Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Joc Pederson (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This appears to be a routine rest day for Pederson against a left-handed starting pitcher. The D-Backs will play matchups here and go with Blaze Alexander at designated hitter versus Steven Matz. There's not a ton of value here with Alexander, so most fantasy managers should be able to find a better streaming option. The expectation is that Pederson should return to the lineup following this game.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon (illness) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Rockies' manager Bud Black said Blackmon is feeling under the weather, so they will hold him out of this contest. The expectation is that this will be a one-game absence for the veteran outfielder. In the meantime, Kris Bryant will function as the designated hitter, while Elehuris Montero covers first base versus right-hander Kevin Gausman on Friday.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed second baseman Kolten Wong to a minor-league deal and have assigned him to Triple-A Reno. Wong has inked a minors deal this offseason with the Orioles but failed to crack the Opening Day roster and once again hit the open market. Following a pair of production seasons at the plate with the Brewers, Wong's bat cratered in a brief stint with the Mariners in 2023, hitting just .183 with four homers, three stolen bases, and a .519 OPS across 87 games in the Pacific Northwest. The D-backs have Ketel Marte as their everyday second baseman but fellow infielder Geraldo Perdomo recently underwent knee surgery and will miss about a month's worth of action.

New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (foot) will travel with the club for its upcoming road trip to Cleveland and Toronto as he builds up toward game action. The veteran suffered a non-displaced fracture in his right foot this spring and has recently worked on taking grounders and running the bases. LeMahieu didn't have his best season at the plate in 2023, hitting .243 with 15 homers, two steals, and a .717 OPS across 136 appearances, production that graded out 1% above the league average, as per his 101 wRC+. He was scheduled to be the team's everyday third baseman and leadoff hitter prior to his injury and he will likely return to those roles upon his return to action.

New York Yankees reliever Tommy Kahnle (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session either Thursday or Friday at the club's spring training facility in Tampa Bay. The right-hander has been sidelined due to a shoulder issue this spring but appears to be trending in the right direction in his rehab. It was a successful return to the Bronx for the veteran in 2023, as Kahnle worked to a 2.66 ERA across 42 appearances after posting a 2.84 ERA in an injury-shortened 13 appearances in a brief stint with the Dodgers in 2022. Upon his return, Kahnle won't get many save opportunities behind Clay Holmes but could be a solid source of holds after recording 14 of them in the 2023 season.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich hit his fifth home run of the season on Wednesday in a 7-2 win over the Reds. Yelich got his first start at designated hitter this season in the game, and the home run was his only hit of the day, going 1-for-4 with two RBI, a run scored, and a walk. Yelich is coming off probably his best statistical season since 2019, and looking to follow that up with another strong showing in 2024. His five home runs are one off of the league lead while hitting .316 with 11 RBI, seven runs scored, and two stolen bases. Expect the former MVP and 2x All-Star to continue to produce across multiple categories and provide fantasy managers a safe floor throughout the season.

Los Angeles Angels catcher Logan O'Hoppe, third baseman Anthony Rendon and first baseman Nolan Schanuel are all on the bench on Wednesday versus the Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Zack Littell. Matt Thaiss is catching and batting eighth, Miguel Sano is at third base and hitting fifth, and Brandon Drury is at first base and batting in the six-hole for the Halos. Luis Rengifo is also at the keystone and hitting leadoff on Wednesday. Rengifo will gain some DFS appeal in this one while hitting atop the order. The 27-year-old Venezuelan infielder has been the odd-man out on the Angels' infield so far early this year, but he's been good when active, going 8-for-22 (.364) with two doubles, two RBI and two stolen bases in 23 plate appearances.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno and outfielder/designated hitter Joc Pederson are both out of the team's starting lineup on Wednesday as they face the Colorado Rockies. Tucker Barnhart is doing the catching and will hit eighth, while Ketel Marte will serve as the designated hitter and bat leadoff against Rockies lefty Austin Gomber. Kevin Newman is at second base and is batting ninth. Moreno had four hits on Tuesday but unsurprisingly will be on the bench in a day game after a night game. Pederson will now be on the bench for the fourth time in five games with Arizona facing a southpaw. After Marte went hitless on Monday and got the day off on Tuesday, he should be thrown back into all fantasy lineups on Wednesday, as he's hit a career .389 with two home runs and five RBI in 18 at-bats against Gomber.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and shortstop Masyn Winn are both getting a breather on Wednesday against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Alec Burleson is playing first base and batting sixth, while Brandon Crawford is at the 6 and is hitting seventh against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola. The 36-year-old Goldschmidt could use the break after putting up a weak .544 OPS to begin the 2024 season. Meanwhile, Winn has been consistent so far in his first full season as the Cardinals' starting shortstop, going 11-for-33 (.333) with a double, triple, three RBI and a stolen base in 11 games. Neither Burleson nor Crawford will be very strong DFS plays against Nola. Burleson is hitting .167 with an RBI in six at-bats against Nola, while Crawford is hitting .200 with three RBI in 15 career at-bats.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (neck, throat) is catching and batting cleanup for the Phillies on Wednesday versus the St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Lance Lynn. It's a bit of a surprise that Realmuto is playing in the series finale after taking a dirt ball to the neck/throat area while trying to block an errant pitch from right-hander Zack Wheeler on Tuesday night. The 33-year-old All-Star backstop was in a lot of pain and had to be removed from the game, but he's back in there on Wednesday and should remain in all starting lineups in single-season fantasy leagues. Realmuto has two home runs and four RBI in his first nine games this year but has only one hit in 10 career at-bats against the veteran Lynn.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich continued his stellar offensive start in Tuesday's 9-5 win over the Reds. Yelich went 2-for-4 with a single, a double, three RBI, and a walk. The 32-year-old has done it all at the plate so far this season, slashing .324/.410/.706 with four home runs, six runs scored, nine RBI, and two stolen bases in 40 plate appearances. Yelich had a nice 2023 season after several disappointing ones, so seeing him pick up where he left off is encouraging.

Philadelphia Phillies All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto (neck, throat) was forced to leave Tuesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals early in the seventh inning after taking a bouncing pitch in the dirt from right-hander Zack Wheeler to the neck/throat area. Realmuto was in a lot of pain after the ball went under his mask. He was replaced by Garrett Stubbs in the contest, and we'll bring you any updates on his condition later Tuesday night or Wednesday morning when they get passed along. Before leaving, Realmuto went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts to drop his season average to .273, so it was a rough game all around for the 33-year-old veteran. Even if Realmuto's injury isn't too serious, fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to play in the series finale against the Cards on Wednesday.

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.