Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson will stay in the team's starting lineup on Monday while facing left-hander Cristopher Sanchez and the Philadelphia Phillies. Meanwhile, left-handed-hitting outfielders Jake Fraley and Nick Martini will both retreat to the bench. Benson is in right field and is hitting in the nine-hole. To begin the year, the Reds are viewing the 25-year-old left-handed hitter as an everyday player, as he hasn't been benched for either of the two lefties the team has faced. He's obviously not as attractive at the bottom of the order against a southpaw in fantasy, but Benson is off to a strong start in 2024 for the Reds, going 5-for-12 (.417) with a home runs, three RBI and two runs scored in three games played.

Cincinnati Reds outfielders Jake Fraley and Nick Martini are both sitting out on Monday versus a left-handed hitter. Fraley is fantasy relevant in mixed leagues because of his dominance against right-handed pitching, but he's been on the bench for two of the first four games against left-handed pitchers. The 28-year-old has otherwise started hot, getting a hit in five of his first eight at-bats of the year with a stolen base and two runs scored for the Reds. Martini is also on the bench for the second time against a lefty, but he went 4-for-8 with two home runs and seven RBI in the two games he's playing to open things up. Will Benson is in right field and is batting ninth, while Stuart Fairchild is in center for the Reds and is hitting seventh on Monday against Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez.

Washington Nationals outfielders Eddie Rosario and Joey Gallo and second baseman Luis Garcia are all on the bench on Monday with the team facing a left-hander in Pittsburgh Pirates southpaw Marco Gonzales. Victor Robles is getting the start in center field and is batting ninth, Joey Meneses is starting at first base and batting third, and Ildemaro Vargas is at the keystone and hitting seventh. Rosario started the first three games of the year for the Nats in center field and went 3-for-11 with a home run over the weekend. Gallo also started each of the team's first three games against right-handed pitchers and went hitless in 12 at-bats with six strikeouts. The 30-year-old slugger is unlikely to play much against lefties in 2024. Garcia went 2-for-11 with a walk and four strikeouts in the first three games of the year.

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jared Triolo (knee) said he woke up on Monday feeling "a lot better" after fouling a ball off his knee on Sunday, but he's out of the lineup against the Washington Nationals as a precaution. Triolo ended up staying in the 9-7 win over the Miami Marlins on Sunday, so his injury isn't anything serious and shouldn't land him on the injured list. With an off day coming on Tuesday, the 26-year-old could be back in action as soon as Wednesday versus the Nationals. Alika Williams will get the start at second base on Monday and is hitting ninth against Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore. In the first four games of the year, Triolo has gone 5-for-17 (.294) with two RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in 20 plate appearances.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz is starting at shortstop and is hitting seventh in the batting order on Monday against the Washington Nationals and left-hander MacKenzie Gore. Cruz got a day off on Sunday and hasn't hit higher than sixth in the team's batting order so far in 2024, which isn't what fantasy managers want to see. In the early going, Cruz has gone 5-for-16 with a home run and two RBI. While he remains one of the most impressive young shortstops in the game, his fantasy value will be limited by a lack of RBI opportunities if he continues to hit near the bottom of Pittsburgh's batting order all year long. Now that he's back in the lineup for the start of the series against Washington, fantasy managers in single-year leagues need to get him back in their lineups.