The Seattle Mariners optioned first baseman Tyler Locklear ahead of the team's series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. With Jorge Polanco (hamstring) returning from the 10-day injured list, Seattle decided to send down its No. 8 prospect. Locklear started just once since June 17, so the first baseman should be getting more consistent reps in Triple-A. The 23-year-old hit just .200 with two home runs, one double, and three RBI across 11 games with the Mariners this season. With his demotion, he can be safely dropped in all formats.

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The Seattle Mariners reinstated second baseman Jorge Polanco (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list ahead of the team's series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. Polanco has been out since May 26 due to a right hamstring strain, but he should resume his everyday role as the Mariners' second baseman upon his return. It has been a rough start to the year for the 30-year-old at the plate, as he is hitting just .195 with five home runs, two doubles, and 14 RBI in 46 games this season. Given his poor numbers in 2024, Polanco should likely be left on waivers in most fantasy leagues right now.

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The Baltimore Orioles designated Nick Maton for assignment ahead of Monday's series opener against the Cleveland Guardians. Maton was just called up by the Orioles on June 19 after appearing in 41 Triple-A games this season. But to make way for Heston Kjerstad's promotion, the utility specialist was designated for assignment. The 27-year-old only appeared in one game since he was up with the major league club, which happened to be in Baltimore's blowout 17-5 win over the New York Yankees on June 20. Maton will now go on waivers, where he could find a new team or wind up back in the Orioles' minor league system.

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran went 3-for-5 with one double, two RBI, and one stolen base in the team's 7-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. Duran has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball in June and is currently slashing .384/.443/.640 with four home runs, six doubles, three triples, 13 RBI, and nine stolen bases over the past 20 games. The outfielder has also tallied 12 multi-hit games during that span. Given this recent hot streak at the plate, he is a must-start in all fantasy formats moving forward. The 27-year-old currently leads the American League in triples (10) and is tied atop the doubles (22) lead with Aaron Judge and JJ Bleday.

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The San Francisco Giants announced that pitcher Erik Miller will open the game against the Chicago Cubs on Monday. Miller last pitched on June 19, where he also started, and threw one scoreless inning with one walk and two strikeouts. The left-hander will start on Monday, but Spencer Howard is expected to follow him out of the bullpen and serve as the bulk reliever. Howard has struggled as of late on the mound, giving up seven runs (six earned runs) with five walks and four strikeouts over his last 3 1/3 innings of work. He does get a favorable matchup against a Cubs offense that ranks in the bottom half of the league in most categories. Still, Howard should only be considered in extremely deep formats on Monday.

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Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Alek Thomas (hamstring) played seven innings in center field and had three at-bats on Saturday in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and said his hamstring felt good. After an off day on Sunday, Thomas will take live batting practice against right-hander Zac Gallen (hamstring) on Monday and then head to Triple-A Reno for a minor-league rehab assignment. The D-backs are hoping Thomas will join the big-league roster for the June 28-30 series against the visiting Oakland Athletics. The 24-year-old center fielder had been scheduled to come off the injured list on May 7, but manager Torey Lovullo said Thomas felt something in his left hamstring after playing in a rehab game on May 5. He then received a platelet-rich plasma injection to alleviate swelling on May 13. When healthy, Thomas is a defense-first player for the Snakes.

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Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen (hamstring) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session on Monday against outfielder Alek Thomas (hamstring). If everything goes well, Gallen could be reinstated from the 15-day injured list and return during the team's series against the Oakland Athletics from June 28-30. He was diagnosed with a strained right hamstring after his sixth pitch of the game on May 30 against the New York Mets. The D-backs later announced it was a Grade 1 hamstring strain for Gallen. Gallen was put on the injured list the next day. The 28-year-old has allowed a lot of hard contact so far in an injury-plagued season, but he still has fantasy ace potential when he's right, and the good news is he isn't dealing with an arm injury. Gallen should remain rostered in all fantasy formats with his return on the horizon.

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Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that right-hander Dean Kremer (triceps) not making it past the first inning in his minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday was "not ideal." The low pitch count may require Kremer to make another rehab start before he's activated from the injured list and returns to Baltimore's starting rotation. The 28-year-old went 3 2/3 innings in his first rehab start but didn't get out of the first frame on Saturday while throwing 39 pitches. His short outing over the weekend means he probably is going to need another rehab assignment and won't make his return to the O's rotation until early July. When healthy, Kremer can be an effective deep-league streamer. He's currently 3-4 with a 4.32 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and a 49:18 K:BB in 50 innings and nine starts. Kremer's 23.7% strikeout rate is his highest since his rookie year in 2020.

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Cincinnati Reds right-hander Ian Gibaut (forearm) has been working on his grip strength with his right hand. Once he reaches a certain level of progress, he will be cleared to begin a throwing program. Gibaut had surgery on May 9 to relieve a compression in a forearm nerve called the anterior interosseous nerve or AIN. Manager David Bell said that the 30-year-old could be cleared to return from the 60-day injured list in as soon as six weeks. He's been shut down all year to this point and will not be able to rejoin Cincy's bullpen until the second half of the season. The former 11th-round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015 out of Tulane went 8-4 with a 3.33 ERA (4.07 FIP), a 1.28 WHIP, a career-high three saves, a career-high 69 strikeouts and 28 walks in 74 relief appearances in his first full season with the Reds in 2023.

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Cincinnati Reds right-hander Emilio Pagan (lat), who was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 9 with a right-lat strain, is scheduled to undergo a new can on Monday to check his healing process. If everything goes well, Pagan could be cleared to begin a throwing program this week. However, the veteran reliever isn't expected to be back in the Reds' major-league bullpen until the second half of the season. When the Reds feel good enough about Pagan to bring him back from the injured list, he'll be serving in a late-inning setup role ahead of closer Alexi Diaz, giving him slight appeal in deep holds leagues. Before his injury, Pagan wasn't all that effective, posting a 4.43 ERA (4.18 FIP) and 1.38 WHIP with 26 strikeouts and seven walks in 20 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.

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Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain's (shoulder) most recent visit with his surgeon went well and he was "exactly where he wants to be," manager David Bell said on Sunday. However, no timelines were revealed for a target return date for McLain's progressions. He was cleared to resume throwing and running six weeks after his late-March shoulder surgery, but McLain hasn't been cleared yet to swing a bat. The Reds are taking it slow with the 24-year-old second-year player, although he's close to swinging a bat. Once he starts swinging, McLain will still have plenty of boxes to check before eventually going on what will be a lengthy minor-league rehab assignment. The first-rounder in 2021 out of UCLA could be ready to rejoin the big-league roster at some point in August, barring any setbacks along the way.

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All signs are pointing to St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (forearm) being activated from the injured list and returning to the starting lineup ahead of Monday's series opener against the visiting Atlanta Braves. Contreras fractured his forearm on May 7 and was originally slated to return by the All-Star break. Instead, he could rejoin the team weeks ahead of his projected timetable. He went 1-for-5 in his sixth minor-league rehab game for Triple-A Memphis, and his true testing point was catching back-to-back games, which he did on Friday and Saturday. He came out of those games fine and escaped a scar on Saturday when he was involved in a collision at home plate. With Ivan Herrera (back) also on the IL, rookie Pedro Pages is likely to stick around as Contreras' backup moving forward.

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X-rays came back negative on Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson (elbow) after he was hit by a pitch in Sunday's 7-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox, according to manager David Bell. Benson went 0-for-3 and set a career-high hitless streak with an 0-for-21 slump before getting hit on the inside of his left elbow by a pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning. He stayed in the game to take first base but was eventually replaced on defense in right field by Nick Martini in the top of the ninth inning. The 26-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder appears to have escaped a serious injury but he's unlikely to play on Monday for the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates, especially with the team facing a left-handed pitcher. Benson's cold stretch has dropped his season slash line to .192/.287/.379 with eight homers, 22 RBI and nine steals in 214 at-bats.

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New York Mets infield/outfield prospect Luisangel Acuna logged three hits for Triple-A Syracuse Sunday, extending his hitting streak to 10 games in a torrid stretch. During his 10-game hitting streak, Acuna has five multi-hit games. The 22-year-old is hitting .312 in June and has raised his season-long batting average to .271. The Mets No. 5 prospect has shown off the wheels with 26 stolen bases this year. His pure hitting ability and above-average speed make him a great future fantasy contributor. Acuna could get a look for New York at some point this season and when he does is worthy of waiver-wire consideration in leagues of all sizes.

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Detroit Tigers top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe (hamstring) touched 99 miles per hour on his fastball as he fired three scoreless innings in a rehab start Sunday for High-A West Michigan. Jobe threw 32 pitches (24 for strikes) as he struck out four with no walks. It was an encouraging sign as the talented right-hander works his way back from a hamstring injury. The 22-year-old is one of the top minor-league arms with a devastating fastball-slider combination. His progress this year has been stalled a bit because of his injury but he is on the mend and could reach Triple-A by the end of the season should he demonstrate full health. Next year could be the year for him in Detroit and he has the tools to contribute to fantasy teams right away.

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Philadelphia Phillies outfield prospect Justin Crawford logged two hits, including a triple, for High-A Jersey Shore on Sunday. The No. 4 prospect for the Phillies is hitting .290 with four homers and 30 RBI to go with 24 stolen bases at High-A this season. The 20-year-old is a speedster just like his father and long-time big-leaguer Carl Crawford and possesses 75-grade speed. He also has a 55-grade hit tool, making him a nice fantasy prospect with the potential to contribute heavily in runs, average, and stolen bases. Crawford could be looking at a few more seasons in the minors but all signs point to a quick progression based on his performance at High-A this season.

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Los Angeles Dodgers pitching prospect Jackson Ferris scattered two hits and a walk and struck out eight in six scoreless innings Sunday for the High-A Great Lakes Loons. The left-hander has been very effective in June with a 2.11 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in four starts. He has 32 strikeouts and 10 walks over 21 1/3 innings this month. The 20-year-old has a 60-grade fastball and curveball combination making him an intriguing prospect. The No. 6 prospect in the Dodgers system is making a case for a promotion this year but is still viewed as being a few years away from the majors. One of the top left-handed pitching prospects in baseball, it will be worth monitoring Ferris as he progresses through the minors.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs (elbow) made his third minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Durham on Sunday, striking out three batters over 2 1/3 innings of work. Springs did allow one earned run on two hits and one walk on Sunday, but he was more importantly able to stretch out to 42 pitches in the outing. Because Springs previously had a brief setback due to left shoulder/lat tightness during his recovery from Tommy John surgery, he's unlikely to be available to the Rays and fantasy managers until sometime after the mid-July All-Star break. The 31-year-old left-hander gave up just one run with a sharp 24:4 K:BB over 16 innings in Tampa Bay's rotation last season and is still well worth stashing in most competitive leagues.

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Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said before Sunday's game against the visiting Boston Red Sox that second baseman Matt McLain (shoulder) is "exactly where he wants to be" in his recovery from left shoulder surgery. McLain is close to resuming swinging, according to Bell, but he remains without a clear timetable for a return to the Reds. With a lengthy ramp-up process and minor-league rehab assignment likely to happen before McLain is an option for fantasy managers, the young infielder is unlikely to be much of a factor until sometime in August. Jonathan India is Cincy's everyday second baseman until McLain is back in the fold, slashing .326/.418/.488 with three home runs, five doubles, 18 RBI, and two stolen bases over his last 27 games, and he's worth a look in all leagues.

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Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams (back) has a mound session on the schedule for Wednesday before the club's series finale against the visiting Texas Rangers. That keeps him on track to be pitching in the major leagues sometime in late July if all goes well, considering it's set to be the most significant step forward in Williams' throwing progression to this point in his recovery from stress fractures in his back. The 29-year-old right-hander won the Trevor Hoffman Award as the best closer in the National League with 36 saves and a 1.53 ERA for the Brewers last year, so he needs to be stashed in all fantasy leagues. In the meantime, the flame-throwing Trevor Megill has saved 15 games with a 1.93 ERA and 28:7 K:BB over 25 appearances for Milwaukee and should be rostered in all formats.

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