Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (neck, throat) is catching and batting cleanup for the Phillies on Wednesday versus the St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Lance Lynn. It's a bit of a surprise that Realmuto is playing in the series finale after taking a dirt ball to the neck/throat area while trying to block an errant pitch from right-hander Zack Wheeler on Tuesday night. The 33-year-old All-Star backstop was in a lot of pain and had to be removed from the game, but he's back in there on Wednesday and should remain in all starting lineups in single-season fantasy leagues. Realmuto has two home runs and four RBI in his first nine games this year but has only one hit in 10 career at-bats against the veteran Lynn.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is getting the day off for the matinee game on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins. Austin Barnes will catch right-hander Bobby Miller and will hit ninth against Twins right-hander Chris Paddack. Smith will head to the bench after starting each of the team's last three games. The former 32nd overall pick in 2016 out of Louisville has been on fire at the plate so far in 2024 after his first All-Star selection in 2023. In his first 12 games for the Blue this year, he has a league-high 20 hits in 50 at-bats for a league-high .400 batting average, a home run, 12 RBI and six runs scored in his 54 plate appearances. He's obviously a must-start fantasy catcher when he's active. Barnes will be a weak DFS sleeper play in the nine-hole and is hitless in five career at-bats versus Paddack.

Making his season debut on Tuesday, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray put together five strong innings in a victory against the Philadelphia Phillies. It was his first start of the season and for his new team as he was sidelined with a hamstring injury, but Gray didn't miss a beat allowing five hits, zero runs, zero walks and striking out five. The veteran signed a three-year deal to be the Cardinals ace this offseason and they will count on the right-hander to anchor their staff. From a fantasy perspective, Gray remains a solid option with a career 3.46 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Gray will look to build off his season debut with a matchup versus one of his former teams, the Oakland Athletics in a very favorable matchup on Tuesday.

After a rough inning of work on Monday that saw St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley allow two runs (one earned), the right-hander bounced back with a perfect inning on Tuesday to secure his fourth save of the season. Helsley now has tossed seven innings with seven strikeouts and one walk on the season. The 29-year-old is fully entrenched as the club's closer, but fantasy managers in holds leagues or those looking to have insurance on Helsley should consider Giovanny Gallegos or Andrew Kittredge. As it stands, Helsley remains one of the most trusted closers in all formats.

Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias picked up his second save of the season versus the New York Mets on Tuesday. The veteran entered the ninth inning with a three-run lead, but barely survived to earn the save by allowing two runs on three hits with one strikeout. The good news is that it was the first runs he has allowed in four appearances this season and managers should be able to breathe a sigh of relief for the veteran. Iglesias is now 34 years of age, but remains a good closer on a great team. Iglesias will have shaky outings, but unless its consistent, he should remain the Braves closer. If he were to continue to struggle, Joe Jimenez and A.J. Minter would likely be the next men up.