Cincinnati Reds right-hander Nick Martinez won't make a start for the team in its upcoming three-game series against the Chicago White Sox. The veteran had his third start of the season skipped due to a rainout on Thursday but will not get into any game action this weekend. The first two starts of his Reds tenure have not gone to plan as Martinez has yielded eight earned runs on 14 hits, including a homer, across 10 innings of work. He has only walked two in that time, however, and has punched out nine. The 33-year-old earned a two-year, $26 million contract from the Reds this winter after a successful return to the big leagues with the Padres over the last two seasons, most recently working to a 3.43 ERA across 63 outings (nine starts) in the 2023 campaign.

Houston Astros first baseman Jose Abreu and outfielders Chas McCormick and Jake Meyers are all sitting out on Thursday against the Kansas City Royals in the series finale. Jon Singleton is at first base and batting sixth, Mauricio Dubon is in center field and batting ninth, and Yainer Diaz is serving as the designated hitter and hitting fifth in the order versus Royals right-hander Brady Singer. Just like last year, the 37-year-old Abreu has been ice-cold offensively in the early going for the 'Stros, going 3-for-37 (.081) with no home runs, one RBI and 13 strikeouts in his first 41 plate appearances. He could use a day off. If the veteran first baseman continues to struggle, Houston could give him more frequent days on the bench. None of Singleton, Dubon or Diaz have ever faced Singer in their careers.

The Philadelphia Phillies are sending right-handers Taijuan Walker (shoulder) and Orion Kerkering (forearm, illness) on minor-league rehab assignments. Kerkering would then be activated sometime over the weekend. Walker will start his rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and will likely make four starts, increasing his pitch count in 15-pitch increments before eventually joining the Phillies' starting rotation. The 31-year-old threw 46 pitches over three innings in a live batting practice session over the weekend and is attempting to return from a right-shoulder impingement he suffered in spring training. The 23-year-old Kerkering got sick in spring training and then suffered a right-forearm strain. When healthy, he'll be a key late-inning bullpen piece for the Phillies but is unlikely to see many, if any, save chances.

Making his season debut on Tuesday, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray put together five strong innings in a victory against the Philadelphia Phillies. It was his first start of the season and for his new team as he was sidelined with a hamstring injury, but Gray didn't miss a beat allowing five hits, zero runs, zero walks and striking out five. The veteran signed a three-year deal to be the Cardinals ace this offseason and they will count on the right-hander to anchor their staff. From a fantasy perspective, Gray remains a solid option with a career 3.46 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Gray will look to build off his season debut with a matchup versus one of his former teams, the Oakland Athletics in a very favorable matchup on Tuesday.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment on Thursday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Manager Rob Thomson said they want to see Walker reach 100-plus pitches during his rehab assignment before the right-hander rejoins the Phillies' rotation, per MLB.com. Walker will be limited to approximately 60 pitches in his first rehab appearance, so he'll likely need a handful of minor-league starts before getting activated from the injured list. It puts him on course for an early-May return from a right shoulder impingement that limited him to 4 2/3 innings of spring training, but the soft-throwing 31-year-old righty is not the most appealing fantasy stash after generating a 4.38 ERA (4.53 FIP), 1.30 WHIP, and 138:71 K:BB across 172 2/3 frames a season ago. Spencer Turnbull has 11 scoreless innings under his belt so far and will be worth streaming in favorable matchups.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martin Perez twirled eight innings of one-run ball on six hits and no walks in Tuesday's 5-3 loss to the visiting Detroit Tigers, striking out seven hitters en route to a tough-luck no-decision. It looked like Perez was well on his way to earning a win on Tuesday, but closer David Bednar couldn't shut the door in the ninth inning after Perez threw 100 pitches. While the 33-year-old crafty lefty isn't known for having dominant stuff, he's quietly off to a fast start during his first year in Pittsburgh, garnering a 1.89 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 15 strikeouts through 19 innings to begin the season. Next up for Perez is a scheduled start against the struggling New York Mets on Monday, when he'll be worth considering as a fantasy streamer. In three appearances against the Mets since 2022, Perez is 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and seven K's across 11 2/3 innings.

New York Mets outfielder J.D. Martinez (back) will be shut down for three to five days after receiving a cortisone shot. The veteran slugger is dealing with lower back tightness, so hopefully this shot and rest will help him. Martinez wasn't expected to join the Mets this week, but this news means his season debut will be pushed back further. The Mets should give an update on his timetable in a few days.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (back) threw a bullpen session without any issues on Tuesday. The plan is for Scherzer to progress to facing live hitters in a batting practice session next week. The 39-year-old remains without a timetable to return, but the expectation is that Scherzer is back before the start of June. That being said, Scherzer is worth stashing in deeper mixed leagues while he continues to make progress in his recovery from back surgery.

Robbie Grossman will be leading off and playing right field for the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday in Chicago's road game against the Cleveland Guardians. Grossman has struggled this season as he has yet to record a hit in 11 at-bats while striking out three times but has walked twice. Grossman signed a minor-league deal with the White Sox and had his contract selected after hitting .400 with two home runs and five RBI in Triple-A.

If the Seattle Mariners decide to skip young right-hander Emerson Hancock's next turn in the starting rotation and if righty Bryan Woo (elbow) isn't ready to return from the injured list by then, newly signed left-hander Dallas Keuchel could be an option to temporarily replace Hancock. The 12-year-old veteran and former Cy Young winner threw five scoreless innings in his season debut with Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday. Levi Stoudt, Casey Lawrence and Jhonathan Diaz could also be candidates for a spot start for the M's. It would be a cool comeback for Keuchel, 36, but his upside would be limited for fantasy managers and his stay in Seattle's rotation would likely be a short one with either Hancock or Woo replacing him sooner or later.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (shoulder) is scheduled to make another rehab start over the weekend. It doesn't sound like the organization has decided on which day Verlander will start. He threw 65 pitches during a rehab start with Triple-A Sugarland on Sunday. It wasn't great results for the veteran right-hander but the main focus is getting him healthy. It sounds like the organization plans to have Verlander throw a bullpen session on Wednesday as well. The hope is that Verlander can get back in the Astros rotation by the end of April.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher/outfielder Henry Davis and outfielder Michael Taylor will start on the bench on Monday for the series opener against the visiting Detroit Tigers. Joey Bart will do the catching for the Bucs and will hit ninth, while Jack Suwinski is in center field and batting cleanup against Tigers right-hander Reese Olson. This will be Bart's second start in the last three games, and he could see more time behind the plate with Davis starting off his second MLB season just 4-for-30 at the plate. It helps Bart's cause that both Yasmani Grandal (foot) and Jason Delay (knee) are currently on the injured list. This will be Taylor's third straight game starting on the bench. Suwinski is just 6-for-34 (.176) in the early going but will have elevated DFS sleeper appeal in the cleanup spot on Monday.

Fantasy managers might be worried about right-hander Kevin Gausman after his disastrous first start of the season against the New York Yankees on Saturday in which he allowed six runs (five earned) in just 1 1/3 innings, but Gausman isn't too worried after the velocity on all of his pitches was down three to five mph. The 33-year-old All-Star blamed it more on the cold weather in the Bronx more than anything, and fantasy managers must remember that Gausman got a late start to the 2024 season due to right-shoulder fatigue that he dealt with in spring training. "It's just about locating a little bit better," said manager John Schneider. Gausman's velocity was down early in the year in 2023, too, so this shouldn't be a sign of bad things to come in 2024 for Toronto's ace.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (elbow) said there is no definitive target date for his return to being 100 percent recovered from offseason elbow surgery. It's been 220 days he last played third base in a game and 187 days since the extensor tendon in his right elbow was fixed. Manager Mike Shildt said the end of April was a "loose" goal, but "there's not really a timetable on it," Machado said. The All-Star third baseman said his shoulder isn't 100 percent, and he entered Sunday's finale against the Giants hitting just .190 with a .673 OPS. The 31-year-old has been told by doctors that he might not feel 100 percent until next year. Fantasy managers shouldn't panic yet, but it's fair to wonder if Machado's slow start this year at the plate is related to his elbow injury.

Chicago White Sox outfielder Robbie Grossman will get a chance to serve as the team's leadoff hitter with both Luis Robert Jr. (hip) and Eloy Jimenez (groin) on the injured list. The White Sox brought Grossman up from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday, and he's started two of the three games since. The 34-year-old veteran switch-hitter went 0-for-5 in the leadoff spot on Sunday in the loss to the Kansas City Royals, but manager Pedro Grifol said that Grossman will get more opportunities there. Andrew Benintendi will be the biggest loser fantasy-wise after being dropped to the fifth spot in the order on Sunday. Grossman can be a decent source of runs and on-base percentage now that he'll be hitting leadoff and playing often with Robert and Jimenez sidelined, making him worth a pickup at least in AL-only fantasy leagues.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (shoulder) threw 65 pitches for Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday in what was his first in-game appearance of the season. Verlander struggled, allowing six runs on seven hits in three-plus innings, but that isn't what is important here as he is still building up after experiencing right shoulder issues during spring training. The Astros were optimistic that Verlander would only need to make two rehab starts, and him getting to 65 pitches in this one is a positive sign. He will likely make another start later this week and could join Houston's rotation shortly after that.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (body) will not join the team for their upcoming series against the Atlanta Braves, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. The veteran slugger is reportedly dealing with general body soreness and will get the next few days off. Martinez was signed late in the offseason and seems to be getting back into game shape, but the process is taking longer than expected. While there are some injury concerns, the 36-year-old should be able to provide solid power for fantasy teams whenever he makes his debut.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray (hamstring) will make his team debut on Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies and will be on a pitch count of roughly 65 pitches. Gray began the 2024 season on the 15-day injured list due to a hamstring strain he suffered in spring training, but he'll be activated and make his first start of the year with his new organization in a tough matchup against the visiting Phillies on Tuesday. While the 34-year-old should be rostered in all fantasy leagues as a strong No. 3 option, it would be wise to keep him on the bench for his first start this year on a lowered pitch count next week. Originally, the Cardinals were planning on having Gray make a minor-league rehab start. He threw 54 pitches in his simulated game on Wednesday, so Gray isn't going to go very deep in his first start of the year as he continues to build up his arm.

Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien had himself a day in Friday's 10-2 blowout win over the division-rival Houston Astros, getting a hit in all three of his at-bats and bashing a three-run home run during the sixth inning. Semien smacked one 395 feet to deep left center to make the score 10-0 and get the rout fully underway. It was the first homer of the campaign for the 33-year-old fantasy stalwart, who is now slashing .333/.471/.481 with eight RBI and six runs scored across 27 ABs thus far in 2024. Hitting atop one of the most dynamic offenses in baseball, Semien has led MLB in plate appearances in three of the past four years and should serve as head-to-head gem in all fantasy formats. Dating back to 2023, Semien is batting .393 with four bombs, nine RBI, and 14 runs scored in his last 14 games against the Astros and gets Houston three more times this series.