
San Diego Padres starting pitcher Nick Pivetta continued his strong start to the season in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Giants. Pivetta pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits (including a solo home run) and a walk with nine strikeouts. Everything has come together for the 32-year-old in his first six starts, going 5-1 with a 1.78 ERA, a 0.82 WHIP, and a 9.93 K/9 rate while averaging almost 6 IP/GS. Pivetta's future fortunes will hinge on his next matchup, which will be either at the Pirates or at the Yankees. Even if it is the latter matchup, fantasy managers may feel compelled to start him given how well he has performed.

Boston Red Sox third baseman/designated hitter Rafael Devers continued to pick up the power pace in Tuesday's 10-2 win over the Blue Jays. Devers went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk, and a strikeout. The 28-year-old clobbered a third-inning Bowden Francis off-speed pitch deep into the right-field seats for his fifth HR of the season and his third in the last four games. It has been a rough start to the season offensively for Devers, who has struggled with strikeouts and has produced little batting average and power. However, he has stepped things up recently, batting .231 with three HR and a double in his last seven games. Even that stretch is less than fantasy managers are expecting, but it is encouraging to see Devers trending in the right direction.

The Houston Astros are expected to call up starting pitching prospect A.J. Blubaugh from Triple-A Sugar Land to make his big-league debut in Wednesday's game against the Tigers, per the Athletic's Chandler Rome. He will be making a spot start for Hayden Wesneski, whom manager Joe Espada said "needs a couple more days to recover from his last start." The 24-year-old pitching prospect is not on the 40-man roster, so the Astros will need to make a corresponding move. Blubaugh currently owns a 4.29 ERA in 21 innings pitched at Triple-A. He has flashed high strikeout upside but also some walk issues throughout his minor-league career. While Blubaugh will have a solid offense backing him, fantasy managers should first wait to see how his debut goes and then see if he can carve out a role with the team before trusting him.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez did not have his best stuff in Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Mets. Rodriguez pitched just four innings, allowing eight runs on nine hits (including three home runs) and a walk with one strikeout. The 32-year-old has been erratic this season, with this start adding one-and-a-half runs to his season ERA. He is now 1-3 with a 6.06 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP, and a 9.64 K/9 rate in six starts and 32 2/3 IP. Unfortunately, things won't get easier for E Rod in his next scheduled start, which will be at the Phillies. Fantasy managers may consider sitting him for that matchup given the potential for another low-floor outing.

Texas Rangers utilityman Josh Smith continued his solid offensive start to the season in Tuesday's 15-2 win over the Athletics. Playing shortstop, Smith went 3-for-4 with three singles, two RBI, a walk, and a strikeout. He also stole a base. The 27-year-old has provided a bit of everything to start the season, slashing .319/.402/.458 with two home runs, 13 runs scored, six RBI, and four stolen bases in 83 plate appearances. His defensive versatility has helped him get at-bats, and he should have an opportunity to see more time at shortstop in the short-term with teammate Corey Seager (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain.Smith is currently rostered in just 18 percent of leagues, meaning he could be available even in deeper roto leagues at this time.
