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.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed reliever Blake Treinen (chest) is still "weeks" away from returning to the team. He has been throwing but needs to build all the way back up after missing so much time at this point. The 35-year-old veteran reliever bruised his lung when he was hit in the chest by a comebacker during spring training, but he was able to start a throwing program a week ago. The Dodgers aren't going to rush Treinen back, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he doesn't make his 2024 debut out of the team's bullpen until early May. In addition to his injury this spring, Treinen missed all of 2023 while recovering from shoulder surgery in November of 2022. Injuries have become a problem, but he can still have value in deep holds leagues for his experience in high-leverage spots when he's healthy.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said his "hope" is that outfielder Jason Heyward (back) will return from the injured list when he's eligible next week, but the skipper isn't sure of Heyward's exact timeline yet. Heyward also didn't sound too concerned about his back injury and said it stiffened up on days he was coming off the bench, so the Dodgers decided him going on the IL would be best to make sure it doesn't linger. The 34-year-old is eligible to come back next Saturday, April 13. Until Heyward is able to return, Teoscar Hernandez is likely going to continue playing right field, with utility man Chris Taylor filling in on the other side in left field. In the first four games in 2024, Heyward has gone just 3-for-14 (.214) with two RBI and three runs scored for the Blue.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/designated hitter Andrew McCutchen is taking the day off on Thursday against the Washington Nationals. With McCutchen getting a breather, outfielder Connor Joe will serve as the team's DH on Thursday and bat fifth, with Jack Suwinski getting the start in left field and hitting cleanup against Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray. Suwinski is hitting .333 in his career in just six at-bats against Gray with a solo home runs, so he could be a sneaky low-cost DFS play as he draws into Pittsburgh's lineup. Joe is hitless in his six career at-bats versus Gray. The 37-year-old McCutchen is off to a slow start this year after a nice bounce-back performance in 2023 in his return to the Bucs. He's currently 3-for-16 (.188) with two RBI and nine strikeouts in 21 plate appearances over his first four games.

St. Louis Cardinals designated hitter Matt Carpenter has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right oblique strain. Catcher Pedro Pages has been called from Triple-A Memphis in a corresponding move. The veteran returned to the organization where he enjoyed his most productive seasons for the 2024 campaign and is 3-for-10 (.300) with a run scored through his first 11 plate appearances on the young season. After a resurgent season with the Yankees in 2022, Carpenter hit just .176 with five homers across 76 appearances with the Padres in the 2023 season. Alec Burleson is likely to handle everyday designated hitter duties in Carpenter's absence.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn is looking to build on a strong start to this season when he takes on the visiting Miami Marlins on Thursday. The veteran tossed four scoreless innings with just one walk against five strikeouts in his return to St. Louis against the Dodgers on March 30, an encouraging sign after he struggled in the 2023 season. Lynn limped to a 5.73 ERA across 32 starts between the Chicago White Sox and the Dodgers in the 2023 campaign, the first season in which he posted an ERA above 5.00. He is a strong bounce-back candidate as he had posted four straight seasons with an ERA of 4.00 or below while he will look to get deeper into the ball game on Thursday.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi fired seven scoreless innings on four hits and one walk in Wednesday's 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, collecting his first win of the season. Eovaldi produced solid results in Texas' Opening Day walk-off triumph over the Chicago Cubs, and he was even better against the Rays. Until Jacob deGrom (elbow) and Max Scherzer (back) are ready to go in 2024, the Rangers are going to rely on Eovaldi as the ace of their pitching rotation. The 2023 All-Star right-hander will be an elite fantasy option when the defending World Series champions host the Oakland Athletics for the start of a three-game set next Tuesday, as Eovaldi is 2-0 with 17 shutout innings and 23 strikeouts in three appearances against the A's since 2022.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler fanned 10 hitters in Wednesday's 4-1 defeat to the Cincinnati Reds, taking a tough-luck loss after launching six innings and allowing one earned run. Although Wheeler got into trouble in the third inning, it was Bryson Stott's fielding error that ultimately led to two unearned runs before Elly De La Cruz doubled one in during the sixth. It was still a successful outcome for the 33-year-old All-Star right-hander, who next heads to the mound carrying a tidy 0.75 ERA and 0.75 WHIP over his first 12 innings into next Tuesday's start for the second outing of a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Since 2021, Wheeler has rolled over the Redbirds with a microscopic 0.62 ERA and 29 punchouts in 29 innings against them and should be started in all fantasy leagues with confidence.

The San Diego Padres are still considering signing free-agent outfielder Tommy Pham, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman. San Diego remains linked to Pham after the two sides were reportedly close to reaching an agreement in mid-March, and the 36-year-old left fielder could supply some depth to the Padres' thin outfield. As long as the switch-hitting Jurickson Profar, who is batting .269 with an .809 OPS and three RBI covering 26 at-bats this season, is playing well, they may not be as inclined to net the veteran's services. Pham has been very productive in years past and could find his way to some fantasy relevance if he ultimately joins the Friars, however, most recently slashing .256/.328/.446 with 16 homers, 27 doubles, 68 RBI, and 22 stolen bases in 426 ABs across time with the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023.