The San Diego Padres activated outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (thigh) from the 60-day injured list on Monday, and he's starting in right field and batting second in the series opener at Petco Park against the Detroit Tigers and left-hander Tyler Holton. Tatis has spent the last 72 days on the IL due to a stress reaction in his right femur (thigh bone). The 25-year-old All-Star played with the injury almost the entire first three months of the season and was the team leader with 14 home runs while also ranking 13th in the National League with an .821 OPS at the time he was put on the IL. Tatis had been taking live at-bats at the team's spring training complex in Arizona against minor-leaguers before his activation, but he still could have some rest days in the near future to ease him back in. But when he's in the lineup for the Friars, he's a must-start in fantasy lineups.

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said on Monday that the team's upcoming road trip that starts on Tuesday in San Francisco against the division-rival Giants and runs through Sunday, Sept. 8, against the Houston Astros is in play for second baseman Ketel Marte (ankle) to return from the 10-day injured list. An ankle sprain has kept the 30-year-old All-Star out of action since he landed on the IL on Aug. 19, but it appears he's making great progress and has a shot at returning this week. Marte could be eased back in, but when healthy, he's a must-start in all fantasy lineups as Arizona's starting second baseman. Marte will be returning to a .298/.370/.560 slash line with a .930 OPS, 30 home runs, 81 RBI and six steals in his 116 games. He needs just three more home runs the rest of the way to set a new career-high in that category.

According to three people briefed on the matter, Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker (shin) suffered a fractured shin early on June 3 against the St. Louis Cardinals, which has caused him to miss nearly three months. When asked on Saturday whether Tucker's shin had a fracture, general manager Dana Brown said it did not. Since Tucker went on the injured list, the Astros have called his injury a "deep bruise of the bone" or a "shin contusion." "After several rounds of medical imaging, we suspect there was some type of small fracture," Brown said on Monday. The 27-year-old All-Star slugger has been running at full speed and taking batting practice off minor-league pitchers, though, and accompanied the team to Cincinnati for a three-game series against the Reds that starts on Monday. Brown said on Sunday that Tucker could "potentially" return from the IL on either Wednesday or Thursday without going on a rehab assignment.

St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz, who was activated from the 60-day injured list on Sunday, will make the start for Tuesday's contest against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. The move to start Matz will give right-hander Erick Fedde an extra day of rest this week. Matz was available out of the bullpen on Sunday for the series finale in the Bronx against the New York Yankees, but he didn't pitch. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw has made only six starts for the Cards in 2024, and not since April 30. He wasn't very good in those six starts, yielding a 6.18 ERA and 1.73 WHIP while striking out only 17 and walking 11 in 27 2/3 innings, so fantasy managers should probably be looking to avoid him on Tuesday against the first-place Brewers. Matz is likely to head back to the bullpen after Tuesday's spot start, too, so leave him on the waiver wire in mixed leagues.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) is starting a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Monday and will play center field. Buxton has been sidelined since the middle of August with a hip injury, but he's getting close to a return and could rejoin the big-league roster later this week, barring a setback on the farm. Buxton is scheduled to play seven innings in center field on Monday before taking the day off on Tuesday and then playing nine innings on defense on Wednesday. If all goes well, the 30-year-old outfielder could be activated from the 10-day injured list before Friday's series opener on the road at Kaufmann Stadium against the Kansas City Royals. The Twins could choose to ease Buxton back into center-field duties at the major-league level once he's back. The former first-rounder doesn't run much these days but can still provide decent power and speed for fantasy managers.