5 days agoThe Minnesota Twins activated outfielder
Max Kepler (knee) from the 10-day injured list on Monday, and he's in the starting lineup right away against the Chicago White Sox and rookie right-hander
Jonathan Cannon. Kepler is in right field and is batting fifth. The 31-year-old left-handed hitter looked good on his short minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul and should go back to the strong side of a platoon in right field against right-handed pitchers. His return is bad news for both
Trevor Larnach and
Carlos Santana moving forward. Fantasy managers using Kepler in deeper leagues will hope he can start swinging the bat like he did on his rehab assignment after getting just one hit in his first 20 at-bats of the season before landing on the IL.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Minnesota Twins
5 days agoMinnesota Twins outfielder
Byron Buxton appears to be getting a day off on Monday against the visiting Chicago White Sox.
Austin Martin will take over in center field for the Twins and will hit ninth in the batting order against White Sox rookie right-hander
Jonathan Cannon. First baseman
Alex Kirilloff will also head leadoff for this one. First baseman
Carlos Santana will be the designated hitter. Buxton has so far stayed healthy in 2024, but he's hitting a lowly .217 (15-for-69) with no home runs, nine RBI and no stolen bases in 20 games played. There's still time for the 30-year-old to turns things around, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect frequent running on the base paths to be Buxton's thing anymore. Martin will be a low-upside DFS sleeper in the nine-hole on Monday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoCincinnati Reds outfielder
Jake Fraley (illness) and
Will Benson are both out of the lineup on Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies and left-hander
Ranger Suarez. Fraley is missing his third straight game due to an illness, while it appears Benson is being rested with a lefty on the mound in this one.
Stuart Fairchild is starting in right field and batting leadoff, while
Bubba Thompson gets a start in center field and is batting in the nine-hole. Fairchild might be worth a look as a low-cost DFS sleeper in the leadoff spot. He's hitting .250 (10-for-40) so far with no homers, five RBI and five stolen bases in 2024. Fairchild is hitless in his five career at-bats against Suarez, while Thompson has never faced the soft-tossing lefty in his career.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoCincinnati Reds second baseman
Jonathan India (illness) remains out of the starting lineup on Monday against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies.
Santiago Espinal is filling in at the keystone and will bat seventh in the lineup against Phillies left-hander
Ranger Suarez. This will be the second straight game that India has missed while being under the weather. The former National League Rookie of the Year is hitting just .174/.326/.232 with no home runs, four RBI, two stolen bases and 10 runs scored in his first 69 at-bats of the 2024 season. The good news is that when healthy, India should continue to play regularly because of the injury to
Matt McLain (oblique). Espinal isn't a great DFS sleeper, as he's hitting .128 (5-for-39) early on with no homers, five RBI and three stolen bases.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Cincinnati Reds
5 days agoThe Cincinnati Reds placed right-hander
Frankie Montas (forearm) on the 15-day injured list on Monday with a right-forearm contusion and recalled right-hander
Casey Legumina from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move. Montas heads to the IL after getting hit in the right forearm by a comebacker in Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. The 31-year-old has a good chance of coming back in two weeks when he's eligible after avoiding a fracture to his arm. With Montas out of action for a few weeks, swingman
Nick Martinez will become more attractive in fantasy leagues with a move to the starting rotation. In what Montas' managers are hoping is a bounce-back year, he's so far been inconsistent with a 4.19 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 14 K's in 19 1/3 innings over five starts.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Cincinnati Reds
5 days agoTampa Bay Rays outfielder
Jose Siri (kidneys) is back in center field and is hitting eighth on Monday against the visiting Detroit Tigers and left-hander
Tarik Skubal after missing two of the three games over the weekend due to kidney stones. It's good to see the 28-year-old back in action, but his low spot in Tampa's batting order and his slow start to the year make him a tough sell in DFS lineups in a touch matchup against Skubal. Siri has gone 1-for-23 with 12 strikeouts in his last seven games and is hitting .188 (13-for-69) with a home run, five RBI and six stolen bases in his first 22 games played in 2024. On top of it, Siri has gone hitless in his first four career at-bats against Skubal.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoThe Tampa Bay Rays placed right-handed reliever
Pete Fairbanks (undisclosed) on the 15-day injured list with a nerve-related issue on Monday and recalled right-hander
Kevin Kelly from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. We'll get more specific information out there once it's released by the team, but this doesn't sound good at all for the Rays' closer. Fantasy managers with Fairbanks or in need of saves should consider putting a claim on
Jason Adam, who could be next in line for saves in Tampa until Fairbanks can return. Fairbanks hasn't had a great start to 2024, either, going 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA, three saves, a 2.29 WHIP and 10 K's with eight walks in seven innings. Tampa could totally run with a committee for saves, too, as
Colin Poche and
Garrett Cleavinger have recorded the team's last two saves, not Adam
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Bally Sports Florida - Ryan Bass
5 days agoMinnesota Twins first baseman
Alex Kirilloff is leading off in Monday's game against the Chicago White Sox. With
Edouard Julien struggling in the top spot, Kirilloff will move up in the order and lead off for the first time this season. The 26-year-old has been one of the team's better hitters this season, coming into Monday's contest with a .279 average and nine extra-base hits through 19 games. He also has a hit in four of the past five games and should give a Minnesota offense that has struggled on offense some boost atop the order. He is worth a look in most formats, especially if he continues to hit toward the top of the Twins' order.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
5 days agoAtlanta Braves first basemen
Matt Olson went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts Sunday against the Texas Rangers. Olson's strikeout issues continue to stack up as he struck out six times in three games over the weekend, finishing 0-for-12 with one run, one RBI, and two walks. The struggles have followed him all season long as he is hitting .231 (18-for-92) with seven doubles, one triple, three homers, 12 runs, 13 RBI, 12 walks, and 26 strikeouts over 20 games. Despite striking out four times on Sunday, Olson remains a must-start in all league formats.
--Shaun Evans - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
5 days agoTexas Rangers outfielder
Evan Carter blasted a solo home run in the team's 6-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday night. Carter got the Rangers scoring started in the top of the fourth inning when he connected with an 81.1 mph changeup from Braves starter
Darius Vines for a 398-foot home run. That was his third home run of the year. The 21-year-old has hit a bit of a rookie wall through the first 20 games of the season, hitting just .211 with three home runs and seven RBI. While he might not be a capable fantasy starter right now, he should pick it up as the season goes on. He could be a great buy-low option.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoSan Diego Padres outfielder
Fernando Tatis Jr. went 0-for-4 with a walk in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Tatis went 1-for-12 with one homer, two walks, and three strikeouts against the Blue Jays over the weekend. The 25-year-old is slashing .261/.343/.478 with six homers, 15 RBI, 16 runs, and three stole bases over 105 plate appearances in 2024. With a four-game series starting Monday versus the Colorado Rockies, each game has a favorable matchup rating for the Padres outfielder. Despite struggling against the Jays this past weekend, fantasy managers should continue to start Tatis in all league formats.
--Shaun Evans - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com
5 days agoNew York Mets first baseman
Pete Alonso was one of seven players to get a hit against Los Angeles starter
Tyler Glasnow in the team's 10-0 loss on Sunday. Alonso flew out his first time and struck out his second time before hitting a single to right field in his third at-bat of the game. It's been a bit of a slow start for the first baseman through the first 21 games of the season, as he is slashing .241/.323/.482 with six home runs, 11 RBI, and two doubles at the plate. Despite his low average, the 29-year-old will continue being a fantasy starter moving forward, given his power numbers.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoAtlanta Braves third baseman
Austin Riley went 1-for-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts in the team's 6-4 loss against the Texas Rangers on Sunday night. Riley was off to a poor at the plate on Sunday before bringing in
Ronald Acuna Jr. on an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning. The third baseman is now slashing .259/.323/.447 with two home runs, 13 RBI, and six doubles atop the Braves' lineup through 20 games to start the season. He has also totaled at least one hit in 12 of the last 14 games. The 27-year-old will continue to be a must-start player in fantasy.
--Joey Pollizze - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
5 days agoThe Philadelphia Phillies placed first baseman
Bryce Harper on the paternity list on Monday before their series opener against the Cincinnati Reds. In a corresponding move, the team recalled infielder
Kody Clemens from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Harper will miss between one and three games for the Phillies this week, which makes him tough to roll with in weekly fantasy leagues. The most likely scenario is that we see the 31-year-old former All-Star back in action for the series finale in Cincinnati on Thursday. The seven-time All-Star has started off the 2024 campaign by hitting .241/.330/.443 with four home runs, four doubles, 14 RBI, one stolen base and 10 runs scored in his first 21 games. Be prepared to be without him for the next couple of days.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Philadelphia Phillies
5 days agoColorado Rockies outfielder
Brenton Doyle (chest) looks to be OK after suffering a chest bruise in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Sunday. As a precaution, the Rockies scratched Doyle from the lineup for the second game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Seattle Mariners. The 25-year-old is expected to be fine for the upcoming series against the San Diego Padres, which starts on Monday, so fantasy managers will want to check back later to see if he's back in the lineup. Even if Doyle takes another game off on Monday, he should be able to avoid a stint on the injured list. The former fourth-round pick in 2019 out of Shepherd University has looked good in his second MLB season so far, going 22-for-76 (.289) with three home runs, seven RBI and two stolen bases in 21 games. Get Doyle back into your lineups if he returns on Monday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Denver Gazette - Luke Zahlmann
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