Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (shoulder) is quickly approaching his season debut. Verlander was unable to throw at all during Spring Training but has made minor league rehab appearances over the past week and is just about complete with his recovery process. Manager Joe Espada expressed that the three-time Cy Young Award winner could make his season debut on Friday as the Astros will take on the Washington Nationals. The Astros are in need of a spark due to their early season struggles. The future Hall-Of-Famer will slot right into the rotation when cleared.

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez will be out of the lineup for the first time this season as the Snakes play the rubber match of a three-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals. The 32-year-old has an excellent start with his new team, with a .259/.313./414 line with two home runs and 12 RBI. Veteran Jace Peterson will man the hot corner and bat in the six-hole this afternoon and comes into this game on a bit of a cold streak, as he has just one hit over the past two weeks. He could be a sneaky play in DFS as he will face Miles Mikolas, who has a 1-1 record and a high 4.76 ERA.

Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud is not in the team's starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Miami Marlins. It is just a regular rest day for the veteran backstop as he started the past two games behind the plate. Chadwick Tromp will take over catching duties on Sunday and bat ninth. Tromp is slashing .200/.182/.300 with no home runs to start the season and is not a recommended fantasy play for any format.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Marco Gonzales (forearm) has been placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday. The left-hander appears to have picked up the injury during Saturday's outing against the Philadelphia Phillies. Gonzales looked strong throwing six innings and allowing only two runs. Sadly, it appears the Pirates are going to be without Gonzales until some point in May. In a corresponding move, right-hander Ryder Ryan has been recalled from Triple-A. However, Ryan was pitching out of the bullpen, so the Pirates will need to make a move to get another starter at some point next week.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (back) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. The veteran outfielder continues to deal with back discomfort and will be held out of at least one more game. At the moment, fantasy managers should consider Yelich as day-to-day. However, Yelich could end up heading to the injured list if the issue continues to linger. Joey Wiemer will cover left field and bat eighth versus right-hander Corbin Burnes on Sunday. Fantasy managers should probably stay away from Wiemer in this tough matchup.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Yimi Garcia struck out the side over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. Garcia entered the ninth inning to protect a two-run lead. The 33-year-old struck out the side to earn his first save of the season. Garcia has been terrific for the Blue Jays in 2024, posting a 1.35 ERA, 0.45 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings. Chad Green, who collected Toronto's previous two saves, was used in the eighth inning and logged a hold in Saturday's victory. With Jordan Romano (elbow) and Erik Swanson (forearm) close to returning to action, Garcia is a temporary add for fantasy managers in desperate need of saves.

San Diego Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts is out of the lineup on Saturday. There's no current indication that this is anything more than a rest day for the 31-year-old. A day off may not be a bad thing for Bogaerts, who's started out sluggish this season with just a .219 batting average and only one HR. Tyler Wade will get the start at second base in Bogaerts' place, sliding over from third base where he has been playing in most of his starts this season. Eguy Rosario will start at third base for the Padres with Manny Machado at DH. Expect Bogaerts to return back to the lineup in Sunday's matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander James Paxton.

Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen will be on the bench Saturday as the Pirates continue a four-game set against the Phillies. The 37-year-old has a tough start to the season as he holds a .161/.316/.226 line with no home runs and only two RBI. Edward Olivares will instead be in the designated hitter spot and bat in the five-hole as he takes on Spencer Turnbull. Olivares has been swinging a hot bat over the first two weeks, hitting for a .314 AVG and .600 SLG with seven RBI and three home runs. Olivares is worth consideration in DFS, but he does have a difficult matchup with Spencer Turnbull, who has yet to allow an earned run and has a minuscule 0.55 WHIP.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (back) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. Yelich exited Friday's game early with a lower back discomfort. The 32-year-old has had a history of back issues, and the Brewers will be cautious with their star outfielder and rest him on Saturday. He is considered day-to-day, with the series finale on Sunday being his next chance to enter the lineup. Blake Perkins will replace Yelich in the lineup and is batting ninth for Saturday's contest. Perkins has been red hot recently, slashing .389/.476/.556 with a home run, four RBI, and six runs over five games. The 27-year-old can be a streamer in Saturday's slate against Orioles right-hander Dean Kramer while swinging a hot bat.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto will be resting on Saturday as the Phillies continue a four-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Realmuto went 0-3 with a walk last night and has a cumulative .267/.327/.400 stat line. He has hit two home runs and brought in four runs. Garrett Stubbs will catch for Spencer Turnbull and comes into today's game batting a .250 AVG with one swiped bag. Stubbs will face the left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales, who is riding a solid 2.45 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray (elbow) threw a bullpen session in Arizona on Friday. Ray has been pleased with his progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but he's still not likely to be a factor for the Giants until the second half of the 2024 season. After being acquired from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder Mitch Haniger and right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (forearm) this past offseason, the 32-year-old former American League Cy Young Award winner has enough strikeout upside alongside a pitcher-friendly ballpark to deserve being stashed for fantasy managers who can afford the roster spot. Former reliever Jordan Hicks has allowed just two earned runs and three walks over 18 innings as a starter in San Fran's rotation to this point, and he's worth rostering in all mixed leagues right now.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (back) was pulled from Friday's game against the Baltimore Orioles in the second inning. He left Friday's game with lower back discomfort. He went 1-for-1 with a single before being replaced in the bottom of the second inning. The 32-year-old has dealt with back issues in the past, and it's unclear how severe the latest injury is for Yelich. He is considered day-to-day. Yelich has been swinging a hot bat during the young season, hitting .316/.409/.737 with five home runs and two swiped bags. If Yelich were to miss time, Blake Perkins could be a candidate to handle left field.

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Joc Pederson (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This appears to be a routine rest day for Pederson against a left-handed starting pitcher. The D-Backs will play matchups here and go with Blaze Alexander at designated hitter versus Steven Matz. There's not a ton of value here with Alexander, so most fantasy managers should be able to find a better streaming option. The expectation is that Pederson should return to the lineup following this game.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (shoulder) is scheduled to make his next minor league rehab start on Saturday at Double-A Corpus Christi. The 41-year-old appears to be progressing well and could return after this outing. Obviously, the Astros don't want to rush back Verlander, but they need help in the rotation. Fantasy managers will have to check back after Saturday to see how Verlander is feeling. He'll be a must-have fantasy option once he's back on the mound.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon (illness) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Rockies' manager Bud Black said Blackmon is feeling under the weather, so they will hold him out of this contest. The expectation is that this will be a one-game absence for the veteran outfielder. In the meantime, Kris Bryant will function as the designated hitter, while Elehuris Montero covers first base versus right-hander Kevin Gausman on Friday.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman will make his third start of the season against the Colorado Rockies at the Rogers Centre this evening. The ace pitcher was dealing with shoulder fatigue earlier in the offseason, which prevented him from seeing time in Spring Training and delayed his season debut. He threw four one-run innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in his first start but struggled mightily in his second against the New York Yankees, where he allowed five earned runs. Gausman's velocity dipped in that start but did not express much concern. The 33-year-old should have an excellent opportunity to deliver a quality start against a Rockies team that has the sixth most total strikeouts, making him a fantastic option in DFS.

New York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana earned his first win of the season on Thursday in a 16-4 blowout over the Atlanta Braves. Quintana threw 5 innings of three-run ball, which was good enough with the Mets jumping on the Braves early in this one. He allowed five hits and two walks while striking out four. The veteran lefty has been serviceable so far this season, pitching to a 3.45 ERA and 1.53 WHIP with 12 strikeouts in 15 IP. He is likely better kept on the waiver wire, but he is a solid streaming option when he has a good matchup.

The Houston Astros are still committed to Justin Verlander (shoulder) making another minor-league rehab start this weekend, manager Joe Espada said following Thursday's 13-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Even though Framber Valdez (elbow) is on the injured list and Hunter Brown couldn't make it through the first inning on Thursday, there's still no thought of inserting Verlander back into an Astros rotation that really needs length. The club is taking the cautious route with the 41-year-old star right-hander, who is working his way back from right shoulder inflammation. Barring any setbacks, Verlander should be available to Houston's rotation in late April after collecting a 3.31 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 63:14 K:BB over 68 innings with the Stros last season. Ronel Blanco has filled in admirably with 15 one-hit innings thus far, but he faces a tough test against the defending-champion Texas Rangers during the Lone Star Series on Saturday.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve went 3-for-4 with a walk during Thursday's blowout loss to the Kansas City Royals. The veteran infielder has been his productive self to start the season, slashing .370/.452/.648 with three home runs through 14 games. Altuve continues to be one of the best fantasy second basemen in the league and should garner plenty of counting stats at the top of the Astros lineup. He remains a must-start option for the rest of 2024 even though Houston has been a surprising disappointment overall.

The Tampa Bay Rays granted right-hander Jake Odorizzi (hamstring, shoulder) his release on Thursday. The veteran of 11 major-league seasons signed a minor-league deal with the Rays in mid-March and made two rehab starts with Triple-A Durham in hopes of getting back to the big leagues. Odorizzi missed all of the 2023 season while recovering from shoulder surgery and will now be looking for another opportunity with another organization in 2024. In his two minor-league starts with Durham, the 34-year-old didn't look good, giving up seven runs while walking five and striking out only two in 5 1/3 innings while being bothered by a hamstring injury. Even if he's healthy and gets a shot elsewhere, it's looking like an uphill battle for Odorizzi to get back to the majors this year.