Baltimore Orioles infielder Jorge Mateo is on the bench for Monday's contest against the visiting Kansas City Royals. The middle infielder went 1-for-2 with a strikeout in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels before being lifted for the lefty-swinging Tony Kemp. Mateo got off to a strong start last season but struggled mightily afterward and finished with a .217 batting average alongside seven home runs across 116 appearances. He did steal 32 bases, however, but is in line to see much less playing time this season, as indicated by his six plate appearances through his team's first three games this season. He boasts plenty of speed but his lack of playing time leaves him well off the fantasy radar in the 2024 campaign.

Washington Nationals outfielder Victor Robles is back in the starting lineup on Monday and will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates and left-hander Marco Gonzales. Robles didn't start Monday's 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds but did enter the game as a defensive replacement late. He will hit ninth and man center field on Monday. The 26-year-old was limited to just 36 games due to a back injury in the 2023 season but hit a resurgent .299 with eight stolen bases. Although he didn't homer in his 126 plate appearances he increased his walk rate to 8.7% and struck out in just 14.3% of his trips to the plate. His lack of power and lengthy history of subpar production at the plate leaves him off the fantasy radar in the 2024 season.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski is on the bench to start Monday's contest against the Washington Nationals. It's been a tough start to the season for the lefty-swinging outfielder, but not from a performance standpoint but rather a playing time standpoint as the Pirates have faced a wealth of left-handed starters to begin the season and will do so again on Monday in the form of MacKenzie Gore. The 25-year-old started just two of the four games against the Marlins over the weekend, although he has still racked up 15 plate appearances thanks to pinch-hitting opportunities. He is 2-for-14 (.143) with a walk to begin the season but still offers a nice combination of power and speed coming off a 26-homer, 13-steal season in the 2023 campaign.

The New York Mets have placed right-hander Tylor Megill on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder strain. The 28-year-old won a spot in the Mets' rotation to begin the season but was removed from his first start of the season on Sunday after four innings due to what was initially described as tenderness in his right shoulder. An MRI revealed the strain. Megill made 25 starts with the Mets last season but posted a 4.70 ERA alongside a weak 5.6% K-BB% in his 126 1/3 innings of work. A strong spring that saw him toss a 3.92 ERA in six outings with 23 strikeouts against six walks in 20 2/3 innings earned him a shot in the rotation to begin the season but he will hit the shelf for at least the next couple of weeks.UPDATE: Megill said he won't throw for the next five days, but the plan is for him to begin ramping up again after that. He sees it as the type of shoulder strain that will knock him out for a couple of starts rather than the type that could cost him significant time.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off the visiting Washington Nationals on Sunday. Encarnacion-Strand finished the series finale by going 1-for-5 with the solo home run and two strikeouts in the 6-5 win. Outfielder Will Benson tied the game with a two-run homer, and CEH finished the Nats off with his solo blast to get the Gatorade shower. It was a nice way to cap off the game for the 24-year-old, as he was 0-for-12 to start the season prior to the blast. Encarnacion-Strand showed off impressive power in his rookie season last year, but he also struck out at almost a 30% clip. Between first base and designated hitter, he should be a lineup regular for Cincy in 2024 after the team moved on from Joey Votto. Hopefully, Encarnacion-Strand's walk-off homer will now get him going.