New York Mets outfielder DJ Stewart will start on the bench on Tuesday as the team faces the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. This will be the third straight game that Stewart has started on the bench, although the previous two games were against left-handed pitching. Stewart does have two home runs in his first 25 at-bats of the 2024 campaign, but he's also gone only 5-for-25 (.200) with seven RBI, a stolen base and three runs scored. Catcher Francisco Alvarez is serving as the designated hitter and batting sixth, while Omar Narvaez is doing the catching and hitting ninth on Tuesday against Pirates rookie right-hander Jared Jones. The 30-year-old Stewart might find himself on the bench more often than not moving forward unless he picks things up offensively.

Right-hander Chris Paddack is set for his third start of the season as the Minnesota Twins are on the road to play the Baltimore Orioles. Paddack is coming off going 4 2/3 innings while allowing six hits and two runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In his career against the Orioles, Paddack is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA in two starts but hasn't faced the team since May of 2022. Minnesota is 6-9 this season and dropped the first game of the series to Baltimore on Monday.

The Minnesota Twins announced on Tuesday that they recalled outfielder Trevor Larnach (toe) from Triple-A St. Paul and optioned outfielder Matt Wallner to St. Paul in a corresponding move. Larnach was recently activated from the Triple-A injured list due to turf toe, but he'll now head to Minnesota to make his 2024 debut. Wallner will head to the farm to work on some things after starting off 2-for-25 with the Twins. The 27-year-old Larnach started last year in the big leagues but was sent to St. Paul after a slow start at the plate. The left-handed slugger has some intriguing power upside from the left side in a likely platoon role in Minnesota, but he's probably not going to help your team batting average and has been injury-prone in his career to this point.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are going with a bullpen game against the visiting Washington Nationals on Tuesday. Left-hander Ryan Yarbrough will pitch in "bulk" but won't necessarily make the traditional start. Pitching prospect Kyle Hurt, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the team's No. 6 prospect, will also be added on Tuesday for more depth out of the bullpen. LA will call up a starter, potentially prospect Landon Knack, for Wednesday's contest. The Dodgers' rotation is a little short-handed right now with right-hander Bobby Miller (shoulder) on the injured list and Walker Buehler (elbow) still not quite ready to make his 2024 debut. The 32-year-old Yarbrough is the best bet to provide the most length for the Dodgers on Tuesday, and he's allowed six runs (five earned) while walking four and striking out six in 14 2/3 innings of relief so far in 2024.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe (oblique) is set to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Thursday, manager Kevin Cash said on Monday. Cash said of his rehab assignment length, "It's kind of all just how he feels", suggesting the 26-year-old may not need much time. Lowe only took three Grapefruit League at-bats during the spring before suffering an oblique injury, so it is encouraging to see him progressing well. Fantasy managers should keep an eye out for progress updates.

Oakland Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker (abdomen), whose injured-list placement is retroactive to April 8, has started total-body workouts and will begin taking some dry swings in the next few days. Manager Mark Kotsay is hoping that Rooker can return to the team when he's eligible to come off the IL on April 17. The 29-year-old left last Sunday's game against the Detroit Tigers with an injury to his costochondral cartilage and he was put on the IL last Thursday. It sounds like it could be a short stay for the outfielder, though. After making his first All-Star team in 2023, Rooker started off the 2024 season by going just 6-for-30 (.200) with two home runs, five RBI and 16 strikeouts in his first eight games before getting hurt.

Miami Marlins third baseman Jake Burger (oblique) is heading to the injured list on Monday with a left-oblique injury. He compared the discomfort on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves to last year when he suffered a similar injury while with the Chicago White Sox, when he missed 10 days. The Marlins will call up infielder Otto Lopez, who was claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on April 4. Lopez can play shortstop, second base and third base and last appeared in the big leagues in 2022. Hopefully for fantasy managers, the 28-year-old Burger only needs to miss the minimum 10 days on the IL. In his absence, Emmanuel Rivera is likely to see most of the starts at the hot corner for the Fish. In his first 16 games of 2024, Burger had three homers and 15 RBI despite hitting just .228 (13-for-57).UPDATE: Burger officially went on the IL with a left intercostal muscle strain.

Miami Marlins third baseman Jake Burger left Sunday's game early after experiencing left oblique discomfort. The 28-year-old was replaced by Emmanuel Rivera after taking one at-bat. Burger will likely undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury. Burger has been relatively productive to start the campaign with three home runs and 15 RBI, but his .228/.281/.421 slash line leaves a bit to be desired. Rivera and Vidal Brujan may see more reps if Burger misses time, but neither are interesting fantasy options.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno will get a breather in Sunday's series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals. Moreno has continued to hit the ball well and post a low strikeout rate once again this season, as he is currently in the 99th percentile among all qualified hitters with an 8.2% K-rate. He also has a strong .256 AVG with six RBI, three doubles, and one triple. Veteran Tucker Barnhart will serve as the backstop for Zac Gallen and make his fifth start of the season. Over his first four, Barnhart has hit for a .300 AVG and swiped one bag. Barnhart, who will bat ninth on Sunday, is worth looking at in DFS as he will face Miles Mikolas, who comes into the game with a hefty 4.76 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.

Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Jordan Montgomery will make his season debut on Friday against the San Francisco Giants. Montgomery signed a one-year, $25 million contract late into the offseason with the Diamondbacks. In his final tune-up with Triple-A Reno, Montgomery was torched for seven runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out six over 3 2/3 innings. The 31-year-old will join Arizona's rotation next week and likely replace Tommy Henry or Ryne Nelson. Montgomery was solid for the Rangers/Cardinals in 2023, posting a 3.20 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 166:48 K: BB across 188 2/3 innings.

Seattle Mariners GM Justin Hollander gave updates on several injured players. Relief pitcher Matt Brash (elbow) was shut down early in spring training with elbow inflammation. Hollander reports that Brash was able to throw live batting practice this week and that he will throw another in the next day or two. The hope is that Brash will be ready to head out on rehab assignment in the coming week when Seattle heads out on their next road trip this coming Wednesday after they finish the series with the Cincinnati Reds. Another high-leverage arm, Gregory Santos (lat), is playing catch from 75 feet out right now. He's a little behind Brash at this point, according to Hollander. The next progression is to throw at 105 feet in the next week and then progress to pitching off a mound after that. Santos has been out all season with a lat strain. At this time, Ryne Stanek and Andres Munoz continue to lead the Mariners' bullpen.

Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott and outfielder Brandon Marsh are not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Marsh and Stott will sit against Pirates left-hander Marco Gonzales. Stott and Marsh should be available off the bench to pinch-hit in Saturday's contest. Cristian Pache replaces Marsh in left field and is batting eighth, while Edmundo Sosa is batting sixth and handling the keystone. Pache has appeared in three games and has yet to collect a hit over four plate appearances. Sosa is hitting a robust .750 (3-for-4) with a homer over three games. Pache can be avoided in all fantasy leagues, while Sosa can be used as a streamer in a plus matchup versus Gonzales for Saturday's slate.

Cincinnati Reds outfielders Jake Fraley and Will Benson are not in Saturday's lineup against the Chicago White Sox. Benson and Fraley will sit versus White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet. Both outfielders should be available off the bench and will look to re-enter the starting lineup for the series finale on Sunday. Bubba Thompson and Stuart Fairchild will replace Benson and Fraley in the outfield. Thompson is starting in center field, batting eighth, and is hitting .250 (2-for-8) with four stolen bases over nine games this season. Fairchild is starting in right field, hitting fifth and slashing .304/.385/.304 with four stolen bases over nine games in 2024. Fairchild and Thompson are deep-league streamers at best in a tough matchup against Crochet.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton will be getting some rest during the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. Buxton has appeared in all 11 games so far, batting a cumulative .220/.273/.293 stat line with no home runs. Buxton is expected to be starting in center field for the second game later this afternoon and is projected to face Matt Manning. As a result, Austin Martin will man center field and bat in the nine-hole. Martin is a sneaky play in DFS as he will take on Kenta Maeda, who has struggled in his first two starts, pitching to the tune of a 9.00 ERA and 1.56 WHIP.

Oakland Athletics reliever Dany Jimenez was called upon to lock down the game in the ninth inning on Friday against the Nationals, only to blow the save opportunity, although thankfully the A's hung on to win the game 2-1. With their closer Mason Miller unavailable to pitch due to recent workload, Jimenez was tasked with holding down a 1-0 lead and promptly gave up a home run to the first batter he saw. It was the only run he allowed in the inning, but the righty also allowed a double while striking out two batters. The 30-year-old saved 11 games for the A's back in 2022, but just once last year and he probably won't get many more opportunities this season with Mason Miller looking like a legit stopper in the ninth.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Ryne Stanek allowed one run on one hit and no walks across a scoreless inning in Friday's 4-2 win against the Chicago Cubs. He did not record a strikeout in Friday's victory. Stanek entered the ninth inning to protect a three-run lead. He got Dansby Swanson to fly out for the first out of the inning. The 32-year-old surrendered a solo shot to Cubs first baseman Michael Busch. Stanek was able to retire the next two hitters he faced to collect his second save of the season. Seattle's primary closer, Anthony Munoz, was used in a high-leverage situation and retired the top of the Cubs order in the eighth inning. Munoz earned his second hold of the season. Stanek owns a 3.38 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and a 7:3 K: BB across 5 1/3 innings in 2024. The veteran could see more save chances if the Mariners continue to use Munoz in high-leverage situations and is worth rostering in most fantasy leagues that account for saves.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitchers Taj Bradley (pectoral) and Shane Baz (elbow) recently threw a two-inning live batting practice session, manager Kevin Cash said on Friday. Sidelined for the past month due to a strained right pectoral, Bradley still has to go through the process of rebuilding his stamina and increasing his pitch count before he's ready to return. The 23-year-old right-hander fanned 129 batters across his 104 2/3 innings of work during his rookie year in 2023, but he gave 23 home runs in 21 starts and posted a poor 5.59 ERA. Bradley is probably about a month out from returning to the Rays, while Baz could return at some point in May after two oblique setbacks slowed his progress from Tommy John surgery recovery. Zack Littell and Tyler Alexander will occupy rotation spots in the meantime, with the former having only given up two runs through his first 15 1/3 frames of the campaign.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe (oblique) played extended spring training games in Port Charlotte, Florida on Thursday and Friday. After a few more games there, he should join Triple-A Durham to begin a rehab assignment. Lowe only took three Grapefruit League at-bats this past spring, however, so he'll require a fairly lengthy rehab to get ready for game action, setting him up for a return in early May. The 26-year-old former top prospect should not be floating around any fantasy waiver wires after hitting .292 with 20 home runs, 33 doubles, 83 RBI, and 32 stolen bases over 466 ABs a year ago. Veterans Amed Rosario and Harold Ramirez will continue splitting action in right field until Lowe returns, but neither have done enough in the early goings to warrant attention in most leagues.

Minnesota Twins first baseman/outfielder Alex Kirilloff will be on the bench in Friday's series opener against the Detroit Tigers. Kirilloff has yet to make a start against a southpaw, and tonight is no different, as the Twins face left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal. Kirilloff has had an excellent start to the season, currently batting to the tune of a .324/.385/.647 stat line. Instead, Jose Miranda will be slotted in the designated hitter spot and will bat in the five-hole. Miranda might not be a popular play in DFS as he has a tall task against the hard-throwing lefty.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson is joining the taxi squad with the expectation of starting during Saturday's doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. The right-hander failed to make the team during spring training, but he'll have a chance to impress here. So far in 2024, Woods Richardson has struggled during two starts in Triple-A. He made one appearance for the Twins last season but spent the majority of his time in the minors. He won't be a recommended streaming option for Saturday.