St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar went 2-for-3 with two walks, a homer, and two runs scored in a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. Nootbaar kicked off the scoring for the Cardinals with a leadoff homer in the first inning. The veteran outfielder is off to a fast start in 2025, picking up six hits, including two homers, over 13 at-bats thus far. Nootbaar will look to continue the hot hitting as the calendar flips to April.

Detroit Tigers left-hander Brant Hurter picked up a save in a 9-6 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday. Hurter allowed two runs on three hits over three innings while striking out two to earn the first save of his career. The veteran southpaw has now made two appearances for the Tigers in 2025, allowing three earned runs on four hits over 4 1/3 innings of work. The Detroit closer situation is in flux after they demoted 2024 closer Jason Foley to Triple-A ahead of Opening Day, but Hurter is going to have to do a better job at limiting runs if he wants to work his way into the ninth-inning committee the Tigers appear content on utilizing.

Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Christian McGowan (elbow) has undergone Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career. McGowan is considered the No. 21-ranked prospect in the Phillies system on MLB.com. The 25-year-old has missed a lot of time due to injuries and will now face another extended absence. Dynasty managers should not expect him to return to the mound until later in the 2026 campaign. Last season, McGowan logged 34 1/3 innings at the Double-A level and posted a 6.29 ERA with a 1.72 WHIP. He tallied 39 punchouts and 21 free passes. During the 2023 season, McGowan logged 25 2/3 innings and held a 3.86 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP across time at High-A and Double-A. He will likely not return to the bump until the second half of the 2026 season at the earliest.

Texas Rangers starting pitching prospect Kumar Rocker allowed seven hits and six earned runs during his season debut on Monday evening against the Cincinnati Reds. Rocker was able to log just three innings of work. He tallied three punchouts but served up two walks. Rocker ran into trouble early as he allowed a leadoff single to TJ Friedl and then a two-run shot by the next batter, Matt McLain. In the second frame, he would allow another long ball, this time to shortstop Elly De La Cruz, which also scored Jose Trevino and McLain. Rocker was able to make the rotation given the injuries to Jon Gray (wrist) and Cody Bradford (elbow). Fantasy managers should monitor his second start as he could be in danger of moving to the bullpen or Triple-A if he has another rough outing. He received a brief look at the majors last season and held a 3.86 ERA with a 1.54 WHIP across 11 2/3 innings. He is projected to face the Tampa Bay Rays in his next start.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez went 2-for-3 with a home run during their victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday evening. Hernandez went deep in the opening frame off Atlanta right-hander Grant Holmes. His long ball also scored Shohei Ohtani. Later in the contest, he would add a single and a walk and eventually score twice more. Through his first six games of the campaign, the 32-year-old has enjoyed a hot start, hitting two home runs with a .545 SLG. He has tallied eight RBI but holds a modest .227 AVG. Hernandez should continue to see elite RBI opportunities batting in the top half of the potent Dodger lineup. Last season, Hernandez launched 33 home runs with 99 RBI in his first campaign as a Dodger. On Tuesday, he will have a tougher task facing Atlanta southpaw Chris Sale.