Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said on Tuesday that starting pitcher Cristian Javier (neck) is an option to start Sunday's series finale against the division-rival Seattle Mariners. A lot will depend on how the next few days go for Javier, who threw off the mound ahead of Tuesday's game versus the visiting Cleveland Guardians as he recuperates from discomfort in his neck. If Javier comes away with no setbacks in his throwing progression, it looks like he won't need a brief minor-league rehab assignment before the Stros activate him from the injured list. The 27-year-old star right-hander owns a 1.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 18:11 K:BB over 23 1/3 innings (four starts) out of Houston's injury-riddled rotation, and his return would almost certainly send struggling rookie righty Spencer Arrighetti back to the minor leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar designated hitter Shohei Ohtani isn't in the team's lineup on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks for the first time this year against left-hander Jordan Montgomery. Catcher Will Smith will serve as the Dodgers' DH and hit third, while Austin Barnes will do the catching and bat in the nine-hole against Montgomery. Ohtani has gone just 5-for-26 in the last six games, so he's deserving of a day off and will get another day to rest on Thursday before the team begins a big series on Friday against the Atlanta Braves. Despite his recent skid, the 29-year-old Japanese left-handed slugger is slashing an impressive .336/.399/.618 with a 1.017 OPS, seven home runs, 19 RBI, five stolen bases and 25 runs scored in his first 32 games with the Blue. Smith has a solo homer among his two hits in four career at-bats against Montgomery.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that third baseman Isaac Paredes was out of the starting lineup in Wednesday's loss to the Milwaukee Brewers because his body and arm are "barking a little bit." The Rays have a scheduled off day on Thursday before beginning a weekend series on Friday at home against the visiting New York Mets, so we'd expect Paredes to be back in action then. If the 25-year-old Mexican infielder is back in there on Friday, fantasy baseball managers will want to get him back into their lineups in all formats. Paredes is currently slashing a strong .291/.358/.509 with an .867 OPS, seven home runs, 17 RBI and 14 runs scored in 110 at-bats. He had a career-high 31 long balls in 2023 and also drove in a career-high 98 runs.

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Isaac Paredes and outfielder/designated hitter Harold Ramirez are not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the hosting Milwaukee Brewers. Curtis Mead is starting at third base and batting ninth, while Yandy Diaz is the designated hitter and batting leadoff against Brewers right-hander Colin Rea. Austin Shenton is at first base and is hitting fifth. Paredes will take a seat after starting each of the team's last 11 games. The 25-year-old has been a solid fantasy contributor with a .291/.358/.509 slash line, an .867 OPS, seven home runs and 17 RBI in 110 at-bats. Ramirez will be on the bench for the third time in the last five games and is losing playing time while going 27-for-106 (.255) to open the year with a homer, 10 RBI and three steals. With Jonathan Aranda's (finger) return on the horizon, Ramirez's fantasy stock could plummet even further.

Cincinnati Reds corner infielder Jeimer Candelario went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss against the San Diego Padres. The round tripper was the third of the season for the offseason acquisition. Candelario has struggled early on with his new club to the tune of a .189 batting average and nine RBI. Candelario has been a good source of pop in the past, but he has not been hitting the ball hard this season and the results have shown. It is still early enough in the season to be patient, but managers in smaller leagues can think about swapping him out for a player swinging a hot bat or one with more upside at this point.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery will not make his scheduled start in Tuesday's game against the Dodgers because the game was delayed to deal with a bee infestation by home plate. Brandon Hughes, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Reno earlier in the day, will fill in to start instead. Fantasy managers should keep an eye out for more news regarding Montgomery's next start. Hughes had a 1.84 ERA in 14 2/3 relief innings in Triple-A this season, but fantasy managers should not trust him against the Dodgers.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Dean Kremer tossed seven innings of two-run ball on Tuesday against the New York Yankees en route to his second victory of the season. Kremer's damage came from two solo home runs, one from backstop Austin Wells in the third inning and the other off outfielder Juan Soto in the sixth. This was the second time this season that Kremer threw seven innings, and he now sits with a 4.19 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. The 28-year-old has now won back-to-back starts and hopes to keep the momentum rolling as he lined up to face the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, May 5th.

Miami Marlins left-hander A.J. Puk (shoulder) is throwing a bullpen session on Tuesday. Puk is progressing through fatigue in his left shoulder, but his return timetable remains very much in the dark at this point. The 29-year-old former No. 6 overall pick scuffled as a starter in four appearances for the Fish this season, recording a 9.22 ERA, 2.63 WHIP, and 12:17 K:BB through 13 2/3 innings before going down, and Puk will return out of Miami's bullpen when he's healthy. Although Puk could eventually be a threat for saves when he rejoins the major-league roster, he's not a must-stash fantasy player by any means. Closer Tanner Scott owns a 3.09 ERA (5.64 FIP), 1.62 WHIP, and 10:12 K:BB over 11 2/3 frames this year, and it probably wouldn't hurt fantasy managers to send out some sell-high trade offers when Puk's return becomes closer.

The Minnesota Twins have activated right-hander Jhoan Duran (oblique), who has missed the start of the season due to an oblique injury. Last season, the right-hander had 27 saves with a 2.45 ERA. Duran is one of the top closers in fantasy baseball and is expected to resume his role as the closer after his two-game rehab stint in Triple-A, as his fastball clocked in at an average of 101.8 mph. In a corresponding move, the Twins have designated right-hander Matt Bowman for assignment. Bowman had a 2.35 ERA in five games in 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs out of the bullpen.

The Chicago White Sox signed first baseman Jared Walsh to a minor-league deal on Tuesday. He will report to Arizona before being assigned to Triple-A Charlotte. Walsh began the year with the Texas Rangers and went 12-for-53 (.226) with a home run, seven RBI and nine runs scored in 17 games while filling in at first base with Nathaniel Lowe starting the year on the injured list. Once Lowe returned from his injury, the Rangers cut Walsh. At this point, the White Sox are just looking for warm bodies with potential. For the time being, the 30-year-old Walsh will provide minor-league depth at first base. The former 39th-round pick by the Los Angeles Angels in 2015 out of Georgia has a career .239/.301/.438 slash line with 59 home runs and 191 RBI in six seasons, including this year.

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani contributed to Monday's 8-4 victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ohtani went 2-for-4 with one run, one RBI, and walked once. He continues to be a huge contributor to an already powerful Dodgers lineup this season. He is slashing .341/.406/.635 through 31 games. He is 43-for-126 with 14 doubles, one triple, seven homers, 19 RBI, 25 runs, 15 walks and 25 strikeouts. There is no question about the power that Ohtani brings to the plate and, fantasy managers already know to continue locking him in.

It wasn't pretty, but Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Jason Adam picked up his first save of the season in Monday's 1-0 win over the Brewers. Adam came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning up by one. He allowed a leadoff double, got the first out on a line-out, allowed a walk, allowed a double steal, got the second out on a past-ball strikeout where the runners were held due to batter's interference, hit a batter to load the bases, and finally ended things with a strikeout. The 32-year-old racked up 12 saves last season when Pete Fairbanks (hand) was on the injured list, and Fairbanks is now serving a stint with a hand injury. Given his history serving as interim closer, Adam is worth rostering in at least all roto leagues at this time.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Danny Coulombe picked up his first save of the season in Monday's 2-0 win over the Yankees. Coulombe entered the game to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two and turned in a 1-2-3 outing with no strikeouts. Closer Craig Kimbrel (back) is currently day-to-day with back tightness, so Coulombe was called upon to close things out. The 34-year-old has pitched well this season with a 3.18 ERA, an 11.12 K/9 rate, and a 1.59 BB/9 rate in 11 1/3 IP. His fantasy value will remain limited without seeing routine high-leverage situations, but he could provide value in saves-plus-holds leagues if he ends up getting interim save opportunities.

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Cionel Perez (oblique) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Monday and pitched a scoreless inning in a 2-0 win over the Yankees. Perez had been dealing with a right oblique strain. Dillon Tate was optioned in a corresponding move. Perez has made just two appearances this season, allowing two runs over an inning plus of work. The 28-year-old has been a reliable later-inning arm for the O's over the past couple of seasons, making him worth a look in saves-plus-holds leagues.

The Tampa Bay Rays placed right-hander Chris Devenski (knee) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 26) on Monday with right-knee tendinitis and recalled left-hander Jacob Lopez from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. Devenski will be eligible to return to the Rays bullpen on May 11. The former 25th-round pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2011 out of Cal State Fullerton has had a rough start to his first full season with the Rays, as he's allowed 17 runs (12 earned) on 19 hits while walking six and striking out 11 in 14 innings out of Tampa's bullpen. Devenski is not on the fantasy radar at all and could be designated for assignment once he's ready to come off the injured list in May.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes looks to maintain his strong start to the 2024 season when he takes the ball for Tuesday's start on the road against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. Although Cortes had a sluggish start in spring training, he's throwing for a rock-solid 3.50 ERA (3.71 FIP), 1.00 WHIP, and 32:5 K:BB over 36 innings (six starts) to begin the regular season. The 29-year-old left-hander now has to do battle with a high-powered offense, but in his last seven appearances versus the O's since 2021, Cortes is 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA and 59:11 K:BB across 41 2/3 frames. Baltimore's current roster is batting a career .180 (18-for-100) with just four extra-base hits against Cortes, who should be rostered in all fantasy leagues ahead of Monday night's waiver runs and makes for an interesting DFS tournament play on Tuesday in a difficult setup on paper.

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (oblique) took grounders before Monday's game versus the Atlanta Braves. Crawford also reported after Sunday's pregame activity that he's feeling much better as he recuperates from a Grade 1 right oblique strain. The M's believe that his timeline is still a matter of multiple weeks, however, so fantasy managers should not be expecting Crawford to be reinstated from the injured list when first eligible on May 5. The 29-year-old on-base machine is only worth stashing in formats that record walks, as evidenced by his .198/.296/.302 triple-slash line with two home runs, nine RBI, and 13 runs scored in 86 at-bats (22 games). Utility man Josh Rojas is seeing more action in the leadoff spot and should be considered in AL-only or deep mixed leagues in Crawford's stead, slashing a robust .297/.366/.516 with three home runs, six RBI, 10 runs scored, and one stolen base in 64 ABs (20 games).

Houston Astros starting pitcher Cristian Javier (neck) threw a bullpen session prior to Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies. Javier had flown to Chicago on Tuesday to receive treatment and get checked out by team doctors, and he appears to be progressing well in his recovery from discomfort in his neck. There's a chance the 27-year-old star right-hander could come off the 15-day injured list and start in this upcoming weekend's three-game series against the division-rival Seattle Mariners, which begins on Friday. With a 1.54 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 18 strikeouts and 11 walks through 23 1/3 innings (four starts) for the Stros this season, Javier is certainly a must-stash fantasy player with his return perhaps looming. Rookie righty Spencer Arrighetti will draw Thursday's start against the visiting Cleveland Guardians, but he's given up 13 runs across 10 2/3 frames in Houston's injury-riddled rotation this year.

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.UPDATE: Manager Rocco Baldelli said Duran will likely be activated on Tuesday.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez made his return to the mound during Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies. The left-hander looked sharp during his return after missing time due to elbow inflammation. Valdez went five innings, struck out six batters, and walked none in the victory. He only threw 71 pitches during this game, which is around what Houston wanted. Valdez didn't have a rehab stint, so the Astros will likely ease him back to full speed.