New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that outfielder Cody Bellinger (back) is still getting treatment for his sore back, which is why he was out of the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the visiting Kansas City Royals. "He's doing well. I just want to pick some spots here, especially getting through 13 (games) in a row here," Boone said. It doesn't sound like anything fantasy managers should be worried about, but they'll want to check back on Tuesday to see if he has returned to the starting lineup. It could also be a big reason for why the 29-year-old left-handed slugger is hitting just .191 (9-for-47) in the early going of his first year in pinstripes with a homer, eight RBI, nine runs scored and two stolen bases in 13 games played. Bellinger also missed some time early last week after dealing with food poisoning.

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The Minnesota Twins have signed right-handed pitcher Tyler Beede to a minor-league contract. According to Ari Alexander, Beede is expected to report to Triple-A St. Paul. Beede earned a spot on Cleveland's Opening Day roster last season but was later sent to Triple-A after he posted an 8.36 ERA with a 1.79 WHIP across 14 innings of work. He did not find much success across 22 1/3 innings with Triple-A Columbus, as he allowed 33 hits and 28 earned runs. He struck out just 24 batters and served up 16 free passes. Through 201 career innings in the major leagues, the right-hander has held a modest 5.55 ERA with a 1.58 WHIP. Fantasy managers should expect Beede to spend most of the season at Triple-A St. Paul. He could push for a return to the majors if he is able to find success at the top level of the minor leagues.

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Boston Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello (shoulder) will make his next minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, with right-hander Lucas Giolito (hamstring) starting for the WooSox on Tuesday, according to the Boston Herald's Gabrielle Star. Manager Alex Cora said it will "most likely" be Bello's last rehab start before he's activated from the injured list. Bello is ahead of Giolito after throwing 64 pitches in four innings in his last start for Worcester. If all goes well with his outing on Wednesday, the 25-year-old should make his 2025 debut next week for the BoSox. Both Bello and Giolito will be inserted into Boston's starting rotation, which will bump left-hander Sean Newcomb out. Bello has allowed eight runs (seven earned) in his three rehab starts, but he's walked three and fanned 14 in 9 2/3 frames. In two rehab starts, Giolito has allowed an earned run with four walks and five K's.

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The Miami Marlins have sent right-handed pitcher Xzavion Curry to Triple-A Jacksonville. Curry was designated for assignment by the Marlins earlier this week and was not claimed on waivers. Curry made three appearances with the Marlins during the early part of the campaign and tossed three innings of work to the tune of a 6.00 ERA with a 2.33 WHIP. Last season, Curry logged 42 2/3 innings split between the Marlins and the Cleveland Guardians. He held a 4.64 ERA with a strong 1.03 WHIP during this stint. He tallied just 28 punchouts but showed strong command, serving up just seven free passes. Through 114 2/3 career innings at the Triple-A level, Curry has struggled and posted a 5.81 ERA with a 1.43 WHIP. Fantasy managers should expect Curry to be in the mix to return to the majors later in the summer.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Max Scherzer (thumb) is still feeling soreness in his right thumb after throwing recently, according to manager John Schneider. Scherzer will visit with a doctor again in the coming days, at which point we should have word on how much more time the three-time Cy Young winner will have to miss. The 40-year-old made just one start for Toronto before injuring his thumb and being placed on the injured list. He received a couple of cortisone injections in his thumb in early April that at first appeared to help, but now Scherzer is back in the same situation with more soreness. Fantasy managers that took Scherzer as a value pick in drafts this spring need to stay patient, but it's looking more and more like he could be in for a lengthy absence.

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Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho (shoulder) will start a formal minor-league rehab assignment with Single-A Dunedin soon, according to MLB.com's Keegan Matheson. Varsho and his wife, Brook, are expecting a child in the coming days, so he will ramp up his rehab after the baby arrives. The 28-year-old has been cleared to begin a rehab assignment after recently playing in extended spring training games on defense in the outfield. He got a late start in spring training after offseason surgery on his right shoulder, but if everything goes well on his rehab assignment, he could rejoin Toronto before the end of April. The Blue Jays will surely ease Varsho in on defense when he comes off the injured list, but when healthy, he will be a regular starter in the outfield as one of their best defenders. He was a disappointment offensively in 2024, and it remains to be seen how productive he'll be coming off shoulder surgery.

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Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed reliever Evan Phillips (shoulder) made his fourth minor-league rehab appearance on Friday and is "close" to a return, according to manager Dave Roberts. Phillips is scheduled to make another rehab appearance on Tuesday. The 30-year-old veteran is recovering from a torn muscle in his rotator cuff and began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on April 3. In four appearances so far for OKC, Phillips has allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits while walking one and striking out six in 3 2/3 innings of work. Barring a setback, it appears that he'll rejoin L.A.'s bullpen and make his 2025 season debut before the end of April. Phillips recorded 42 total saves for the Dodgers in the last two seasons, but after they added firepower to the back end of their bullpen in the offseason, he's expected to be used as more of a setup man when he returns.

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New York Mets infield prospect Ronny Mauricio (knee) is expected to serve as the designated hitter during Tuesday's extended spring training game. This is Mauricio's first game action since December 2023 in the Dominican Winter League. He has been sidelined over the past year due to a torn ACL in his right knee. The 24-year-old also faced a minor setback last July when he had to undergo a procedure to remove scar tissue from his knee. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he slowly increases his workload. Mauricio made his MLB debut during the 2023 season and held a .248/.296/.347 line with two home runs and seven stolen bases across 26 games. If he continues to progress well, he could return to the majors in the second half of the season.

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Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed reliever Michael Kopech (shoulder) threw a bullpen session last Friday, according to manager Dave Roberts. Kopech will join the Dodgers in L.A. during their series against the Colorado Rockies and throw another bullpen session on Tuesday. The hard-throwing 28-year-old entered spring training in mid-February with a right-forearm issue. He eventually recovered from that but then developed a shoulder injury that landed him on the injured list to begin the 2025 regular season. Kopech continues to build up his arm with bullpen sessions, but he's also going to need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment before returning to the Dodgers' bullpen. Barring a setback, though, he should be able to make his season debut before the end of April. When healthy, Kopech will serve as a late-inning setup man in the Dodgers' stacked bullpen.

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The Atlanta Braves sent outfielder Marcell Ozuna (hip) back to Atlanta on Monday for an exploratory MRI exam on his injured hip, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Justin Toscano. The MRI showed inflammation but nothing serious, and Ozuna is considered day-to-day. While it seems that the 34-year-old veteran slugger has avoided a serious injury, he's expected to miss the entire three-game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays. Atlanta has the day off on Thursday before returning home on Friday to start a weekend series against the Minnesota Twins. Fantasy managers will want to check back then to see if Ozuna is feeling good enough to return to the starting lineup. With Ozuna out on Monday, Bryan De La Cruz served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in the 8-4 victory.

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Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (shoulder) played catch on Monday for the first time since landing on the 15-day injured list eight days ago on April 6 with left-shoulder inflammation. Snell thought he could pitch through his shoulder issue but eventually landed on the IL and was shut down from throwing for a short period of time. The 32-year-old will now need to work up to bullpen sessions and game action in a minor-league setting before the Dodgers return him to their starting rotation, likely in early May, barring any setbacks. Snell felt good while throwing on Monday and is expected to play catch again on Tuesday. Although the two-time Cy Young winner had eight walks and only four strikeouts in nine innings over his first two starts of the year before getting injured, he had allowed only two earned runs. Keep Snell stashed in all fantasy formats.

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The Baltimore Orioles have signed catcher Chadwick Tromp to a minor-league contract. Tromp was designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves last week and elected free agency. The Braves removed him from the roster in the same transaction that activated Sean Murphy off the injured list. Tromp has been in the Atlanta organization for the past four seasons, after starting his career in San Francisco. Across 61 career MLB contests, the 30-year-old posted a .224/.235/.385 slash line with 10 doubles and five long balls. In 335 career games at the Triple-A level, the backstop has held a .253/.327/.419 slash line. Fantasy managers should expect Tromp to start his career in Baltimore with Triple-A Norfolk. He will only see time in the majors if Adley Rutschman or Gary Sanchez were to miss time.

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Tampa Bay Rays infield prospect Tre' Morgan (quadriceps) has been activated off the injured list and will make his Triple-A debut on Tuesday evening. Morgan opened the campaign on the injured list but was able to avoid an extended absence. Last season, Morgan enjoyed an impressive season in the minor leagues and was able to progress quite quickly through the minor leagues. The 22-year-old opened the campaign with Low-A and finished the season with Double-A Montgomery. Across 79 games split between Low-A and High-A, Morgan posted a stellar .354/.431/.519 slash line with eight home runs and nine stolen bases. At Double-A, Morgan struggled as he held a modest .211 AVG but was able to show enough progress to open this season with Triple-A. If he performs well with Durham, he should push for a second-half MLB debut.

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Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning of Monday night's 8-3 loss to the Cardinals. He finished the night 1-for-4 with the blast that came off relief pitcher Roddery Munoz, giving him three long balls on the season. Pena is hitting just .207 through 16 games but has increased his ISO with four of his 12 hits going for extra bases. His hard-hit rate and barrel rate are actually up this season as well, but his .200 BABIP has held back his overall production. His xwOBA of .371 stands in stark contrast to his .291 wOBA, so his metrics show he has actually been hitting the ball much better than his batting average reflects. Pena and his fantasy managers will hope that Monday's home run can jumpstart a turnaround in his average as the Astros continue their three-game set in St. Louis.

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St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan went a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI in the Cardinals' 8-3 win on Monday night at Busch Stadium. Donovan has moved all over the field this season and started Monday at shortstop before moving to second base later in the game. Wherever he has played defensively, the 28-year-old has brought good offensive production this season, hitting .391 over his first 16 games of the year with five doubles, two home runs, four walks, a stolen base, and a .427 wOBA. His increased production is backed up by a 50.9% hard-hit rate, according to Statcast. The versatile utilityman should continue to get plenty of work for the Cardinals and is a good fantasy option in all formats while he's so locked in at the plate.

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San Diego Padres first baseman Luis Arraez hit his second home run of the season while going 3-for-5 with two runs scored in Monday night's win over the visiting Cubs. San Diego's 10-4 victory brought them to an MLB-best 14-3 record for the season and a perfect 11-0 at Petco Park. Arraez's solo home run came in the eighth inning as the second of back-to-back blasts, following Fernando Tatis Jr.'s second homer of the game. In his 17 games this season, Arraez now has a .282 batting average and .314 wOBA, but his slight downturn in average appears mostly due to bad luck with just a .261 BABIP. His hard-hit rate is on track with last year's mark, and he should be due for some positive regression as he continues to hit near the top of the order for one of the best offenses in baseball.

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Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run off Dylan Cease on Monday night, but his Cubs lost 10-4 to the Padres. Busch's home run continues a strong start to the season for the 27-year-old lefty, who is now up to a .310 batting average and .436 wOBA through his first 18 games with four homers, 12 runs scored, and 12 RBI. Busch's strong start and spot in the heart of the Cubs' productive batting order make him a solid option from the waiver wire in mixed leagues if available. He is still platooning a little bit and sitting against lefties, but when he is in the lineup, he has proven he can produce good run production numbers

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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani had been in a little bit of a slump by his lofty standards before going 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored, and an RBI in Monday night's 5-3 victory over Colorado. Ohtani raised his average to .296 with five home runs, four stolen bases, and a .402 wOBA on the season. He had gone just 4-for-21 (.190) with no home runs in his previous five games but kept the mini-slump from getting any longer with his big game on Monday. He remains one of the top fantasy hitters in the game, even as he continues to work towards his return to the mound as well.

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Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (hamstring) has been ramping up his rehab work over the last week by taking on-field batting practice and fielding in team-wide defensive drills. Over the past few days, he has hit with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints and with the Twins when the team hits before night games. On Monday, he took ground balls with the team ground balls in team-wide defensive drills before Monday's game. Lewis is still not quite ready for a rehab assignment and is not expected to be back in the lineup until May at the earliest. Last year, Lewis hit .233 with 16 homers and a .317 wOBA in 82 games, but he has been out this season after suffering a hamstring strain in spring training. He continues to make progress in the right direction, though, and will hopefully start an official rehab assignment soon.

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Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Michael Chavis has been swinging a hot bat with Triple-A Oklahoma City and could push for a return to the major leagues. Over his last five games, Chavis has gone deep four times and tallied six RBI. During this impressive stretch, Chavis has posted a stellar .429/.500/1.048 line. This impressive stretch of performances earned him Pacific Coast League Hitter of the Week honors. Chavis inked a minor-league deal with the Dodgers earlier in the winter but was unable to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster. However, fantasy managers in deeper formats should keep an eye on Chavis' production with Triple-A, as he could be promoted as an injury replacement later in the summer. If he were to get the call to Los Angeles, he could be worth adding in deeper NL-only leagues if he can translate this power upside to the big leagues.

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