Pittsburgh Pirates outfielders Andrew McCutchen and Michael Taylor are not in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics. With both players out, Bryan Reynolds will serve as the designated hitter and bat second, while Jack Suwinski will cover center field and hit eighth against A's right-hander Ross Stripling. Connor Joe is manning left field and batting third in the order. The veteran McCutchen has gotten off to a slow start in 2024, hitting just .190 (15-for-79) with three home runs, seven RBI and one steal. Taylor has been a bit better with a .253 average (19-for-75), but he has yet to go deep with six RBI and three stolen bases. Reynolds is a daily must-start in season-long fantasy leagues, while Joe is a nice low-cost DFS play with an average just under .300 in his first 89 at-bats in 2024.

From RotoBaller

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand (hand) is missing yet again from the team's starting lineup in the series finale against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday. Encarnacion-Strand is missing his fourth straight game after being hit by a pitch on his left hand. With a scheduled off day coming on Thursday, hopefully the 24-year-old will be able to return on Friday for a series opener against the Baltimore Orioles. On top of his injury, CES has hit just .196/.222/.314 with two home runs and 16 RBI in his first 102 at-bats of the season. Jeimer Candelario is at first base on Wednesday and is batting seventh, while Santiago Espinal gets the start at third and hits sixth against Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove. Neither Candelario nor Espinal have ever faced Musgrove in their careers.

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Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe will retreat to the bench on Wednesday as the team faces the Toronto Blue Jays. Adam Frazier will get the nod in right field for the Royals and will hit eighth against Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt. Renfroe has gone 1-for-12 in the last four games to drop his season line to a weak .150/.218/.268 in 80 at-bats. The 32-year-old veteran right-handed slugger has added just two home runs, 10 RBI and seven runs scored for the Royals and could lose playing time moving forward unless he turns it around soon. Frazier hasn't been much better at all, though, and should be avoided in DFS formats on Wednesday. The left-handed batter is hitting .185 (12-for-65) with no homers, five RBI and one stolen base.

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Oakland Athletics outfielder/designated hitter Brent Rooker will take a seat on the bench on Wednesday versus the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Catcher Shea Langeliers will move to designated hitter and will bat cleanup, while Kyle McCann will do the catching while hitting seventh against Pirates right-hander Quinn Priester. The 29-year-old Rooker will get the day off after starting in each of the team's last 11 games since coming off the 10-day injured list on April 19. In those 11 contests, he's gone 8-for-38 (.211) with three home runs, two doubles, eight RBI and a stolen base. Rooker has five dingers so far in 2024 and has added 13 RBI in his 68 at-bats. Langeliers is hitting just .176 (16-for-91) but does have six long balls, which makes him attractive in DFS at the weak catcher position while in the cleanup spot against a young pitcher.

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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jose Siri has been hit with a three-game suspension from Major League Baseball for his role in Tuesday night's benches-clearing incident with the Milwaukee Brewers. Siri will appeal his suspension, but he's out of Wednesday's lineup anyway due to some minor soreness in his left thigh as a result of getting hit by a pitch on Tuesday. The 28-year-old was intentionally hit by a pitch from right-hander Freddy Peralta in the sixth inning before getting in a dust-up with reliever Abner Uribe in the eighth inning after he grounded out. Uribe threw the first punch before Siri retaliated. After a scheduled off day for the Rays on Thursday, Siri should return to the starting lineup on Friday for the series opener against the New York Mets while his appeal is heard.

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After the Milwaukee Brewers' benches-clearing brawl against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, pitchers Freddy Peralta (five games) and Abner Uribe (six games) and manager Pat Murphy (two games) have been suspended. Both Peralta and Uribe are appealing their suspensions and won't have to sit out immediately for the series finale against Tampa on Wednesday. Peralta is being suspended for intentionally throwing at Rays outfielder Jose Siri. The 27-year-old was ejected as a result. Since he's appealing, he should be able to make his next scheduled start on Sunday versus the Chicago Cubs. Uribe incited the benches-clearing incident when he threw a punch at Siri after he grounded out in the eighth inning. The 23-year-old reliever has three saves on the year but also a 6.75 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in 13 appearances for Milwaukee.

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Detroit Tigers pitching prospect Jackson Jobe (hamstring) was pulled from his start early on Wednesday with Double-A Erie in the middle of the fourth inning after he was seen flexing his left leg and grabbing around his hamstring after delivering a pitch. The 21-year-old right-hander entered his start on Wednesday with a 2.63 ERA and 1.17 WHIP while walking nine and striking out 19 in 13 2/3 innings over his four starts for Erie. It's unclear how serious the injury is, but it's worth keeping an eye on for the Tigers' No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder has a nasty slider to pair with a mid- to upper-90s fastball. Even if his leg injury isn't serious enough to require a stint on the minor-league injured list, Jobe is probably unlikely to make his big-league debut in 2024.

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The Detroit Tigers optioned right-hander Matt Manning back to Triple-A Toledo after the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals. Manning served as the team's 27th man for the doubleheader and picked up a no-decision when he allowed four earned runs on seven hits (one home run) while walking two and striking out seven in 4 2/3 innings against St. Louis. He's now made three spot starts for Detroit this year. The 26-year-old threw 5 2/3 shutout innings in his first appearance but has now allowed eight earned runs in his last two outings despite striking out 14. We'll likely see Manning again at some point, and if any of the Tigers' regular starters are injured, he'll be the first to take their rotation spot.

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Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that Josh Lowe (hamstring, oblique), whose expected return last Saturday from an oblique strain was further delayed by right-hamstring tightness, will resume a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Thursday and then be evaluated on a day-to-day basis. It was a minor setback for the 26-year-old. As long as he doesn't suffer another setback, he could make his season debut with Tampa at some point this weekend or early next week. There's no reason that Lowe should be available on waiver wires after he slashed .292/.335/.500 with an .835 OPS, 20 home runs, 83 RB, 32 stolen bases and 71 runs scored in 501 plate appearances over 135 games for the Rays last year.

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St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (back) is set to undergo an MRI exam on Thursday after pitching through a back issue on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday. Matz went just 3 1/3 innings against Detroit on Tuesday and allowed seven hits (one home run) and four earned runs while walking two and striking out only one. The Cardinals will wait for the results of the MRI before deciding what to do next with the 32-year-old veteran southpaw. Fantasy managers that have Matz rostered in deeper leagues should prepare for the possibility that he will go on the injured list. After his poor start on Tuesday, he's now 1-2 on the year with a 6.18 ERA and 1.73 WHIP while striking 17 in 27 2/3 frames over his first six starts in 2024.

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Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud is getting the day off in the series finale on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners. With d'Arnaud riding pine, Chadwick Tromp will catch left-hander Chris Sale and will bat ninth for the Braves against Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock. With Sean Murphy (oblique) on the injured list, d'Arnaud has become Atlanta's primary catcher and has thrived with the opportunity. The 35-year-old veteran is currently hitting .282 (20-for-71) with five home runs, 16 RBI and 12 runs scored in his first 25 games of the year. With a scheduled off day on Thursday before a showdown on the road in LA against the Dodgers, d'Arnaud should be back behind the dish on Friday. Tromp is one to avoid in DFS formats in the nine-hole.

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The Miami Marlins recalled rookie right-hander Roddery Munoz from Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday, and he will make the start against the visiting Colorado Rockies with left-hander Jesus Luzardo (elbow) on the injured list. The Marlins optioned right-hander Emmanuel Ramirez to Jacksonville in a corresponding move. Munoz made his major-league debut on April 20 in a start against the Chicago Cubs and was handed a no-decision when he allowed two earned runs on two hits (two home runs) while walking one and striking out seven in five innings. He's been pretty bad in the minors, though, sporting an 8.62 ERA with 14 walks and nine strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings with Jacksonville. The matchup is about as good as it gets for Munoz in his second career start, but the 24-year-old is as risky as they come as a deep-league streamer.

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The Baltimore Orioles placed right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday with right-shoulder inflammation and activated left-hander John Means (forearm) from the injured list in a corresponding move. Rodriguez just picked up his fourth win of the season on Monday, when he tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings over the New York Yankees, so this news is highly disappointing for the Orioles and his fantasy managers. The 24-year-old already has three quality starts on the season while going 4-1 with a 3.71 ERA (3.58 FIP) and 1.41 WHIP with 12 walks and 37 strikeouts in 34 innings over six starts in his second MLB season. Rodriguez has allowed two runs or fewer in all but one of his starts. He needs to remain stashed in an IL spot while he's out.

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The Baltimore Orioles activated left-hander John Means (forearm) from the 15-day injured list on Wednesday. We knew that the O's planned to activate Means at some point this week, but now it's official. The 31-year-old southpaw will take the rotation spot of the injured Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder) for now, but eventually one of Albert Suarez or Cole Irvin will get booted from the rotation when right-hander Kyle Bradish (elbow) returns this week. It's unclear yet when Means will make his season debut for the O's. If it doesn't come in the series finale on Thursday against the New York Yankees, it should come this weekend in a series against the Reds on the road in Cincinnati. He struck out eight hitters and threw 95 pitches in his final minor-league rehab start, so Means shouldn't be limited at all from a pitch-count perspective.

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Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers is taking a day off on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox in the series finale. Jeffers has played a big part in the Twins' current nine-game winning streak, but he'll get a blow in this one with a scheduled off day coming on Thursday. The 26-year-old had started each of the team's last seven games and has swung a hot bat so far in 2024, going 26-for-88 (.295) with five home runs, 17 RBI, a stolen base and 15 runs scored in 26 games. He's clearly become Minnesota's primary catcher over Christian Vazquez, who is behind the dish on Wednesday and batting ninth against White Sox right-hander Chris Flexen. Vazquez will be a low-upside catching option in DFS contests in the nine-hole. He has a hit in two career at-bats against Flexen.

From RotoBaller

Chicago White Sox outfielder/designated hitter Eloy Jimenez is not present in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday versus the visiting Minnesota Twins. This will be Jimenez's first day off after playing in 14 straight games following his activation from the injured list in the middle of last month. Since returning from his injury, he's hit .255/.328/.436 with three home runs and a stolen base for fantasy managers. After a scheduled off day on Thursday, he should return to his DH duties on Friday on the road in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Robbie Grossman is serving as Chicago's DH on Wednesday and is hitting leadoff for the Pale Hose against Twins right-hander Bailey Ober. Grossman is batting .600 in five career at-bats against Ober and will have elevated DFS sleeper appeal on Wednesday in the leadoff spot despite going just 11-for-57 (.193) this year.

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Milwaukee Brewers infield prospect Tyler Black is starting at first base and is batting cleanup in just his second major-league game on Wednesday against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Zach Eflin. In his big-league debut on Tuesday, the 23-year-old went 2-for-4 and scored a run in the eventful win over the Rays at home. Black wasn't initially in the team's starting lineup, but he entered the contest in the first inning when catcher Gary Sanchez (hamstring) was hurt. His power/speed combination, coupled with his defensive versatility, makes him a prospect worth looking into in deep-mixed fantasy leagues, and he should see plenty of at-bats against right-handed pitchers. Black got the promotion to Milwaukee by hitting .303 (30-for-99) with five home runs, 18 RBI and three stolen bases in 25 games for Triple-A Nashville this year.

From RotoBaller

Milwaukee Brewers rookie outfielder Jackson Chourio isn't in the team's starting lineup against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday. With Chourio starting on the bench in this one, Sal Frelick, who is starting in right field, will man the leadoff spot in the Brewers' batting order. Jake Bauers also draws into the lineup in left field and will man left field. The 20-year-old Chourio started his first major-league season strong, but he has since disappeared, going 4-for-29 (.138) with a double, no home runs, no RBI, one walk and 12 strikeouts in 10 games since April 21. The cold stretch has dropped his season line to .206/.257/.351 with four home runs, 13 RBI and five stolen bases in 97 at-bats. After an off day on Thursday, hopefully Chourio can get going on Friday in the series opener against the division-rival Chicago Cubs.

From RotoBaller

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that outfielder Jose Siri (thigh) is out of Wednesday's starting lineup due to soreness in his left thigh that stems from him being hit by a pitch in Tuesday's game. It was an eventful day for Siri on Tuesday, as he hit his second home run of the season and was also ejected after throwing blows with Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Abner Uribe in a benches-clearing incident. Fantasy managers should expect the 28-year-old to be handed down a suspension of at least a couple games in the near future. Despite going 1-for-2 with the home run on Tuesday, Siri is hitting just .186 (16-for-86) on the year with seven RBI and six stolen bases through the first month of the year. Randy Arozarena is in center field and batting third, while Niko Goodrum is in left and hitting sixth on Wednesday against Brewers right-hander Colin Rea.

From RotoBaller

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Isaac Paredes and outfielder/designated hitter Harold Ramirez are not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the hosting Milwaukee Brewers. Curtis Mead is starting at third base and batting ninth, while Yandy Diaz is the designated hitter and batting leadoff against Brewers right-hander Colin Rea. Austin Shenton is at first base and is hitting fifth. Paredes will take a seat after starting each of the team's last 11 games. The 25-year-old has been a solid fantasy contributor with a .291/.358/.509 slash line, an .867 OPS, seven home runs and 17 RBI in 110 at-bats. Ramirez will be on the bench for the third time in the last five games and is losing playing time while going 27-for-106 (.255) to open the year with a homer, 10 RBI and three steals. With Jonathan Aranda's (finger) return on the horizon, Ramirez's fantasy stock could plummet even further.

From RotoBaller