New York Mets DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez (illness) is back at DH and is batting cleanup for the Mets on Monday against the Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Ben Lively. Martinez was held out of Sunday's lineup in the series finale against the Miami Marlins due to flu-like symptoms but is feeling good enough to return to action against a pitcher he's never faced in his career. The 36-year-old right-handed slugger got a late start to the 2024 campaign after signing with the Mets late. He opened the year playing in minor leagues to get his timing at the plate down, and it seems to have worked, as he's currently hitting .315/.359/.466 with two home runs in his first 21 games of the season. Fantasy managers will want to get the veteran DH back in their starting lineups to begin the week.

The New York Mets officially activated pitcher Tylor Megill (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list. Megill went on the IL in late March with a shoulder strain after tossing four innings of one-run ball against the Milwaukee Brewers on March 31. Monday will mark his second start of the season, and his first since that March 31 outing. In his first start back, expect the right-hander to be on somewhat of a pitch count. However, he could be a nice streaming option against the Cleveland Guardians. He threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts in his last rehab start in Triple-A. To activate him, the Mets optioned pitcher Grant Hartwig to Triple-A Syracuse.

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Alex Young (back) has allowed just one unearned run over eight relief appearances and 8 1/3 innings during his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville. Young also pitched on back-to-back days on Saturday and Sunday and worked a scoreless inning in both games. The 30-year-old southpaw reliever begin his rehab assignment on May 2 after being out all year to this point in the majors due to lower-back disc degeneration. It explains why the reliever has been extended on his rehab assignment, but he has to be getting close to returning to Cincinnati's bullpen at this point. When healthy, Young gives the Reds another lefty arm in their bullpen. In his first year with the Reds in 2023, Young had a 4-2 record, 3.86 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, his first career save, 20 walks and 50 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings pitched.

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo put the finishing touches on Sunday's win over the division-rival Miami Marlins, mashing a two-run home run in the ninth inning. Nimmo got a hold of an Anthony Bender changeup for a few insurance runs and his seventh homer of the campaign late on Sunday. Although the 31-year-old veteran is still batting just .217 (34-for-157) this season, he's got seven big flies, eight doubles, 29 RBI, and 29 walks for a .777 OPS through 43 outings. Nimmo moved to the third spot in New York's lineup in Saturday's game against Miami, and if his numbers begin progressing toward his .297 xBA and .556 xSLG on Baseball Savant, Nimmo could become a high-end four-category fantasy contributor. The Cleveland Guardians are on tap, but Nimmo went just 3-for-14 with one round-tripper in three games against the Guardians last year.

New York Mets reliever Reed Garrett closed out the Miami Marlins on Sunday, pitching the final two frames of a 7-3 victory. Garrett came in with a one-run lead, but the Mets scored three in the top of the ninth to give him a bigger cushion. The breakout reliever allowed just one hit while striking out four for his second save of the season. With Edwin Diaz being temporarily removed from the closer's role, Garrett should see a big uptick in save opportunities and should become the team's highest-leverage reliever. While that doesn't necessarily mean he will be the outright closer, he should still be added in most fantasy leagues at this time.