San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Mason Black had a rough afternoon in Monday's 6-1 defeat on the road to the Philadelphia Phillies, coughing up five runs on eight hits (one home run) and three walks with five punchouts over 4 1/3 innings while taking the loss. It was neither a good major-league debut nor homecoming for the Pennsylvania native, who did manage to come away unscathed through the first three innings before a couple of two-out walks in the fourth frame ended up opening up the floodgates for the Phillies. If the 24-year-old right-hander gets another turn in San Fran's rotation, it would likely come on Saturday at home against the Cincinnati Reds. He'll probably head back to the farm once Blake Snell (adductor) is ready to come off the injured list, but Black will feature some short-term fantasy appeal against a Reds team that ranks 29th in batting average (.210) this season.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (thumb) had the stitches removed in his surgically-repaired left thumb on Monday. Alvarez is traveling with the team so he can continue taking part in pregame meetings between pitchers and catchers, but he's still only two weeks into a roughly eight-week rehab process. The 22-year-old former top prospect isn't expected to be available to the Mets until late June, and his .236/.288/.364 triple-slash line with one home run, eight RBI, eight runs scored, and one stolen base over 55 at-bats (16 games) before getting sidelined makes him only a borderline stash in shallow mixed fantasy leagues. Veterans Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido are filling in behind the plate for the time being, but both backstops are hitting under the Mendoza line and are very low-upside choices in two-catcher setups at the bottom of New York's lineup.

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez belted his seventh home run of the 2024 regular season in Monday's 2-1 win over the division-rival Detroit Tigers, helping lift his team to victory. Ramirez's go-ahead blast came in the eighth inning, and it was his second homer in as many days after going yard in Sunday's series finale against the Los Angeles Angels. It's been a much-needed rebound for Ramirez, who was mired in a 3-for-28 dry spell over eight games prior to Sunday. The 31-year-old perennial All-Star is still slashing a disappointing .230/.278/.432 on the season, but he does have seven bombs, 28 RBI, 23 runs scored, and five stolen bases covering 139 at-bats (34 games) for the Guardians. Ramirez will try to solve his woes against the Tigers during the final two contests of this three-game series, as he's batting just .167 (9-for-54) with three round-trippers and six RBI across 14 games versus Detroit since 2023.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler earned his fourth win of the 2024 regular season in Monday's 6-1 victory over the visiting San Francisco Giants, fanning double-digit batters (11) for the third time this year while throwing seven innings of one-run ball on four hits and one walk. After going winless through his first four starts of the campaign, Wheeler has notched four wins in a row and given up a lone run over this hot streak. Overall, the 33-year-old All-Star right-hander owns a 1.64 ERA, and 0.89 WHIP while striking out 63 and walking only 13 over 49 1/3 frames (eight starts) for the Phillies this year. With Philly seemingly riding a six-man rotation at the moment, Wheeler's next turn doesn't line up until next Monday against the division-rival New York Mets at Citi Field. In six appearances against the Mets since 2022, Wheeler shows just a 5.24 ERA and 35:12 K:BB through 34 1/3 innings.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl (wrist), who played in the fourth game of his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Sunday, could return as soon as Tuesday's series opener versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. Friedl was scheduled to have a call with manager David Bell and other decision-makers on Sunday regarding this matter. Friedl has gone 4-for-16 (.250) with two RBI and three doubles over his four outings in the minors as he recuperates from a fractured right wrist that he suffered during spring training, and fantasy managers should consider adding the center fielder in all leagues with his activation from the injured list sounding imminent. Last season, the speedy 28-year-old slashed a potent .279/.352/.467 with 18 home runs, 66 RBI, 73 runs scored, and 27 stolen bases across 556 plate appearances as Cincy's primary center fielder. When Friedl returns to the Reds, Will Benson is going to lose playing time.