Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler, second baseman Edouard Julien, outfielder Alex Kirilloff and first baseman Trevor Larnach are all out of the starting lineup on Tuesday with the team facing left-hander Carlos Rodon and the visiting New York Yankees. Kepler has been one of the hottest hitters of late in the big leagues and is now hitting a strong .325/.380/.542 with a .923 OPS, three home runs, 17 RBI and 13 runs scored in 83 at-bats in 2024. Ride Kepler while he's hot, but just know that he's also carrying an xBA of .245 and an xSLG of .418, which makes him a good sell-high candidate in fantasy. Manuel Margot is in right field and is hitting fifth, Austin Martin is in left field and batting ninth, and Ryan Jeffers is the designated hitter and is batting leadoff for the Twins. Similar to Kepler, Jeffers has been exceeding expectations at the plate so far this year.

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Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins (hamstring) is not in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. It shouldn't come as a big surprise after Hoskins was forced out of Monday's contest early due to a right-hamstring injury. The 31-year-old right-handed slugger was expected to undergo an MRI exam on Tuesday to determine how serious his hamstring issue is. Hoskins is going to have a second opinion as well, so fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if an injured list stint looms. With Hoskins out on Tuesday, Jake Bauers is at first base and is batting fifth against Pirates right-hander Quinn Priester. Bauers is currently hitting .244/.326/.476 with an .802 OPS, four home runs, 21 RBI, four steals and 12 runs scored this year and could become more popular in fantasy leagues if Hoskins is forced to the IL.

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Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley (side) is not in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday against the visiting Chicago Cubs. In his place yet again, Zack Short will start at third and will hit ninth for the Braves against Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon. The 27-year-old will be missing his second straight game, but the good news is an MRI exam on Monday showed only inflammation in his side after he was forced from Sunday night's loss to the New York Mets early. The Braves will be off on Thursday, so Riley could be held out until Friday for the start of a series against the visiting San Diego Padres. When healthy and in the lineup, Riley is a must-start in all fantasy formats in the strong Braves' lineup. He should be considered day-to-day for now.

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Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel (toe) is serving as the designated hitter on Tuesday and is batting cleanup against the Atlanta Braves and left-hander Chris Sale. Patrick Wisdom will play third base for the Cubbies. Morel has been beat up in the last few days with a toe injury and a sore knee, so it makes sense the Cubs are getting the 24-year-old right-handed slugger off his feet for this one. Morel fouled a ball off his left foot late in Monday's game against the Braves. He's never faced Sale in his career and is in for a tough matchup with Sale looking healthy and dominant so far in his first year in Atlanta in 2024. Morel has been better in May with a .244 average (10-for-41) with five home runs and 13 RBI. There's plenty of power here, but Morel is also prone to strikeouts, which Sale can deliver in spades when he's on.

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The Detroit Tigers reinstated infielder Gio Urshela (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday and optioned outfielder Akil Baddoo to Triple-A Toledo after Monday night's game in a corresponding move. Urshela is starting at third base and batting sixth for the Tigers in his first game back on Tuesday against the visiting Miami Marlins and left-hander Ryan Weathers. Urshela has never faced Weathers in his career but was hitting .298/.310/.333 with no homers and six RBI in 57 at-bats before landing on the injured list on April 20 with a strained hamstring. The 32-year-old should return to see most of the playing time at third base in Detroit, making him useful in some deep-mixed leagues. Urshela went 5-for-8 with an RBI and two runs in three minor-league rehab games. He doesn't have a ton of power but makes plenty of contact.

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Detroit Tigers right-hander Kenta Maeda (illness) is expected to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday. It's good to see that Maeda is feeling better after he was placed on the 15-day injured list last Saturday due to a viral illness. The 36-year-old veteran might need to throw a few bullpen sessions before he's cleared for a short minor-league rehab assignment. Fantasy baseball managers in mixed leagues can probably leave Maeda to the waiver wire, as he started the year 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA (6.53 FIP) and 1.40 WHIP with 10 walks and 23 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings over seven starts. Maeda typically doesn't overpower hitters but relies on pinpoint control. He has a career 26.4% strikeout rate and has little fantasy upside at this stage of his career.

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Miami Marlins third baseman Jake Burger is not in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday to face the Tigers in Detroit. Tristan Gray will get the start at the hot corner for the Fish while batting eighth against Tigers right-hander Reese Olson. The 28-year-old Burger has gone just 2-for-29 since returning from the injured list, so he could use a day off. The recent cold stretch for Burger has dropped his season line to a dreadful .174/.215/.302 with three home runs, 15 RBI and nine runs scored. Gray, 28, was called up from Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday and will be playing in just his fifth major-league game on Tuesday after debuting in two games with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023. He was hitting .227 with 10 home runs and 23 RBI in 143 plate appearances in the minors this year before his call-up. Gray is going to be a utility infielder for Miami for however long he's on the big-league roster.

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Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz isn't in the starting lineup on Tuesday for the first game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. Washington will be starting Riley Adams at catcher who will be batting seventh in replace of Ruiz. This season, Ruiz is slashing .145/.193/.410 with two home runs and four RBIs. In his last 15 games, Ruiz is slashing .102/.159/.153 with one run and one RBI as he has struggled to produce much offense this season. The 25-year-old is 28% owned in Yahoo fantasy leagues while is owned in 46% of ESPN's fantasy leagues. However, due to the lack of offense, Ruiz is producing right now, he isn't worth a fantasy look, especially with Adams stealing some starts from him.

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Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez will not be in the lineup on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers. Manager Derek Shelton said on 93.7 The Fan that Connor Joe will start at first base in place of Tellez. The manager points to Joe Ross being a reverse-split right-hander as the reason for Tellez not starting on Tuesday. Tellez has struggled as of late as he's 0-for-17 with six strikeouts in the last seven games while in the last 15 games, he's slashing .158/.214/.237 with zero home runs. Joe, meanwhile, will be getting the start at first base despite being primarily an outfielder. Whether or not Tellez will remain on the bench after Tuesday is to be seen, but he's not putting up much offense so he isn't worth a fantasy look at this time.

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Washington Nationals DH and outfielder Jesse Winker is not in the starting lineup for the first game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. In replace of Winker, the Nationals will be starting Nick Senzel at DH who will be batting sixth. Winker has struggled at the plate this season as he's slashing .235/.350/.736 with four home runs and 18 RBIs, but in the last 15 games, he's slashing .167/.274/.315, but does have two home runs and nine RBIs. The 30-year-old is a boom-or-bust fantasy option as he can hit home runs, but he does strike out a ton and has struggled to get the ball in play as of late. Winker is currently just 18% owned in Yahoo leagues and 13% owned in ESPN fantasy leagues.

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Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Brendan McKay has suffered another arm injury, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. McKay was trying to get back to the MLB, but the right-hander has a flexor/pronator strain with an accompanying UCL sprain. The plan is for McKay to take five to six weeks off from throwing, with the goal of resuming full baseball activity in three months. McKay was drafted fourth overall in 2017 and was assigned to the minor leagues to hit and pitch. McKay made his MLB debut on June 29, 2019, as a pitcher and just two days later he made his MLB debut as a hitter. However, injuries have since been a problem as he had surgery in 2021 and then had Tommy John surgery in 2022.

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Detroit Tigers starting pitching prospect Jackson Jobe is now ranked in the top 10 of all MLB prospects on MLB Pipeline in their recently updated rankings. Jobe was previously ranked as the 21st overall prospect. Through five starts at Double-A this season, the 21-year-old has a strong 2.16 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 24:10 K:BB ratio. Jobe spent the majority of last season with Single and High-A with a cumulative 2.81 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and near-perfect 84:6 K:BB ratio across 64 innings. Jobe should be promoted to Triple-A fairly soon, which could open the door for a late-season major league debut.

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San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Lesko has been off to a slow start to the 2024 season and took a significant drop in the recent MLB Pipeline rankings. He entered the season as the number 49 prospect but now sits as the number 72 prospect. Through 19 innings at High-A this season, he holds a poor 9.00 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, and an ugly 23:22 BB:K ratio. This is a big difference from his 22:52 BB:K ratio he held through 33 innings last season at Single and High-A. He was in contention to reach Double-A this season, but due to his recent struggles, he may have to wait till next season to get that opportunity. Dynasty managers should follow Lesko closely to see if he could turn things around.

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Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood has been one of the best hitters in the minor leagues this season and is now ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect on MLB Pipeline. Through 35 games at Triple-A this season, Wood has posted an incredible .346/.444/.581 slash line with seven long balls and nine stolen bases. The 21-year-old entered this season with major questions regarding his strikeout rate, as he posted a 124:39 K:BB last season at Double-A. However, he has put all of those doubts to rest so far this season with a significantly improved 32:25 K:BB. Wood has also been making headlines through the early part of May with an eye-catching .805 slugging percentage and five home runs. He should be considered a must-stash in all fantasy formats and could make an immediate impact at the major-league level when promoted.

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Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (head) has been scratched from Tuesday's lineup against the New York Mets with a migraine headache. Fantasy baseball managers will need to quickly remove Harper from their lineups on Tuesday before the first game of the day starts. With Harper now out, Alec Bohm will move across the diamond to first base and will hit cleanup, while Whit Merrifield starts at third base and hits sixth against Mets right-hander Jose Butto. Harper should be considered day-to-day for now. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Wednesday to see if he's back in the lineup for the third game of the series against the division rivals. Harper is hitting .259 (36-for-139) on the year with nine home runs, 29 RBI, two steals and 23 runs scored and is a must-start in all fantasy leagues when he's active.

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Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (migraine) was scratched from Tuesday's lineup with a migraine, per Mike Puma. There have not been any further updates regarding this, so consider the two-time NL MVP day-to-day. Harper should be expected to return to the Phillies lineup on Wednesday. As a result, Alec Bohm will shift to first base today, opening the hot corner up for Whitt Merrifield. Both Bohm and Merrifield are worth considering in DFS as they will face Jose Butto, who enters Tuesday's game with a 3.00 ERA.

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Oakland Athletics pitchers Aaron Brooks and Joey Estes will be called up from the minors this week to make starts on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively against the Houston Astros. The A's currently have six starters on the injured list and Alex Wood (shoulder) and Osvaldo Bido (finger) also hurt. The 34-year-old Brooks will be making his first appearance in the big leagues since 2022 and his first start since 2019. At Triple-A Las Vegas this year, he's 1-6 with a 4.57 ERA and 1.43 WHIP with 10 walks and 32 K's in eight starts. Estes, the team's No. 11 prospect per MLB Pipeline, gave up just a run in five innings while striking out five against Seattle in his first start of the year last weekend to earn another turn in Oakland's rotation. Both Brooks and Estes, 22, will be shaky streaming options against Houston this week in fantasy, but Estes is the more attractive upside play, and he could even stick around longer if he pitches well again.

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St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Keynan Middleton (forearm) will start his minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday with Double-A Springfield. Middleton has yet to pitch for the Cardinals this year after he was diagnosed with a right-forearm strain in mid-March during spring training. However, the 30-year-old reliever is getting close to making his 2024 debut out of the Cardinals' bullpen if he can get through a rehab assignment without any setbacks. Typically, relievers don't need lengthy rehab assignments, but Middleton's case could be different since he's missed so much time. When healthy, he should occupy a key late-inning setup role for the Cards in front of closer Ryan Helsley, making him appealing in fantasy leagues that count holds.

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Houston Astros right-hander Jose Urquidy (forearm) allowed three runs on three hits while striking out three in 2 2/3 innings in his first minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday. Urquidy threw 28 of his 46 pitches for strikes and will make another rehab start this Saturday with Double-A Corpus Christi, where he's expected to throw 70 pitches. "When I finished the game, I didn't feel anything bad," said Urquidy, who was topping out at 90-93 mph. "I wasn't thinking to not put too much stress on my arm, but I think I've got more than that. I think next outing, I'm going to have more velocity for sure." The Mexican hurler went 3-3 with a 5.29 ERA in 16 games (10 starts) in 2023 and spent three months on the injured list with right-shoulder discomfort. Given all the injuries to Houston's rotation early this year, Urquidy figures to have a spot waiting for him when he's healthy enough to return.

From RotoBaller

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) has been throwing off a mound and has hit the mid-80s with his fastball while adding in some changeups. His next step will be to add in some breaking pitches to build up his pitch count and intensity in the coming weeks. McCullers didn't pitch at all in 2023 after having surgery on June 13 to fix his flexor tendon and remove a bone spur from his right elbow. He had rehabbed to the point that he was close to facing hitters in mid-May of last year, but he had another setback that ultimately led to surgery. It's positive news for the 30-year-old starter, but McCullers still has a ways to go and probably won't start a minor-league rehab assignment for around another month, so fantasy managers in shallow mixed leagues can leave him to the waiver wire for now. In a best-case scenario, McCullers won't be back with Houston until after the All-Star break.

From RotoBaller