New York Yankees outfielder/designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton will start on the bench on Monday versus the Toronto Blue Jays. With Stanton starting on the pine, outfielder Aaron Judge is serving as the designated hitter and batting third, while Trent Grisham gets the start in center field and will hit ninth against Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassett. Judge has hit .222 in nine career at-bats against Bassitt, while Grisham has hit .167 in just six career at-bats against Bassitt. The biggest takeaway for Stanton after the first 13 games of the 2024 season is that he's managed to stay healthy so far. In his 55 plate appearances to begin the year, he's gone 13-for-52 (.250) with four home runs, nine RBI and seven runs scored. As long as he stays healthy, Stanton can always provide elite power numbers in a strong Yankees lineup.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (groin, hip) is not in the starting lineup on Monday against the Chicago White Sox on the road. It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Perez isn't in there after he was pulled early from Sunday's game New York Mets with left groin and hip injuries. Catcher Logan Porter is currently on the team's taxi squad to begin the week just in case the 33-year-old Perez's injury ends up costing him more than just a few days. Freddy Fermin would be the team's primary backstop if Perez is forced to the injured list. Fermin is behind the plate and is batting eighth on Monday against White Sox rookie right-hander Nick Nastrini, who is making his big-league debut. Fermin has just five hits in his first 26 at-bats in 2024 for a .192 batting average and one RBI.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Sonny Graywill be limited to 75 pitches in Monday's start against the Oakland A's. Gray spent a large portion of spring training dealing with a hamstring issue that limited him to just two starts, so it makes sense why the Cardinals are gradually increasing the veteran's pitch count. In his first start of the year against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 9, he threw 64 pitches across five shutout innings. Now, St. Louis has set his limit at around 75 pitches in his second start. The pitch limit shouldn't worry fantasy managers, though. If you roster the 34-year-old in fantasy, you should be starting him in a plus matchup against Oakland.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (back) is scheduled to resume swinging the bat on Monday and is still a few days away, according to manager Carlos Mendoza, of getting back into a minor-league game. Martinez hasn't played since last Saturday for Low-A St. Lucie after which he started to feel back tightness. The veteran right-handed slugger received a shot in his back last Tuesday. The Mets signed the 36-year-old late in spring training, but he didn't join the club for Opening Day as he tried to get his timing down at the plate before hurting his back. He probably won't resume his minor-league rehab assignment until later this week, but if he continues to feel good this weekend, there's a possibility that Martinez could join the Mets for his team debut sometime next week.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez suffered a left groin and hip injury on Sunday when he collided with New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte at home plate. The veteran backstop left the game and was seen limping off of the field following the collision. He will be evaluated on Monday and an update is expected before the club kicks off a series against the rival White Sox. It's been a big start to the 2024 season for the long-time Royals catcher as Perez has hit .339 with four home runs and 15 RBI across 16 games and 65 trips to the plate, posting a healthy .934 OPS in the process. The heavily-used backstop continues to deliver quality power numbers into his mid-30s and should continue to drive in plenty of runs on an improved Royals offense in 2024.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve continued his torrid start to the season on Sunday, smacking a pair of homers in an 8-5 win over the Texas Rangers. Altuve went 3-for-5 on the day, adding two runs and two RBI as well as a stolen base. He is now up to a .382 AVG to go with five homers and a stolen base. The 33-year-old isn't showing any signs of aging and should continue to be an excellent five-category contributor as long as he can stay healthy.

New York Yankees starter Gerrit Cole (elbow) played catch on Thursday, according to MLB.com. It was the second time the star right-hander has played catch since going on the 60-day injured list. Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted that session went well, but he did not mention when Cole will throw again. The 33-year-old is not eligible for activation until late May, though there is no guarantee he will be ready to return by then. Cole still deserves to be stashed in all formats until further notice, but it is safe to assume the Yankees will take things slow with their ace.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez left Sunday's game early after a collision at home plate with Starling Marte. Freddy Fermin entered the game for Perez, who walked off the field with a noticeable limp. It is too early to determine the severity of Perez's injury but hopefully it is nothing long term. Fermin would be the likely replacement if the 33-year-old is forced to miss time. Fermin had modest success at the plate in 2022, but he would only have true value in two-catcher leagues or AL Only formats.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (shoulder) is quickly approaching his season debut. Verlander was unable to throw at all during Spring Training but has made minor league rehab appearances over the past week and is just about complete with his recovery process. Manager Joe Espada expressed that the three-time Cy Young Award winner could make his season debut on Friday as the Astros will take on the Washington Nationals. The Astros are in need of a spark due to their early season struggles. The future Hall-Of-Famer will slot right into the rotation when cleared.

Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud is not in the team's starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Miami Marlins. It is just a regular rest day for the veteran backstop as he started the past two games behind the plate. Chadwick Tromp will take over catching duties on Sunday and bat ninth. Tromp is slashing .200/.182/.300 with no home runs to start the season and is not a recommended fantasy play for any format.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (back) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. The veteran outfielder continues to deal with back discomfort and will be held out of at least one more game. At the moment, fantasy managers should consider Yelich as day-to-day. However, Yelich could end up heading to the injured list if the issue continues to linger. Joey Wiemer will cover left field and bat eighth versus right-hander Corbin Burnes on Sunday. Fantasy managers should probably stay away from Wiemer in this tough matchup.

San Diego Padres second baseman Xander Bogaerts is out of the lineup on Saturday. There's no current indication that this is anything more than a rest day for the 31-year-old. A day off may not be a bad thing for Bogaerts, who's started out sluggish this season with just a .219 batting average and only one HR. Tyler Wade will get the start at second base in Bogaerts' place, sliding over from third base where he has been playing in most of his starts this season. Eguy Rosario will start at third base for the Padres with Manny Machado at DH. Expect Bogaerts to return back to the lineup in Sunday's matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander James Paxton.

Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen will be on the bench Saturday as the Pirates continue a four-game set against the Phillies. The 37-year-old has a tough start to the season as he holds a .161/.316/.226 line with no home runs and only two RBI. Edward Olivares will instead be in the designated hitter spot and bat in the five-hole as he takes on Spencer Turnbull. Olivares has been swinging a hot bat over the first two weeks, hitting for a .314 AVG and .600 SLG with seven RBI and three home runs. Olivares is worth consideration in DFS, but he does have a difficult matchup with Spencer Turnbull, who has yet to allow an earned run and has a minuscule 0.55 WHIP.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (back) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Baltimore Orioles. Yelich exited Friday's game early with a lower back discomfort. The 32-year-old has had a history of back issues, and the Brewers will be cautious with their star outfielder and rest him on Saturday. He is considered day-to-day, with the series finale on Sunday being his next chance to enter the lineup. Blake Perkins will replace Yelich in the lineup and is batting ninth for Saturday's contest. Perkins has been red hot recently, slashing .389/.476/.556 with a home run, four RBI, and six runs over five games. The 27-year-old can be a streamer in Saturday's slate against Orioles right-hander Dean Kramer while swinging a hot bat.

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Daniel Bard (knee, elbow) had a setback rehabbing and will undergo season-ending right flexor tendon surgery. After recently throwing off a mound, the banged-up Bard's season suddenly ends before it even begins while also recovering from a cleanup procedure on his left knee. The 38-year-old veteran right-hander is a free agent following the 2024 campaign, and it's unlikely that he'll draw very much interest after walking more batters (49) than he struck out (47) a season ago. Bard spent seven years away from the major leagues before latching on with Colorado in 2020. Justin Lawrence and Tyler Kinley are the names to watch for fantasy purposes for saves-needy managers, but Lawrence has yielded seven runs across five appearances, and Kinley has given up eight runs over six innings thus far.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich (back) was pulled from Friday's game against the Baltimore Orioles in the second inning. He left Friday's game with lower back discomfort. He went 1-for-1 with a single before being replaced in the bottom of the second inning. The 32-year-old has dealt with back issues in the past, and it's unclear how severe the latest injury is for Yelich. He is considered day-to-day. Yelich has been swinging a hot bat during the young season, hitting .316/.409/.737 with five home runs and two swiped bags. If Yelich were to miss time, Blake Perkins could be a candidate to handle left field.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (shoulder) is scheduled to make his next minor league rehab start on Saturday at Double-A Corpus Christi. The 41-year-old appears to be progressing well and could return after this outing. Obviously, the Astros don't want to rush back Verlander, but they need help in the rotation. Fantasy managers will have to check back after Saturday to see how Verlander is feeling. He'll be a must-have fantasy option once he's back on the mound.

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.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman will make his third start of the season against the Colorado Rockies at the Rogers Centre this evening. The ace pitcher was dealing with shoulder fatigue earlier in the offseason, which prevented him from seeing time in Spring Training and delayed his season debut. He threw four one-run innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in his first start but struggled mightily in his second against the New York Yankees, where he allowed five earned runs. Gausman's velocity dipped in that start but did not express much concern. The 33-year-old should have an excellent opportunity to deliver a quality start against a Rockies team that has the sixth most total strikeouts, making him a fantastic option in DFS.

New York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana earned his first win of the season on Thursday in a 16-4 blowout over the Atlanta Braves. Quintana threw 5 innings of three-run ball, which was good enough with the Mets jumping on the Braves early in this one. He allowed five hits and two walks while striking out four. The veteran lefty has been serviceable so far this season, pitching to a 3.45 ERA and 1.53 WHIP with 12 strikeouts in 15 IP. He is likely better kept on the waiver wire, but he is a solid streaming option when he has a good matchup.