New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (illness) is out of the starting lineup on Sunday against the Miami Marlins due to flu-like symptoms. There is some kind of bug going around the team's clubhouse right now. With Martinez under the weather, Brandon Nimmo will serve as the DH and bat third, with Tyrone Taylor in left field and hitting fifth against Marlins right-hander Sixto Sanchez. Fantasy managers will need to remove Martinez from their starting lineups and check back on Monday to see if he's feeling good enough to play in the series opener in Cleveland against the Guardians. Martinez didn't make his 2024 debut for the Mets until April 26, but he's hit the ground running and is currently batting .315 (23-for-73) with two home runs and nine RBI in 21 games. The six-time All-Star is still a nice source of power in fantasy despite being 36 years old.

Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Justin Turner (illness) is back in the lineup on Friday, serving as the DH and batting cleanup against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays and left-hander Tyler Alexander. Turner missed a few games this week while feeling under the weather, but he's back in there for the start of a series against the Rays. The 39-year-old veteran should be returned to starting fantasy lineups in redraft leagues. He's gone hitless in his last 16 plate appearances over four games but does have two home runs and five RBI in five career at-bats against Alexander. On the year, Turner has slashed .246/.317/.405 with four home runs, 16 RBI and 17 runs scored in 126 at-bats.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez smashed his second home run of the season in Wednesday's loss on the road to the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies, but it wasn't enough as his team fell in the blowout defeat. Martinez smacked his second homer of the year to make the score 10-3 in the eighth inning. Even though the 36-year-old veteran slugger isn't setting off fantasy fireworks to this point, he's slashing a serviceable .295/.338/.459 with two bombs, four doubles, and six RBI over 61 at-bats (18 games) in his first year with the Mets. He might have a decent chance to pop for a big day at the plate in Thursday's series finale against Philadelphia and right-hander Taijuan Walker, since Martinez is 7-for-14 with a homer, a double, and three RBI in 14 plate appearances against Walker in his career.

Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Justin Turner (illness) is not in the team's starting lineup on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles. Turner was under the weather on Tuesday and was scheduled to sit out, but the contest in Baltimore was postponed due to inclement weather. However, the 39-year-old veteran is still feeling bad on Wednesday and will not play. The Blue Jays have a scheduled day off on Thursday, so perhaps Turner is feeling good enough to play on Friday in the series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays. The left-handed hitting Daniel Vogelbach is serving as the DH on Wednesday and will hit seventh against Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish. On the year to this point, Turner is slashing a modest .250/.321/.411 with four home runs, 16 RBI and 17 runs scored in his first 36 games with Toronto.

New York Mets left-handed reliever Brooks Raley (elbow) will meet with Dr. Keith Meister on Tuesday to make a firmer decision on his inflamed left elbow. Raley is concerned about bone spurs and possible ligament damage in his elbow, which means his 2024 season is very much in jeopardy. Manager Carlos Mendoza said late last week that Raley is "not close" to throwing and could be shut down for the foreseeable future if Meister doesn't like what he sees on Tuesday. The 35-year-old veteran southpaw was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 21 and was initially expected to return as soon as he was eligible. In a worst-case scenario, Raley would need Tommy John surgery or an internal-brace procedure, which would keep him out for the rest of this year and the start of 2025. It would be a pretty big blow for New York's bullpen.

Updating a previous report, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer (illness) and Kevin Kiermaier (illness) and designated hitter Justin Turner (illness) are both out sick on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles. Springer missed Friday and Saturday while being sick but was able to return on Sunday before going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. It appears he's still not feeling great and will sit out another game. Turner is sick and in a slump of late, so a day off second consecutive day off should do him well. Kiermaier will miss his fourth straight game. Cavan Biggio is in right field and batting eighth, Daniel Vogelbach is the DH and is hitting fifth, while Daulton Varsho is in center field and batting second against Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes. ... [More]

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer and designated hitter Justin Turner are both sitting out on Monday for the series opener against the Orioles in Baltimore. With both veterans resting, Cavan Biggio is in right field and is hitting eighth, while Daniel Vogelbach is the DH and is batting fifth against Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes. Davis Schneider is in left field and is hitting leadoff for the Blue Jays. Springer missed Friday and Saturday against the Minnesota Twins but returned on Sunday to go 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. The 34-year-old has struggled so far in 2024 with a .200 average (29-for-145), three homers and six stolen bases. Turner has one hit in his last 22 at-bats in his last five starts, so he'll be on the bench for the second straight game. None of Toronto's replacements on Monday will be particularly attractive in DFS against Burnes.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Charlie Morton tossed seven strong innings in Friday's victory over the division-rival New York Mets, giving up one run on three hits (one home run) and one walk with seven strikeouts. Besides the seven punchouts, Morton's highlight of the night came when he escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second inning by striking out Mets third baseman Brett Baty to end the frame. The 40-year-old right-hander remains a dependable fantasy starter at this stage of his career, featuring a rock-solid 3.14 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 40:14 K:BB through 43 frames (seven starts) during the fourth season of his second stint in Atlanta this year. Morton is slated to take the hill in Wednesday's series finale at home against the Chicago Cubs. In four starts against the Cubs since 2021, Morton has a dicey 6.16 ERA and 20:11 K:BB over 19 innings.

New York Mets left-hander Brooks Raley (elbow) is "not close" to throwing, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. Raley is going to see another doctor this week in hopes that he can be cleared to throw. It's obviously bad news for a pitcher that was originally placed on the 15-day injured list on April 21, especially since he was expected to return from the IL when he was first eligible. The 35-year-old southpaw reliever probably won't return until at least June now, depending on how things go when he's cleared to resume throwing. The former sixth-round selection of the Chicago Cubs in 2009 out of Texas A&M was a key weapon out of the Mets' bullpen in 2023 with three saves, a 2.80 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 61 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Raley hadn't allowed a run in seven innings with nine K's in eight appearances this year before getting hurt.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas looked sharp during the first four innings of Tuesday's game against the New York Mets. After that, the Mets jumped on him for six earned runs on six hits during the fifth inning. Mikolas was pulled out of the game before he could even record an out in the inning. The veteran right-hander was decent last time out but has struggled during a majority of his starts this season. It appears that time has finally caught up to Mikolas who has been fairly reliable throughout his big league career. Fantasy managers probably want to stay away from Mikolas until he gets back on track.

Atlanta Braves right-hander Charlie Morton will be aiming for more success on Friday when he takes the mound for a road contest against the difficult Los Angeles Dodgers. The 40-year-old dominated the Cleveland Guardians his last time out, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing just four hits and a walk against six strikeouts but took a tough-luck no-decision in an eventual 4-2 extra-inning loss. The veteran has had an up-and-down season that includes 5 2/3 shutout innings in his first start of the season before he allowed 10 earned runs over his next two outings and 11 1/3 innings of work. However, he has not allowed just two earned runs over 13 innings in his last two starts and owns a 3.60 ERA through five starts. He will take on a Dodgers team that ranks first in baseball with a .354 wOBA versus right-handed pitching.

The New York Mets have concerns that relief pitcher Brooks Raley (elbow) could miss the remainder of the 2024 season. Manager Carlos Mendoza already stated on Thursday that Raley won't return from inflammation in his left elbow when first eligible on May 6, but this update is a bit more ominous. The 35-year-old southpaw was serving as New York's primary left-handed setup man this season, working seven scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and three walks while logging four holds over eight appearances. Although veteran lefty Jake Diekman now figures to operate as a high-leverage arm, unheralded right-hander Reed Garrett has emerged as a weapon with a 0.54 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 28:8 K:BB through 16 2/3 frames out of the Mets' bullpen this year. Reed is throwing well enough right now to warrant fantasy consideration in all formats.

New York Mets reliever Brooks Raley (elbow) will not return to the club when first eligible from the injured list on Sunday, according to skipper Carlos Mendoza. Mendoza said, "We're going to take it slow," in regards to Raley's left-elbow inflammation. The southpaw has been excellent to begin the season, working seven scoreless innings across eight appearances thus far while punching out nine of the 25 batters he has faced in that time (36% strikeout rate). It's been a good start for the 35-year-old, who had a 2.80 ERA across 66 outings with the team last season and a 2.68 ERA across 60 outings with the Rays in the 2022 campaign.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman/designated hitter Justin Turner did his part in Monday's 6-5 win over the Royals. Turner went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, a solo HR, and a strikeout. The 39-year-old veteran has continued to provide fantasy value late into his career and is now slashing .311/.390/.533 with four HR and 15 RBI in 105 plate appearances. He should continue to be a reliable source of batting average with some pop.

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.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez will retreat to the bench on Sunday for the series finale against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Martinez didn't make his 2024 debut with the Mets until Friday night after signing with the club late in spring training and then suffering a back injury while getting ramped up at extended spring training. The 36-year-old veteran right-handed went 3-for-8 in his first two games with an RBI, but he also struck out five times. The Mets plan on easing Martinez back into the fold, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he's on the bench in only his third game back. With Martinez starting on the bench, DJ Stewart will serve as the team's designated hitter and bat cleanup against Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn. The 30-year-old lefty hitter isn't a bad low-cost DFS option on Sunday in the cleanup spot. He's hitting .200 (9-for-45) on the year with three homers and 11 RBI.

New York Yankees designated hitter J.D. Martinez (back) is hitting fifth in his debut with the team on Friday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Miles Mikolas. Martinez is getting a late start to the 2024 campaign after signing with the team late in March. The 36-year-old veteran then tweaked his back while playing in extended spring training, further delaying his debut. Martinez is back now, though, and will give first baseman Pete Alonso more protection in the lineup. Martinez hit a strong .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023, and while he can still provide some decent pop in mixed fantasy leagues, nobody should be expecting him to be quite that good in New York. The Mets plan to ease Martinez back in, so don't be surprised to see him get frequent days of rest.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas will look to get straightened out when he takes the ball for a road contest against the New York Mets. The 35-year-old was knocked around for nine hits, including three homers, leading to five earned runs allowed in just 4 1/3 innings in a losing effort against the Brewers his last time out. It was the second consecutive outing and third of five on the season in which the veteran has allowed five earned runs in less than five innings this season. The rough outing raised his ERA to 6.49 through five starts, although his 4.05 xFIP, 4.28 SIERA, and solid 6% BB% suggest positive regression is likely moving forward.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (back) is set to make his debut with the team on Friday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. He's expected to give All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso more protection in the batting order after hitting 33 home runs in just 479 plate appearances in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, Martinez won't be hitting behind Alonso every day, at least not to start. Manager Carlos Mendoza said the team will ease Martinez into regular playing time, which makes sense given his age (36) and the fact he dealt with a back injury while ramping up this spring. Fantasy managers can't expect another 30-plus homer season from Martinez while getting a late start to the year, but he can provide notable pop in mixed leagues if he can stay healthy.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon is not in the starting lineup for Thursday's afternoon contest against the visiting San Diego Padres. It's not surprising to see the club give the veteran a spell in an afternoon game following an evening game on Wednesday in which Blackmon led off as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in his club's 5-2 loss. The 37-year-old is off to a sluggish start this season, hitting .228 with one homer, one stolen base, and a .659 OPS across 86 trips to the plate. At this point, Blackmon's power and speed just aren't there and he should be left on the waiver wire in all fantasy formats, including NL-only leagues.