Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis (forearm) will pitch in another minor-league rehab game on Tuesday for Triple-A Buffalo in what feels like the last rehab outing that he'll need before being reinstated from the injured list. The 28-year-old reliever gave up three runs (two earned) while striking out six and walking one in 6 2/3 innings in his first three rehab appearances. In what will most likely be a middle-relief/long-relief role in Toronto when he returns, Francis will have very little fantasy value. Before going on the injured list this year, he had gone 2-2 with an 8.59 ERA (5.99 FIP) and 1.70 WHIP with seven walks and 17 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings over five outings (two starts). Francis will always be an option for a spot start, too, if Toronto needs it.

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New York Mets relief pitcher Drew Smith (shoulder) has restarted his minor-league rehab assignment and threw a scoreless innings for High-A Brooklyn on Sunday. Smith is penciled in for a couple more rehab appearances and is due back in the big leagues in around a week. The 30-year-old reliever is nearing a return after suffering a setback with his right shoulder in early May. The former third-round selection by the Detroit Tigers in the 2015 MLB draft out of Dallas Baptist will return to a prominent late-inning bullpen role for the Mets when he's officially reinstated. Before his injury, he had a 2.70 ERA (3.03 FIP), one save, a 1.70 WHIP, seven walks and 11 strikeouts in 10 relief innings. Smith will have some fantasy value in holds leagues.

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Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that outfielder TJ Friedl (thumb) could return from the injured list as soon as later this week or early next week. Friedl has had pretty awful injury luck this year after also missing time with a fractured right wrist. But the 28-year-old has recovered very quickly from his thumb injury and should be back with the big-league club in short order. If he's going to return to Cincinnati this weekend, it will mean that he'll forego a minor-league rehab assignment. When healthy and on the major-league roster, Friedl should see regular playing time against right-handed pitchers, which is bad news for both Jake Fraley and Will Benson. Friedl has gone just 4-for-22 (.182) in six games this year but has plenty of fantasy value after hitting 18 homers, driving in 66 and stealing 27 bases in 2023.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Chad Green (shoulder) could be activated from the injured list as early as Tuesday, according to manager John Schneider. Green has been out since the middle of April with a right-shoulder strain but is ready to return to the big-league bullpen after throwing three scoreless innings for Triple-A Buffalo on his minor-league rehab start. Green opened the season as Toronto's primary ninth-inning guy, but that was with Jordan Romano on the injured list. The 33-year-old reliever could still be valuable in fantasy leagues that count holds, but as long as Romano is healthy, Green will serve in a late-inning setup role for the Jays. Before going on the IL, Green went 1-0 with two saves, a 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 7 2/3 frames.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Conforto (hamstring) could start a minor-league rehab assignment later this week, according to the team. Meanwhile, outfielder Austin Slater (concussion) will start a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday if he is cleared on Monday. Conforto is trying to recover from a right-hamstring strain but was cleared to resume baseball activities last week. The 31-year-old left-handed hitter has been out for more than two weeks and is going to need to prove he can run full speed before he's cleared to play in games at the minor-league level. If Conforto doesn't suffer a setback this weekend, he could return to San Fran's lineup early next week. Conforto's fantasy managers can only hope he'll return and pick up where he left off after he hit .280 (40-for-143) with seven homers and 20 RBI before being put on the injured list.

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San Francisco Giants shortstop Nick Ahmed (wrist) will start taking batting practice in the next few days, according to the team. Ahmed is beginning baseball activities after being out since early May due to a left-wrist sprain. Before the 34-year-old veteran is able to return from the injured list, he'll need to go out on a minor-league rehab start, so he might not be back with the Giants before the end of May this weekend. Until Ahmed is able to return, infield prospect Marco Luciano will continue to play regularly at the 6 in the Bay Area. Ahmed's biggest contributions for the Giants come with his glove, so he's mostly a middle-infield option in NL-only leagues. Before his injury, he hit just .236/.274/.291 with no home runs and 11 RBI in 110 at-bats.

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Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins (hamstring) plans to hit on the field on Monday for the first time since going on the injured list. "I feel as good as I can," Hoskins said. This will be the first time that Hoskins has hit on the field since being placed on the injured list with a right-hamstring strain. The 31-year-old might need to show a little more before the Brewers send him on a minor-league rehab assignment, mainly with running the bases, but it doesn't sound like Hoskins is far off from a return to the starting lineup as the team's primary first baseman. When Hoskins is finally ready to come off the IL, Jake Bauers will lose considerable playing time in Milwaukee. Before landing on the shelf, Hoskins was slashing .233/.340/.474 with an .813 OPS, nine home runs, 27 RBI and 17 runs scored in his attempt at a bounce-back campaign in 2024.

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Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan (hamstring) will start in left field and play six to eight innings for Triple-A Columbus on Monday, according to manager Stephen Vogt. Kwan began his minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday with High-A Lake County and will play in his third straight game on Monday. If the 26-year-old outfielder doesn't have any setbacks with his hamstring on Monday, he could return to the Cleveland lineup later this week, perhaps for the start of a series on Friday at home against the Washington Nationals. Kwan should not be available on any waiver wire, as he's been one of the most consistent hitters in the majors in 2024. He's currently batting .353 (47-for-133) with three home runs, 11 RBI, three stolen bases and 28 runs scored. There's not much power or RBI production, but Kwan is an excellent source of average and on-base percentage.

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Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams (elbow) is expected to make a minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday. Williams is now in the final step of his recovery from right-elbow discomfort that first cropped up for him during spring training. The 24-year-old also had a setback in the first month of the season, which is why he has yet to make his 2024 MLB debut. Given his long layoff, he will almost certainly require multiple rehab starts before the Guardians consider having him rejoin their starting rotation. But if he avoids any further setbacks, Williams could be back well before the All-Star break. The former 23rd overall pick in 2021 out of East Carolina could be worth picking up and stashing now after he had a really impressive 3.29 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with an 81:37 K:BB in his first 16 big-league starts in 2023.

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The Colorado Rockies placed right-hander Justin Lawrence (arm) on the 15-day injured list on Monday with right-arm soreness. In other moves, the Rockies selected the contract of left-hander Josh Rogers from the minors and recalled right-hander Peter Lambert while designating right-hander John Curtiss for assignment. Lawrence hasn't been very good at all for the Rockies in a high-leverage, late-inning role for the Rockies and is now hurt. Overall, he's gone 1-3 with a 5.91 ERA (4.11 FIP), a 1.83 WHIP, two saves, 15 walks and 20 strikeouts in 21 1/3 relief innings in his fourth big-league season. The walks haven't helped one bit, and Lawrence's recent arm injury could explain why he's been even worse recently. At the moment, Tyler Kinley and Jalen Beeks appear to be the team's top options for saves, with Kinley locking down two of the last three saves.

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The Washington Nationals designated outfielder Victor Robles for assignment on Monday in order to make room on the active roster for outfielder Lane Thomas (knee), who has been reinstated from the injured list. It appears the Nationals have finally run out of patience with Robles, who was once one of their prized prospects from the Dominican Republic. Outside of his 17-homer, 28-steal season in 2019, Robles has fell well short of expectations in the organization and has hit just .236/.311/.356 with 31 home runs, 156 RBI, 70 stolen bases and 213 runs scored in his eight years in the league. Before getting cut on Monday, he was hitting just .120 (3-for-25) with no homers, two RBI and four steals in 33 plate appearances this year. It remains to be seen if the 27-year-old will change scenery or stick with the Nats in the minors.

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The Washington Nationals reinstated outfielder Lane Thomas (knee) from the 10-day injured list on Monday and designated outfielder Victor Robles for assignment in a corresponding move. Thomas is back in right field on Monday and is batting in the two-hole against Atlanta Braves veteran right-hander Charlie Morton in his first game back. The 28-year-old will return for the first time since late April due to a Grade 2 MCL sprain and should be thrown back into starting fantasy lineups because of his impressive power/speed combination. Ignore the fact that he hit only .184/.250/.253 with two home runs to begin the year, as he also had 11 stolen bases in 87 at-bats. The former fifth-rounder by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014 needs to be rostered everywhere and will play regularly for the Nats now that he's healthy again.

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In the first game for the Atlanta Braves on Memorial Day on Monday since learning that All-Star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) will miss the rest of the season due to a full ACL tear, outfielder Adam Duvall is covering for him in right field and will bat sixth against the visiting Washington Nationals and rookie left-hander Mitchell Parker. Duvall hit his fourth home run of the season on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and is now set to see a big playing time increase with Acuna out of the picture entirely for the rest of 2024. The former 11th-round pick by the San Francisco Giants in 2010 out of Louisville isn't going to provide much in terms of a useful batting average, but he still has notable pop in his bat and is worth a pickup in deeper mixed leagues now that he should see more of a regular role moving forward. Duvall is currently slashing .207/.305/.378 with four homer and 11 RBI in 33 games.

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Cincinnati Reds corner infielder Jeimer Candelario (neck) is back at third base and is batting third for the Reds on Monday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Lance Lynn. Candelario was scratched from Saturday's lineup with neck stiffness and was also held out of Sunday's contest. It wasn't a serious injury for the 30-year-old, though, as he's back in the lineup to start the week and the series against St. Louis. It's a great lineup spot for Candelario, but he hasn't had much success against Lynn in 13 career at-bats, batting .154 with a .507 OPS. Candelario is hitting just .220 (36-for-164) on the year with five home runs, but he's been much better in May and has two home runs and 10 RBI in his last 20 games played. His poor career numbers against Lynn isn't enough to consider benching him.

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St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn, who has a 15-day hitting streak going, is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff on Monday versus the Cincinnati Reds and left-hander Nick Lodolo, who is making his first start off the injured list. This will be the third time this season that Winn will be in the leadoff spot for the Cards, with most of his at-bats coming in the bottom third of the order. Fantasy managers will be hoping the 22-year-old sticks in the leadoff spot more often, and he could if he continues to square up the baseball. Since his hitting streak started on May 9, Winn has gone 18-for-48 (.375) with two homers, five doubles, eight RBI and two stolen bases in 52 plate appearances. Winn is a must-start in lineups with how hot he's been. Lodolo can rack up the strikeouts, but he could be more vulnerable in his first start off the IL without going on a rehab assignment.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (hamstring) is not in Monday's lineup due to a hamstring injury. Nootbaar was scratched from Sunday's lineup due to this issue and will once again be sitting on the bench. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol expressed that the injury us "day-to-day" and that "we don't see it lingering." For now Nootbaar should remain stashed and could be activated as soon as later this week. As a result, Dylan Carlson will man right field and should be faded in DFS as he will face Cincinnati southpaw Nick Lodolo, who enters Monday with a 3.34 ERA and stellar 0.94 WHIP.

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Washington Nationals outfielder Jesse Winker (cramps) has returned to the starting lineup on Monday as the Nationals will play the opening game of a four-game set against division foe Atlanta Braves. Winker left Saturday's game early and was kept out of the lineup on Sunday due to cramping. However, this injury did not seem serious as the 30-year-old is already back in the lineup. However, Winker will serve as the designated hitter this afternoon and bat in the six-hole, which opens up left field for Eddie Rosario, who will bat cleanup. Winker has looked much better through his first 49 games as a National compared to the previous two seasons. He currently holds a .228/.345/.395 line with six home runs and could be value in DFS as he faces right-hander Charlie Morton, who enters Sunday with a 3.35 ERA.

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Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Austin Gomber (arm) was scratched from Monday's start due to arm soreness. As a result, Anthony Molina will get the starting nod. Gomber expressed to the media that he felt "that I would have been probably at 85% today where we are at now, still being in May, it was probably smarter just to buy a couple of days." This is a great sign, as Gomber could even make a start later this week and is still worth holding onto in deeper leagues. The southpaw entered Monday with a strong 2.76 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. Spot starter Anthony Molina has yet to start a game this season and has posted a poor 7.56 ERA and 1.80 WHIP out of the bullpen. He should not be considered in any DFS formats this afternoon.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder/first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. (hamstring) is back in the starting lineup on Monday and will bat in the two-hole. Wade remained out of the starting lineup over the past two days due to a minor hamstring injury. This is a great sign, as the 30-year-old has been cleared and will look to continue his excellent start to the season. He currently holds a .333/.472/.421 line with two home runs and one stolen base. He has shown an excellent eye at the plate with a 20.2% walk rate, which is currently the best in the sport among qualified hitters. Wade remains a strong batting average contributor and a must-roster player in leagues that score on-base percentage. He is worth playing in DFS as he will go up against Phillies starter Taijuan Walker, who enters the contents with a 5.06 ERA.

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Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts backed off a little on infielder Max Muncy (oblique) being ready to start a minor-league rehab assignment soon and return "some time next week." Roberts said Muncy is still feeling his oblique strain, and the team will proceed cautiously with him. The Dodgers aren't putting a return date on anything just yet. The 33-year-old left-handed hitter started doing some baseball activities last Tuesday but won't start hitting off a tee until the team thinks he's fully recovered from his injury. Oblique strains are notoriously tough to come back from, so fantasy managers never should have expected a quick return from Muncy. He's most likely not going to come off the injured list until early June. Muncy isn't going to help your team's batting average, but his power and RBI chances make him worth rostering in all fantasy leagues in the Dodgers' strong lineup.

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