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.

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.

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.

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.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (elbow) said there is no definitive target date for his return to being 100 percent recovered from offseason elbow surgery. It's been 220 days he last played third base in a game and 187 days since the extensor tendon in his right elbow was fixed. Manager Mike Shildt said the end of April was a "loose" goal, but "there's not really a timetable on it," Machado said. The All-Star third baseman said his shoulder isn't 100 percent, and he entered Sunday's finale against the Giants hitting just .190 with a .673 OPS. The 31-year-old has been told by doctors that he might not feel 100 percent until next year. Fantasy managers shouldn't panic yet, but it's fair to wonder if Machado's slow start this year at the plate is related to his elbow injury.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (shoulder) threw 65 pitches for Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday in what was his first in-game appearance of the season. Verlander struggled, allowing six runs on seven hits in three-plus innings, but that isn't what is important here as he is still building up after experiencing right shoulder issues during spring training. The Astros were optimistic that Verlander would only need to make two rehab starts, and him getting to 65 pitches in this one is a positive sign. He will likely make another start later this week and could join Houston's rotation shortly after that.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (body) will not join the team for their upcoming series against the Atlanta Braves, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. The veteran slugger is reportedly dealing with general body soreness and will get the next few days off. Martinez was signed late in the offseason and seems to be getting back into game shape, but the process is taking longer than expected. While there are some injury concerns, the 36-year-old should be able to provide solid power for fantasy teams whenever he makes his debut.

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 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.

New York Mets left-hander Jose Quintana will be looking for a better outing on Friday when he takes on the Cincinnati Reds. He allowed just two runs in his first start of the season in 4 1/3 innings of work but also six hits, including a homer, with two walks against four strikeouts. It was a decent start to the season after Quintana worked to a 3.57 ERA across 13 starts last season while a rib injury cost him significant time. With the solid, yet injury-shortened season, Quintana placed himself back under the radar but he also struck out just 18.8% of the hitters he faced, a career-low for the veteran. He makes for a decent back-end starter for fantasy managers if he can prevent runs at a similar clip in the 2024 campaign.

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.