Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien is being dropped to fifth in the batting order for Tuesday's contest against the hosting Athletics and right-hander Osvaldo Bido. It's the first time that Semien has hit lower than third in the lineup since joining the Rangers back in 2022, and it comes with Semien entering Tuesday's tilt with a .141/.209/.192 slash line, only one home run, six RBI and five runs scored in his first 78 at-bats of the 2025 season. The good news, though, is that he has recorded a hit in four of his last five games. With the 34-year-old veteran moving down the batting order temporarily, utility man Josh Smith will start in center field and bat leadoff for a Rangers offense that is looking to shake things up. Fantasy managers can only hope the drop in the batting order can get Semien going. He has a hit in just two career at-bats against Bido.

In his third minor-league start on Sunday, Baltimore Orioles right-hander Kyle Gibson went five innings and allowed two runs (one earned) while allowing a solo home run, walking two and striking out five to pick up a win for High-A Aberdeen. Gibson isn't injured, but he opened the 2025 season in the minors to build up his arm after not appearing in any spring training games after signing with Baltimore late. The 37-year-old veteran has now allowed six runs (five earned) on 10 hits (one homer) while walking two and striking out 13 in 12 innings over his three starts (two with Triple-A Norfolk). He was able to throw 51 of his 78 pitches on Easter Sunday for strikes, and he could only need one more minor-league tune-up before the Orioles are ready to have him join the big-league roster. When he joins Baltimore's rotation, he'll be an innings-eater for those in AL-only fantasy leagues at the very least.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer (thumb) rejoined the team in Houston this week and was seen playing catch before their game against the Astros on Monday at Daikin Park. Scherzer received a second cortisone shot in his troublesome right thumb (in the knuckle area) and is hoping it will alleviate the discomfort in his finger. Pitching coach Pete Walker said Scherzer felt his throwing session went "OK." It was the first time that the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer had thrown since receiving a second cortisone shot. We should know more in a couple of days based on how Scherzer is feeling. If he's cleared to progress to throwing bullpens and facing live hitters, he will eventually need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before rejoining Toronto's starting rotation. Barring a setback, that might not be until mid- to late-May.

Chicago White Sox left-hander Martin Perez (elbow), who was moved to the 60-day injured list on Monday, will not have Tommy John surgery, a source told ESPN's Jess Rogers. Perez could resume throwing again in September, but he will not make it back to the big leagues in 2025. With the 34-year-old southpaw potentially also not being ready for the start of next season, the White Sox will surely decline their $10 million mutual option for the 2026 season in time. The Venezuelan hurler should have only been rostered in AL-only fantasy leagues before his injury. In his four starts for the Pale Hose before suffering a season-ending left-elbow injury, Perez was pitching well, posting a 3.15 ERA (3.69 FIP) and 1.25 WHIP with 18 strikeouts and 11 walks in 20 innings pitched. He can officially be dropped in AL-only formats.

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez had a big game in a 6-4 win over the New York Yankees on Monday. Ramirez went 2-for-5 with a homer and four RBI to help power his team to the win. The star infielder hit a three-run homer off New York starter Clarke Schmidt in the third inning to break a scoreless tie and then came back to add an RBI single in the sixth inning. Ramirez is now hitting .276 with five homers, 10 runs, 13 RBI, and three steals across 76 at-bats in 2025. He is starting to heat up at the plate with a .357 average over his past seven games. He remains a must-start fantasy option in all formats.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout connected on a pair of solo home runs to provide all the Angels' offense in their 3-2 loss to the Giants on Saturday night. Trout had solo blasts in the fourth and sixth innings off San Francisco's starter Landen Roupp, who was excellent aside from those two home runs. Trout's two taters bring him to eight home runs on the year, just one behind the MLB lead held by the Athletics' Tyler Soderstrom. Trout is hitting just .189 in his 20 games, but his eight home runs and two stolen bases have helped him keep his fantasy value. He has a .338 ISO and .333 wOBA along with a 50.9% hard-hit rate. His .133 BABIP and his batting average will likely trend up if he keeps hitting the ball so hard. Continue to play Trout for his power potential, and expect the batting average to come around as well.

The Chicago White Sox have placed left-handed pitcher Martin Perez (elbow) on the 15-day injured list due to left elbow inflammation. The 34-year-old exited Friday's contest due to soreness and will now miss at least the next two weeks of action. Before exiting, the southpaw struggled against the Boston Red Sox as he allowed five hits, four runs, and two walks in just three innings of work. However, over his first three starts of the campaign, Perez looked quite sharp as he tossed 17 innings to the tune of an impressive 1.59 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He struck out 18 batters and served up nine free passes. In a corresponding move, the White Sox promoted Jared Shuster from Triple-A Charlotte to provide depth on their pitching staff. Shuster could contend for starting opportunities while Perez is sidelined.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks (elbow) is expected to be activated off the 15-day injured list prior to Saturday's contest against the Chicago White Sox. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com noted that Hunter Dobbins is likely heading back to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Hendriks signed a two-year deal with the Red Sox before the 2024 campaign but has yet to make an appearance for them. He underwent Tommy John in 2023 and then hit the 15-day IL at the start of the 2205 campaign due to elbow inflammation. He has made three rehab appearances and fired three shutout frames. He has struck out five batters, served up two walks, and has allowed just one hit. Even though Aroldis Chapman and Justin Slaten have been the go-to options in the ninth inning, fantasy managers should expect Hendriks to see save situations throughout the campaign.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Martin Perez (forearm) is set to undergo an MRI on Saturday. The southpaw was lifted from Saturday's contest in the third inning after feeling soreness in his forearm. Before exiting the contest, Perez allowed five hits, two walks, and four earned runs. Despite his struggles on Friday, Perez was enjoying an impressive start to the young season. In his first three outings, the left-hander tossed 17 innings to the tune of a 1.59 ERA and an impressive 1.06 WHIP. He struck out 18 batters and served up nine walks. However, he already began to see some regression on Friday as he has generated a hefty 6.54 xERA and a .293 xBA. If the 34-year-old were to miss time, fantasy managers should expect the White Sox to promote a pitcher from Triple-A to fill his spot in the rotation.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Martin Perez (forearm) was forced to exit early during Friday's game against the Boston Red Sox. The southpaw didn't have favorable results before exiting the contest. Perez allowed five hits, four earned runs, and two walks in three innings of work. He was pulled from the game due to left forearm tightness. The expectation is that Perez will undergo further imaging to determine the severity of the issue. For now, Perez can be considered day-to-day, but could end up on the injured list. Fantasy managers can hold Perez for now who has been solid with two earned runs or less in all of his starts prior to Friday's game.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (hip) was lifted from Thursday's series-finale win over the San Francisco Giants due to left hip-flexor tightness, according to the team. Castellanos was lifted in the seventh inning of the eventual 6-4 victory, with Max Kepler moving to right field and Edmundo Sosa entering the contest in left field. Before departing, the 33-year-old veteran 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored and a strikeout. The good news is that manager Rob Thomson said after the game that Castellanos should be good to play for Friday's series opener at Citizens Bank Park against the division-rival Miami Marlins. It's good news for the Phillies outfield with Brandon Marsh also dealing with a knee injury. Fantasy managers will want to check back to see if Castellanos is back in there on Friday. He's off to a hot start, as he entered Thursday's game hitting .303 with three homers and 11 RBI.

Minnesota Twins right-hander Michael Tonkin (shoulder) is scheduled to make a minor-league rehab appearance on Friday with Low-A Fort Myers. Tonkin is recovering from a strained right shoulder that landed him on the 15-day injured list to begin the 2025 regular season. The 35-year-old veteran is working his way back, though, and should be able to make his season debut before the end of April, barring a setback on his rehab assignment. He spent the 2024 season with the Twins, New York Mets and New York Yankees, posting a combined 3.63 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP, a career-high two saves, a career-high 85 strikeouts and 30 walks in 79 1/3 relief innings. Tonkin lacks the velocity to be much of a strikeout artist out of the bullpen, making him pretty much useless in fantasy.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer (thumb) threw on Tuesday and Wednesday and will visit with a doctor again on Wednesday, according to manager John Schneider. Scherzer will be visiting with a different hand specialist than the last time. The 40-year-old veteran just hasn't been able to get past a thumb issue after feeling more soreness following a throwing session late last week. It's good news that he has started throwing again, but we won't know more on a potential timeline for a return until he meets with another doctor on Wednesday. Even if the three-time Cy Young winner is cleared to start ramping up his throwing program, it seems like a good bet he won't return to Toronto's starting rotation until May. In the meantime, left-hander Easton Lucas will get more starting opportunities for fantasy managers in AL-only leagues.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman continued his strong start to the season in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Braves. Gausman pitched six innings, allowing two runs on six hits (including two solo home runs) and no walks with six strikeouts. The 34-year-old has looked great after a relatively disappointing 2024, going 2-1 with three quality starts, a 2.49 ERA, a 0.71 WHIP, and a 7.11 K/9 rate in four starts and 25 1/3 IP. The strikeout numbers are still down, but fantasy managers will likely take that tradeoff for the stellar ERA and WHIP. Gausman will face a decent matchup in his next scheduled start, which will be at the Astros.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish (elbow) played catch off of the mound on Tuesday, writes AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. It's a step in the right direction for Darvish, who still figures to be a ways away despite reportedly also playing loss toss out to 180 feet recently. There is no set timetable for his return, but the next step in his recovery will be throwing bullpens when he is ready. He landed on the injured list at the start of the season after dealing with elbow inflammation during the spring. He has struggled to stay healthy in recent years but remained productive when he takes the mound, posting a 3.31 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 16 starts in 2024. Darvish is likely at least three weeks away from coming off the injured list.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer (thumb) is still feeling soreness in his right thumb after throwing recently, according to manager John Schneider. Scherzer will visit with a doctor again in the coming days, at which point we should have word on how much more time the three-time Cy Young winner will have to miss. The 40-year-old made just one start for Toronto before injuring his thumb and being placed on the injured list. He received a couple of cortisone injections in his thumb in early April that at first appeared to help, but now Scherzer is back in the same situation with more soreness. Fantasy managers that took Scherzer as a value pick in drafts this spring need to stay patient, but it's looking more and more like he could be in for a lengthy absence.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray dominated the Houston Astros on Monday, hurling seven shutout frames in an 8-3 victory. Gray allowed just three hits and a walk while punching out four, earning his third win of the season in the process. Gray moves to 3-0 with a 3.13 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts in 23 IP after this one. When the righty is on his game, he can be one of the better pitchers in the league, and he is proving that again early in the season. Gray is absolutely a must-start option in fantasy right now, but could be considered a sell-high given his inconsistencies and injury history.

Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale has lasted five or fewer innings and allowed three or more earned runs in each of his four starts this year, including 4 2/3 and 4 1/3 innings in his past two. Last year, he had only two starts of less than five innings. Sale has surrendered 15 hits and nine runs (eight earned) in nine innings in his last two starts. "I just hate sucking, and I'm just bad. Simple," Sale said. His average fastball velocity was 96.2 mph in his start on Sunday against the Rays -- up 3 mph from his previous season average. The reigning National League Cy Young has allowed at least three runs in each of his four starts in 2025 after giving up more than two earned runs in only three of 29 starts a year ago. The fact that Sale is healthy has made the poor start more frustrating, but it should also ease the minds of fantasy managers that he'll turn it around sooner than later.

Royals catcher Salvador Perez hit his second home run of the year on Sunday, contributing to Kansas City's eventual 4-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Perez came to the plate in the fourth inning with Vinnie Pasquantino already on first and tagged a hanging breaker from pitcher Ben Lively for the Royals' first runs of the game. It wound up as Perez's only hit of the game. Perez went 3-for-11 with today's home run and three total RBI in the series against Cleveland. Perez was drafted as a top-five catcher, but so far he has turned in a .213 batting average and nine RBI. It is too early in the season for fantasy managers to turn their backs on one of MLB's most productive backstops. Up next for Perez is a three-game set against the Yankees, followed by four games against the Tigers.

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Ryan Pressly picked up his fourth save of the season on Sunday, slamming the door on the Dodgers in a 4-2 win. He pitched a scoreless ninth with one strikeout and no hits or walks. It was his first save since April 4th, which was the last time the Cubs found themselves in a save situation. After giving up runs in each of his first two appearances of the year, Pressly has managed to avoid any earned runs in his five games since. He holds a 3.38 ERA on the season and looks locked in as the Cubs full-time closer.