Cincinnati Reds right-hander Nick Martinez won't make a start for the team in its upcoming three-game series against the Chicago White Sox. The veteran had his third start of the season skipped due to a rainout on Thursday but will not get into any game action this weekend. The first two starts of his Reds tenure have not gone to plan as Martinez has yielded eight earned runs on 14 hits, including a homer, across 10 innings of work. He has only walked two in that time, however, and has punched out nine. The 33-year-old earned a two-year, $26 million contract from the Reds this winter after a successful return to the big leagues with the Padres over the last two seasons, most recently working to a 3.43 ERA across 63 outings (nine starts) in the 2023 campaign.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed second baseman Kolten Wong to a minor-league deal and have assigned him to Triple-A Reno. Wong has inked a minors deal this offseason with the Orioles but failed to crack the Opening Day roster and once again hit the open market. Following a pair of production seasons at the plate with the Brewers, Wong's bat cratered in a brief stint with the Mariners in 2023, hitting just .183 with four homers, three stolen bases, and a .519 OPS across 87 games in the Pacific Northwest. The D-backs have Ketel Marte as their everyday second baseman but fellow infielder Geraldo Perdomo recently underwent knee surgery and will miss about a month's worth of action.

New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (foot) will travel with the club for its upcoming road trip to Cleveland and Toronto as he builds up toward game action. The veteran suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right foot this spring and has recently worked on taking grounders and running the bases. LeMahieu didn't have his best season at the plate in 2023, hitting .243 with 15 homers, two steals, and a .717 OPS across 136 appearances, production that graded out 1% above the league average, as per his 101 wRC+. He was scheduled to be the team's everyday third baseman and leadoff hitter prior to his injury and he will likely return to those roles upon his return to action.

New York Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session either Thursday or Friday at the club's spring training facility in Tampa Bay. The right-hander has been sidelined due to a shoulder issue this spring but appears to be trending in the right direction in his rehab. It was a successful return to the Bronx for the veteran in 2023, as Kahnle worked to a 2.66 ERA across 42 appearances after posting a 2.84 ERA in an injury-shortened 13 appearances in a brief stint with the Dodgers in 2022. Upon his return, Kahnle won't get many save opportunities behind Clay Holmes but could be a solid source of holds after recording 14 of them in the 2023 season.

Houston Astros first baseman Jose Abreu and outfielders Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers are all sitting out on Thursday against the Kansas City Royals in the series finale. Jon Singleton is at first base and batting sixth, Mauricio Dubon is in center field and batting ninth, and Yainer Diaz is serving as the designated hitter and hitting fifth in the order versus Royals right-hander Brady Singer. Just like last year, the 37-year-old Abreu has been ice-cold offensively in the early going for the 'Stros, going 3-for-37 (.081) with no home runs, one RBI and 13 strikeouts in his first 41 plate appearances. He could use a day off. If the veteran first baseman continues to struggle, Houston could give him more frequent days on the bench. None of Singleton, Dubon or Diaz have ever faced Singer in their careers.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich hit his fifth home run of the season on Wednesday in a 7-2 win over the Reds. Yelich got his first start at designated hitter this season in the game, and the home run was his only hit of the day, going 1-for-4 with two RBI, a run scored, and a walk. Yelich is coming off probably his best statistical season since 2019, and looking to follow that up with another strong showing in 2024. His five home runs are one off of the league lead while hitting .316 with 11 RBI, seven runs scored, and two stolen bases. Expect the former MVP and 2x All-Star to continue to produce across multiple categories and provide fantasy managers a safe floor throughout the season.

Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe, third baseman Anthony Rendon and first baseman Nolan Schanuel are all on the bench on Wednesday versus the Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Zack Littell. Matt Thaiss is catching and batting eighth, Miguel Sano is at third base and hitting fifth, and Brandon Drury is at first base and batting in the six-hole for the Halos. Luis Rengifo is also at the keystone and hitting leadoff on Wednesday. Rengifo will gain some DFS appeal in this one while hitting atop the order. The 27-year-old Venezuelan infielder has been the odd-man out on the Angels' infield so far early this year, but he's been good when active, going 8-for-22 (.364) with two doubles, two RBI and two stolen bases in 23 plate appearances.

The Philadelphia Phillies are sending right-handers Taijuan Walker (shoulder) and Orion Kerkering (forearm, illness) on minor-league rehab assignments. Kerkering would then be activated sometime over the weekend. Walker will start his rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and will likely make four starts, increasing his pitch count in 15-pitch increments before eventually joining the Phillies' starting rotation. The 31-year-old threw 46 pitches over three innings in a live batting practice session over the weekend and is attempting to return from a right-shoulder impingement he suffered in spring training. The 23-year-old Kerkering got sick in spring training and then suffered a right-forearm strain. When healthy, he'll be a key late-inning bullpen piece for the Phillies but is unlikely to see many, if any, save chances.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder/designated hitter Joc Pederson are both out of the team's starting lineup on Wednesday as they face the Colorado Rockies. Tucker Barnhart is doing the catching and will hit eighth, while Ketel Marte will serve as the designated hitter and bat leadoff against Rockies lefty Austin Gomber. Kevin Newman is at second base and is batting ninth. Moreno had four hits on Tuesday but unsurprisingly will be on the bench in a day game after a night game. Pederson will now be on the bench for the fourth time in five games with Arizona facing a southpaw. After Marte went hitless on Monday and got the day off on Tuesday, he should be thrown back into all fantasy lineups on Wednesday, as he's hit a career .389 with two home runs and five RBI in 18 at-bats against Gomber.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and shortstop Masyn Winn are both getting a breather on Wednesday against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Alec Burleson is playing first base and batting sixth, while Brandon Crawford is at the 6 and is hitting seventh against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola. The 36-year-old Goldschmidt could use the break after putting up a weak .544 OPS to begin the 2024 season. Meanwhile, Winn has been consistent so far in his first full season as the Cardinals' starting shortstop, going 11-for-33 (.333) with a double, triple, three RBI and a stolen base in 11 games. Neither Burleson nor Crawford will be very strong DFS plays against Nola. Burleson is hitting .167 with an RBI in six at-bats against Nola, while Crawford is hitting .200 with three RBI in 15 career at-bats.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (neck, throat) is catching and batting cleanup for the Phillies on Wednesday versus the St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Lance Lynn. It's a bit of a surprise that Realmuto is playing in the series finale after taking a dirt ball to the neck/throat area while trying to block an errant pitch from right-hander Zack Wheeler on Tuesday night. The 33-year-old All-Star backstop was in a lot of pain and had to be removed from the game, but he's back in there on Wednesday and should remain in all starting lineups in single-season fantasy leagues. Realmuto has two home runs and four RBI in his first nine games this year but has only one hit in 10 career at-bats against the veteran Lynn.

Making his season debut on Tuesday, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray put together five strong innings in a victory against the Philadelphia Phillies. It was his first start of the season and for his new team as he was sidelined with a hamstring injury, but Gray didn't miss a beat allowing five hits, zero runs, zero walks and striking out five. The veteran signed a three-year deal to be the Cardinals ace this offseason and they will count on the right-hander to anchor their staff. From a fantasy perspective, Gray remains a solid option with a career 3.46 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Gray will look to build off his season debut with a matchup versus one of his former teams, the Oakland Athletics in a very favorable matchup on Tuesday.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich continued his stellar offensive start in Tuesday's 9-5 win over the Reds. Yelich went 2-for-4 with a single, a double, three RBI, and a walk. The 32-year-old has done it all at the plate so far this season, slashing .324/.410/.706 with four home runs, six runs scored, nine RBI, and two stolen bases in 40 plate appearances. Yelich had a nice 2023 season after several disappointing ones, so seeing him pick up where he left off is encouraging.

Philadelphia Phillies All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto (neck, throat) was forced to leave Tuesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals early in the seventh inning after taking a bouncing pitch in the dirt from right-hander Zack Wheeler to the neck/throat area. Realmuto was in a lot of pain after the ball went under his mask. He was replaced by Garrett Stubbs in the contest, and we'll bring you any updates on his condition later Tuesday night or Wednesday morning when they get passed along. Before leaving, Realmuto went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts to drop his season average to .273, so it was a rough game all around for the 33-year-old veteran. Even if Realmuto's injury isn't too serious, fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to play in the series finale against the Cards on Wednesday.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Manager Rob Thomson said they want to see Walker reach 100-plus pitches during his rehab assignment before the right-hander rejoins the Phillies' rotation, per MLB.com. Walker will be limited to approximately 60 pitches in his first rehab appearance, so he'll likely need a handful of minor-league starts before getting activated from the injured list. It puts him on course for an early-May return from a right shoulder impingement that limited him to 4 2/3 innings of spring training, but the soft-throwing 31-year-old righty is not the most appealing fantasy stash after generating a 4.38 ERA (4.53 FIP), 1.30 WHIP, and 138:71 K:BB across 172 2/3 frames a season ago. Spencer Turnbull has 11 scoreless innings under his belt so far and will be worth streaming in favorable matchups.

New York Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu (foot) has taken on-field batting practice and said on Saturday that he was encouraged by his progress. LeMahieu has also been fielding ground balls hit directly at him, and he has been running with approximately 90% effort, per MLB.com. Manager Aaron Boone also said on Tuesday that LeMahieu has started taking side to side grounders. LeMahieu is trying to overcome a non-displaced fracture of his right foot, and he will need a brief minor-league rehab assignment before returning to the Yankees. The 35-year-old contact-hitting infielder still has a chance to return before April's end, and he's a candidate to lead off in the Bronx after a strong 2023 second half saw him slash .273/.377/.432 with eight home runs, 17 RBI, and 27 runs scored over his final 220 at-bats of the year. In the interim, Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera will share reps at the hot corner.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martin Perez twirled eight innings of one-run ball on six hits and no walks in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the visiting Detroit Tigers, striking out seven hitters en route to a tough-luck no-decision. It looked like Perez was well on his way to earning a win on Tuesday, but closer David Bednar couldn't shut the door in the ninth inning after Perez threw 100 pitches. While the 33-year-old crafty lefty isn't known for having dominant stuff, he's quietly off to a fast start during his first year in Pittsburgh, garnering a 1.89 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 15 strikeouts through 19 innings to begin the season. Next up for Perez is a scheduled start against the struggling New York Mets on Monday, when he'll be worth considering as a fantasy streamer. In three appearances against the Mets since 2022, Perez is 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and seven K's across 11 2/3 innings.

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Wade Miley (shoulder) is scheduled to come off the injured list to make his season debut on Wednesday night versus the Reds on the road in Cincinnati. Miley threw 55 pitches for Triple-A Nashville in his final minor-league rehab start and gave up one run on two hits while walking two and striking out three. The 37-year-old southpaw's first start in the big leagues this year with Milwaukee will be an abbreviated start, which means that fantasy baseball managers looking for a low-cost streaming option on Wednesday should avoid him, especially in the difficult matchup in a hitter-friendly ballpark. Miley isn't your typical swing-and-miss pitcher. Instead, he relies on generating soft contact and keeping hitters off balance. Injuries have been an issue as he ages, too, so he's mostly a fantasy option in NL-only leagues.

New York Mets outfielder J.D. Martinez (back) will be shut down for three to five days after receiving a cortisone shot. The veteran slugger is dealing with lower back tightness, so hopefully this shot and rest will help him. Martinez wasn't expected to join the Mets this week, but this news means his season debut will be pushed back further. The Mets should give an update on his timetable in a few days.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (back) threw a bullpen session without any issues on Tuesday. The plan is for Scherzer to progress to facing live hitters in a batting practice session next week. The 39-year-old remains without a timetable to return, but the expectation is that Scherzer is back before the start of June. That being said, Scherzer is worth stashing in deeper mixed leagues while he continues to make progress in his recovery from back surgery.