Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (back) is playing first base and is batting cleanup for the Royals on Tuesday against right-hander Jose Berrios and the Toronto Blue Jays. Freddy Fermin is doing the catching and will bat sixth. Perez was scratched from Monday's lineup with back tightness, but he singled in a pinch-hit appearance late in the game and is back in the lineup a day later. Fantasy managers will want to get the 33-year-old All-Star back into their starting lineups immediately. Perez has been going off offensively with a .346/.404/.596 slash line with seven home runs in his first 29 games this year. He has a lot of experience against Berrios in his career, too, but he's hit just .214 with a home run and five RBI in 42 at-bats.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho is not in the starting lineup on Tuesday with the team facing a left-handed pitcher. With Varsho getting the day off, Cavan Biggio will make the start in right field for the Jays and will hit ninth in the batting order against Royals left-hander Cole Ragans. Varsho has gone 5-for-17 (.294) with a solo home run against southpaws so far in 2024, but he also has just one hit in his last 14 at-bats over his last four games to drop his season slash line to .233/.324/.500. The 27-year-old left-handed slugger has added six home runs, 14 RBI and three stolen bases. Varsho should be back in Toronto's starting lineup on Wednesday. Biggio has very little fantasy upside in the nine-hole. He's hitting .229 (16-for-70) on the year with a homer and six RBI.

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said that the team and struggling first baseman Jose Abreu have decided that he will be optioned to the Florida Complex League in West Palm Beach, Florida, effective on Wednesday "to get some at-bats and his timing back right." The 37-year-old right-handed slugger also got off to a slow start with the Astros last year, but his struggles this year have fallen to another level. He's currently slashing an embarrassing .099/.156/.113 with no home runs, three RBI, three walks and 18 strikeouts in 77 plate appearances over 22 games. Abreu was a virtual lock for 100 RBI each season during his time with the Chicago White Sox from 2014-22, but he's fallen on hard time in Houston and isn't a must-stash in mixed fantasy leagues. Jon Singleton will see more playing time at first base now that Abreu is headed to the farm.

Third baseman Gio Urshela (hamstring) is traveling with the Detroit Tigers for their six-game road trip as he gets closer to a return from injury. Urshela is going through hitting and defensive drills, while also continuing to run as he looks to return from a right-hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined since April 19. He's currently on the 10-day injured list. Before the injury, Urshela was the Tigers' everyday third baseman and was slashing .298/.310/.333 with six RBI. In place of Urshela, Detroit has been starting Matt Vierling at third base. Once Urshela returns from injury, he will resume being the everyday third baseman, but despite that, he is under 5 percent owned in Yahoo and ESPN fantasy leagues.

The Minnesota Twins have activated right-hander Jhoan Duran (oblique), who has missed the start of the season due to an oblique injury. Last season, the right-hander had 27 saves with a 2.45 ERA. Duran is one of the top closers in fantasy baseball and is expected to resume his role as the closer after his two-game rehab stint in Triple-A, as his fastball clocked in at an average of 101.8 mph. In a corresponding move, the Twins have designated right-hander Matt Bowman for assignment. Bowman had a 2.35 ERA in five games in 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs out of the bullpen.

Houston Astros outfielder Chas McCormick is dealing with soreness in his hamstring. Astros manager Joe Espada said it is a day-to-day injury for the time being. McCormick is slashing .236/.325/.278 this season with 8 RBIs. With McCormick out of the lineup, Joey Loperfido will be getting some starts in the outfield, the manager revealed. Loperfido was expected to play some first base due to the struggles of Jose Abreu, but will now get some reps in the outfield due to the injury to McCormick. In the minors, Loperfido slashed .287/.393/.713 with 13 home runs in 25 games before the callup and is a fantasy option due to his power.

The Chicago White Sox signed first baseman Jared Walsh to a minor-league deal on Tuesday. He will report to Arizona before being assigned to Triple-A Charlotte. Walsh began the year with the Texas Rangers and went 12-for-53 (.226) with a home run, seven RBI and nine runs scored in 17 games while filling in at first base with Nathaniel Lowe starting the year on the injured list. Once Lowe returned from his injury, the Rangers cut Walsh. At this point, the White Sox are just looking for warm bodies with potential. For the time being, the 30-year-old Walsh will provide minor-league depth at first base. The former 39th-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels in 2015 out of Georgia has a career .239/.301/.438 slash line with 59 home runs and 191 RBI in six seasons, including this year.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez is not in the team's starting lineup for Game 1 of a doubleheader on Tuesday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. With Baez resting, Zach McKinstry will get the nod at shortstop and will hit seventh in the lineup against Cardinals right-hander Kyle Gibson. It seems like ages ago that Baez was a two-time All-Star with the Chicago Cubs. He's really fallen on hard times in Detroit and is hitting just .193/.233/.277 in 25 games this year with just one home run, nine RBI, six stolen bases, four walks and 21 strikeouts in 90 plate appearances. Now that Baez's power production is down -- he hit just nine long balls in 2023 -- it's hard to justify starting him in mixed fantasy leagues. McKinstry is hitting .220 (9-for-41) and doesn't have a homer this year, but he has a solo home run in six career at-bats against Gibson.

Oakland A's third baseman Tyler Nevin was locked in during Monday's 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Nevin went 2-for-3 with one run, one homer, two RBI, and one strikeout. The 26-year-old continues to provide production after a slow start to the season. He's now hitting .301 (22-for-73) with two doubles, three homers, eight runs, eight RBI with five walks and 16 strikeouts through 23 games. At best, Nevin is an option in AL-only leagues, but he still has more to prove for those considering him off the waiver wire in deep-mixed leagues, especially since he plays for one of the worst teams in baseball.

Minnesota Twins right-hander Josh Winder (shoulder) is set to start a minor-league rehab assignment with Low-A Fort Myers on Tuesday. Winder was placed on the 60-day injured list on Feb. 26 with a scapular stress fracture in his right shoulder that he suffered late last year. It means the 27-year-old reliever won't be able to rejoin Minnesota's bullpen at the big-league level until at least late May. Winder made his major-league debut for the Twins in 2022 and even started 11 games that year, but all 19 of his appearances last year came in a relief role. In his 101 2/3 total innings pitched the last two seasons in Minnesota, he has recorded a 4.51 ERA (4.57 FIP), one save, a 1.34 WHIP, 32 walks and 75 strikeouts. Winder is currently off the fantasy radar everywhere.

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch confirmed that right-hander Matt Manning will start Game 2 of the team's doubleheader on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Manning has fared well in his two spot start with the Tigers this year, allowing five hits (two home runs) and four earned runs while walking six and striking out 10 in 12 1/3 innings against the New York Mets and Minnesota Twins. The 26-year-old is likely to be sent back to Triple-A Toledo after serving as the team's 27th man on Tuesday, but given the matchup against a St. Louis team that could be resting some key starters in Game 2, Manning is worth a look as a streaming option in fantasy in this matchup. Through almost the first month of the 2024 season, the Cardinals hold the fourth-lowest team OPS in the big leagues at .636. Only the A's, Marlins and White Sox have been worse.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller had himself a day on Monday in a 2-1 win against the Atlanta Braves. Miller went seven innings while striking out 10 batters, walking one, and allowing one earned run. He is 3-2 on the season, pitching 35 innings with a 2.04 ERA while allowing 19 hits, nine runs, five homers, 12 walks, and 39 strikeouts in six starts. The 25-year-old has a 9.93 K/9 and a 3.06 BB/9, backing his success this year on the mound. His next projected start is against Houston, and the way he is pitching, fantasy managers should have him starting no matter who the opponent is.

Seattle Mariners catcher/designated hitter Mitch Garver played the hero in Monday's 2-1 win over the Braves. Garver went 1-for-3 with a walk-off, two-run home run, a walk, and two strikeouts. It was a nice moment, but the 33-year-old has struggled offensively with his new team, slashing .150/.266/.313 with three HR and seven RBI in 94 plate appearances. Garver has been a reliable source of power throughout his fantasy career, so hopefully this can help get him going.

It wasn't pretty, but Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Jason Adam picked up his first save of the season in Monday's 1-0 win over the Brewers. Adam came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by one. He allowed a leadoff double, got the first out on a line-out, allowed a walk, allowed a double steal, got the second out on a past-ball strikeout where the runners were held due to batter's interference, hit a batter to load the bases, and finally ended things with a strikeout. The 32-year-old racked up 12 saves last season when Pete Fairbanks (hand) was on the injured list, and Fairbanks is now serving a stint with a hand injury. Given his history serving as interim closer, Adam is worth rostering in at least all roto leagues at this time.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot continued to string together strong starts in Monday's 1-0 win over the Brewers. Pepiot pitched six innings, allowing just two hits and no walks with seven strikeouts. The 26-year-old has looked good in his first starts with his new team, going 3-2 with a 3.12 ERA, a 9.87 K/9 rate, and a 2.60 BB/9 rate in six starts and 34 2/3 IP. He will look to keep things going in his next projected start against the middling Mets.

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Nate Pearson managed to secure his first save of the season in Monday's 6-5 win over the Royals. Pearson came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by one. He allowed a leadoff single, got the first two outs on a groundout and a line-out, allowed another single, and stranded the tying run at third with a strikeout. Closer Jordan Romano had pitched in each of the last two days, so Pearson was called upon. The former prospect has a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings of work this season, but his fantasy value will remain limited until he can routinely earn high-leverage situations.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman/designated hitter Justin Turner did his part in Monday's 6-5 win over the Royals. Turner went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, a solo HR, and a strikeout. The 39-year-old veteran has continued to provide fantasy value late into his career and is now slashing .311/.390/.533 with four HR and 15 RBI in 105 plate appearances. He should continue to be a reliable source of batting average with some pop.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Danny Coulombe picked up his first save of the season in Monday's 2-0 win over the Yankees. Coulombe entered the game to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two and turned in a 1-2-3 outing with no strikeouts. Closer Craig Kimbrel (back) is currently day-to-day with back tightness, so Coulombe was called upon to close things out. The 34-year-old has pitched well this season with a 3.18 ERA, an 11.12 K/9 rate, and a 1.59 BB/9 rate in 11 1/3 IP. His fantasy value will remain limited without seeing routine high-leverage situations, but he could provide value in saves-plus-holds leagues if he ends up getting interim save opportunities.

Baltimore Orioles third baseman/shortstop Gunnar Henderson continued his power display in Monday's 2-0 win over the Yankees. Henderson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a strikeout. He was also hit by a pitch. The 22-year-old is now tied for the league lead with 10 HR and owns a .289/.352/.632 slash line with 23 RBI and six stolen bases. He showed huge fantasy potential last season in terms of power and speed and has taken a step forward in average so far this season.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Cionel Perez (oblique) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Monday and pitched a scoreless inning in a 2-0 win over the Yankees. Perez had been dealing with a right oblique strain. Dillon Tate was optioned in a corresponding move. Perez has made just two appearances this season, allowing two runs over an inning plus of work. The 28-year-old has been a reliable later-inning arm for the O's over the past couple of seasons, making him worth a look in saves-plus-holds leagues.