New York Yankees third baseman DJ LeMahieu (foot) has taken on-field batting practice and said on Saturday that he was encouraged by his progress. LeMahieu has also been fielding ground balls hit directly at him, and he has been running with approximately 90% effort, per MLB.com. Manager Aaron Boone also said on Tuesday that LeMahieu has started taking side to side grounders. LeMahieu is trying to overcome a non-displaced fracture of his right foot, and he will need a brief minor-league rehab assignment before returning to the Yankees. The 35-year-old contact-hitting infielder still has a chance to return before April's end, and he's a candidate to lead off in the Bronx after a strong 2023 second half saw him slash .273/.377/.432 with eight home runs, 17 RBI, and 27 runs scored over his final 220 at-bats of the year. In the interim, Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera will share reps at the hot corner.

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Wade Miley (shoulder) is scheduled to come off the injured list to make his season debut on Wednesday night versus the Reds on the road in Cincinnati. Miley threw 55 pitches for Triple-A Nashville in his final minor-league rehab start and gave up one run on two hits while walking two and striking out three. The 37-year-old southpaw's first start in the big leagues this year with Milwaukee will be an abbreviated start, which means that fantasy baseball managers looking for a low-cost streaming option on Wednesday should avoid him, especially in the difficult matchup in a hitter-friendly ballpark. Miley isn't your typical swing-and-miss pitcher. Instead, he relies on generating soft contact and keeping hitters off balance. Injuries have been an issue as he ages, too, so he's mostly a fantasy option in NL-only leagues.

The New York Mets have designated pitcher Julio Teheran for assignment on Tuesday, the team announced. Teheran signed a one-year $2.5 million deal with the Mets on April 5 after he failed to make the Baltimore Orioles roster. The right-hander made one start for New York allowing four runs on six hits across 2 and 2/3 innings. Following the outing, the Mets designated the right-hander for assignment, and in his spot, New York called up right-handed pitcher Dedniel Nez.

Pittsburgh Pirates catchers Yasmani Grandal (foot) and Endy Rodriguez (elbow) are making progress from their respective injuries, while catcher Jason Delay (knee) has been shut down from all baseball activities. Grandal is going to do some baserunning in the coming days and has been participating in simulated games. Rodriguez should start a swinging progression from the left side of the plate next week. The veteran Grandal is working his way back from plantar fasciitis in his left foot but appears to be close to a rehab assignment. When the 35-year-old is ready, he'll split catching duties in Pittsburgh with Henry Davis. Rodriguez, 23, is the team's backstop of the future, but he'll be out until the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (elbow) has extended his throwing program out to 90 feet, which is a new step in his recovery. deGrom continues to work his way back from the second Tommy John surgery of his career in June of last year, and the defending-champion Rangers hope to have him back in their rotation at some stage later this summer. From a fantasy perspective, it's difficult to call deGrom a must-stash with such a fluid recovery timetable. Few other pitchers have his level of upside when healthy; the 35-year-old two-time Cy Young Award winner produced a 2.67 ERA (1.54 FIP), 0.75 WHIP, and 45:9 K:BB across 30 1/3 innings during his debut season in Arlington a year ago. deGrom's progression in his throwing program is something that needs to be kept a close eye on, as the veteran right-hander could turn out to be a league-winning asset if he's available during crunch time of the fantasy season.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto is getting the day off on Monday as the team takes on the St. Louis Cardinals on the road. With Realmuto starting on the bench, Garrett Stubbs will catch right-hander Spencer Turnbull and hit eighth against Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas. Stubbs will be a poor DFS play at the catching position for Monday's slate of action. The 33-year-old Realmuto was hitless on Sunday but has gone 9-for-30 (.300) with two home runs, four RBI and four runs scored in 33 plate appearances in his first eight games of the season. The three-time All-Star is typically a set-and-forget lineup option for fantasy baseball managers in single-year formats, but he needs to be removed on Monday in leagues that allow daily lineup moves.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/outfielder Henry Davis and outfielder Michael Taylor will start on the bench on Monday for the series opener against the visiting Detroit Tigers. Joey Bart will do the catching for the Bucs and will hit ninth, while Jack Suwinski is in center field and batting cleanup against Tigers right-hander Reese Olson. This will be Bart's second start in the last three games, and he could see more time behind the plate with Davis starting off his second MLB season just 4-for-30 at the plate. It helps Bart's cause that both Yasmani Grandal (foot) and Jason Delay (knee) are currently on the injured list. This will be Taylor's third straight game starting on the bench. Suwinski is just 6-for-34 (.176) in the early going but will have elevated DFS sleeper appeal in the cleanup spot on Monday.

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) played catch on Monday without a problem. It's a positive first step for Cole after he was diagnosed with nerve irritation and edema in his right elbow. The 33-year-old is going to be out for at least several months, but the hope is that he can avoid surgery that would knock him out for the entire 2024 season and likely the start of next year, too. Cole has opened the year on the 60-day injured list and will not be eligible to be activated by the Yankees until at least late May. It's a tough blow for anyone that drafted Cole this year as their fantasy ace, but he needs to remain stashed in an IL spot in all leagues until further notice.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich is not in the starting lineup on Sunday as the team faces the Seattle Mariners in the series finale. It will be the first day of rest for Yelich after he started the first seven games of the season. The 32-year-old veteran left-handed hitter is off to a great start offensively for the Brewers in 2024, going 8-for-26 (.308) with three home runs, four RBI, two stolen bases and five runs scored in his first 30 plate appearances. Make sure to take him out of your lineups on Sunday, though. Sal Frelick is shifting to left field and will hit leadoff, while Blake Perkins draws in at center field and will bat in the nine-hole against Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock. Neither Frelick nor Perkins have faced Hancock in their major-league careers.

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) will resume playing catch on Monday or Tuesday, according to manager Aaron Boone. Cole is currently on the 60-day injured list due to right-elbow inflammation, and the initial timetable for his return to the Yankees was set at one to two months. While it's good news that the 33-year-old reigning American League Cy Young winner is making good progress, fantasy baseball managers may not want to get their hopes up that Cole returns before two months. The Yankees aren't going to rush one of the most dominant pitchers along too quickly. It remains to be seen if Cole will be as dominant as he was last year when he returns, but he needs to be stashed in an injured list spot in all fantasy leagues.

Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg officially retired from baseball on Saturday. He signed a seven-year, $245 million contract extension in December 2019; while some of the money will be deferred, the 35-year-old will receive $100 million over the next three years. He struggled to come back from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery he underwent in July 2021. Strasburg was limited to 31 1/3 innings from 2020-2022. The former No. 1 overall pick finishes his career with a 113-62 record, 3.24 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 1,723 strikeouts (10.5 K's per inning) across 1,470 innings. Strasburg is a three-time All-Star who helped the Nationals win their only championship in 2019 and was named the World Series MVP.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Michael Wacha (1-0) allowed two hits and a walk while striking out eight over seven scoreless innings in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. He picked up his first win of the season. Wacha was terrific on Saturday, blanking the White Sox over seven frames. The 32-year-old threw 93 pitches, landing 59 for strikes. He owns a 2.25 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts over 12 innings in 2024. He is off to a hot start and will look to build on Saturday's performance in his next start Friday on the road against the New York Mets. Wacha can be used as a streamer and should be rostered in all leagues while he continues to pitch well in 2024.

Kansas City Royals left-handed reliever William Smith was brought in for the ninth inning on Friday night with the club holding a 2-1 lead over the visiting Chicago White Sox, but the veteran southpaw was pulled after allowing a hit and walking one in favor of James McArthur, who ended up picking up his first save. Smith did pick up a strikeout and the hold, but it's not a good sign that manager Matt Quatraro gave him the quick hook after he allowed a double and a walk after his strikeout. The 34-year-old wasn't a high-end fantasy baseball closer to begin with, but Smith might already be losing his hold on the closer gig in Kansas City after the first week. Smith already has allowed six earned runs in three innings with a blown save and two losses, so fantasy managers scrounging for saves in the early going should consider picking McArthur up off the waiver wire.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (back), who closed out the Los Angeles Angels in an 8-6 victory on Friday night for his third save of the year, is dealing with a sore back but had enough to close out the game. The 36-year-old active MLB leader in saves struck one batter in his clean frame on Friday and has now tossed four scoreless and hitless innings with three saves, five walks and six strikeouts in his first four appearances of 2024. He has been perfect so far, but it looks like his back issues from spring training are still around, and his command has been worrisome despite the three saves. Keep an eye on whether Jansen will be available to pitch on Saturday against the Halos. If he's not, either Chris Martin or Josh Winckowski could be in line for a save opportunity.

New York Yankees designated hitter/outfielder Giancarlo Stanton went hitless for the third straight game in Friday's 3-0 loss to the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays, striking out twice in four at-bats. As the Yankees were shut out in their home opener for the first time since 1967, Stanton's batting average dropped to a paltry .125 with 13 K's over his first 25 plate appearances of the year. It's way too early to give up on the 34-year-old five-time All-Star in fantasy, but he's now batting just .130 (3-for-23) with two RBI in six games against Toronto dating back to last season to boot. His playing time is safe for now, but all bets might be off when Jasson Dominguez (elbow) is ready to go later in 2024. Things won't get any easier for Stanton versus Jays ace Kevin Gausman on Saturday, but the veteran slugger is 6-for-17 with a homer and three RBI in 18 PAs against the right-hander in his career and will sport some contrarian DFS appeal in a tough matchup on paper.

Baltimore Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel helped spoil the Pittsburgh Pirates' home opener in Friday's 5-2 win, preserving the victory and notching his first save of the year with two strikeouts in a clean ninth inning. It was a bit of a rocking-chair save for the 35-year-old nine-time All-Star, who sat down the sixth, seventh, and eighth hitters of Pittsburgh's lineup with relative ease. Kimbrel really struggled in spring ball, floundering to a 7.50 ERA and serving up two homers in six spring training innings, also blowing his first save chance of the year but escaping with the win in Monday's walk-off triumph over the visiting Kansas City Royals. With that said, Friday was a strong bounce-back performance. 2023 All-Star Yennier Cano has fired 4 1/3 scoreless frames and could eventually come knocking on the door for save chances of his own, but Kimbrel is a good bet to tally at least 20 saves in 2024.

Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Wade Miley (shoulder) threw three simulated innings at Citi Field last week and two more simulated innings at American Family Field on Monday and is now scheduled to start for Triple-A Nashville in a rehab game on Friday. Miley would like his next outing after that to be with the Brewers, but that will depend on clearance from the medical staff. He's eligible to be activated from the 15-day injured list as soon as April 9 in Cincinnati. The 37-year-old southpaw was delayed at the start of spring training due to shoulder soreness and was eventually diagnosed with a left-shoulder impingement. The soft-tossing lefty will have a rotation spot waiting for him, but his lack of strikeout upside makes him one to avoid in most mixed fantasy leagues, and we certainly wouldn't suggest streaming him if he makes his 2024 debut versus the Reds.

New York Mets right-hander Julio Teheran will officially make his 2024 debut with the Mets on Monday in Atlanta against the division-rival Braves, and he'll be good for 70 to 75 pitches. Teheran will also potentially be available out of the bullpen on Friday in the series opener against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks. The 33-year-old veteran was trying to win a roster spot with the Baltimore Orioles in spring training this year but was cut before Opening Day and has landed in the National League with the Mets. He'll give the team some rotation help with both Kodai Senga and Tylor Megill on the injured list due to shoulder injuries. At best, Teheran is a waiver-wire pickup for the pitching-needy in deep NL-only leagues, and he should be avoided in his first start versus Atlanta.

The Arizona Diamondbacks reinstated outfielder Randal Grichuk (ankle) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and optioned outfield prospect Jorge Barrosa to Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move. Grichuk is not in the team's starting lineup on Friday versus the Atlanta Braves, and the 32-year-old veteran outfielder will operate more as a fourth outfielder for Arizona than as an everyday player. Grichuk is finally ready to go in 2024 after recovering from ankle surgery he had in January. In a reserve role, he'll really only be useful as outfield depth in NL-only leagues for his occasional power. After being traded from the Rockies to Angels in 2023, Grichuk hit just .216 (42-for-194) with eight homers and 17 RBI in 54 games.