Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that outfielder Austin Hays (hamstring) is out of the starting lineup on Tuesday against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals due to a "tender" hamstring that is being looked at. Hays has been one of the hotter bats in baseball lately, so fantasy managers would hate to lose the 29-year-old for an extended period of time. For now, consider him to be day-to-day and check back on Wednesday to see if he's back in the starting lineup. With Hays sitting for Game 2 of the series against St. Louis, Santiago Espinal is starting in left field and batting eighth against Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas. Espinal has hit .167 in just six career at-bats against Mikolas. Hays has played in only 13 games so far due to injury, but he's hitting a robust .365 (19-for-52) with five homers, three doubles and 13 RBI in his 58 trips to the plate. As long as he's healthy, he's a lineup regular for Cincy.

New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza called left-handed reliever A.J. Minter's (lat) injury "pretty significant," and season-ending surgery is a possibility. Minter strained his lat on Saturday against the division-rival Washington Nationals and might have to miss the rest of the 2025 season as a result. It would be a big blow for the Mets' bullpen, as the 31-year-old veteran southpaw had only allowed two earned runs on six hits with five walks and 14 strikeouts in 11 relief innings in his first year with the team. The long-time Atlanta Braves reliever also required season-ending surgery last August for a recurring hip issue. At the very least, he will most likely be out for the rest of the first half of the season. Danny Young is currently the Mets' only left-hander in their major-league bullpen after the injury to Minter.

Updating a previous report, New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (illness) is out of the lineup on Tuesday against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks with some sort of flu, according to Newsday's Laura Albanese. Nimmo is getting an IV and could be available to play off the bench. With Nimmo under the weather, Jose Azocar will man left field in Queens and will bat ninth against Diamondbacks left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. It was a bit odd to see Nimmo out of the starting lineup a day after going 4-for-6 with two home runs and nine RBI, but now we know it's because he's not feeling well. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Wednesday to see if he's feeling good enough to return to action. Azocar has four hits in his first 10 at-bats with the Mets this year, but those playing DFS will want to avoid the 28-year-old Venezuelan out of the nine-hole.

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel (knee) is back at first base and is batting in the two-hole for Tuesday's contest against the division-rival Seattle Mariners and right-hander Bryce Miller at T-Mobile Park. Schanuel bruised his right knee on Saturday when he fouled a pitch off of it against the Minnesota Twins, and he was held out of Sunday's lineup as a result. But after a day off on Monday, the 23-year-old left-handed hitter will return to the starting nine. The former 11th overall pick in 2023 out of Florida Atlantic University comes into Tuesday's contest slashing a mediocre .247/.327/.382 with a .709 OPS, two home runs, eight RBI and 11 runs scored in 89 at-bats. Schanuel has gone hitless in his last 11 plate appearances with four strikeouts in four games and is hitless in five career at-bats against Miller.

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that infielder Jeimer Candelario (back) spoke up on Tuesday about a lower-back injury that he's been dealing with. The Reds are looking at Candelario, who is out of the starting lineup for Tuesday's divisional tilt against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Spencer Steer is at first base and batting sixth, while Noelvi Marte is at the hot corner and hitting fifth against Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas. Candelario has found himself on the bench more of late due to his slow start at the plate, and his back injury could be the primary culprit. The 31-year-old switch-hitter is batting just .113/.198/.213 with two homers and 10 RBI in the first month of the season. Don't rule out an injured-list stint if his back doesn't improve. Marte will benefit from a playing-time standpoint for however long Candelario is out.