Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (oblique) is back at second base and is hitting second on Wednesday against Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt. Altuve recently made his season debut after recovering from a fractured thumb that he sustained in the World Baseball Classic, but he just missed the last four games with oblique tightness. Thankfully, the 33-year-old All-Star second baseman has managed to avoid the injured list for now, and he should be returned to all starting fantasy lineups on Wednesday. In his first 11 games of 2023, Altuve has gone 12-for-42 (.286) with three doubles, two home runs, six RBI and eight runs scored. He's a must-start whenever he's in Houston's lineup.

San Diego Padres designated hitter Nelson Cruz (hamstring) is starting his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday. The seven-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger winner has had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, but he's clearly close to the end and is hitting .238 (25-for-105) with four doubles, one triple, only three home runs, 16 RBI and 36 strikeouts (four walks) in 36 games in his first year in San Diego in 2023. The Boomstick is recovering from a right-hamstring strain, but he could come off the 10-day injured list when he's eligible this weekend, barring a setback with the Chihuahuas. Cruz has mostly been splitting DH duties for the Friars with the left-handed hitting Matt Carpenter.

New York Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon (back) faced live hitters at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. He was able to throw 20 pitches during his bullpen session, and his fastball was around 92-94 mph on the radar gun. Rodon also threw all of his pitches during the session, and his next step will be a similar workout. The 30-year-old southpaw has yet to pitch for the Yanks in 2023, but they aren't going to rush him back too soon. Barring another setback, the All-Star hurler could make his season debut in pinstripes at some point in late July. Fantasy managers will have to continue being patient, but when he's healthy, Rodon proved the last two years in San Francisco that he can be an ace. Continue to stash him in all fantasy formats.

Cleveland Guardians shortstop Amed Rosario (knee) is back at shortstop and is hitting second on Wednesday against Boston Red Sox right-hander Kutter Crawford. Rosario will return to the team's starting lineup after missing a couple of games with left-knee soreness, but he'll be available for fantasy managers again Wednesday. Gabriel Arias will return to the bench as a result. Aside from eight stolen bases on the year, Rosario has done very little offensively for fantasy managers, and he's hitting just .146 (6-for-41) with three doubles and four RBI in his last 12 games. In 211 total at-bats in 2023, the 27-year-old Dominican is slashing only .227/.273/.318 with one long ball and 14 RBI.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Roansy Contreras was ambushed for seven runs by the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. The 23-year-old faced seven batters before finally recording his first out, but was pulled after the A's batted around in the first inning. Pittsburgh loaded the bases in the ninth frame, but they fell short in a 9-5 defeat. Contreras ate his fifth loss of the year and failed dramatically as a popular streamer and budget DFS play in what seemed to be very favorable draw. The former Pirates top prospect saw his ERA balloon to 5.91 and his WHIP to 1.54 across 56 1/3 innings this year. Despite a seemingly promising 2022, Contreras' suspect hard-hit rate (45.9%) has carried over to haunt him in 2023. The right-hander should not be trusted when he encounters Drew Smyly and the Chicago Cubs next Wednesday, barring a slide back to the bullpen beforehand.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz is not in Wednesday's starting lineup against Pablo Lopez and the Minnesota Twins. Diaz went 1-for-4 with a walk and scored a run for the fourth straight game on Tuesday but will get a well-earned breather on Wednesday. Diaz has been one of the best hitters in baseball so far this season with a .316 average, 12 home runs, a 12.2% BB%, and a .976 OPS across 52 appearances. The 31-year-old has already hit three more homers this season than he did all of last season in 137 games while his 177 wRC+ tells us his bat has been 77% above the league average. Luke Raley will take over at first base and hit out of the cleanup spot Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Evan Longoria is back in the starting lineup Wednesday night against the Washington Nationals and left-hander Patrick Corbin. It's the veteran's first game action since Saturday when he hit a solo home run for his third long ball over his last five games and fifth across his last 11 contests. Despite the recent power surge, Longoria has just one multi-hit effort since a two-hit effort on April 18. The 37-year-old is hitting just .216 but with eight homers and an impressive .289 isolated power in 32 contests while his .347 xwOBA is superior to his .321 wOBA. Considering his .283 ISO and .911 OPS against lefties this season, Longoria is a nice streaming option against Corbin.

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is not in Wednesday's starting lineup against the Nationals as he continues to deal with a groin injury. Wednesday marks the third straight absence for Gurriel, who could be available off the bench, while any potential injured list stint would be retroactive to June 4. After a sluggish start, Gurriel caught fire in the month of May to the tune of a .352 average with a 1.130 OPS across 101 trips to the plate for the month while he hit eight of his nine home runs for the season in May. Fantasy managers will need to exercise some patience when it comes to the streaking outfielder.

San Diego Padres catcher Gary Sanchez is hitting out of the cleanup spot Wednesday against Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby. It's just his eighth start of the season for the Padres but the first out of the four-hole, although the promotion certainly makes sense considering Sanchez has already clubbed three homers in short order for the Friars. After bursting onto the scene as a rookie in 2016, the 30-year-old has fallen on tough times lately as he's coming off a .205 average, albeit with 16 home runs, across 128 games with the Twins last season, finishing 11% below the league average according to his 89 wRC+. Despite his hot start with San Diego, he'll have his hands full with a tough right-hander in Kirby Wednesday afternoon in San Diego.

San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts (wrist) remains out of the lineup Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners. Bogaerts is still hoping to avoid a trip to the injured list, but he was also hoping to return to action on Tuesday night, making Wednesday's absence a little more concerning. It's been an underwhelming season by his lofty standards, as the 30-year-old is hitting just .252 with seven home runs, six stolen bases, and a .725 OPS across 243 plate appearances for the season. Bogaerts hasn't played since Saturday against the Cubs, so any potential IL stint would be retroactive to Sunday, June 4. For now, Ha-Seong Kim will continue to man shortstop in Bogaerts' absence.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Aaron Hicks went 1-for-4 with his first home run with the team, two RBI, a run scored and a strikeout in the team's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. Hicks is hitting just .226 (19-for-84) on the year, but since he was picked up by Baltimore, he's gone 6-for-15 (.400) with a triple, a home run, three RBI and five runs scored in five games played. The 33-year-old outfielder has had trouble staying on the field, which is why the New York Yankees finally gave up on him, but he could be in the midst of a resurgence with a change of scenery. Cedric Mullins (groin) is currently on the injured list, so Hicks should continue playing every day, at least until Mullins is back in the fold.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman/designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn went 2-for-4 with a home run, an RBI and a run scored in the team's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. It was nice to see O'Hearn clear the fences for the first time since May 20, and it was the 29-year-old's third home run of the campaign. The left-handed slugger is batting an impressive .302 on the year with 16 hits in 53 at-bats, and he's also gone an impressive 11-for-29 (.379) with four doubles, all three of his home runs, nine RBI and five runs scored in his last nine games since May 16. O'Hearn is mainly only playing against right-handed pitchers, but if he keeps hitting like this, he'll be a must-roster in all fantasy leagues.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kyle Gibson took a no-decision in Tuesday night's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. In five innings of work, Gibson allowed two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out seven. Both of the runs he allowed came in the first inning, but he settled down from there to have a decent outing on the road. The 35-year-old right-hander's seven K's were the most since he had 11 on April 22, and he's allowed two runs or fewer in four of his last six starts. Gibson is now 7-3 on the season with a respectable 3.87 ERA (3.95 FIP), 1.32 WHIP, 25 walks and 54 strikeouts in 76 2/3 innings over 13 starts. Fantasy managers would like more strikeouts, but he'll have a favorable matchup up next against the Kansas City Royals.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich was seeing the ball well on Tuesday night in the team's 4-3 extra-innings win over the visiting Baltimore Orioles, as he finished the game 3-for-4 with two doubles, two stolen bases, a run scored and a walk. It was the fourth time in 2023 that Yelich has recorded three hits in a contest. Fantasy managers would like to see more home runs from the 31-year-old left-handed hitter, but they also can't complain about his stat-stuffing performance on Tuesday. It's been nice to see Yelich running more this year, and he's now tied for seventh in MLB with his 16 stolen bases. Overall, he's hitting a solid .258 (55-for-213) with nine doubles, seven home runs, 25 RBI and 41 runs scored in 58 games. Yelich hasn't homered since May 14, but he has five doubles and seven steals since then.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman was at his best on Tuesday in the 5-1 win over the Houston Astros, tying his career-high with 13 strikeouts while allowing a run on four hits and no walks in seven innings to pick up his fifth win of the season. Gausman was absolute dominant on the night and induced 36 called or swinging strikes. The only run he allowed came on a Mauricio Dubon homer in the first inning. The 32-year-old right-hander has been solid for the Blue Jays and fantasy managers this year with a 2.63 ERA (league-best 2.30 FIP), 1.07 WHIP, 18 walks and a league-high 113 strikeouts in a league-high 82 innings over 13 starts. Gausman now has 10 quality starts and six games with double-digit strikeouts. Keep rolling him out there.

Detroit Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (finger) visited a specialist on Tuesday, who cleared him for light throwing, according to MLB.com. The 30-year-old is suffering from a pulley rupture in his left index finger, which he sustained during his last start on May 28. Before hitting the injured list, Rodriguez was a Cy Young contender, posting a 2.13 ERA and 0.98 WHIP with 67 strikeouts over 67.2 innings of work. There still isn't a timetable for his return, but he isn't feeling any pain, and he should be back with the Tigers as soon as possible.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (oblique) is expected to be back in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against Chris Bassitt and the Toronto Blue Jays, according to MLB.com. The former MVP has missed the past four games as he deals with an oblique issue. This is great news for fantasy managers, who already went without Altuve for the first month and a half of the season while rehabbing from a thumb ailment. The 33-year-old has slashed .286/.388/.500 with two homers, eight runs, and six RBI across 11 games. Fantasy managers should expect Mauricio Dubon to move back into a part-time role, even with his .294 batting average.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes (shoulder) is going on the injured list, manager Aaron Boone told reporters after their 3-2 loss on Tuesday. The lefty is dealing with a mild shoulder strain and hasn't pitched since May 30. Cortes received a cortisone shot on Tuesday and will be evaluated in 10 days before he starts to throw again. The 28-year-old was in the midst of a down season, pitching to a 5.16 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 23.4% strikeout rate over 59.1 innings after producing a 2.61 ERA over 251.1 innings from 2021-2022. Expect the 28-year-old to be out until at least the beginning of July. It looks like Randy Vasquez will take his spot in the rotation, but after posting a 5.13 ERA in Triple-A this year, fantasy managers may want to look elsewhere.

Los Angeles Angels reliever Carlos Estevez registered his 15th save of the season on Tuesday, closing out the 7-4 win over the Chicago Cubs. The right-hander gave up a pair of hits but prevented them from crossing home plate while striking out two. Estevez has turned into a dominant bullpen arm this year, posting a 1.37 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 31.5% strikeout rate over 26.1 innings. Those are numbers any fantasy manager wants from their reliever, and he remains a must-start in all formats as the Angels closer.

Chicago White Sox right-hander Liam Hendriks picked up his first save of the 2023 campaign on Tuesday when his club defeated the New York Yankees 3-2. He allowed one solo home run but otherwise pitched a clean inning with no walks or strikeouts. Since coming back from his illness, Hendriks has posted a 6.75 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 17.6% strikeout rate through just four innings. It looks like the 34-year-old has taken back the closer job and should receive the majority of save opportunities, leaving Kendall Graveman in a set-up role.