Miami Marlins relief pitcher A.J. Puk closed out the Detroit Tigers in Tuesday's extra-inning win, tossing a clean 10th inning for his first save of the year. It was actually closer Tanner Scott who was called upon for the ninth inning in a scoreless game, which indicates he's still the preferred ninth-inning man, but this was certainly an encouraging performance out of Puk. The 29-year-old left-hander pumped in nine of this 13 pitches for strikes in Tuesday's sharp outing and just his second appearance since coming off the injured list with a shoulder issue, lowering his ERA to 8.40 with a 2.40 WHIP and a ghastly 12:17 K:BB across 15 innings for the Marlins this season. Puk is worth keeping an eye on in all fantasy leagues, as he appears to be the next in line for save opportunities out of Miami's bullpen in situations where Scott may be unavailable.

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Washington Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan secured Tuesday's win on the road over the Chicago White Sox, tossing a scoreless ninth inning for his 13th save of the season during Game 1 of a doubleheader. After getting Eloy Jimenez to ground out, Finnegan ran into some trouble by allowing two singles to get the tying run to the plate but was able to stymie a potential rally by striking out Nicky Lopez to end the game. It's been a great first quarter of the year for the hard-throwing 32-year-old right-hander, who now sports a 1.56 ERA and 0.92 WHIP while fanning 17 and walking eight with an MLB-high 13 saves over 17 1/3 innings as Washington's clear-cut closer. Finnegan's been one of fantasy's top value picks to this point, but it might be time to sell high when you consider his .113 BA and .247 xBA, .268 SLG and .464 xSLG, as well as his 1.65 ERA and 4.41 xERA on Baseball Savant entering Tuesday's action.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (elbow) threw "about 36 pitches" in a bullpen session on Tuesday at the team's facility in Tampa, Florida. Manager Aaron Boone said Cole would next return to New York and characterized the outlook for Cole as "just onward and upward." That hopefully means Cole is close to facing live hitters in batting practice, considering he's now tossed several successful bullpen sessions. The 33-year-old six-time All-Star remains firmly on course to return to New York's rotation sometime in mid-June, assuming a minor-league rehab assignment begins in late May. Right-hander Luis Gil has filled in admirably during Cole's absence for the Yankees, boasting a 2.51 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 48:26 K:BB across 43 innings (eight starts) in 2024, and he's gotten himself into must-roster fantasy territory ahead of Saturday's cushy assignment at home versus the last-place Chicago White Sox.

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Los Angeles Dodgers closer Evan Phillips (hamstring) is set to throw off a mound on Wednesday. Working his way back from a strained right hamstring, Phillips is ready for his first bullpen session since hitting the injured list and should be able to re-enter LA's bullpen in late May if all continues to go well in his recovery. In 14 appearances before going down, the 29-year-old right-hander was electric while yielding a lone run and striking out 17, walking four, and converting each of his eight save chances over 13 2/3 innings of work. Veteran Daniel Hudson is likely the best bet for fantasy managers trying to pick up some saves in Phillips' stead, notching a 3.18 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and a sparkling 19:1 K:BB with two saves over 17 innings for the Dodgers this year.

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Seattle Mariners designated hitter Mitch Garver (undisclosed) has been scratched from Tuesday's lineup versus the visiting Kansas City Royals. There's no word yet from the M's on the status of Garver, who was initially batting third as the DH on Tuesday against the Royals. Consider him day-to-day until more information comes to light ahead of Wednesday's series finale. Mitch Haniger is now functioning as the DH and batting sixth against right-hander Michael Wacha, with Sam Haggerty entering the lineup and parking in left field to hit ninth. Ty France is set up as the biggest fantasy beneficiary of Garver's absence, as he's moved up to the third spot in the lineup and has gone 9-for-15 with five doubles and two RBI in 15 plate appearances against Wacha in his career.

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Bobby Miller (shoulder) will throw two simulated innings at Camelback Ranch in Arizona on Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts said. While Miller's next step in his throwing program has not yet been determined as he recovers from inflammation in his right shoulder, it will either be a three-inning sim game or a minor-league rehab assignment. The 25-year-old flame-throwing right-hander remains on track to rejoin LA's rotation sometime in late May or early June, barring any setbacks. Former top prospect Gavin Stone should get another couple of turns in the Dodgers' rotation until Miller is back in the fold, and he's worth streaming in all fantasy leagues with a solid 3.55 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 27 strikeouts with three wins through 38 innings (seven starts) this season.

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New York Mets right-hander Adrian Houser warmed up in the ninth inning in Tuesday's loss to the Philadelphia Phillies when Sean Reid-Foley got hit. As a result, Houser will not start in Philadelphia on Wednesday against the Phillies. The Mets currently don't have a starting pitcher listed for Wednesday's contest. The 31-year-old Houser has made six starts for the Mets this year but was recently demoted to a relief role out of the bullpen and currently carries a rough 7.63 ERA (5.29 FIP) and 1.83 WHIP with 22 walks and 16 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings. Houser is going to need to display better command to have a shot at returning to New York's starting rotation and sticking around beyond just an emergency spot start. The Mets will likely roll with a bullpen game against Philly on Wednesday now.

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Top Tampa Bay Rays prospect Junior Caminero is playing second base on Tuesday night for Triple-A Durham. The 20-year-old Dominican can also play third base and shortstop, but the Rays could be planning ahead for Caminero to take over at the keystone this year with Brandon Lowe (oblique) still not close to a return. He's currently hitting a strong .304/.379/.554 with a .933 OPS, six home runs, 17 RBI and 14 runs scored in 23 games for the Bulls on the farm after missing two weeks early in the year with a quadriceps injury that he has since recovered from. Caminero made his big-league debut in 2023 and went 8-for-34 (.235) with a homer and seven RBI in just seven games. His power upside makes him worth stashing right now in deeper fantasy leagues, and he should resurface in the majors at some point in 2024.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler (head, shoulder), who was hitting on the field on Tuesday for the first time since going on the injured list, fouled a ball off the top pipe of the batting cage that ricocheted and hit him in the head. Soler walked off the field with a trainer and could undergo testing for a concussion if his injury is serious enough. At the very least, this incident could cause the Giants to pause the 32-year-old veteran slugger's rehab from a shoulder injury. The Cuban right-handed hitter will return to a regular role in the Giants' lineup between outfield and the DH spot when he's healthy enough to return from the injured list. His elite power alone makes him worth stashing in most fantasy leagues. Before getting hurt, Soler was hitting .202 (24-for-119) with five homers and eight RBI in his first 34 games with the Gigantes.

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Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said that right-hander Brad Keller will take right-hander Michael Soroka's starting rotation spot moving forward. Keller will move into the back end of Chicago's starting rotation while Soroka moves to a long-relief role out of the bullpen. The 28-year-old Keller has appeared in four games (one start) for Chicago this year and has looked good, posting a 2.84 ERA (3.93 FIP) and 1.18 WHIP with five walks and nine strikeouts in just 12 2/3 innings pitched. In his lone start of 2024 on May 3, Keller got over 100 pitches and has gone at least three innings in both of his relief outings since, so he's pretty well stretched out. Desperate deep-league streamers will probably want to avoid Keller in his second start of the year, which lines up for this Saturday against the New York Yankees.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (knee) will test out his knee on Tuesday in front of the team, and if all goes well, he will play in some minor-league rehab games before returning to the Twins. Given the fact that Buxton has had surgery on his knee two different times, it makes sense for the Twins to test him on a minor-league assignment before activating him from the injured list. The 30-year-old has teased fantasy baseball managers with his power/speed combination for years but has coupled that with an inability to stay on the field because of injuries. Buxton was an All-Star in 2022 but has played in 100-plus games in a season just once since 2015 and doesn't run like he did earlier in his career. Until Buxton is able to get past his knee injury, Willi Castro should continue to benefit from extra playing time in center field in Minnesota.

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Chicago White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said that right-hander Michael Soroka is being removed from the starting rotation. But instead of being cut or demoted to the minors, Soroka will be moved to the bullpen. The 26-year-old has posted a 6.39 ERA (6.74 FIP) and 1.51 WHIP with 24 walks and 24 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings over nine starts. He currently leads the league in earned runs allowed (31) and home runs allowed (10), which shows even further how ineffective he had been before the demotion to a relief role. Soroka will be put into a long-relief role for the time being and will need to pitch much better than he has in order to be considered a rotation option for the Pale Hose later this season. Right-hander Brad Keller is taking Soroka's rotation spot and will now become an option in AL-only leagues.

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Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (quadriceps) is doing some running on the field on Tuesday, and the Twins are ramping up his baserunning in what is described as a big week for his recovery. Lewis will do more aggressive change-of-direction stuff later this week, which will give us a better idea of a timeline for his minor-league rehab assignment. He still has a ways to go before we'll see him back in the big leagues, but it's nice to see that he's making progress for fantasy managers that have been stashing him since his injury. Lewis has been out since Opening Day on March 28, but his power/speed combination makes him a worthy stash in most fantasy formats. The Twins have plenty of options to play the hot corner until Lewis is able to return, but Jose Miranda has been seeing most of the opportunities there of late.

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The San Francisco Giants said that an MRI exam on outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (shoulder) showed "structural damage" in his left shoulder. Lee will go for a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Thursday. The 25-year-old rookie dislocated his shoulder when he crashed into the outfield wall early in Sunday's game and was placed on the injured list on Monday. Now that he's dealing with structural damage in his shoulder with the possibility of needing to go under the knife, fantasy managers may want to prepare for him to miss extended time. Lee has left a lot to be desired over the first month and a half in the big leagues with a .262/.310/.331 slash line with two homers, eight RBI and two steals. Luis Matos has started both games in center field from San Fran since Lee was hurt and figures to see much more playing time moving forward.

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San Francisco Giants left-hander Blake Snell (groin) will make another minor-league rehab start on Friday for Triple-A Sacramento, and as long as all goes well in that outing, the next step would be returning to a major-league mound. Snell is getting close to returning to the Giants' starting rotation after tweaking his groin. In his first rehab start for Single-A San Jose, Snell threw four perfect innings with seven strikeouts. If Snell's final rehab start is this Friday, he could be lined up to come off the injured list to make his next start on May 23 in a strong matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 31-year-old southpaw had a rude awakening with an 11.57 ERA and 1.97 WHIP with 12 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings in his first three starts in 2024 after winning the National League Cy Young in 2023. Despite his rough start, Snell should be stashed in all fantasy leagues.

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Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner (hamstring) has been scratched from Tuesday's starting lineup against the Atlanta Braves due to left-hamstring tightness. With Hoerner now out, Miles Mastrobuoni will handle the starting duties at shortstop and will bat eighth against Braves left-hander Chris Sale. It remains to be seen how serious Hoerner's hamstring injury is, so his fantasy managers will want to check back later on Tuesday or early Wednesday. Either way, there's a good chance the 27-year-old will be given the day off on Wednesday. The former 24th overall pick in 2018 out of Stanford is having a solid season, slashing .269/.361/.391 with two home runs, 12 RBI and five stolen bases in 156 at-bats. With Dansby Swanson (knee) currently on the injured list, Hoerner has slid over from second base to the 6.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter (back) received a cortisone injection in his back on Tuesday and remains out of the starting lineup against the Cleveland Guardians. According to the Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant, it seems as though Friday is a realistic date for Carter to return to the lineup. The 21-year-old has not played since last Saturday and was diagnosed with lower-back inflammation after undergoing an MRI exam on Monday. While Carter could miss a few more days, it seems like he has a chance to avoid going on the injured list. Ezequiel Duran is starting in left field again on Tuesday and is batting eighth against Guardians right-hander Ben Lively. Despite hitting just .216 (27-for-125) to begin his first full year in the big leagues, Carter should be held onto in the majority of fantasy leagues as an everyday player when he's healthy.

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Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (head) is feeling better, according to manager Rob Thomson, after he was scratched from Tuesday's win over the New York Mets due to a migraine headache. Harper's migraine was not related to him being hit in the head by a throw on Monday night. The former MVP was available to pinch hit on Tuesday and will play on Wednesday against the Mets, so fantasy managers will want to get him back in their starting lineups then. The 31-year-old left-handed slugger has been better so far in May, going 13-for-39 (.333) with three home runs and 11 RBI. On the season as a whole, Harper is slashing .259/.381/.496 with an .877 OPS, nine home runs, 29 RBI and two stolen bases in 168 plate appearances.

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Chicago Cubs third base/shortstop prospect Matt Shaw got off to a strong start to the campaign in April but has struggled through the early part of May. In April, he posted a solid .237/.387/.424 line with three long balls and a 12:19 BB:K ratio. However, in May he has a disappointing .159/.309/.227 line with no home runs and a 10:10 BB:K ratio. Through 13 games in May, he has only tallied seven hits compared to the 14 he knocked in 18 games in April. Shaw, who is ranked as the fourth-best prospect in the Chicago system on MLB Pipeline, looked to be on a fast track to Triple-A early this season, but that has taken a bit of a halt. The 22-year-old is projected to reach the major leagues in 2025 but may have to wait until late in the summer to join Triple-A Iowa due to his recent struggles.

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Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (knee) will return to Wednesday's starting lineup against the New York Mets, barring anything unexpected, according to manager Rob Thomson. Realmuto was held out of action for a third straight game due to right-knee soreness in Tuesday's shutout win over the New York Mets but he should be back in there for the third game of the series on Wednesday. Fantasy baseball managers will want to get the 33-year-old veteran backstop back in all starting lineups on Wednesday, as he's still one of the best offensive-minded catchers in the game. Realmuto is hitting .364 (12-for-33) in the month of May in eight games and is currently riding a six-game hitting streak in which he's gone 11-for-26 with no homers and one RBI.

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