Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer will bat sixth against the Chicago White Sox on Monday. Springer started the season as the Blue Jays' leadoff hitter, but his recent struggles at the plate have pushed him down in the order. He will bat sixth for the third straight game, where he has seen some success. The 34-year-old went 1-for-2 with one double, one RBI, and two walks in Sunday's 5-2 win. Hitting the veteran lower in the order should result in more RBI opportunities, and Toronto is hoping it helps him turn a corner on offense. He is batting just .201 with three home runs and eight RBI this season.

San Diego Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts left Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves early after injuring what appeared to be his shoulder on a diving attempt in the bottom of the third inning. Bogaerts immediately favored his shoulder before trainers took him off the field. With a quick turnaround, it's safe to say that the veteran will likely not be available for Game 2. Tyler Wade took his spot at second base in the third inning, and he could see more playing time if Bogaerts misses an extended time.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish was nearly unhittable on Sunday, throwing seven shutout innings of two-hit ball in a 9-1 win over the Atlanta Braves. This marks back-to-back Sunday Night Baseball victories for Darvish, who posted an eerily similar line last week against the Dodgers. In both outings he went seven innings and allowed zero runs, two hits, and a walk. The only difference is that he managed two more strikeouts in this one, totaling nine compared to seven last week. The dominant performance lowered his ERA to 2.08 and his WHIP to 0.90. He should be an easy start in all fantasy leagues after stellar outings against two of the best offenses in baseball and his streak of not allowing an earned run reaching 26 IP.

Houston Astros first baseman Jose Abreu could return to the majors on Friday, according to general manager Dana Brown. Abreu will play in a few more minor-league games before the team makes their decision. The veteran slugger was sent down to the Florida Complex League after a horrific start to the season that saw him carrying a .099/.156/.113 slash line. Jon Singleton has seen most of the playing time at first base while Abreu has been away. Singleton could continue to see action even when Abreu comes back as there is no guarantee that Abreu will return to an everyday role.

Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup on Sunday against the Orioles in Baltimore. It will be the fifth straight game that Polanco has missed with a hamstring injury that could very well land him on the injured list. Outfielder Jonatan Clase, the team's No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is on the team's taxi squad right now and could join the active roster if Polanco lands on the injured list. On top of his injury, the 30-year-old Polanco has been a huge disappointment in his first year in Seattle, hitting just .192 (28-for-146) with five home runs, 13 RBI and 15 runs scored in 41 games played. Josh Rojas is getting another start at second base and is hitting leadoff against Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes. Rojas is hitting .111 in nine career at-bats against Burnes. The 29-year-old is bound to cool off at the plate, but there's no ignoring the fact he's currently hitting .311 (37-for-119) with three homers, nine RBI and four steals.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (illness) is out of the starting lineup on Sunday against the Miami Marlins due to flu-like symptoms. There is some kind of bug going around the team's clubhouse right now. With Martinez under the weather, Brandon Nimmo will serve as the DH and bat third, with Tyrone Taylor in left field and hitting fifth against Marlins right-hander Sixto Sanchez. Fantasy managers will need to remove Martinez from their starting lineups and check back on Monday to see if he's feeling good enough to play in the series opener in Cleveland against the Guardians. Martinez didn't make his 2024 debut for the Mets until April 26, but he's hit the ground running and is currently batting .315 (23-for-73) with two home runs and nine RBI in 21 games. The six-time All-Star is still a nice source of power in fantasy despite being 36 years old.

Veteran ace Kevin Gausman threw six strong innings on Saturday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays. Gausman surrendered three earned runs on eight hits while striking out six, leaving with a 4-3 lead. However, Nate Pearson gave up a two-run homer to outfielder Jonny DeLuca to ruin the win for Gausman. Gausman remains at 2-3 with a 4.89 ERA and 1.51 WHIP, with 43 strikeouts in 42 innings. He only went three innings in his last start, giving up six earned runs. He will make his next start this coming week at Detroit on Thursday.

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker will throw a "light" bullpen session on Sunday. Walker injured his toe after being hit by a comebacker on Thursday night. Manager Rob Thomson sounded optimistic that Walker would make his next start. The team will see how Walker feels tomorrow after the bullpen session and make any further determinations from there. Walker is 3-0 with a 4.91 ERA, a 1.41 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts in 22 innings pitched this season. Walker is currently scheduled to pitch Wednesday against the Texas Rangers. If he cannot make that start, look for veteran Spencer Turnbull to make it.

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts is getting the night off for Saturday's tilt against the Cincinnati Reds. This marks the first day off for Betts in the 2024 season. Miguel Rojas will be starting at shortstop in Betts' place with Gavin Lux starting at second. Shohei Ohtani will move up one spot in the lineup and hit leadoff against Reds' starting pitcher Graham Ashcraft. Betts has been playing phenomenally yet again this season and continues to be at the lead of the NL MVP race. Fantasy managers should not be concerned about Betts' absence today as this just appears to be a day of rest and comes after Betts mentioned how tough it is to play shortstop at a major league level. Expect the 31-year-old back in the lineup on Sunday against Reds starter Hunter Greene.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb (hip, shoulder) has paused his throwing program and is not close to returning, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Cobb has been placed on the 60-day injured list since April 20 and has been shut down numerous times in his recovery process. Manager Bob Melvin emphasized that the 36-year-old pitcher still feels discomfort in his shoulder. This is not a good sign, as Cobb could be activated from the injured list later this month. This timetable looks unrealistic, and his absence could extend close to the All-Star Break. Cobb made 28 starts last season and showed excellent command with a 5.7% walk rate and a stellar 57.8% ground-ball rate. Cobb should remain on the waiver wire in all leagues but is worth keeping on an injured reserve spot in NL-only formats if you have room.

Chicago Cubs pitcher Drew Smyly (hip) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment next week with High-A South Bend, per manager Craig Counsell. The 34-year-old journeyman was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 23 with a right hip impingement and is nearing the final step in his recovery process. Smyly has operated exclusively out of the bullpen this season with a hefty 4.97 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 5:11 BB:K ratio. The southpaw started 23 games for the Cubs last season but looks to be stuck in a long relief role this season. When Smyly returns to major league action, he should be left on all waiver wires, but he could be worth streaming in NL-only formats if he were to make spot starts throughout the summer.

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez cracked his 10th home run of the season in Friday's win over the division-rival Minnesota Twins, delivering a go-ahead blast in the eighth inning. Ramirez took Twins closer Jhoan Duran yard for some two-out thunder and a 3-2 Guardians advantage, opening the door for stopper Emmanuel Clase to slam the door for the save in the ninth inning. Over his last 12 outings, the 31-year-old fantasy superstar is batting a strong .311 with five homers, 13 RBI, and three stolen bases as Cleveland's everyday No. 3 hitter. Ramirez deals with the Twins two more times this weekend. In 16 games against Minnesota since 2023, he's hitting just .175 with the lone long ball and five RBI.

Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup on Friday versus the Baltimore Orioles. It will be Polanco's third straight missed game due to right-hamstring soreness. The 30-year-old is considered day-to-day and will next have a chance to return to the lineup on Saturday. In his absence, Josh Rojas will make another start at second base and will bat sixth, while Luis Urias starts at the hot corner and bats ninth against Orioles left-hander John Means. Polanco has yet to get going at all really in 2024 with a slash line of just .192/.298/.308 with five home runs and 13 RBI in 146 at-bats. Rojas is exceeding everyone's expectations offensively this year and has gone 16-for-46 (.348) in 12 games in May. However, he's had only 11 plate appearances against lefties in 2024.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Michael Taylor will take a seat on the bench on Friday for the start of a series at Wrigley Field against the division-rival Chicago Cubs. Taylor will retreat to the bench after starting the last four games while going 2-for-13 with a double, two runs scored and five strikeouts to drop his season slash line to a weak .222/.271/.287. The 33-year-old veteran outfielder has added only one home run, eight RBI, three stolen bases and 12 runs scored for the Bucs through a month and a half of the season. Jack Suwinski is getting the start in center field and is batting sixth, while Connor Joe will be in right field while hitting cleanup against Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks. Both Joe and Suwinski are worth a look as DFS sleepers in the outfield on Friday against a pitcher who currently holds an 0-3 record and 10.04 ERA.

After riding the bench for the past nine games, Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman Chris Taylor drew the start on Thursday versus the Cincinnati Reds. Taylor picked up a single in his four at-bats, but he has struggled mightily this season with five hits in 60 at-bats to go along with five RBI and a stolen base. The veteran has had a brutal start to his 2024 season and the Dodgers will have a tough decision to make ahead of Friday's contest versus the Arizona Diamondbacks with outfielder Jason Heyward (back) expected to return. Taylor has helped fantasy managers in the past, but in 2024, the versatile Taylor can be left on the waiver wire in all formats.

New York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana picked up a no-decision in Thursday's contest versus the division rival Philadelphia Phillies. The veteran lefty tossed 5 1/3 frames and allowed four hits, two runs, no walks and struck out four on the evening. Quintana is who he is at this point in his career and that is an innings eater. With an ugly 5.21 ERA over his first nine starts, the 35-year-old can be avoided in a tough matchup versus the Cleveland Guardians and should remain on the waiver wire in all formats moving forward.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (toe) left Wednesday's start after being hit by a liner on the foot, but he is feeling encouraged about making his next start. Matt Gelb of The Athletic has reported that Walker's toe is not broken. He also notes that it is no sure thing that Walker will make his next start, but the club will see how the right-hander is feeling on Friday. Walker got a late start to the season after dealing with shoulder pain and is 3-0 with a 4.91 ERA over his first four starts of the season. More should be known on his status on Friday, but it does not seem like a long-term injury. If Walker were to miss his next start, Spencer Turnbull would likely draw the spot start.

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Erasmo Ramirez relieved relief pitcher Jason Adam with two outs in the ninth inning to record his first save of the season in Thursday's victory against the Boston Red Sox. Closer Pete Fairbanks seemed to have the night off and Adam got himself in trouble with two runners on base when Ramirez entered the ballgame. Ramirez has allowed seven runs in the 13 innings he has thrown this year and can be avoided in all formats with Fairbanks and Adam in line to receive most of the Rays save chances moving forward.

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker (foot) was forced to leave his start early on Thursday against the visiting division-rival New York Mets after he was hit by a line drive on his left foot. Before leaving the contest early, Walker allowed two earned runs on four hits (one homer to Pete Alonso) while walking two and striking out one in 3 1/3 innings pitched. The Phillies are likely to do some tests on Walker, at which point we should have a better idea of the severity of his injury and whether it will cause him to miss his next start. The 31-year-old got a late start to the season due to injury and came into Thursday's start with a 4.82 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with 15 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings over his first three starts. After giving up two more runs on Thursday, Walker's ERA now stands at 4.91.UPDATE: Walker's injury is being called a foot contusion, but he's scheduled for more testing.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez smashed his second home run of the season in Wednesday's loss on the road to the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies, but it wasn't enough as his team fell in the blowout defeat. Martinez smacked his second homer of the year to make the score 10-3 in the eighth inning. Even though the 36-year-old veteran slugger isn't setting off fantasy fireworks to this point, he's slashing a serviceable .295/.338/.459 with two bombs, four doubles, and six RBI over 61 at-bats (18 games) in his first year with the Mets. He might have a decent chance to pop for a big day at the plate in Thursday's series finale against Philadelphia and right-hander Taijuan Walker, since Martinez is 7-for-14 with a homer, a double, and three RBI in 14 plate appearances against Walker in his career.