Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Joc Pederson homered for the second straight game in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Cubs. Pederson came on to pinch hit in the sixth for Blaze Alexander, lining out to first in his initial at-bat before homering in the next at-bat in the bottom of the ninth off of lefty Drew Smyly. Pederson is off to a solid start this season, hitting .333 (11-for-33) with two doubles, two home runs, five RBI, and seven runs scored. Last season, Pederson saw an increase in his BB% by 3.7% over the prior year, up to 13.4%, and it appears he's brought the keen eye into 2024, having walked nine times while striking out just once. The result is a superb .467 OBP thus far.

Free-agent outfielder Tommy Pham officially signed a minor-league deal with the Chicago White Sox on Monday. He'll make $3 million in the majors with $1.5 million in incentives and must be added to the big-league roster by April 25 or he can request his release. Pham will also receive $500,000 if he's traded. The 36-year-old veteran instantly becomes one of the team's better position players with both Luis Robert Jr. (hip) and Yoan Moncada (groin) out with injuries, but it remains to be seen how quickly Pham can get up to speed to join the White Sox in what should be a pretty regular outfield role. At the very least, he's worth a pickup in AL-only leagues, although Pham won't have chances to drive in runs for a bad White Sox team. He hit .256/.328/.446 with 16 homers, 68 RBI and 22 stolen bases in 129 regular-season games with the Mets and Diamondbacks in 2023.

Miami Marlins catcher Christian Bethancourt (illness) has been placed on the 10-day injured list on Monday. It appears Bethancourt is dealing with some sort of illness and he'll be sidelined for at least a week or so. In a corresponding move, the Marlins have selected catcher Jhonny Pereda from Triple-A Jacksonville. He figures to split up the playing time behind the plate with Nick Fortes while Bethancourt is sidelined.

Free agent outfielder Tommy Pham is expected to sign with the Chicago White Sox. Pham will reportedly sign a Minor League deal with the team but is likely to get a call to the majors in short order. The 36-year-old put up solid numbers last year, with a .256/.328/.446 triple-slash line to go with 16 homers and 22 steals in 481 plate appearances. He should be able to carve out a full-time role with the lowly White Sox, and with a good chunk of playing time, Pham could provide another 15-homer, 20-steal season. He is worthy of a speculative add in deeper leagues, but can probably be left on waivers for now in standard-size leagues.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 catcher J.T. Realmuto is getting the day off on Monday as the team takes on the St. Louis Cardinals on the road. With Realmuto starting on the bench, Garrett Stubbs will catch right-hander Spencer Turnbull and hit eighth against Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas. Stubbs will be a poor DFS play at the catching position for Monday's slate of action. The 33-year-old Realmuto was hitless on Sunday but has gone 9-for-30 (.300) with two home runs, four RBI and four runs scored in 33 plate appearances in his first eight games of the season. The three-time All-Star is typically a set-and-forget lineup option for fantasy baseball managers in single-year formats, but he needs to be removed on Monday in leagues that allow daily lineup moves.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/outfielder Henry Davis and outfielder Michael Taylor will start on the bench on Monday for the series opener against the visiting Detroit Tigers. Joey Bart will do the catching for the Bucs and will hit ninth, while Jack Suwinski is in center field and batting cleanup against Tigers right-hander Reese Olson. This will be Bart's second start in the last three games, and he could see more time behind the plate with Davis starting off his second MLB season just 4-for-30 at the plate. It helps Bart's cause that both Yasmani Grandal (foot) and Jason Delay (knee) are currently on the injured list. This will be Taylor's third straight game starting on the bench. Suwinski is just 6-for-34 (.176) in the early going but will have elevated DFS sleeper appeal in the cleanup spot on Monday.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed reliever Blake Treinen (chest) is still "weeks" away from returning to the team. He has been throwing but needs to build all the way back up after missing so much time at this point. The 35-year-old veteran reliever bruised his lung when he was hit in the chest by a comebacker during spring training, but he was able to start a throwing program a week ago. The Dodgers aren't going to rush Treinen back, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he doesn't make his 2024 debut out of the team's bullpen until early May. In addition to his injury this spring, Treinen missed all of 2023 while recovering from shoulder surgery in November of 2022. Injuries have become a problem, but he can still have value in deep holds leagues for his experience in high-leverage spots when he's healthy.

The San Diego Padres are still considering signing free-agent outfielder Tommy Pham, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman. San Diego remains linked to Pham after the two sides were reportedly close to reaching an agreement in mid-March, and the 36-year-old left fielder could supply some depth to the Padres' thin outfield. As long as the switch-hitting Jurickson Profar, who is batting .269 with an .809 OPS and three RBI covering 26 at-bats this season, is playing well, they may not be as inclined to net the veteran's services. Pham has been very productive in years past and could find his way to some fantasy relevance if he ultimately joins the Friars, however, most recently slashing .256/.328/.446 with 16 homers, 27 doubles, 68 RBI, and 22 stolen bases in 426 ABs across time with the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto is back in the starting lineup on Wednesday to take on the Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Frankie Montas. The veteran got a break on Tuesday but the Phillies managed to earn a 9-4 win in his absence. Realmuto is off to a strong start to begin the season, going 4-for-14 (.286) with a homer and two walks against five strikeouts across 16 trips to the plate. He had a down 2023 season by his lofty standards, hitting .252 with 20 homers and 16 stolen bases, production that fantasy managers should still be more than satisfied by, especially by the speed as his 16 stolen bags were easily the most among big-league backstops.

The Atlanta Braves signed relief pitcher Jackson Stephens and catcher Sandy Leon to minor-league deals Tuesday, per The Athletic's David O'Brien. Stephens elected free agency in March after being outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett by the Braves and served as a decent reliever for the Braves from 2022 through 2023. Leon should serve as catcher depth for the organization with Sean Murphy (oblique) on the injured list with an oblique injury but will not contribute much offensively. Neither of these players should factor into the fantasy landscape at this time.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto is getting the day off on Tuesday as the team takes on the visiting Cincinnati Reds. With Realmuto starting on the bench, Garrett Stubbs will do the catching and hit ninth against Reds right-hander Graham Ashcraft. There is a high probability of rain in the forecast on the East Coast, so using anyone from these two teams in DFS could be a crapshoot on Tuesday. The 33-year-old Realmuto is off to a 4-for-14 start in the first four games of the year with a home run, run scored and two walks. Stubbs only has two career at-bats against Ashcraft and hasn't recorded a hit. At the bottom of Philly's lineup, Stubbs isn't very attractive for DFS gamers.

San Francisco Giants first baseman Wilmer Flores (shoulder) is starting at first base and is batting fifth on Monday against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers and left-hander James Paxton. Flores was initially held out of the lineup after injuring his shoulder in the series finale against the San Diego Padres on Sunday, but the team's updated lineup has Flores in there. The 32-year-old Venezuelan veteran had a strong 2023 campaign in the Bay Area by hitting .284/.355/.509 with an .863 OPS, a career-high 23 home runs and 60 RBI in 126 games played and he's off to a 2-for-9 start with two RBI and three runs scored in the first four games of the 2024 season. Flores has just six career at-bats against Paxton and is searching for his first hit against the lefty.