

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (undisclosed) has been scratched from the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The team hasn't given a reason why Kepler was scratched, but it's probably related to his lingering knee issue. For now, fantasy managers should consider Kepler as day-to-day until further notice. Carlos Santana will replace him in the lineup, while Trevor Larnach takes over the designated hitter spot against right-hander Zack Littell. Larnach has been a surprisingly decent bat for the Twins this season. He's hitting .253 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI, so he'll probably see more time at DH until Kepler returns.UPDATE: Kepler was scratched with left-knee soreness after missing time last week with the same injury.


Detroit Tigers pitcher Tyler Holton has been named the opener for Monday's game against the San Diego Padres. The left-hander has been an important piece to the bullpen this season. He holds a 2.44 ERA and 0.83 WHIP across 77.1 innings this season. Unlike most relievers, Holton has been able to throw multiple innings during most of his outings. He figures to give the Tigers a few innings on Monday before Ty Madden takes over for a bulk of the relief. This seems like a good idea for Detroit, but fantasy managers won't get much value with these pitchers only throwing a few innings each.


Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said the team has discussed having right-hander Jacob deGrom (elbow) make his next start with the big-league club, but it's more likely that deGrom will make one final minor-league rehab start this weekend for Double-A Frisco on Saturday. "That's an option. But I don't think that's what we're going to do," Bochy said. With the Rangers well out of postseason contention, there's really no rush for them to push the 36-year-old veteran back to the big leagues, so it's more likely that he won't make his 2024 debut until next weekend against the division-rival Seattle Mariners. deGrom has been out all season while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. Fantasy managers expecting him to suddenly return to his Cy Young form for a few starts to close out the year would be foolish.


New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said it's still "very much in play" that outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez gets called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. "Frankly, there's probably no one higher on Jasson Dominguez than me. He's very much in the mix, but we're not ready to make that move yet," Boone said. Dominguez was not one of the players that the Yankees called up when rosters expanded on Sunday, although the 21-year-old they call the Martian is still an option to join the Bombers down the stretch. He should be rostered in most fantasy leagues since he could make an immediate impact in all categories if he comes up and sees regular playing time, but he's also running out of time to make noise in fantasy. The Dominican switch-hitter has been injured in 2024 but has been excellent at Triple-A when healthy, slashing .298/.354/.457 with five homers, 18 RBI and 14 steals in 38 games.


New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga (calf), who has pitched in just one game in 2024 due to shoulder and calf injuries, said on Monday that he's open to the idea of coming out of the bullpen in a relief role in late September and October if he's healthy enough to do so. It's more of a theoretical idea more than anything right now. Senga is eligible to come off the injured list on Sept. 26 and must ramp up with bullpen sessions before facing live hitters and potentially going on a minor-league rehab assignment. The good news is he's trending well enough that manager Carlos Mendoza considers it possible for Senga to return from the IL when he's eligible. Senga said he should start throwing bullpens "very soon," and at that point the Mets will have a better idea of his timetable. Obviously, fantasy managers can move on from Senga in single-year leagues since he won't be able to make any more starts this year.
