San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman continued his strong offensive second half in Monday's 6-3 win over the Diamondbacks. Chapman went 2-for-4 with a triple, a two-run, inside-the-park home run, three RBI, a walk, and two strikeouts. The 31-year-old hit a third-inning Eduardo Rodriguez fastball off the center-field wall, which ricocheted back into center field and allowed him to scamper around the bases for his 27th homer of the season. Chapman has put together an impressive second half after a lackluster first half, slashing .275/.354/.565 with 14 HR, 35 RBI, and six stolen bases in 200 at-bats. Chapman provided high-end power earlier in his career, and his second half has shown that he still has the ability to do so.

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Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown continued his strong second half in Monday's 6-1 loss to the Mariners. Brown pitched six innings, allowing one run on three hits and three walks with eight strikeouts. However, the Astros could not figure Bryce Miller out and provided little run support. The 26-year-old has figured things out in the second half after a mediocre first half and is now 4-3 with a 2.26 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 74 strikeouts in 12 starts and 71 2/3 IP. Assuming the Astros continue to use a six-man rotation to end the season, Brown will finish the 2024 regular season with an 11-9 record, a 3.49 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and a 9.48 K/9 rate in 30 starts and 170 IP. This is a big improvement from his 2023 numbers and fantasy managers may have the opportunity to see him pitch more in the playoffs.

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San Francisco Giants closer Ryan Walker continued his excellent season in Monday's 6-3 win over the Diamondbacks, picking up his 10th save. Walker came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by three and turned in a 1-2-3 performance with no strikeouts. The 28-year-old has had an outstanding season, compiling a 9-4 record while converting 10 of 14 save opportunities with 21 holds to go with a 1.94 ERA, an 11.28 K/9 rate, and a 1.94 BB/9 rate in 79 innings of work. He has served as a reliable fantasy closer since taking over the closer's role from Camilo Doval, who pitched the eighth inning in this game. Fantasy managers will need to see how spring plays out prior to the 2025 season, but Walker could be a fantasy target in all leagues if named the team's closer and will be a target at least in saves-plus-holds leagues.

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Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck turned in a nice start in Monday's 4-1 win over the Blue Jays. Houck pitched five scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk with no strikeouts. The 28-year-old's season has been a tale of two halves. His first half performance earned him All-Star honors, but his second half has resulted in a 1-4 record with a 4.23 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP, and 42 strikeouts in 11 starts and 61 2/3 IP. Houck is currently in line for a favorable matchup to end the season against the Rays. His final impression could sway how fantasy managers feel about him for the 2025 season.

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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola came up clutch in Monday's 6-2 win over the Cubs, sealing the National League East division title. Nola pitched six innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. The 31-year-old has been a solid fantasy option overall this season, going 13-8 with a 3.52 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, and an 8.80 K/9 rate in 32 starts and 194 1/3 IP. He has turned in some inconsistent starts throughout the season and his strikeout rate has declined over each of the last four seasons. However, Nola has turned in good numbers overall in a rebound season. He is currently in line to start the final game of the season at the Nationals, but fantasy managers should keep an eye out for news as the game gets closer. They should ensure that Nola will still make the start, given that the Phillies have now won their division.

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Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller continued his dominant second half in Monday's 6-1 win over the Astros. Miller pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks with five strikeouts. The 26-year-old now has a stellar 2.94 ERA through 31 starts and 180 1/3 IP this season. This has been fueled by his 12 second-half starts, which have resulted in a 5-1 record with a 1.89 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP, and 73 strikeouts in 71 1/3 IP. He is slated to start the final game of the season against the Athletics, so fantasy managers should hopefully have one more opportunity for him to provide them with excellent results as the Mariners push for a playoff spot.

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The Philadelphia Phillies announced that left-hander Tanner Banks will make the start for Tuesday's game against the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park instead of right-hander Taijuan Walker after the club locked up the National League East title on Monday night for the first time since 2011. Walker and Kolby Allard are expected to pitch at some point on Tuesday after Banks. The Phillies will most likely be resting a lot of their regulars on Tuesday against the Cubbies after winning the division title and celebrating late into the evening. The 32-year-old Banks will most likely work just an inning or two on Tuesday as the opener before giving way to either Walker or Allard. He's posted a 3.78 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 75 strikeouts in 69 innings in 2024, with both of his saves coming with the White Sox. Banks has allowed seven earned runs with 20 K's and nine walks in 21 relief innings for the Phillies.

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After undergoing an MRI exam on Monday, Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (knee) was diagnosed with a right-knee sprain. Alvarez did not play in the series-opening loss to the division-rival Seattle Mariners on Monday and will not be available for the entire series. The 27-year-old left-handed slugger was removed from Sunday's series finale against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels when he injured his right knee on a slide. While it's not great Houston won't have one of the best hitters in MLB available for their crucial series against the M's, the Astros' primary objective will be to have Alvarez ready to go for the start of the playoffs next week. It wouldn't be a surprise if Alvarez is also unavailable this weekend against the Cleveland Guardians. The left-handed hitting Jason Heyward made the start in left field on Monday and should see more run until Alvarez is able to return.

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Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson (shoulder) will throw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Tuesday, according to manager Torey Lovullo. If Nelson's bullpen goes well on Tuesday, it sounds like he could make his return this weekend for the final regular-season series at Chase Field against the division-rival San Diego Padres. Lovullo said that whether Nelson returns as a starter or reliever depends on what pitch count the team feels he can safely reach. At this point in the year with less than a week until the postseason, it's likely that the 26-year-old will be brought back for a relief role if Arizona gets into the playoffs as a wild-card team in the National League. Nelson was put on the 15-day injured list on Sept. 14 with right-shoulder inflammation. He's been a back-end starter for Arizona with a career-best 5.5% walk rate, a 20.1% K rate and a 4.33 ERA in 27 outings (25 starts) in his third MLB season.

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The Toronto Blue Jays optioned infield prospect Orelvis Martinez to the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Monday after he finished serving his 80-game suspension. Martinez will now return to the team's spring training complex to close out the year after being suspended for 80 games due to performance-enhancing substances. The team's No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, made his big-league debut this year but played in just one game. In 74 games at Triple-A Buffalo, he hit .267/.346/.523 with an .869 OPS, 17 home runs, 49 RBI and 54 runs scored in 319 plate appearances. The 22-year-old Dominican will likely stick at either second or third base at the next level and has great power despite his shorter stature. Martinez has already shown impressive improvement in the plate-discipline department and seems likely to have a regular role in the big leagues in 2025 for a team looking for more offense.

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Houston Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (knee) had an MRI exam on Monday afternoon after X-rays on Sunday showed "inflammation" in his knee, according to manager Joe Espada. The skipper said that Alvarez woke up on Monday morning "pretty sore." The 27-year-old left-handed slugger was removed from Sunday's game early against the Los Angeles Angels due to discomfort in his right knee after a slide. He was not in the starting lineup for Monday's series opener against the division-rival Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Park and should be considered day-to-day until further notice. The Astros would be dealt a huge blow if Alvarez, one of the best hitters in the game, isn't ready for the start of the playoffs next week, so he may not play much, if at all, the rest of the week. Jason Heyward got the start in left field for the Astros on Monday against the M's.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Monday. Blackmon has decided to hang up his cleats at the conclusion of the 2024 season after an iconic 14-year career with the Rockies. Blackmon represented Colorado in four All-Star games and also won two Silver Slugger awards. Chuck Nazty is 38 years old but hit homers in back-to-back games over the weekend against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers and has 11 homers and 48 RBI in 118 at-bats this year. Blackmon is the team's career leader in triples with 67, and his 1,797 hits, 2,942 total bases, 333 doubles and 1,618 games played rank second in team history only to Hall of Famer Todd Helton. During the bearded outfielder's six-year prime from 2014-19, he hit .306 with a 120 OPS-plus, 163 home runs and 472 RBI. Blackmon was aided by Coors Field, but it definitely didn't define his greatness.

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San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It looks like the Giants will play matchups here and give Yastrzemski a day off against left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. In his place, Heliot Ramos will cover right field and bat leadoff on Monday. Ramos is crushing left-handed pitching with a .369 batting average with nine home runs and 23 RBI in 54 games against left-handers this season. Ramos is looking like a strong fantasy option for Monday's slate.

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San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. This appears to be a routine rest day for Bailey after he started in three of the last four games. Curt Casali will do the catching and bat ninth versus left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez on Monday. The veteran catcher is hitting under .200 on the season and can be avoided for fantasy purposes. The assumption is that Bailey will be back in the lineup following Monday's contest.

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Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Austin Hays (kidney) is expected to be activated off the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Chicago Cubs. It appears Hays is almost ready to play after missing nearly a month of action due to a kidney infection. He'll rest on Monday after playing in rehab contests over the weekend. Hays is hitting .254 with one home run and five RBI over 19 games since being traded to the Phillies at the trade deadline. Fantasy managers should be able to get him back in their lineups on Tuesday.

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Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (groin) appears to have avoided a major injury after exiting early during Sunday's game. It looks like Moreno had a setback with a groin injury that he suffered last month. Luckily, the MRI came back clean and Moreno should be able to rejoin the lineup on Tuesday. That is great news for the D-Backs who thought they might be without Moreno for the rest of the regular season. Jose Herrera will do the catching and bat ninth versus right-hander Hayden Birdsong. Herrera is hitting .221 with 13 RBI on the season, so he'll be an avoidable fantasy option for Monday's slate.

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Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. This appears to be a regular rest day for Amaya, who smacked a home run during Sunday's game. In his absence, Christian Bethancourt will be behind the plate and bat eighth versus right-hander Aaron Nola. Bethancourt has been great during his short period with the Cubs. Through 22 games, Bethancourt is hitting .306 with three home runs and 15 RBI on the North Side.

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Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. This is a rare day off for Swanson who has started nearly every game since June. The Cubs have been eliminated from playoff contention, so they might as well give a younger player a chance in the lineup. Luis Vazquez will fill in at shortstop and bat ninth versus right-hander Aaron Nola. It wouldn't be shocking to see Swanson get a few more rest days with only a handful of games left on the schedule.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ (back) remains out for the series opener on Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. With Happ out again, Mike Tauchman will start in left field and bat leadoff for the Cubbies against Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola. Happ was scratched from Chicago's lineup on Sunday in the series finale against the Washington Commanders due to lower-back tightness and will now miss a second straight game. The 30-year-old left-handed slugger should be considered day-to-day for the final week of the regular season. Happ needs one more home run to set a new career-high mark of 26 and is one steal shy of his previous career-high in that category, which he set in 2023. Happ already has a career-high 85 RBI in 148 games this year. Tauchman is in a nice lineup spot but has a tough matchup against Nola for DFS purposes.

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After much speculation about whether the Atlanta Braves would have left-hander Chris Sale make two starts -- Tuesday and Sunday -- on regular rest in the final week of the regular season, manager Brian Snitker announced that Sale will start on Wednesday against the division-rival New York Mets on an extra day of rest. It's something Sale, the presumptive National League Cy Young winner, and the other Braves starters have done for most of the season. If Atlanta makes the postseason, Sale would be in line to start a wild-card series opener. The plan presumably rules Sale out of pitching in the season finale on Sunday against the Royals, because he'd be on short rest, something no Braves starter has done all year. Sale's fastball velocity was down 2.1 mph from his season average in his last start on Thursday against the Reds. Rookie Spencer Schwellenbach will start on Tuesday and Sunday in the final week.

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