Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Colin Rea was deployed in a long-relief role on Monday and could be shifting to a permanent role in the bullpen, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. In addition, McCalvy noted that Rea does not appear among the probable starting pitchers in their weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Since the start of August, Rea has held a 6.05 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a 4:33 BB:K ratio across 38 2/3 innings of work as a starter. Under the hood, the 34-year-old holds a 9.2% barrel rate and a 41.8% hard-hit rate, which place him in the bottom 21st and 23rd percentile among qualified pitchers, respectively. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to the Milwaukee rotation this weekend, as it could suggest who will be deployed as a starter in October.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel has been designated for assignment, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Kimbrel has carried a rough 13.94 ERA, 2.23 WHIP, and a 9:12 BB:K ratio since August 11 and has taken two losses during this period. In addition, he has not recorded a save since July 7 after tallying 23 through most of the first half. While he has still been able to generate strikeouts at an elite 31.5% rate, he has given up hard contact at a very high rate, with a 10.6% barrel rate and a 43.1% hard-hit rate. 29-year-old Seranthony Dominguez has established himself as the go-to option in the ninth inning in Baltimore, as he has tallied nine saves across his past 12 1/3 frames of work. Kimbrel will now be a free agent and could eventually find a new home on a team looking to add a veteran piece to their bullpen.

Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon and outfielders Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Jones are all out of the lineup for Wednesday's series finale at Coors Field against the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez on the bump. Aaron Schunk will start at third and hit out of the nine-hole, Sam Hilliard will start in left and bat seventh, and catcher Jacob Stallings will be the designated hitter and bat fifth. Hunter Goodman is catching and hitting sixth. Hilliard has hit .250 (27-for-108) in his return to the Rockies this year with eight homers and 23 RBI in 49 games played. Stallings has hit .260 (59-for-227) with a career-high nine homers in 76 games, and Schunk has hit just .194 (14-for-72) with one homer and three RBI in his first 32 big-league games. None of Colorado's replacements are particularly attractive DFS sleepers, even at Coors Field.

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Alek Thomas (oblique) was reinstated from the seven-day minor-league injured list at Triple-A Reno on Tuesday. In his return to the field with the Aces on Tuesday, Thomas went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. The 24-year-old has been out of action for the past month with a strained right oblique but is working his way back and could be able to rejoin the big-league roster before the end of the regular season at the end of September. If Thomas does rejoin the D-backs and they make the postseason, he'll likely be a bench player and potential late-game replacement for his defense in center field. Thomas has played in a career-low 37 games in Arizona in 2024 in his third year in the majors and has hit just .191 (18-for-94) with three homers, 17 RBI and four steals. Jake McCarthy has essentially taken over for Thomas at the big-league level.

Chicago White Sox left-hander Jared Shuster will serve as the team's opener on Wednesday in the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium in what will be a bullpen game for the Pale Hose. Shuster has appeared in 36 games for the White Sox in 2024, but only three of those outings have been starts. The 26-year-old former 25th overall pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2020 out of Wake Forest has posted a 4.54 ERA (4.69 FIP) and a 1.50 WHIP with 51 strikeouts and 29 walks in 67 1/3 total innings, so he hasn't exactly been dominant in his second year in the big leagues. His last start actually came recently on Sept. 9, when he allowed three earned runs with no walks and five strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings in a loss to the Cleveland Guardians. Shuster has not gone over three innings of work since July 26 and should be avoided as a fantasy streamer, even in the good matchup.

New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto had a milestone game for several reasons in Tuesday's 11-2 win over the Mariners. Soto went 2-for-2 with a double, a two-run home run, and two walks. The 25-year-old lined a fourth-inning Bryan Woo fastball over the center-field wall for his 40th HR of the season and the 200th of his career. Not only did he become the eighth player to reach 200 HR before turning 26 years old, but Soto's homer in T-Mobile Park completed his quest to hit a HR in all 30 current MLB ballparks. Soto is having a career power season, slashing .287/.417/.576 with 120 runs scored, 103 RBI, and five stolen bases in 671 plate appearances. He has been a high-end fantasy player throughout his career and has fit in perfectly with a strong Yankees lineup. Despite being a free agent at the end of this season, Soto will continue to be a top fantasy pick regardless of where he lands.

New York Mets shortstop prospect Luisangel Acuna had a milestone evening in Tuesday's 10-1 win over the Nationals. The 22-year-old went 3-for-4 with a single, a double, a solo home run, and two RBI. Acuna crushed an eighth-inning Joe La Sorsa offering deep to left-center field for his first big-league long ball. Acuna, who is the Mets' No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has hit .455 with an .818 slugging percentage in his first four games. His numbers with Triple-A Syracuse weren't so stellar that fantasy managers should be placing their trust in him at the end of this season, but they should certainly keep an eye on him for the rest of September.

Cincinnati Reds utilityman Spencer Steer had a solid offensive game in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Braves. Steer went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk, and a strikeout. The 26-year-old lined a seventh-inning Pierce Johnson curveball into the left-center seats to put the Reds up for good. Steer has provided useful counting stats this season but has not provided the batting average, slashing .232/.327/.419 with 20 HR, 74 runs scored, 91 RBI, and 25 stolen bases in 621 plate appearances. His low average may impact his perceived fantasy value next season, but his power-speed combination and multi-position eligibility make him a useful option.

Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ continued his strong offensive September in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Athletics. Happ went 3-for-5 with a single and a pair of solo home runs. The 30-year-old took Mitch Spence deep to right field in the third inning and lined a ninth-inning, 103-mph Mason Miller fastball just over the left-field wall for his 25th home run of the season. Happ has put together his best offensive month in September, slashing .308/.357/.446 with two homers, nine RBI, and two stolen bases in 65 at-bats. The Cubs have been one of baseball's hottest lineups lately, so Happ could be a bat that fantasy managers could lean on to finish the season on a high note.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell continued his stellar second half in Tuesday's 10-0 win over the Orioles. Snell pitched six innings, allowing just one hit and two walks with 12 strikeouts. The 31-year-old was barely startable for fantasy managers in the first half of the season but has been outstanding in the second half. He now owns a 4-0 record with a 1.59 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP, and 94 strikeouts in 11 second-half starts and 62 1/3 IP. Snell will face another tough matchup in his next start at the Royals, but fantasy managers should have him in their rotation for his final few starts of the season.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Victor Robles (hand) left Tuesday night's game at T-Mobile Park against the visiting New York Yankees with a right-hand contusion, but X-rays came back negative. Robles had an eventful first inning, getting hit by a pitch and then being thrown out while trying to steal home plate. He was serving as the designated hitter in this one and was replaced by pinch-hitter Mitch Garver before his second plate appearance. The 27-year-old should be considered day-to-day, and fantasy managers in deeper leagues should check back to see if he's available to start on Wednesday against the Yanks. Robles has been a lineup regular for the Mariners since being acquired from the Washington Nationals, and he's been excellent in Seattle, slashing .333/.401/.475 with four homers, 20 RBI and 25 steals in 227 trips to the plate over 67 games.

Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (wrist) said his right wrist was bothering him after his last swing in Tuesday's contest at Citi Field against the division-rival New York Mets, and manager Dave Martinez removed him as a precaution. Before he was pulled, Garcia went 0-for-2 with a strikeout before eventually being replaced at the keystone by Jose Tena. The 24-year-old's injury doesn't appear to be too serious, but fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if the Nationals give Garcia a day to rest on Wednesday. It's been a breakout season in 2024 for Garcia in his fifth year in the big leagues for Washington, as he entered Tuesday's action slashing .281/.320/.442 with career-highs in OPS (.762), home runs (16), RBI (65) and stolen bases (21) in 131 games played. If Garcia misses additional time, either Tena or Ildemaro Vargas will pick up playing time at second base.

The plan is for Washington Nationals outfielder Alex Call (foot) to go on a quick minor-league rehab assignment soon so that he can play in the majors before the end of the regular season at the end of the month. The Nationals put Call on the 10-day injured list at the end of August with a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot. The fact that the 29-year-old even has a chance to return before the end of the 2024 season is a bit of a surprise. Call hit .200 (75-for-375) with eight home runs in his first full big-league season in 2023 in D.C. In only 30 games this year, he's been much better with a .343/.425/.525 slash line, a career-best .950 OPS, three homers, 14 RBI and five steals. Even before outfield prospects James Wood and Dylan Crews reached the big leagues, Call was mainly considered a fourth-outfielder type with a better glove than bat.

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that right-handed pitching prospect Cade Cavalli (elbow) will finish his throwing program, but he's not going to pitch in a game before the end of the regular season. After missing all of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery, Cavalli opened this year on the injured list and then suffered a setback with his arm in the minors while rehabbing. The 26-year-old ended up only making three starts in the Florida Complex League and at High-A Wilmington. The team's No. 8 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, has lost some prospect steam after back-to-back lost seasons due to injury. Cavalli will spend the offseason trying to get his right arm healthy, and if he can stay healthy in 2025, he could end up being a post-hype sleeper prospect to keep an eye on. He made his big-league debut late in 2022 and allowed seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his only start before getting hurt.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Richie Palacios (knee) is starting a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Tuesday and could return from the 10-day injured list next week. Palacios has been out since July 31 due to a right-knee sprain and is trying to rejoin the big-league roster right before the end of the regular season. The 27-year-old will be a non-factor the rest of the way in fantasy as outfield depth in Tampa. The former third-rounder of the Cleveland Guardians in 2018 out of Towson University is in his first year with Tampa and has hit .233/.350/.332 with a below-average .682 OPS, five home runs, a career-high 21 RBI and a career-high 19 stolen bases in 301 plate appearances over 88 games for the Rays. Palacio's speed is what makes him attractive as outfield depth in deep-mixed and AL-only fantasy formats.

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson (elbow) left his outing early on Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves at Great American Ball Park with manager David Bell and a trainer during the second at-bat of the second inning with an apparent elbow injury. It looked as though Williamson was grabbing at his left elbow before leaving the contest. Before departing, he allowed three earned runs on three hits (two home runs) while walking two and striking out one in just 1 1/3 innings. Given the fact that the season is almost over, there's a good chance Williamson will be shut down the rest of the way, especially after missing the first five months of the year with a shoulder injury. The 26-year-old southpaw was making just his fourth appearance of 2024 (and third start) on Tuesday. In his first 13 innings, Williamson had allowed three runs (two earned) while walking three and fanning 11.UPDATE: Williamson was diagnosed with a left-elbow strain.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele (elbow) is set to come off the injured list and take the mound against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. Steele has been out since late August due to elbow tendinitis. This is a welcoming sight for the Cubs who aren't quite eliminated from playoff contention yet. The return of Steele will push the rest of the starters back a day, according to manager Craig Counsell. Steele holds a 3.09 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 131/34 K/BB ratio this season. He'll be a favorable fantasy option for his first start back on the mound.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (shoulder) is back in the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the New York Mets. The left-handed slugger returns to the lineup after missing each of the last four games due to left shoulder soreness. Luckily, it was only a minor issue and Abrams should be fully ready to go on Tuesday. He'll serve as the leadoff hitter and cover shortstop against right-hander Tylor Megill. The 23-year-old is slumping in September but is hitting .239 with 20 home runs and 65 RBI in 2024. Fantasy managers who have Abrams rostered can get him back in their lineups on Tuesday.

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies. This appears to be a routine rest day for Marte who is in the middle of a fantastic 2024 season. Marte is hitting .292 with 32 home runs and 87 RBI across 124 games this season. The expectation is that Marte is available off the bench and should be back in the lineup after this game. In the meantime, Luis Guillorme will cover second base and bat eighth versus right-hander Ryan Feltner. Guillorme has struggled since joining the D-Backs and won't be a viable fantasy option for Tuesday's slate.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (finger) has been ruled out for the rest of the 2024 season. The left-hander landed on the 15-day injured list in late August due to a finger strain. The organization was hopeful it would be a short absence, but that clearly wasn't the case. The Reds are out of the playoff race and have little incentive to bring Lodolo back at this point. He'll finish the season with a 4.76 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 122/37 K/BB ratio across 21 starts. This was a fairly successful season for the southpaw who was limited to only seven starts in the big leagues in 2023.