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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St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn is hitting leadoff on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels and left-hander Reid Detmers. This will be the first time this year that Winn has hit leadoff for the Red Birds. St. Louis is looking to jump-start their offense after putting up double-digit runs for the first time this year in Monday's win over the Halos. The 22-year-old Winn has hit well for the Cardinals this year in his first full season as their starting shortstop, going 32-for-113 (.283) with no home runs, eight RBI and six stolen bases in 37 games played. The young shortstop will definitely see a boost in his season-long and DFS fantasy value if he sticks in the leadoff spot, but managers considering using him in DFS on Tuesday must consider that he's only hitting .216 (8-for-37) on the year against southpaws like Detmers.

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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola looked outstanding during Tuesday's game against the New York Mets. The right-hander struck out eight batters as he tossed a complete game in an 109-pitch outing. The Mets started to get something going with the bats in the ninth, but Nola was able to work around the base runners. This shutout by Nola is now the fifth one thrown in the league this season. He'll take his 3-2 record and 3.10 ERA into his next outing.

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Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks (finger) is available ahead of Tuesday's game against the Boston Red Sox. The right-hander was unable to pitch on Monday due to a cut on his finger. It sounds like this is no longer an issue, so Fairbanks is good to go now. Jason Adam converted the save on Monday, but figures to go back to his role as the set-up pitcher now. Fantasy managers who have Fairbanks rostered can get him back in their lineups.

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Chicago White Sox third baseman Bryan Ramos (quad) was removed early during Tuesday's game against the Washington Nationals. This is a shame considering Ramos has been one of the few bright spots for this team lately. The 22-year-old was pulled out of the contest mid-way due to left quad tightness. The White Sox are already fairly banged up at third base. If Ramos misses time, Zach Remillard figures to see increased playing time at the hot corner. Fantasy managers should get more information on Ramos following Tuesday's game.

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San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey (illness) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This isn't shocking considering Bailey recently headed for further evaluation to determine the severity of his illness. It could be related to a concussion that Bailey suffered earlier in the month. Fantasy managers shouldn't be shocked if Bailey lands on the injured list soon. In the meantime, Blake Sabol will cover behind the plate and bat seventh versus right-hander Gavin Stone.

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Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco (hamstring) is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Kansas City Royals. The Mariners will hold out Polanco after he made an early exit from Monday's game due to a hamstring issue. For now, fantasy managers should consider Polanco as day-to-day. In his absence, Josh Rojas will bat leadoff and cover second base for Tuesday's game. Rojas has been hitting well in the leadoff spot, so he could be an interesting streaming option here.

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Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins (hamstring) has been placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday. The hope was that this was a minor issue after Hoskins was absent from the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game. That was not the case as the team placed him on the injured list shortly after releasing the lineup. This is a shame considering the 31-year-old was finally starting to heat up at the plate. In his absence, Jake Bauers will cover first base for Tuesday's game. He figures to see more time at the cold corner while Hoskins is out. Also, Owen Miller has been recalled from the minors and is an option at first base as well.

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The Oakland Athletics reinstated second baseman Zack Gelof (oblique) from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday and also recalled left-hander Brady Basso from Double-A Midland. In corresponding moves, the team optioned left-hander Easton Lucas and outfielder Lawrence Butler to Triple-A Las Vegas. Gelof is right back at second base on Tuesday and is hitting sixth in the order against Houston Astros right-hander Ronel Blanco. The 24-year-old was out for around three weeks with an oblique strain but will now return to being Oakland's regular second baseman, even though he was hitting just .196/.260/.337 with three home runs, seven RBI and four stolen bases in 92 at-bats before landing on the IL. Gelof has never faced Blanco in his young career.

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The Tampa Bay Rays reinstated infielder Jonathan Aranda (finger) from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday and optioned infielder Austin Shenton to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. Aranda isn't in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday against Boston Red Sox, but he's now back with the team and could be an option as the designated hitter after he fractured his finger just days before Opening Day at the end of March. The 25-year-old needed surgery on his finger and will be making his 2024 debut when he gets into a game. In 55 plate appearances at Durham, Aranda hit just .196/.327/.283 with one home run and 20 strikeouts in 12 games played. If he can hit better at the big-league level, he could eventually work into the strong side of a platoon at DH in Tampa.

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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.

From RotoBaller