Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez will be out of the lineup for the first time this season as the Snakes play the rubber match of a three-game set against the St. Louis Cardinals. The 32-year-old has an excellent start with his new team, with a .259/.313./414 line with two home runs and 12 RBI. Veteran Jace Peterson will man the hot corner and bat in the six-hole this afternoon and comes into this game on a bit of a cold streak, as he has just one hit over the past two weeks. He could be a sneaky play in DFS as he will face Miles Mikolas, who has a 1-1 record and a high 4.76 ERA.

San Diego Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts is out of the lineup on Saturday. There's no current indication that this is anything more than a rest day for the 31-year-old. A day off may not be a bad thing for Bogaerts, who's started out sluggish this season with just a .219 batting average and only one HR. Tyler Wade will get the start at second base in Bogaerts' place, sliding over from third base where he has been playing in most of his starts this season. Eguy Rosario will start at third base for the Padres with Manny Machado at DH. Expect Bogaerts to return back to the lineup in Sunday's matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander James Paxton.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Robbie Ray (elbow) threw a bullpen session in Arizona on Friday. Ray has been pleased with his progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but he's still not likely to be a factor for the Giants until the second half of the 2024 season. After being acquired from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for outfielder Mitch Haniger and right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (forearm) this past offseason, the 32-year-old former American League Cy Young Award winner has enough strikeout upside alongside a pitcher-friendly ballpark to deserve being stashed for fantasy managers who can afford the roster spot. Former reliever Jordan Hicks has allowed just two earned runs and three walks over 18 innings as a starter in San Fran's rotation to this point, and he's worth rostering in all mixed leagues right now.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (shoulder) is scheduled to make his next minor league rehab start on Saturday at Double-A Corpus Christi. The 41-year-old appears to be progressing well and could return after this outing. Obviously, the Astros don't want to rush back Verlander, but they need help in the rotation. Fantasy managers will have to check back after Saturday to see how Verlander is feeling. He'll be a must-have fantasy option once he's back on the mound.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman will make his third start of the season against the Colorado Rockies at the Rogers Centre this evening. The ace pitcher was dealing with shoulder fatigue earlier in the offseason, which prevented him from seeing time in Spring Training and delayed his season debut. He threw four one-run innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in his first start but struggled mightily in his second against the New York Yankees, where he allowed five earned runs. Gausman's velocity dipped in that start but did not express much concern. The 33-year-old should have an excellent opportunity to deliver a quality start against a Rockies team that has the sixth most total strikeouts, making him a fantastic option in DFS.

New York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana earned his first win of the season on Thursday in a 16-4 blowout over the Atlanta Braves. Quintana threw 5 innings of three-run ball, which was good enough with the Mets jumping on the Braves early in this one. He allowed five hits and two walks while striking out four. The veteran lefty has been serviceable so far this season, pitching to a 3.45 ERA and 1.53 WHIP with 12 strikeouts in 15 IP. He is likely better kept on the waiver wire, but he is a solid streaming option when he has a good matchup.

The Houston Astros are still committed to Justin Verlander (shoulder) making another minor-league rehab start this weekend, manager Joe Espada said following Thursday's 13-3 loss to the Kansas City Royals. Even though Framber Valdez (elbow) is on the injured list and Hunter Brown couldn't make it through the first inning on Thursday, there's still no thought of inserting Verlander back into an Astros rotation that really needs length. The club is taking the cautious route with the 41-year-old star right-hander, who is working his way back from right shoulder inflammation. Barring any setbacks, Verlander should be available to Houston's rotation in late April after collecting a 3.31 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 63:14 K:BB over 68 innings with the Stros last season. Ronel Blanco has filled in admirably with 15 one-hit innings thus far, but he faces a tough test against the defending-champion Texas Rangers during the Lone Star Series on Saturday.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve went 3-for-4 with a walk during Thursday's blowout loss to the Kansas City Royals. The veteran infielder has been his productive self to start the season, slashing .370/.452/.648 with three home runs through 14 games. Altuve continues to be one of the best fantasy second basemen in the league and should garner plenty of counting stats at the top of the Astros lineup. He remains a must-start option for the rest of 2024 even though Houston has been a surprising disappointment overall.

The Tampa Bay Rays granted right-hander Jake Odorizzi (hamstring, shoulder) his release on Thursday. The veteran of 11 major-league seasons signed a minor-league deal with the Rays in mid-March and made two rehab starts with Triple-A Durham in hopes of getting back to the big leagues. Odorizzi missed all of the 2023 season while recovering from shoulder surgery and will now be looking for another opportunity with another organization in 2024. In his two minor-league starts with Durham, the 34-year-old didn't look good, giving up seven runs while walking five and striking out only two in 5 1/3 innings while being bothered by a hamstring injury. Even if he's healthy and gets a shot elsewhere, it's looking like an uphill battle for Odorizzi to get back to the majors this year.

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Nick Martinez won't make a start for the team in its upcoming three-game series against the Chicago White Sox. The veteran had his third start of the season skipped due to a rainout on Thursday but will not get into any game action this weekend. The first two starts of his Reds tenure have not gone to plan as Martinez has yielded eight earned runs on 14 hits, including a homer, across 10 innings of work. He has only walked two in that time, however, and has punched out nine. The 33-year-old earned a two-year, $26 million contract from the Reds this winter after a successful return to the big leagues with the Padres over the last two seasons, most recently working to a 3.43 ERA across 63 outings (nine starts) in the 2023 campaign.

Houston Astros first baseman Jose Abreu and outfielders Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers are all sitting out on Thursday against the Kansas City Royals in the series finale. Jon Singleton is at first base and batting sixth, Mauricio Dubon is in center field and batting ninth, and Yainer Diaz is serving as the designated hitter and hitting fifth in the order versus Royals right-hander Brady Singer. Just like last year, the 37-year-old Abreu has been ice-cold offensively in the early going for the 'Stros, going 3-for-37 (.081) with no home runs, one RBI and 13 strikeouts in his first 41 plate appearances. He could use a day off. If the veteran first baseman continues to struggle, Houston could give him more frequent days on the bench. None of Singleton, Dubon or Diaz have ever faced Singer in their careers.

The Philadelphia Phillies are sending right-handers Taijuan Walker (shoulder) and Orion Kerkering (forearm, illness) on minor-league rehab assignments. Kerkering would then be activated sometime over the weekend. Walker will start his rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and will likely make four starts, increasing his pitch count in 15-pitch increments before eventually joining the Phillies' starting rotation. The 31-year-old threw 46 pitches over three innings in a live batting practice session over the weekend and is attempting to return from a right-shoulder impingement he suffered in spring training. The 23-year-old Kerkering got sick in spring training and then suffered a right-forearm strain. When healthy, he'll be a key late-inning bullpen piece for the Phillies but is unlikely to see many, if any, save chances.

Making his season debut on Tuesday, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray put together five strong innings in a victory against the Philadelphia Phillies. It was his first start of the season and for his new team as he was sidelined with a hamstring injury, but Gray didn't miss a beat allowing five hits, zero runs, zero walks and striking out five. The veteran signed a three-year deal to be the Cardinals ace this offseason and they will count on the right-hander to anchor their staff. From a fantasy perspective, Gray remains a solid option with a career 3.46 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Gray will look to build off his season debut with a matchup versus one of his former teams, the Oakland Athletics in a very favorable matchup on Tuesday.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Manager Rob Thomson said they want to see Walker reach 100-plus pitches during his rehab assignment before the right-hander rejoins the Phillies' rotation, per MLB.com. Walker will be limited to approximately 60 pitches in his first rehab appearance, so he'll likely need a handful of minor-league starts before getting activated from the injured list. It puts him on course for an early-May return from a right shoulder impingement that limited him to 4 2/3 innings of spring training, but the soft-throwing 31-year-old righty is not the most appealing fantasy stash after generating a 4.38 ERA (4.53 FIP), 1.30 WHIP, and 138:71 K:BB across 172 2/3 frames a season ago. Spencer Turnbull has 11 scoreless innings under his belt so far and will be worth streaming in favorable matchups.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martin Perez twirled eight innings of one-run ball on six hits and no walks in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the visiting Detroit Tigers, striking out seven hitters en route to a tough-luck no-decision. It looked like Perez was well on his way to earning a win on Tuesday, but closer David Bednar couldn't shut the door in the ninth inning after Perez threw 100 pitches. While the 33-year-old crafty lefty isn't known for having dominant stuff, he's quietly off to a fast start during his first year in Pittsburgh, garnering a 1.89 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 15 strikeouts through 19 innings to begin the season. Next up for Perez is a scheduled start against the struggling New York Mets on Monday, when he'll be worth considering as a fantasy streamer. In three appearances against the Mets since 2022, Perez is 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and seven K's across 11 2/3 innings.

New York Mets outfielder J.D. Martinez (back) will be shut down for three to five days after receiving a cortisone shot. The veteran slugger is dealing with lower back tightness, so hopefully this shot and rest will help him. Martinez wasn't expected to join the Mets this week, but this news means his season debut will be pushed back further. The Mets should give an update on his timetable in a few days.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (back) threw a bullpen session without any issues on Tuesday. The plan is for Scherzer to progress to facing live hitters in a batting practice session next week. The 39-year-old remains without a timetable to return, but the expectation is that Scherzer is back before the start of June. That being said, Scherzer is worth stashing in deeper mixed leagues while he continues to make progress in his recovery from back surgery.

Robbie Grossman will be leading off and playing right field for the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday in Chicago's road game against the Cleveland Guardians. Grossman has struggled this season as he has yet to record a hit in 11 at-bats while striking out three times but has walked twice. Grossman signed a minor-league deal with the White Sox and had his contract selected after hitting .400 with two home runs and five RBI in Triple-A.

If the Seattle Mariners decide to skip young right-hander Emerson Hancock's next turn in the starting rotation and if righty Bryan Woo (elbow) isn't ready to return from the injured list by then, newly signed left-hander Dallas Keuchel could be an option to temporarily replace Hancock. The 12-year-old veteran and former Cy Young winner threw five scoreless innings in his season debut with Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday. Levi Stoudt, Casey Lawrence and Jhonathan Diaz could also be candidates for a spot start for the M's. It would be a cool comeback for Keuchel, 36, but his upside would be limited for fantasy managers and his stay in Seattle's rotation would likely be a short one with either Hancock or Woo replacing him sooner or later.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (shoulder) is scheduled to make another rehab start over the weekend. It doesn't sound like the organization has decided on which day Verlander will start. He threw 65 pitches during a rehab start with Triple-A Sugarland on Sunday. It wasn't great results for the veteran right-hander but the main focus is getting him healthy. It sounds like the organization plans to have Verlander throw a bullpen session on Wednesday as well. The hope is that Verlander can get back in the Astros rotation by the end of April.