New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is playing left field for the first time this season on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Grayson Rodriguez. Judge is in his customary No. 3 spot in the batting order with Trent Grisham getting the start in center field and batting ninth. It's the 32-year-old Judge's first start in left field since 2016 with Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. The move comes with normal left fielder Alex Verdugo being placed on the paternity list on Monday, so don't be surprised if Judge is in left field a couple more times this week. In his first 109 at-bats of the 2024 season, Judge is hitting just .211 (23-for-109) but with six home runs and 18 RBI in 133 plate appearances. He's gone hitless in his lone career at-bat against Rodriguez.

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Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran (oblique) is with the team in Chicago, but there hasn't been immediate news about him being officially activated from the 15-day injured list. However, that move should be imminent during the team's series against the White Sox early this week. Duran should be activated from the IL after recovering from a right-oblique strain that kept him from being ready for the start of the 2024 season. The 26-year-old made two appearances on a minor-league rehab assignment, but it's possible the Twins choose to ease him into high-leverage, late-inning situations at first. Still, Duran should be returned to starting fantasy lineups once he's activated, as he has proven in recent seasons he's a high-end closer when he's healthy.

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The Minnesota Twins reinstated shortstop Carlos Correa (intercostal) from the 10-day injured list on Monday and optioned utility man Austin Martin to Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move. Correa is right back in Minnesota's starting lineup, playing shortstop and hitting in the two-hole on Monday versus the Chicago White Sox and left-hander Garrett Crochet. The 29-year-old is back from a right-intercostal strain. He didn't go on a minor-league rehab assignment, so fantasy managers may want to temper expectations for him right away. Plus, he's never faced Crochet in his career. Fantasy managers will be hoping that the two-time All-Star can pick up where he left off before his injury, as Correa was slashing .306/.432/.444 with an .876 OPS, a homer and four RBI in 11 games.

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New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga (shoulder) faced live hitters on Monday for the first time since February, when he was diagnosed with a strained right shoulder capsule. Senga said he'll need to throw to live hitters two more times before going on a minor-league rehab assignment. "As long as things keep going well, I think I'll be back right around [May 27]," Senga said through an interpreter. It's something to look forward to for fantasy managers that have been stashing the 31-year-old hurler since drafting him this spring. When healthy, Senga will be New York's ace after the Japanese pitcher went 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA (3.63 FIP) and 1.22 WHIP with 77 walks and 202 strikeouts in 29 starts in his first MLB season last year.

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Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is getting a day off on Monday against the visiting Kansas City Royals. With Bichette getting a blow, Isiah Kiner-Falefa is starting at shortstop and is hitting eighth against Royals right-hander Jonathan Bowlan. Rookie Addison Barger will play third base and bat in the nine-hole for Toronto. It's a good time for the 26-year-old Bichette to take a day off, as he has just one hit in 18 at-bats in his last five games to drop his season slash line to .210/.263/.305 with just one home run and 10 RBI in 105 at-bats. Kiner-Falefa will be a pretty mediocre, low-upside DFS option on Monday against the Royals. The 29-year-old has never faced Bowlan and is hitting .240 (18-for-75) on the year with a homer, six RBI and two stolen bases.

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New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty is on the bench on Monday against the visiting Chicago Cubs. Baty will take a seat against Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon in favor of Mark Vientos, who hit a walk-off home run to help the club beat the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. Vientos is hitting seventh for the Mets on Monday. Baty is also slumping, going 3-for-25 in his last nine games to drop his season line to .256/.322/.317 in his first 82 at-bats. The 24-year-old has added just one home run, nine RBI and nine runs scored. Vientos, who made his season debut with the Mets over the weekend, went 3-for-4 with the game-winning home run and two RBI in his first two games played. It's been a nice start, but playing time is going to be hard to come by for Vientos as long as J.D. Martinez stays healthy.

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Baltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg (illness) is back in the starting lineup on Monday against the visiting New York Yankees after missing the series finale on Sunday against the Oakland Athletics with a stomach illness. Westburg is starting at second base and batting seventh against Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt. Fantasy managers will want to get the 25-year-old back into all starting fantasy lineups, as he's hit a strong .304/.360/.543 on the year with a .903 OPS, five home runs, 19 RBI and four stolen bases in 92 at-bats over his first 25 games played. Westburg isn't as attractive in DFS formats in the seven-hole. He has one hit in his two career at-bats against Schmidt.

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Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Heston Kjerstad is not in the starting lineup yet again on Monday as the team takes on the visiting New York Yankees at Camden Yards. This will be the fifth straight game that Kjerstad is not in the O's starting lineup after he started the first two contests following his promotion from Triple-A Norfolk. If this continues to be the case, don't be surprised if the Orioles send the 25-year-old left-handed hitter back to the minors so that he can play every day. The former second overall pick in 2020 out of Arkansas has gone hitless in his first five major-league at-bats with three strikeouts. It's been hard for manager Brandon Hyde to find Kjerstad consistent playing time with Colton Cowser playing so well.

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St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera will not start in the team's series opener against the Detroit Tigers. With Willson Contreras starting behind the plate and Paul Goldschmidt starting as the designated hitter, Herrera will take a sit for the second time in three days. The young catcher was off to a hot start at the plate but has since cooled down. He is hitless over his last 15 at-bats with six strikeouts. The 23-year-old doesn't have much fantasy value right now, considering he is behind Contreras on the depth chart.So, he is likely only a fantasy option in extremely deep formats.

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New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez will return to the lineup and hit fourth on Monday against the Chicago Cubs. After coming off the bench in Sunday's 4-2 extra-innings win and flying out in a pinch-hit at-bat in the ninth inning, the veteran will start in the Mets' series opener. Martinez got a late start to the season after signing with New York in late March and dealing with a back issue a couple of weeks ago. However, he officially made his season debut on Friday, where he went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one double. Expect the 36-year-old to take some days off here and there over the next few weeks since he didn't have a spring training. Nonetheless, he's a player whom fantasy managers should be looking to pick up in fantasy, given his potential to hit 25-30 home runs atop the Mets' lineup.

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San Francisco Giants designated hitter Jorge Soler had a rough go Sunday in the 3-2 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Soler couldn't connect at the plate, striking out all three times. He continues to struggle at the plate, hitting .171 (6-for-35) with four runs, three RBI, two homers, three walks, and 13 strikeouts in his last 10 games. He's slashing .216/.314/.402 with four doubles, 14 RBI, 14 runs, five homers, 14 walks, and 31 strikeouts in 29 games this season. Fantasy managers should continue to bench Soler until he can turn things around at the plate.

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Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (back) is likely headed to the 10-day injured list, according to Luke Zahlmann of the Denver Gazette. Jones has been dealing with a back issue for a couple of days now but played through it on Saturday and Sunday in Mexico City. However, the 25-year-old exited Sunday's game early due to back stiffness and appears to be headed to the IL. The young outfielder is off to a rough start in 2024, hitting just .170 at the plate with one home run, seven RBI, and two stolen bases. In his place, the Rockies are expected to call up their No. 4 prospect, outfielder Jordan Beck.

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According to Luke Zahlmann of the Denver Gazette, the Colorado Rockies could call up outfielder Jordan Beck, the team's No. 4 prospect on MLB Pipeline, ahead of their three-game series against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. The expectation is that the young outfielder would replace Nolan Jones (back) -- who could be headed to the injured list with a back issue -- on the active roster. Beck has gotten off to a hot start at Triple-A Albuquerque, hitting .307 with five home runs and 28 RBI through 25 games. His promotion would be his MLB debut after being drafted 38th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft. If he officially gets called up on Tuesday, the outfielder would be someone to keep an eye on in fantasy due to his quick ascension to the majors.

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The New York Yankees placed outfielder Alex Verdugo on the paternity list ahead of their four-game set against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. Verdugo will now miss between one to three games as he welcomes a new baby into the world. That means the latest we can expect the left-handed slugger back is Thursday in the team's series finale. The Yankees will surely miss his bat in the lineup for the next couple of days, considering he is hitting .267 with four home runs, 13 RBI, and six doubles through 29 games this year. But he should be back later this week for your fantasy teams. In his place, New York called up catcher Carlos Narvaez.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton was a part of the scoring action Sunday in the 11-5 win against the Los Angeles Angels. Buxton went 1-for-4 with three runs, one walk, and two strikeouts. He has now connected with at least one hit in eight games out of his last 10. Buxton is hitting .244 (21-for-86) on the season with seven doubles, one triple, one homer, 10 runs, 11 RBI, two walks, and 31 strikeouts across 92 plate appearances in 2024. The strikeouts have been a concern for Buxton but his overall consistency at the plate makes him a solid starter for fantasy managers. The Twins will face the Chicago White Sox to start the week with a three-game series for the 30-year-old outfielder.

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Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Jose Caballero is slashing .264/.292/.407 through with five doubles, one triple, two homers, 12 RBI, 12 runs, one walk, nine stolen bases, and 23 strikeouts across 26 games in 2024. The 27-year-old has elite speed, and his nine steals are sixth in the majors. Before getting the day off on Sunday against the White Sox, he started the previous 12 games and hit .217 (10-for-46) with two doubles, one triple, six RBI, five runs, one homer with one walk, and 13 strikeouts. He remains a solid starter for fantasy managers as he continues to find ways to get on base, but the strikeouts compared to his walks may be something to monitor throughout the season. Caballero will look to continue his solid production on Monday in a tough matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers.

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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Amed Rosario struggled in Sunday's 4-2 loss against the Chicago White Sox. Rosario went 1-for-4 with one strikeout and a hit-by-pitch to end a tough weekend series. The Rays shortstop went 2-for-12 (.167) with one RBI, one run, two walks, and three strikeouts in the three games against the White Sox. He has been a solid starter for fantasy managers this season, though, hitting .320 (31-for-97) with five doubles, one triple, 13 RBI, eight runs, two homers, 13 walks, and fourteen strikeouts in 26 starts. He'll kick the week off with a tough matchup versus Milwaukee, but his fantasy upside remains high and desirable for managers.

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Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley showed signs of life at the plate on Sunday against the visiting Cleveland Guardians with a 2-for-4 performance, including the game-winner in the bottom of the 10th inning. Riley also walked and struck out in the 4-3 win. Even with the two-hit performance as the hero on Sunday, Riley has gone 4-for-33 (.121) with no home runs, two RBI and 11 strikeouts in his last nine games to drop his season line to .234/.311/.383. The 27-year-old former first-rounder in 2015 has not gone deep for the Braves in 18 games. On the bright side, Riley continues to hit the ball well, he just hasn't had much to show for it. Fantasy managers should continue to stick with him, and hopefully his two-hit performance on Sunday will get him going.

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Miami Marlins left-hander Ryan Weathers had a tough outing on Sunday in the 12-9 loss to the visiting Washington Nationals, although he wasn't saddled with the loss. In just four innings of work, Weathers surrendered five hits (one home run) and six earned runs while walking three and striking out three to raise his season ERA to 4.55. In addition to the three free passes, the 24-year-old southpaw hit three batters but was given a no-decision thanks to the Fish going up in this contest 7-0. It was by far Weathers' worst outing of the season to this point and he's allowed nine earned runs now in his last 9 2/3 innings. The good news is he has the perfect bounce-back opportunity up next when he's scheduled to take on the Oakland Athletics next weekend.

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Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan closed out the Miami Marlins on Sunday in a 12-9 victory to pick up his ninth save of the season. In his inning of work, Finnegan didn't allow a hit or a run while walking one and striking out one to lower his season ERA to 2.19. Hunter Harvey pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings in front of Finnegan with a walk and no strikeouts to earn his ninth hold of the year. It was the 32-year-old Finnegan's ninth save in 10 chances to start the 2024 season. He also owns a 0.97 WHIP and has fanned 11 batters in his 12 1/3 innings. Finnegan opened the year as a shaky closing option for fantasy managers, but he's held off Harvey to this point with April almost over.

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