Minnesota Twins starting pitching prospect David Festa could be nearing his major league debut, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Recently, the Twins placed right-hander Chris Paddack (forearm) on the 15-day injured list with right forearm fatigue, which opens a spot in the starting rotation. Festa has posted a 3.77 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a 24:87 BB:K ratio through 59 innings in his first extended look at Triple-A ball this season. The Seton Hall product has struck out ten batters on three occasions and eight batters twice, which shows his elite strikeout potential. The 24-year-old right-hander was already a candidate to reach the major leagues this season but could now be promoted much sooner than expected due to Paddack's injury. Festa is worth stashing in all standard leagues as he could provide high-upside strikeout production when he receives the call.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan (elbow) has increased his throwing distance to 135 feet on flat ground. Manager Kevin Cash said on Monday that McClanahan is "doing well," but he is still unlikely to pitch for the Rays this season. The 27-year-old star left-hander underwent Tommy John surgery on Aug. 21 of last year, his second time having the procedure, though it's worth mentioning that the two-year deal he inked with Tampa Bay in January to avoid arbitration included escalators for his 2025 to account for the possibility of a late-season return in 2024 if his rehab permits it. In 115 innings in 2023, McClanahan went 11-2 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 121 strikeouts and 41 walks.

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Seattle Mariners outfield prospect Lazaro Montes is being promoted to High-A Everett. Montes has been one of the best players in the minor leagues through the opening months of the 2024 campaign with a .309/.411/.527 slash line and 13 long balls, 72 RBI, one swiped bag, and a 43:59 BB:K ratio. Montes posted similar numbers in his first taste of Single-A ball last summer with a .321/.429/.565 line. The 19-year-old was very consistent at Single-A this season and never posted a monthly batting average below .250. He held several extended hitting streaks, including an eight-game streak from May 25 to June 2. Montes is a budding superstar who should remain rostered in all dynasty leagues but is still several seasons away from his major league debut.

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Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said before Tuesday's game against the hosting Milwaukee Brewers that third baseman Josh Jung (wrist) is heading back to Texas to get checked out and "make sure everything's fine." Bochy said it's possible that Jung rejoins the club on this road trip, which concludes with Sunday's series finale against the Baltimore Orioles, but he can't answer that until he gets checked out. Barring any setbacks in his evaluation, Jung is still a candidate to rejoin the major-league roster before the end of June. Josh Smith has been a great streaming option for fantasy managers in the interim, slashing .302/.396/.474 with seven home runs, 17 doubles, 32 RBI, and four stolen bases across 232 at-bats for the Rangers this season, but he'll need to find playing time in other spots than the hot corner once Jung is back in the lineup.

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Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (thumb) will catch Zac Gallen's bullpen session on Thursday. Manager Torey Lovullo said before Tuesday's game against the visiting Minnesota Twins that he's optimistic Moreno will be able to return after missing the minimum 10 days on the injured list. Moreno sprained his left thumb on a foul tip in this past Friday's contest against the Philadelphia Phillies, but it sounds like he could return to the D-backs during the first week of July and skip a brief minor-league rehab assignment. Fantasy managers in shallow leagues should be able to find better stashes than the 24-year-old contact-hitting backstop, who's slashing an uninspiring .230/.313/.346 with three home runs, 11 doubles, 26 RBI, and 23 runs scored in 217 trips to the plate as Arizona's everyday catcher in 2024.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Luis Garcia (elbow) could start a game in the complex league this weekend, manager Joe Espada said before Tuesday's game against the visiting Colorado Rockies. That would be the beginning of a minor-league rehab assignment for Garcia, who's entering the closing stages of his recovery from last season's Tommy John surgery. He'll likely spend around 30 days on assignment before the Astros consider reinstating him from the 60-day injured list, but Garcia is a name to watch on fantasy waiver wires ahead of the mid-July All-Star break. In 27 innings last year, the 27-year-old Venezuelan right-hander registered a modest 4.00 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 31:10 K:BB in Houston's rotation.

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Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez (spine) is still rehabbing and doing baseball activity at the club's spring training facility in Tampa. Baez isn't expected to be with the Tigers on their upcoming three-city road trip, and manager AJ Hinch said on Tuesday that he's facing an "extensive" minor-league rehab assignment once he's cleared for competition. Baez is recovering from lumbar spine inflammation and is likely to remain sidelined through the mid-July All-Star break. Considering the 31-year-old former All-Star was slashing a pathetic .183/.209/.247 with one home run, 25 RBI, 15 runs scored, and six stolen bases through 186 at-bats as Detroit's primary shortstop this year, he can be left on waiver wires in the majority of fantasy leagues.

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Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter (spine) took swings off a batting tee on Monday and completed throwing/running drills on the field ahead of Tuesday's game against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies. Working his way back from a lumbar spine stress fracture, Carpenter has re-engaged himself in baseball activities and will accompany the team on their upcoming road trip to continue his workouts. Although he's unlikely to return to the Tigers before the mid-July All-Star break and will likely need minor-league rehab assignment before he's activated from the injured list, the 26-year-old righty-mashing right fielder was slashing .283/.342/.572 with eight home runs, 10 doubles, 29 RBI, and 21 runs scored in 163 plate appearances before going down and makes for a fine stash in all fantasy leagues.

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Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said on Tuesday that the team has a "blueprint" for managing starting pitcher Garrett Crochet the rest of way, saying they'll "start dwindling his workload down a little bit." Grifol didn't want to lay out plan, as it's flexible depending on how Crochet is feeling, and how economical he is with pitches on a given day. It's disappointing for fantasy managers to hear to this about one of baseball's rising pitching stars, but it was tough to bypass given that Crochet entered the season with 73 innings of major-league experience and has already logged 94 1/3 frames with a league-high 130 strikeouts for the White Sox in 2024 alone. It makes the fire-balling 25-year-old left-hander something of a sell-high fantasy player in redraft leagues, but Crochet does have a great chance to keep the good times rolling in a favorable matchup for Saturday's scheduled start against the visiting Colorado Rockies.

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Los Angeles Angels third baseman Miguel Sano (knee) has been activated from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday. The veteran slugger is back in the mix following a two-month absence due to a left knee injury. Sano hasn't brought much to the table this season with one home run and five RBI in 21 games. In a corresponding move, infielder Michael Stefanic has been optioned to the minors.

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The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash considerations. The veteran southpaw signed a minor league deal with the Mariners in late-May. He currently holds a 3.93 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 45/22 K/BB across 13 starts in the minors this season. The 36-year-old might still have a little left in the tank. The expectation is that Keuchel will replace Chris Rodriguez in the starting rotation. This is a nice feel-good story for Keuchel, but he doesn't offer much fantasy appeal at this stage of his career.

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Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session this week. The 35-year-old will throw his first session since undergoing Tommy John surgery last August. It sounds like Hendriks is making progress, but still isn't expected to contribute to the Red Sox bullpen this season. This is a step forward in what is going to be a lengthy rehab process for Hendriks.

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Los Angeles Angels infielder Brandon Drury (illness) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Oakland Athletics. The veteran slugger will miss his fifth straight game while dealing with an illness. The Angels haven't placed Drury on the injured list, but it shouldn't be completely ruled out. Luis Guillorme will fill in at second base and bat ninth versus right-hander Mitch Spence on Tuesday.

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Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Hoby Milner will serve as the opener for Tuesday's game against the Texas Rangers. The veteran southpaw will make his first start after 269 career relief appearances dating back to his MLB debut in 2017. The expectation is that Milner will only pitch the first inning or two. After that, Bryse Wilson figures to pitch a bulk of the innings on Tuesday. Milner won't be worth using as a streaming option but him getting his first start is pretty neat.

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Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker (shin) was able to some swings with the bat on Sunday. The expectation is that Tucker is going to resume running within the next few days. Tucker is currently scheduled for a light throwing session on Friday. He'll likely go on a minor league rehab assignment soon after that. The Astros expect Tucker to return shortly after his 15-day injured list stint ends. Fantasy managers shouldn't have to wait much longer for Tucker's return to the field.

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San Francisco Giants pitcher Randy Rodriguez will serve as the opener for Tuesday's game against the Chicago Cubs. It appears the Giants are going to go with a bullpen game here. Rodriguez will likely pitch a few innings, but probably not enough to factor into the decision. The 24-year-old holds a 4.82 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 31/9 K/BB ratio in 18 games. Fantasy managers should probably look elsewhere for a streaming option on Tuesday.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (neck) is back in the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The left-handed slugger is back in the lineup following a three-game absence due to neck spasms. Kepler will bat cleanup and play right field against right-hander Brandon Pfaadt. Fantasy managers who have Kepler rostered can get him back in their lineups on Tuesday.

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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez (personal) was scheduled to fly from the Dominican Republic to Chicago on Tuesday, but manager Dave Roberts said after Monday night's game against the White Sox that he will give Hernandez another day off. Fantasy managers need not fret, as Hernandez left the team to deal with a personal matter and should be back in the starting lineup on Wednesday. With Hernandez out of action for a second straight day, Miguel Vargas will draw into the lineup in left field and bat eighth against White Sox right-hander Chris Flexen. The 31-year-old Hernandez has been extremely productive in the middle of a powerhouse Dodgers lineup in his first year in LA and is a must-start in fantasy when he's active. He's currently batting .254/.321/.492 with an .813 OPS, 18 long balls, 16 doubles, a triple, 54 RBI and four steals in 79 games.

From RotoBaller

Colorado Rockies infielder Elehuris Montero is out of the team's starting lineup as they take on the hosting Houston Astros on Tuesday. It will be the fourth straight game that Montero has found himself on the bench as he continues to lose playing time in Colorado. He's losing precious playing time to Michael Toglia, who is starting at first base on Tuesday and batting seventh against Astros right-hander Hunter Brown. The 25-year-old Dominican right-handed slugger doesn't belong on rosters in mixed fantasy leagues at this point, as he's also slashing just .209/.272/.309 with a weak .581 OPS, four home runs, 10 doubles, 28 RBI, 23 runs scored, 20 walks and 53 strikeouts in 243 trips to the plate over 65 games in his third year in the majors. Montero has been worse in June, going 10-for-57 (.175) with a homer, three doubles, seven RBI and 18 K's in 17 games played.

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Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo (hamstring) is heading back to the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with what he called a low-grade hamstring strain. Woo suffered the hamstring strain in his start on Monday night in Tampa against the Rays and will now miss at least several weeks. Although Woo's injury doesn't sound serious, given the timing of the injury, he may be fighting an uphill battle to return to Seattle's starting rotation before the All-Star break in mid-July. In a corresponding move, the M's called up pitcher Collin Snider from Triple-A Tacoma. Woo has pitched great in 2024 but has had terrible injury luck. Emerson Hancock would be the logical replacement for Woo in Seattle, but he's currently dealing with lower-back tightness at Tacoma. Woo deserves to be stashed where he's rostered after going 3-1 so far this year with a 1.77 ERA and 0.69 WHIP in eight starts.

From RotoBaller