Colorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant (back) is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list for a lower-back strain on Wednesday, but that won't be happening. Manager Bud Black said that Bryant isn't doing any baseball activities yet. Bryant hasn't undergone anymore tests, though, and there has been no discussion of surgery. Given all the time the 32-year-old former MVP has missed in recent seasons due to various ailments, it makes sense for the Rockies to bring him back slowly, even if his back injury isn't considered very serious. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues must remain patient, but in shallower leagues, it's fair to consider dumping him for better options after he started the year going 7-for-47 (.149) with a home run and six RBI.

Los Angeles Angels right-handed reliever Robert Stephenson (elbow) said he will have Tommy John surgery with the internal brace on April 30 and he's expecting to have a rehab timeline of 12 to 18 months. The exact nature of his surgery hadn't been revealed until Stephenson talked to the media on Tuesday for the first time since getting injured. We already knew the 31-year-old veteran would miss the rest of 2024, but now we know the exact nature of his surgery. He signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Halos in January but didn't throw a single pitch in the regular season and also was battling a shoulder injury in spring training. There's no guarantee that Stephenson will be ready to roll for the start of the 2025 campaign.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (shoulder) has been placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday. The right-hander is dealing with a shoulder strain, but reportedly won't need surgery, according to manager Torey Lovullo. The D-Backs have not given a timetable on Kelly's possible return to the mound. It sounds like the organization plans to have Kelly undergo further testing before they decide on what to do. Southpaw Tommy Henry has been recalled from the minors and figures to slide into the open spot in the starting rotation.

The Texas Rangers have signed starting pitcher Johnny Cueto to a minor-league contract on Tuesday. The 38-year-old lands a deal with the defending World Series champions after a rough year with the Miami Marlins. Cueto posted a 6.02 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and a 39/15 K/BB ratio over 52 1/3 innings with the Marlins last season. It's uncertain what Cueto still has left in the tank, but he'll at least be additional depth for the organization. Cueto has plenty of experience but is unlikely to offer any kind of fantasy value.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (shoulder) is set to make his season debut against the San Diego Padres on Sunday. The 31-year-old appears to be ready to pitch after missing time due to right shoulder soreness. Walker isn't an excellent fantasy option, but he could be worth a look in deeper mixed leagues. He has shown in the past that he has the skills to be a viable option in the big leagues. Fantasy managers who are in need of pitching help should keep an eye on Walker.

New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (foot) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset on Tuesday. It sounds like the plan is for LeMahieu to play four games in the minors before possibly returning to the Yankees roster. The veteran slugger has been sidelined all season due to a fractured foot. The Yankees could certainly use LeMahieu's help given their current struggles at the plate. Fantasy managers should wait patiently as it sounds like LeMahieu should be back soon.

The Chicago Cubs designated outfielder Garrett Cooper for assignment on Tuesday, according to a source. Cooper wasn't exactly slumping at the plate, but the Cubs think he's expendable in order to bring up first base prospect Matt Mervis as another right-handed bat. The 33-year-old Cooper was hitting .270/.341/.432 with a home run, double, triple, six RBI and three runs scored in 41 trips to the plate and 12 games for the Cubs before getting DFA'd. He had walked four times and struck out 13 times. For now, Mervis is likely to see most of his time as the team's designated hitter, at least until outfielder Seiya Suzuki (oblique) is able to return from the injured list. Mervis is worth a pickup in NL-only leagues for now.

The Chicago Cubs placed pitchers Kyle Hendricks (back) and Drew Smyly (hip) on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday and recalled infielder Matt Mervis, right-hander Hayden Wesneski and left-hander Luke Little from Triple-A Iowa in corresponding moves. The 34-year-old Hendricks has been downright bad so far in 2024, posting a 12.00 ERA in his first five starts, but hopefully his back injury was mostly to blame. If left-hander Justin Steele (hamstring) is able to return from his IL stint before Hendricks does, which is likely, Hendricks could find himself out of a rotation spot when he's ready to return. With Hendricks out, Wesneski is a candidate to fill his rotation spot until Steele is able to return. Little will give the Cubs another left-handed arm out of the bullpen to replace Smyly.

The New York Yankees will be starting right-hander Marcus Stroman on Tuesday against the Oakland Athletics. Stroman is coming off going 5.1 innings allowing two runs on six hits against the Toronto Blue Jays. Stroman is 1-1 with a 2.42 ERA this season, while at home is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA. The right-hander is going up against an Athletics lineup that is slashing .204/.278/.339 which ranks 28th, 29th, and 26th in the majors.

Right-hander Kevin Gausman will be starting for the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday in the second game of their four-game series against the Kansas City Royals. Gausman struggled to begin the year with his velocity, but in his last start against the Yankees, the right-hander had success, as he went five innings and allowed just one run on four hits while striking out six. Gausman is 0-2 with an 8.16 ERA this season and will face a Royals lineup that is slashing .237/.306/.405.

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez's plate vision was displayed in Monday's 5-3 loss against the St. Luis Cardinals. Suarez went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run, finally connecting at the plate after going hitless in back-to-back games over the weekend against the Giants. He is 21-for-85 (.247) with five doubles, two homers, 16 RBI, 16 runs, eight walks and 24 strikeouts through 23 games. The season has had ups and downs for the third baseman and with his recent slump, the matchup against St. Luis favors him. With the favorable matchups for this week, Suarez is a strong stash option with upside across all formats.

Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias converted his seventh save of the season in Monday's 3-0 win over the Marlins. Iglesias came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by three and delivered a 1-2-3 outing with a strikeout. The 34-year-old veteran has converted all of his save opportunities with a 2.16 ERA, a 6.48 K/9 rate, and a 1.08 BB/9 rate. The strikeouts have been down, but Iglesias should continue to be a higher-end fantasy option serving as the closer on one of baseball's best teams.

Atlanta Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud continued his power surge in Monday's 3-0 win over the Marlins. d'Arnaud went 2-for-4 with a single, a two-run home run, and a strikeout. The 35-year-old veteran has hit five HR in his last four games, bringing his season numbers to a .273/.344/.636 slash line with 14 RBI in 61 plate appearances. d'Arnaud should be a viable fantasy option in at least two-catcher leagues as long as he continues to hit while Sean Murphy (oblique) is on the injured list with an oblique injury.

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that right-hander Merrill Kelly (shoulder) is "most likely" headed to the injured list to make room for the call-up of left-hander Tommy Henry, who will start on Tuesday on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals. Kelly was scratched from his scheduled start on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants and is now most likely going to have to miss the next couple weeks at the very least due to a shoulder strain. The 35-year-old veteran should be stashed in most fantasy leagues while he's on the injured list, as he's currently 2-0 with a strong 2.19 ERA (3.82 FIP) and 0.93 WHIP with six walks and 21 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings over his first four starts. Henry should fill in in Arizona's rotation in the short-term, but the soft-tossing southpaw has minimal fantasy upside and was sporting a 6.87 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in his first four starts before being optioned to the minors.

The Kansas City Royals placed right-hander Jordan Lyles (personal) on the inactive list on Saturday, and the team is not disclosing the reason for his absence other than describing it as a "personal matter." There's no timeline for his return, but because of the type of inactive list Lyles was placed on, it opened a 40-man roster spot for the Royals to call up veteran right-handed reliever Tyler Duffey. Lyles has thrown five scoreless innings with three strikeouts in five appearances out of KC's bullpen during the 2024 regular season, but he hasn't pitched since April 12. With no defined role and most of his work coming in mop-up duty this year, however, the 33-year-old journeyman belongs on fantasy waiver wires while he's unavailable. There's no clear-cut fantasy beneficiary of his absence, either.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (back) will move his rehab to Triple-A Syracuse this week, and "it's possible" the team could activate him when they get home on Friday for the start of a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals, per manager Carlos Mendoza. After receiving a cortisone shot due to lower back tightness, Martinez returned to a minor-league rehab assignment on Sunday and is on track to make his 2024 regular-season debut in Queens in Week 4 of fantasy baseball. With the Mets struggling to find consistency in the heart of their batting order, the 36-year-old All-Star slugger figures to slot right in as the No. 5 hitter in the lineup immediately upon his move to New York's active roster. After slashing .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs, 27 doubles, and 103 RBI across 432 at-bats (113 games) with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year, Martinez should be rostered for those in need of power numbers.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Rodon was tough to hit during Monday's game against the Oakland Athletics. The left-hander threw seven scoreless innings while allowing only one hit in what ended up being a no-decision. Sadly for Rodon, the Yankees offense didn't do much during this game. The Yankees ended up giving up two runs in the ninth inning and lost 2-0. Rodon is posting a solid 2.70 ERA, even though his 22/13 K/BB ratio isn't pretty. Fantasy managers will take this strong outing, but don't expect it every start from Rodon.

The Minnesota Twins activated outfielder Max Kepler (knee) from the 10-day injured list on Monday, and he's in the starting lineup right away against the Chicago White Sox and rookie right-hander Jonathan Cannon. Kepler is in right field and is batting fifth. The 31-year-old left-handed hitter looked good on his short minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul and should go back to the strong side of a platoon in right field against right-handed pitchers. His return is bad news for both Trevor Larnach and Carlos Santana moving forward. Fantasy managers using Kepler in deeper leagues will hope he can start swinging the bat like he did on his rehab assignment after getting just one hit in his first 20 at-bats of the season before landing on the IL.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton appears to be getting a day off on Monday against the visiting Chicago White Sox. Austin Martin will take over in center field for the Twins and will hit ninth in the batting order against White Sox rookie right-hander Jonathan Cannon. First baseman Alex Kirilloff will also head leadoff for this one. First baseman Carlos Santana will be the designated hitter. Buxton has so far stayed healthy in 2024, but he's hitting a lowly .217 (15-for-69) with no home runs, nine RBI and no stolen bases in 20 games played. There's still time for the 30-year-old to turns things around, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect frequent running on the base paths to be Buxton's thing anymore. Martin will be a low-upside DFS sleeper in the nine-hole on Monday.

Atlanta Braves first basemen Matt Olson went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts Sunday against the Texas Rangers. Olson's strikeout issues continue to stack up as he struck out six times in three games over the weekend, finishing 0-for-12 with one run, one RBI, and two walks. The struggles have followed him all season long as he is hitting .231 (18-for-92) with seven doubles, one triple, three homers, 12 runs, 13 RBI, 12 walks, and 26 strikeouts over 20 games. Despite striking out four times on Sunday, Olson remains a must-start in all league formats.