Baltimore Orioles catching prospect Samuel Basallo (elbow/hamstring) is expected to return to DH duties later in April and could return to catching in May. The top catching prospect in the sport is dealing with a mild left hamstring and right elbow inflammation. The 20-year-old was placed on the 7-day injured list after the first seven games of the Triple-A regular season. During the opening week, Basallo held a .250/.318/.550 slash line with two round-trippers. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression as he could push for an MLB debut later in the summer. Last season, Basallo spent most of the campaign with Double-A before earning a brief taste of Triple-A. In 106 games with Double-A Bowie, Basallo posted a strong .289/.355/.465 line. He remains a high-end asset in all dynasty formats.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Victor Scott II is out of the starting lineup for Game 2 of the series against the visiting Houston Astros at Busch Stadium on Tuesday. Michael Siani will get the nod in center field and will bat ninth against Astros right-hander Hunter Brown. Scott is St. Louis' primary center fielder, but he'll get a day to rest after going 3-for-17 with six strikeouts in his last five games to drop his season line to .259/.328/.389 with a .717 OPS. The 24-year-old has one homer, seven RBI, seven runs scored and five stolen bases in his first 54 at-bats. Scott should be back in there on Wednesday as he looks to get back on track with the bat. Siani, who has never faced Brown in his career, will be a low-upside DFS play out of the nine-hole on Tuesday. He has gone just 2-for-9 with two runs scored early on in 2025 as a bench player for the Cards.

New York Mets right-hander Paul Blackburn (knee) was scheduled to throw a second live batting practice session on Tuesday as he rehabs from inflammation in his right knee, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. The skipper said the goal is for Blackburn to build up to 65 to 70 pitches before he returns from the 15-day injured list. The 31-year-old veteran tossed his first live BP session last Friday and could be cleared to start a minor-league rehab assignment if he doesn't suffer a setback on Tuesday. Blackburn should be expected to need at least a couple rehab starts before rejoining the big-league roster. When he's activated, Blackburn won't be a lock for a starting rotation spot after struggling to a 5.18 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB in his five starts for the Mets to close out 2024. He won't be of much use in fantasy in a long-relief role.

New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (hand) will shift his minor-league rehab assignment from Single-A St. Lucie to Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday, instead of Triple-A Syracuse, because of weather concerns, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. In three rehab games with St. Lucie, the 23-year-old backstop went 1-for-10 with a run scored, two walks and three strikeouts. He is recovering from surgery to fix a broken hamate bone in his left hand, but if he can continue to avoid any setbacks, he could be ready to come off the injured list to make his season debut at some point next week. The Venezuelan catcher hit a disappointing 11 home runs in 2024 and played in only 100 games due to injury after clubbing a career-high 25 round-trippers in 2023. With better health once he returns, Alvarez could bounce back in the power department at a position that lacks power.

New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil (oblique) will remain with Single-A St. Lucie on his minor-league rehab assignment from a strained right oblique until Thursday before heading to Triple-A Syracuse, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. If McNeil doesn't suffer a setback with his oblique over the weekend at Syracuse, he should come off the 10-day injured list at some point next week to make his season debut. In his first two rehab starts with St. Lucie, the 33-year-old former batting champion went 2-for-5 with a walk and a run scored. When he's back in New York with the Mets, McNeil is expected to take over primary duties at second base in Queens. Until then, Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuna have been platooning at the keystone. Since winning a batting title in 2022, McNeil has mostly been an empty batting average contributor in fantasy.