New York Mets outfielder Harrison Bader will take a seat for Game 1 of a doubleheader on Tuesday against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. With Nimmo out, Tyrone Taylor will play center field and bat in the six-hole against hard-throwing right-hander Tyler Glasnow. Bader should be back in the lineup for the nightcap to face Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone. The 29-year-old has only cleared the fences two times this year while driving in 16 and scoring 17 runs in 147 at-bats, but fantasy managers aren't complaining about his .279 batting average (41-for-147) or his eight stolen bases. Bader has value in all fantasy leagues given his propensity to make a lot of contact at the plate. He's hitting .281 (18-for-64) with a homer, nine RBI and three thefts in 21 games in the month of May. Get him back into your lineups for Game 2 of the doubleheader on Tuesday.

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New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga (shoulder) was on the field playing catch on Tuesday before the first game of a doubleheader against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time since he was shut down for a few days due to another setback with his right arm. Senga remains on the 60-day injured list due to a posterior right-capsule strain. The 31-year-old received a cortisone injection last week and will now resume a throwing program that will likely take six weeks. If Senga can avoid any further setbacks, the Japanese hurler still may not make his 2024 debut for the Mets until after the All-Star break. Given all the time he's missed, he's going to need a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment, and the Mets certainly aren't going to rush him back. He's been a huge disappointment so far this year for fantasy managers, but Senga must remain stashed in an IL spot in all leagues.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (hamstring) is back in Tuesday's lineup against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds and left-hander Andrew Abbott. After dealing with tightness in his left hamstring for the past two games, Nootbaar will return for the Cardinals sooner than expected to start in right field and bat second on Tuesday. The 26-year-old on-base machine is slashing a modest .227/.338/.409 with five home runs, 19 RBI, 14 runs scored, and three stolen bases over 155 plate appearances (37 games) as an everyday player in St. Louis' outfield this season, so he's been very limited from a fantasy perspective. The lefty-hitting Nootbaar has gone just 8-for-44 (.182) with no homers against left-handed pitching, and he won't be a recommended DFS option against Abbott.

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Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried looks to build on his recent string of success in Tuesday's scheduled start against the division-rival Washington Nationals. After a shaky start to the season, Fried is on a roll with a 1.70 ERA and 36:11 K:BB over his last 42 1/3 innings (six starts) with two complete games for the Braves during this stretch. The current Nationals roster is batting a career .176 (13-for-76) with just two extra-base hits against Fried, setting the hurler up in a highly favorable position. Treat the 30-year-old All-Star left-hander as one of the top pitching options on Tuesday's slate.

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Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before Tuesday's series opener against the hosting New York Mets that if all goes well with closer Evan Phillips (hamstring), he will return on Friday for the start of a weekend series against the division-rival Colorado Rockies. Phillips has logged one outing on his minor-league rehab assignment with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga as he works his way back from Grade 1 right hamstring strain, and he'll likely make another appearance or two before the Dodgers activate him from the injured list. Over 14 appearances before going down, the 29-year-old right-hander allowed a single run with a 17:4 K:BB and converted each of his eight save chances over 13 2/3 innings of work as LA's established closer. Veteran Daniel Hudson figures to be first in line for save opportunities for the early part of Week 10 of fantasy baseball.

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Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is out of Tuesday's lineup against the hosting Texas Rangers. It's a maintenance day for the 30-year-old veteran, who will be replaced by the speedy Jake McCarthy in left field on Tuesday. Gurriel was a first-time All-Star in 2023 and got off to a hot start in 2024, but he's cooled off considerably over the past month, hitting .168 (17-for-101) with just one home run, five doubles, and seven RBI across his last 26 outings. Look for him to rejoin Arizona's lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Rangers and left-hander Andrew Heaney. The righty-hitting Gurriel is batting .323 with two homers, five doubles, and 10 RBI in 65 at-bats against left-handed pitching this year.

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New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said ahead of Tuesday's game against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers that catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) will begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday with Double-A Binghamton. Alvarez will catch five to seven innings, and it's a great sign that's already good to go to for game action after he had no issues swinging in batting practice amid his recovery from surgery on his left thumb. Alvarez is firmly on track to return to the Mets in late June, or perhaps even a bit earlier if all continues to go well. The 22-year-old former top prospect may have been hitting just .236 (13-for-55) with one home run as New York's primary catcher before getting hurt, but he did have four doubles and one stolen base over 16 games and is worth stashing in all fantasy leagues for his power potential at the catcher position.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates activated third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (back) from the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's series opener against the hosting Detroit Tigers. Hayes is back from a bout of inflammation in his lower back, and he didn't need a minor-league rehab assignment before the Pirates reinstated him. Despite an absurd spring training that suggested his breakout was on the way, the 27-year-old former top prospect is slashing a weak .240/.322/.318 with one home run, seven doubles, 11 RBI, and 15 runs scored over 149 plate appearances (34 games) in the regular season this year but should immediately resume his duties as Pittsburgh's everyday third baseman. Fantasy managers should take a wait-and-see approach before activating Hayes or adding him from waiver wires.

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Washington Nationals outfield prospect James Wood (hamstring) has been placed on the 7-day injured listat Triple-A Rochester. Wood has been sidelined with tightness in his right hamstring since Thursday, when he was removed from the Red Wings' game in the fifth inning. The setback is going to slightly delay the major-league debut of the dynamic 21-year-old slugger, who's slashing a torrid .355/.465/.596 with nine home runs, 13 doubles, 31 RBI, and 10 stolen bases through 202 plate appearances (45 games) in the minors this season. Wood is Washington's No. 1 prospect and the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball for 2024, per MLB Pipeline, and he now isn't likely to be called up until sometime in the middle of June at the earliest at this point.

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New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte and third baseman Mark Vientos will both take a seat for Game 1 of a doubleheader on Tuesday against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. DJ Stewart is in right field and is batting fifth, while Brett Baty is at third base and hitting in the eight-hole against Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow. Marte should be back in the lineup for Game 2 against right-hander Gavin Stone. The two-time All-Star has stayed healthy so far in 2024 and is slashing .259/.307/.395 with six homers, 19 RBI and eight steals in 48 games. Vientos doesn't have the glove that Baty does at third base, but the 24-year-old has looked much better offensively, going 11-for-32 (.344) with three homers and six RBI with his limited opportunities. Stewart and Baty have a tough matchup on their hands in Glasnow in Game 1.

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The Arizona Diamondbacks released second baseman Kolten Wong from Triple-A Reno on Monday. Wong made it 31 games with the Aces in the minor leagues before being cut. He was hitting .271 (29-for-107) with two home runs, 16 RBI, two stolen bases and 15 runs scored in his 121 plate appearances and will now be looking for another opportunity with another team. The 33-year-old veteran spent the 2023 campaign with the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers and slashed a dreadful .183/.256/.263 combined with four home runs, six doubles, 27 RBI and three stolen bases in 87 games played. The former 22nd overall pick in 2011 out of Hawaii has always been a glove-first second baseman with modest power and speed, and it remains to be seen if he'll ever be able to make it back to a big-league roster.

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According to Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton, veteran left-hander Martin Perez (groin) will go on the 15-day injured list as the team awaits more testing on him. The groin injury that Perez suffered in his last outing on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves is obviously serious enough to keep him out for at least the next two weeks, but we don't have the exact specifics of the severity of the injury. The 33-year-old southpaw has been up and down in 2024 and doesn't have much upside in the strikeout department. Perez has so far gone 1-3 on the year with a 4.71 ERA (4.67 FIP) and 1.55 WHIP with 19 walks and 46 strikeouts in 57 1/3 frames over his 11 starts for the Bucs. The most likely scenario is that young pitcher Quinn Priester is brought back up from the minors to take Perez's rotation spot the next few weeks.

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Milwaukee Brewers left-hander DL Hall (knee) had his left knee evaluated in Milwaukee on Monday. "We have no indication that it's worse than (a tweak) right now. But we just want to be conservative. There's no sense in rushing through it or pushing through it at this point," assistant general manager Matt Kleine said. Hall tweaked his knee in his latest minor-league rehab appearance last Thursday with Triple-A Nashville when his cleat got caught on the field. The 25-year-old southpaw initially landed on the 15-day injured list on April 21 with a left-knee sprain and started his rehab assignment with High-A Wisconsin on May 19. It's unclear when his next rehab outing may be or when he might return to Milwaukee. In his four starts for the Brewers before his injury, Hall allowed 14 earned runs on 27 hits (four homers) while walking 10 and fanning 13 in 16 1/3 innings.

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Considering New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga (shoulder) will need to start his throwing program from scratch, which usually requires around six weeks, it seems unlikely that he will come off the 60-day injured list to pitch for the Mets before the All-Star break in mid-July. "It's hard to put a timetable here," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "We got a pretty frustrated player here that he's not able to contribute to the team." The 31-year-old Japanese hurler has already had multiple setbacks in his recovery from a posterior right capsule strain in his shoulder and regrets the way his rehab has gone to this point. Fantasy managers that selected him spring drafts are having regrets as well, but he's still worth stashing in all league formats for a second-half return. Senga should resume playing catch on Wednesday.

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New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) could be back with the team within the next month and has taken batting practice the last couple of days, consistently hitting balls with exit velocities over 100 mph. Alvarez was wearing a splint and may continue to do so whenever he's activated from the injured list. The Mets may need to be mindful of how they bring Alvarez back, and they also need to be mindful of his positioning behind the plate. The young 22-year-old backstop is eager to frame pitches and steal strikes for his pitchers, but that makes him susceptible to contact on a swing. Alvarez needed surgery on his thumb and was hitting .236 (13-for-55) with a homer and eight RBI in 16 games at the time of his injury in April. Until Alvarez returns, Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido will continue to split playing time behind the dish for the Metropolitans.

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On May 1, New York Mets infield prospect Luisangel Acuna was hitting .216, but now he's sitting at .254 after working with minor-league coaches J.P. Arencibia and Collin Hetzler to tighten his swing and lower his leg kick. They also wanted Acuna to stay back more instead of trying to go out and get pitches. The adjustments have worked, as Acuna is racking up more hits and hitting more balls in the air to left field. The brother of Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr., is currently on the Mets' 40-man roster. He's split playing time this year at Triple-A Syracuse at shortstop, second base and center field and has played all three positions well, according to evaluators. In his last 20 games for Syracuse, the 22-year-old is hitting .303 with eight stolen bases. Acuna is the team's No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and could make his big-league debut later this year if the Mets fall further out of contention.

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Detroit Tigers outfield prospect Justyn-Henry Malloy has been putting together another good season for Triple-A Toledo. Malloy has hit .269 with five homers and 25 RBI over his first 134 at-bats. He has also drawn 37 walks. Malloy is the club's No. 6 prospect and has had plenty of hype in fantasy circles since his breakout season of 2023 for Toledo. The 24-year-old led all of minor league baseball in 2023 with 110 walks and also showed his power with 23 homers and 83 RBI to lead his team. Malloy has shown some of the best plate discipline of any prospect and that continues to be a big part of his game. Malloy's biggest flaw has been that the Tigers have yet to find a position for him to get everyday at-bats at the big-league level. Malloy has the makings of a fantasy contributor with his ability to get on-base at a high clip and avoid strikeouts, but may need an injury at the big-league level to get his chance.

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Washington Nationals pitcher Mitchell Parker continued his impressive rookie season with his fourth victory of the season on Monday versus the division rival Atlanta Braves. Parker tossed 6 1/3 innings and allowed five hits, three runs, zero walks and recorded six strikeouts. The left-hander wasn't the most highly touted prospect in a good Nationals farm system, but he has put himself on the map this season with consistent results over his first eight starts. Parker, 24, has yet to allow more than three runs in a start and has gone five or more innings in all but one outing. He also has an impressive 1.11 WHIP. Parker has quietly become an asset for managers and is worth rostering in 10-team leagues moving forward. Next up for the lefty will be a date in Cleveland against the Guardians.

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San Diego starting pitcher Michael King struck out seven across five innings of one-run ball on Monday. He allowed three hits and one free pass. King has looked dominant at times this season but has also had several blow-up starts, making him a difficult asset to trust in fantasy. He has logged five starts with only allowing at most one earned run but two starts of allowing at least six earned runs with an overall 4.03 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. However, he has shown excellent strikeout upside with a 26.3% K rate, which places him in the top 73 percentile among all qualified pitchers. The 29-year-old will look to post another strong outing on Sunday as he takes on the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

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Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames went 2-4 at the plate with a three-run blast that powered the Brewers to victory in the opening game of the series. Adames now has eight home runs on the season with a solid .249/.322/.440, 35 RBI, and eight stolen bases. The 28-year-old is looking to put a disappointing season behind him and is already on pace to smash last year's totals. Under the hood, Adames has an above-average barrel rate, xSLG, hard-hit rate, and walk rate, which are great signs that he could be in the food a big summer. He is expected to continue to serve as the everyday shortstop in Milwaukee and consistently bat in the cleanup spot, setting him up for prime RBI opportunities batting behind Christian Yelich and William Contreras. Adames remains a solid shortstop and middle infield option in all standard leagues.

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