-bats. Burleson went 3-for-5 with a home run on Tuesday but is also hitting just .188 (3-for-16) with a homer and four RBI against lefties this year.

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto picked up his fourth win of the season in Tuesday's 8-2 victory over the Marlins. The 25-year-old went eight innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs, but didn't walk a batter and struck out five. The two runs came off of a pair of solo home runs to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Bryan De La Cruz. The outing was his fourth straight quality start and he has shown impressive command thus far with an 8:47 BB:K through eight starts. With a 4-1 record, 2.79 ERA, and 1.00 WHIP, the righty is making a strong case for NL Rookie of the Year, and in his next start he'll face off with the Giants next Monday in San Francisco.

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San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Kyle Harrison threw seven scoreless innings in Tuesday's 5-0 victory over the Rockies, picking up his third win of the year. The southpaw allowed just four hits while walking two and striking out two. He now sports a 3.20 ERA (3.81 FIP), 1.22 WHIP, and a 15.1% K-BB% on the year through eight starts. Known for being more of a strikeout pitcher, his 40 strikeouts in 45 IP is somewhat disappointing, but other than that there isn't much to complain about. The 22-year-old is having a fine season so far for the Giants, and his next start tentatively lines up with the Reds next week at home. The Reds have a .208 batting average as a team against LHP, which is fifth-worst in the league.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger (ribs) went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres. Bellinger was activated from the injured list on Tuesday after missing the last two weeks with a fractured ribcage. The 28-year-old didn't miss a beat on his return, collecting three hits and blasting a solo shot off Randy Vasquez in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. Before landing on the injured list in mid-April, Bellinger was on an eight-game hitting streak entering Tuesday's contest. He extended his hitting streak to nine games and is slashing .382/.447/.794 with four home runs, eight RBI, and six runs during that span. Overall, Bellinger is slashing .250/.337/.489 with six home runs and 11 RBI across 101 plate appearances in 2024. Bellinger appears over his rib injury and should be started in all leagues.

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San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs. Profar blasted a two-run shot off Shota Imanaga in the eighth inning to put the Padres on the scoreboard and tie the game 2-2. His home run traveled 385 feet with an exit velocity of 103.4 mph. The 31-year-old has been on absolute fire at the plate recently, hitting .429 (21-for-49) with four home runs, 12 RBI, 12 runs, and a stolen base over his last 13 games. Profar is slashing .338/.420/.538 with six home runs, 27 RBI, 22 runs, and two stolen bases across 150 plate appearances in 2024. Fantasy managers should continue to roll with Profar in most leagues while he's swinging a hot bat.

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New York Mets relief pitcher Adam Ottavino was called upon to close out Tuesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The veteran right-hander is normally a set-up pitcher, but was asked to close with Edwin Diaz being unavailable for this game. Ottavino gave up a home run and got some traffic on the bases. Despite that, he was able to strike out the final two batters and record his first save of the season. It's unlikely that Ottavino gets many more saves in the future with Diaz being the primary option.

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New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso was able to put together a strong performance during Tuesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. The right-handed slugger went 2-for-5 with a home run, double, and three RBI in the win. His two-run double gave the Mets the lead and his home run was added insurance in the eighth inning. Alonso hasn't really been himself this season, but is beginning to heat up at the plate, which is good news for fantasy managers.

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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas looked sharp during the first four innings of Tuesday's game against the New York Mets. After that, the Mets jumped on him for six earned runs on six hits during the fifth inning. Mikolas was pulled out of the game before he could even record an out in the inning. The veteran right-hander was decent last time out but has struggled during a majority of his starts this season. It appears that time has finally caught up to Mikolas who has been fairly reliable throughout his big league career. Fantasy managers probably want to stay away from Mikolas until he gets back on track.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Alec Burleson made the most of his at-bats during Tuesday's game against the New York Mets. The left-handed slugger went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in the loss. This marked the 10th straight game that Burleson has faced the right-handed pitcher. That being said, it appears the Cardinals are sticking with Burleson as strictly a platoon bat. He has been decent slashing .262/.303/.696 with three homers and 12 RBI this season. However, fantasy managers can probably find a better option given the Cards crowded outfield and Burleson only batting against right-handed pitching.

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Boston Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six across six innings in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves. He did not factor into the decision. Crawford pitched well most of the game and earned his fifth quality start of the season. His only mistake was surrendering a two-run blast to Jarred Kelenic in the bottom of the third inning. The 28-year-old was efficient on Tuesday, throwing 87 pitches and landing 58 for strikes. He owns a 1.75 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and a 46:15 K: BB across 46 1/3 innings in 2024. Crawford has now posted a quality start in five of his last eight outings and will look to continue his strong season in his next start on Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Fantasy managers should continue to start Crawford in all league formats.

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Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers has been red-hot at the plate to begin the month of May. On Tuesday, Jeffers went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in the loss to the Seattle Mariners. At the time, his offensive heroics helped the team get the lead, but it didn't last. Despite that, Jeffers is hitting 6-for19 with two homers and eight RBI this month. Fantasy managers in need of catching help should take a look at Jeffers.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Jarred Kelenic went 2-for-2 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Boston Red Sox. He blasted a two-run shot off Kutter Crawford in the bottom of the third inning to give the Braves a 2-0 lead. Kelenic's homer traveled 368 feet with an exit velocity of 97 mph. It was his home run for the Braves as well as the regular season. He is now slashing .280/.333/.373 with a home run, six RBI, and nine runs scored over 81 plate appearances in 2024. Kelenic will continue to sit against lefties in favor of Adam Duvall, and his long ball on Tuesday was his first hit over his last five games. Despite his recent struggles, Kelenic produces enough to be a fantasy starter in 12-plus team leagues or formats that require you to start five outfielders.

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Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh was originally sitting out Tuesday's game for rest purposes. However, the switch-hitting backstop came up clutch for the team when called upon as a pinch-hitter. Raleigh was asked to step up to the plate with the bases loaded versus left-hander Steven Okert in the seventh inning. Raleigh blasted a breaking ball for a grand slam to help the Mariners get the victory over the Minnesota Twins. Raleigh struggles in some categories, but he leads the team in homers and RBI right now.

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Washington Nationals right-hander Trevor Williams (4-0) allowed two hits while striking out eight across five scoreless innings in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Williams picked up his fourth win of the season. The 32-year-old threw 77 pitches, landing 53 for strikes. He struck out a season-high eight batters and has not allowed a home run in his previous seven starts, helping the Nationals go over .500 for the first time since 2021. Williams owns a 1.96 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a 30:12 K: BB across 36 2/3 innings in 2024. The veteran will look to continue his strong season and can be used as a streamer at his next start on Monday on the road against the Chicago White Sox.

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