Minnesota Twins left-handed hitters Max Kepler, Edouard Julien, Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach are all on the bench on Tuesday as the team takes on left-hander Patrick Corbin and the Washington Nationals. Kepler is on the bench for the second straight day for the suddenly struggling Twins. The 31-year-old lefty slugger has had a great year to this point, though, batting .303/.352/.505 with an .857 OPS, three home runs and 17 RBI in 29 games. He's even hitting .400 against lefties, but in just 20 at-bats. Kepler and most of Minnesota's lefty hitters typically find themselves riding pine against southpaws. Manuel Margot is in right field and is hitting leadoff, while Ryan Jeffers is the designated hitter and is batting second in a great matchup against Corbin. ... [More]

Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter will take a seat on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies with a left-hander on the mound in Ranger Suarez. Carter, who is still only 21 years old, has hit just .205/.293/.394 with five home runs, 15 RBI and 23 runs scored in 40 games in 2024 in his first full season in the big leagues. Against left-handers, he has just three hits in 27 at-bats with one walk and 10 strikeouts. If Carter continues to struggle offensively for the reigning World Series champions, he could find himself on the bench more often than not when a lefty is on the mound. Ezequiel Duran is in left field and is hitting fifth against Suarez on Tuesday. Duran is hitting a strong .286 (24-for-84) on the year but has just four RBI and has yet to clear the fences. He's never faced Suarez in his career.

Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia (forearm) remains out of the starting lineup on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Derek Hill was called up from Triple-A Round Rock and will get the start in right field on Tuesday while batting eighth against Phillies left-hander Ranger Suarez. Garcia was scratched from Sunday's lineup with right-forearm discomfort after colliding with second baseman Marcus Semien on Saturday. The good news is that the 31-year-old right-handed slugger isn't suffering from a serious injury and could be back in the lineup as early as Wednesday's contest in Philly. When healthy and in the lineup, Garcia is a must-start in all fantasy formats, despite the fact he's hit just .188 (13-for-69) with three homers and 10 RBI in 17 games in May. Overall, he's batting .251 with 11 long balls, 35 RBI and four steals in 175 at-bats.

Cleveland Guardians rookie outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez is making his major-league debut on Tuesday against the visiting New York Mets and right-hander Adrian Houser, starting in right field and batting seventh. Rodriguez enters the starting lineup in Cleveland for the first time after being called up from Triple-A Columbus on Monday. The 24-year-old could see a decent amount of at-bats for the Guardians until Steven Kwan (hamstring) is able to return from the injured list, making him worth a look off the waiver wire in AL-only leagues. MLB Pipeline has Rodriguez ranked as the team's No. 16 prospect. The Puerto Rican outfielder earned his call-up by hitting .276/.389/.449 with an .838 OPS, seven homers, 28 RBI and four steals in 43 games for Columbus.

Cleveland Guardians right-hander Carlos Carrasco (neck), who was scheduled to start on Tuesday against the visiting New York Mets, has been scratched and placed on the 15-day injured list with an acute neck spasm. Xzavion Curry has been recalled from Triple-A Columbus and will make the spot start on Tuesday. The 37-year-old Carrasco will be out for at least the next two weeks and possibly longer given his age. Although he currently has an ERA of 5.16 and a WHIP of 1.46 in 45 1/3 innings this year, Carrasco had been pitching better of late in his last three starts. However, he's also sporting a weak 17.2 percent strikeout rate and doesn't have a ton of fantasy upside in deeper leagues when he's in Cleveland's starting rotation.

One American League executive thinks it's possible that the Toronto Blue Jays could move one or both of shortstop Bo Bichette and first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. this summer given the team's 21-25 start and the competitive state of the AL East. "I don't think they're opposed to it," the executive said. "They've talked to teams about it. The asks were ridiculous, but I think they're going to try to retool a lot, and using those guys to get pieces may be the way to do it." Both players are scheduled to reach free agency after the 2025 season, so any acquiring team would have them for the rest of this year and another full season. Bichette, a two-time All-Star, has had a sluggish start with a .230 average, only two homers and 16 RBI in 43 games. Guerrero is hitting .286 but with only four homers and 21 RBI in 45 games.

New York Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said last week that he's willing to negotiate a contract extension for outfielder Juan Soto during the season. But with Soto in a contract year in 2024, most MLB executives see it as highly unlikely that he and his agent, Scott Boras, will sign an extension before he reaches the open market. "There's no chance," an American League executive said. "I think he ultimately signs back with the Yankees, but Scott takes his guys into free agency." Another AL executive put the Yankees' chances of signing Soto before the end of the year at 5%. The 25-year-old left-handed slugger is liking the Bronx so far, hitting .311/.411/.552 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI in his first 48 games in pinstripes, so he definitely has a reason to stick around. Obviously, Soto is a must-start in all fantasy lineups when he's healthy.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis (forearm) is scheduled to make a minor-league rehab outing for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday and throw two to three innings or 45 pitches, according to manager John Schneider. If Francis comes out of that appearance without any issues, the Blue Jays are hoping he'll be ready to come off the injured list after that and rejoin the pitching staff this weekend. In his first two rehab appearances, Francis threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings with two hits allowed, five strikeouts and just one walk. The 28-year-old was in Toronto's starting rotation to open the year due to injuries to other pitchers, but he's likely to return in a long-relief role this weekend, which puts him off the fantasy radar in the vast majority of leagues.

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Chad Green (shoulder) said he felt good during a nine-pitch minor-league rehab outing on Sunday for Triple-A Buffalo. Green will throw another inning for the Bisons on Wednesday, and the Blue Jays are hoping he'll be ready to return from the injured list after that. The 32-year-old veteran tossed a scoreless inning on Sunday and struck out one. He landed on the injured list in the middle of April after straining his right shoulder, but Green appears to be healthy now and ready to rejoin Toronto's bullpen as a late-inning setup man in front of closer Jordan Romano. When Romano opened the 2024 season on the injured list himself, Green filled in as the Jays' primary ninth-inning man. Green is a handcuff option for Romano and can also be useful in holds leagues.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman took a tough-luck no-decision in Monday's defeat to the visiting Seattle Mariners, allowing one run on three hits and one walk with six strikeouts over 7 1/3 innings. Dominic Canzone took Stroman deep in the eighth inning, but the hurler posted his second straight quality start despite witnessing closer Clay Holmes implode for a blown save in the ninth. The 33-year-old two-time All-Star will take an improved 3.05 WHIP, 1.30 WHIP, and 48:26 K:BB over 56 innings (10 starts) for the Yankees into his next scheduled start against the San Diego Padres on Saturday at Petco Park. Despite the tough matchup on paper, Stroman is 3-0 with a microscopic 0.47 ERA and 21:8 K:BB in three appearances versus the Padres since 2021.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (3-2) had a night to forget Monday, allowing eight runs on 10 hits while recording just three strikeouts with one walk in a 9-7 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. Every starting pitcher, even the best ones, is due for a dud start now and then. The part that stings the most was that Valdez was cruising into the fifth inning with a five-run lead before the home run barrage began. The former all-star lefty allowed a three-run home run to Nolan Schanuel. Then, a few batters later, back-to-back home runs, surrendering a three-run homer by Logan O'Hoppe followed by a solo shot from Jo Adell. It's important to note that Valdez strayed away from the game plan, which was confirmed in his post-game interview: "Yainer (Diaz) did a really good job calling pitches. I was the one that decided to try and change the game plan. I had to deal with the consequences," Valdez said. Valdez should have stuck to the game plan, as going rogue skyrocketed his ERA over a whole run from a 2.95 ERA to a 4.32 ERA. Despite the ugly outing, Valdez belongs in all fantasy lineups moving forward, especially when the Astros take on the Oakland A's for his next start.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers continued his torrid power streak in Monday's 5-0 win over the Rays. Devers went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a strikeout. The 27-year-old has really picked things up at the plate lately after a slow offensive start and has now homered in each of his last six games, bringing his season total to 10 to go with 23 RBI and a .284/.380/.567 slash line. The Red Sox offense has started to heat up overall, which is a doubly welcome sight for fantasy managers, as it will provide opportunities for additional counting stats for Devers.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Taj Bradley had a confounding start in Monday's 5-0 loss to the Red Sox. He pitched seven innings and struck out 10, but he also allowed five runs on five hits, including two home runs. The 23-year-old has looked good overall in his first three starts this season, going 1-2 with a 4.00 ERA, an 11.50 K/9 rate, and a 1.50 BB/9 rate in 18 IP. As a top fantasy prospect last season, Bradley flashed strikeout skills but also showed a propensity for giving up the long ball. Fantasy managers may not be fully ready to trust him now, but it will be easier to forgive him if he continues to strike batters out at a high rate. His next projected start will be against a hot-hitting Royals lineup.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase continued to cruise in Monday's 3-1 win over the Mets, earning his 14th save of the season. Clase came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two and turned in a 1-2-3 performance with no strikeouts. The 26-year-old has been one of fantasy's best closers throughout his career and has rebounded from his relative down 2023 season. He is now tied for the most saves in baseball with Ryan Helsley and has converted 14 of 17 save opportunities with a 0.37 ERA, an 8.88 K/9 rate, and a 0.73 BB/9 rate. Clase has outdone himself so far for fantasy managers, even by his lofty standards.

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen continued his breakout offensive season in Monday's 9-3 win over the White Sox. Jansen batted second, going 3-for-5 with a single, a double, a two-run home run, and five RBI. The 29-year-old is now slashing an impressive .333/.397/.681 with five HR and 12 RBI in 78 plate appearances. He has started to earn regular at-bats and is hitting much better than his batterymate Alejandro Kirk, who is slashing just .198/.295/.284. Jansen is currently rostered in just 17% of leagues. Fantasy managers may not need to look his way in shallower leagues, but he is definitely worth a roster spot in at least all two-catcher leagues at this time.

Baltimore Orioles third baseman/shortstop Gunnar Henderson extended his impressive home run streak in Monday's 6-3 loss to the Cardinals. The 22-year-old provided all the offense, going 1-for-3 with a three-run HR and a walk. Henderson has hit for elite power all season long and has homered in each of his last four games. He now has a league-best 16 with 34 RBI, seven stolen bases, and a .271/.351/.610 slash line in 202 plate appearances. Henderson already flashed his power and speed potential in his rookie season, and he could elevate himself to a top fantasy option for seasons to come if he can also continue to bat for a high average.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell slugged his ninth home run Monday, going 1-for-4 in a 9-7 comeback victory over the Astros. He also threw in a potential game-saving home run robbery in the ninth inning to secure the win. Adell was part of a young stud home run barrage in the fifth inning against Framber Valdez, where the All-Star lefty allowed four home runs, including a solo shot to Adell. The 25-year-old former top prospect looks to finally be looking like the player the Angels hoped he'd be after selecting him in the first round of the 2017 draft. He's on pace for over 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases as we sit here near the quarter-mark of the season. Jo Adell has played his way to an everyday role over his teammate Mickey Moniak and should continue to see everyday at-bats even when former MVP Mike Trout returns to the lineup.

New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes blew his first save of the season and picked up the loss Monday night, allowing four runs and two walks in 2/3 of an inning pitched against the Seattle Mariners. Those four runs were the first runs allowed on the season for Holmes, who has been nothing short of spectacular in 2024. Monday's implosion ballooned his 2024 ERA from 0.00 to 1.74. It was, without a doubt, the worst appearance of the year for Holmes, who allowed five straight batters to reach base after inheriting a generous three-run lead. It will take much more than one blown save for Holmes' job to be in jeopardy. Despite blowing his first of the year, fantasy managers can continue to start Holmes in all leagues.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck (4-5) continued his breakout season on Monday night with another dominant performance, allowing no runs on two hits with five strikeouts while giving up a walk in a 5-0 win against the Tampa Bay Rays. His record improved to 4-5 on the season, while his ERA dipped to an incredible 2.17 to pair with a 1.02 WHIP. The right-hander's record may only be (4-5), but Houck has recorded a quality start in an astounding eight of 10 games this season. His next start will be a tough matchup against Brewers this weekend who have the sixth best team batting average on the season.