The Tampa Bay Rays officially placed right-handers Shane Baz (elbow) and Taj Bradley (pectoral) on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday, retroactive to March 25. Baz, 24, also dealt with an oblique injury in spring training as he attempts to return from Tommy John surgery in September of 2022. After not pitching at all in 2023, Baz is certainly going to be limited in what he can do for both the Rays and fantasy managers this year, and there's no specific timetable for when he might make his 2024 debut. A return at some point this summer is most likely. Bradley, 23, was diagnosed with a pectoral strain on March 13. He also doesn't have a specific timetable for a return, but he should be back before Baz. There's a lot to like about his strikeout upside, but he gave up too many homers and struggled with his command in his rookie season in 2023.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Manuel Margot (hand) was hit by a pitch during an exhibition game on Tuesday versus the Atlanta Braves and departed early with a left-hand contusion. However, the Twins expect him to be fine for Opening Day on Thursday. The 29-year-old was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Twins this spring and is projected to open the 2024 regular season as a fourth outfielder in Minnesota, which leaves him very little fantasy value in AL-only leagues. The Dominican outfielder spent the last four seasons playing for the Tampa Bay Rays and slashed .264/.317/.375 with 19 home runs, 153 RBI, 41 stolen bases and 149 runs scored in 360 total regular-season games. You can avoid Margot in mixed fantasy leagues in 2024.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) threw two simulated innings (32 pitches) during his live batting practice session on Tuesday and sat at 92-94 mph and touched 95 mph on the stadium radar gun in his first inning at Minute Maid Park. Manager Joe Espada said on Monday that if all goes well with Verlander's session on Tuesday, his next step will be starting a minor-league rehab assignment. The 41-year-old veteran said he felt good on Tuesday and wants to build up his pitch count to 85 before making his 2024 debut for the Astros. Houston isn't going to rush the process, so fantasy managers that have Verlander stashed for rotation depth this year shouldn't be surprised if he doesn't make his season debut until May.

Outfielder George Springer will retain his leadoff spot in the Toronto Blue Jays' batting order to open the 2024 regular season, but the team is leaning toward having first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit second, followed by shortstop Bo Bichette. "I really like the way (Guerrero) is swinging the bat," manager John Schneider said. "I think having him in between George and Bo is a good thing." Guerrero often hit third in 2023, a spot that will now be occupied by mostly Justin Turner. The 25-year-old slugger hit in the three-hole for 110 games in 2023, while batting second only twice. It's a move that probably won't have a drastic affect on Vlad Jr.'s overall numbers, although it could allow him to get more at-bats in the long run.

Veteran right-hander Carlos Carrasco has made the Cleveland Guardians' Opening Day starting rotation and is slated to make his 2024 debut on Sunday against the Oakland Athletics and right-hander Paul Blackburn. Although the 37-year-old Carrasco doesn't have much fantasy appeal these days, he could be a sneaky streamer this weekend against the A's. We'll see how Carrasco fares to open the season, but when Gavin Williams (elbow) is healthy, there's a good chance Carrasco will be bumped from the rotation. In 20 starts (90 innings) for the New York Mets in 2023, he wasn't good, going 3-8 with a 6.80 ERA (5.86 FIP) and 1.70 WHIP while walking 38 and striking out 66. Carrasco will most likely serve as a multi-inning reliever for Cleveland for most of the year.

The New York Mets released first baseman Luke Voit on Tuesday after he had just a .455 OPS in 14 Grapefruit League games this spring. It was announced on Monday that Voit wouldn't make the Mets' Opening Day roster, and now he'll be looking for a new organization to play for in 2024. The 33-year-old right-handed slugger led all of baseball in home runs in the shortened 2020 season with 22. He hit 22 home runs in 135 games in 2022 with the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals but then played in only 22 games in 2023 with the Milwaukee Brewers and hit .221 (15-for-68) with no homers and four RBI. Voit should be able to latch on with another team, but it will likely be on a minor-league contract.

New York Yankees outfielder Oscar Gonzalez (face) suffered a right orbital fracture during Monday's 8-5 exhibition game loss to the Diablos Rojos, per the Athletic's Brendan Kuty. The 26-year-old was taken to the hospital after fouling a ball off his face. While manager Aaron Boone announced earlier in the day that Gonzalez had been re-assigned to minor-league camp, he had put together a strong spring, batting .326 in 46 plate appearances.

Seattle Mariners second baseman/outfielder Sam Haggerty (personal) will start the season on the injured list with a personal medical issue, per general manager Justin Hollander. Hollander only specified that the injury is non-baseball related. The 29-year-old spent most of his time at Triple-A Tacoma last season, slashing .324/.419/.578 with eight home runs, 19 RBI, and 19 stolen bases in 222 plate appearances. However, he batted just .136 in 22 spring plate appearances.

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani (elbow) played catch Monday after addressing the media. It was the first reported time of him throwing a baseball since his second elbow surgery. Manager Dave Roberts said that he doesn't expect Ohtani to pitch until 2025 but said he may be able to play the field in 2024 if he can recover quickly enough. The 29-year-old should provide plenty of fantasy value with his bat only, as he is hitting .423 this spring with his new team.

Seattle Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock will now open the 2024 season in the team's starting rotation as the fifth starter with Bryan Woo (elbow) starting the year on the injured list due to elbow inflammation. The 24-year-old Hancock, the former sixth overall pick in 2020 out of Georgia, is lined up to make his first start of 2024 next Monday in a strong matchup against the Cleveland Guardians. He made his MLB debut in 2023 and went 3-3 with a 4.50 ERA (4.09 FIP) and a 1.33 WHIP with three walks and six strikeouts in 12 innings over three starts before being shut down with a shoulder ailment. Until Hancock shows more consistency, fantasy managers in mixed leagues can probably ignore him, especially since he could only make a few starts for Seattle before being sent back to the farm.

San Francisco Giants left-hander Blake Snell will pitch either in Arizona or "something somewhere else" on Friday, according to manager Bob Melvin. Snell pitched three innings on Sunday and could get up to five innings later this week. Due to the late nature of his signing with the Giants during spring training, last year's National League Cy Young winner won't be ready to be in the team's Opening Day rotation. We should have a better idea of when the 31-year-old southpaw will be able to make his Giants debut once he gets stretched out a bit more. While Snell has lots of strikeout upside for fantasy managers, he led the league with 99 walks last year with the San Diego Padres and was fortunate to have a league-low 2.25 ERA, as evidenced by his 3.44 FIP. He's moving to a great pitcher's park, but fantasy managers should expect some regression.

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani faced the media on Monday and said he's never bet on sports or knowingly paid any gambling debts accumulated by his long-time interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who was fired by the Dodgers five days ago in the wake of media inquiries surrounding at least $4.5 million in wire transfers sent from Ohtani's bank account to a Southern Californian bookmaking operation that is under federal investigation. "Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has been telling lies," Ohtani said. "I never bet on sports or have willfully sent money to the bookmaker." Federal prosecutors and Major League Baseball are conducting investigations into the matter, but Ohtani is expected to continue to play while it all unfolds.

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo stopped short of saying that outfielder Randal Grichuk (ankle) will open the year on the injured list, but the skipper left little doubt. Lovullo said that Grichuk would be ready to serve as the designated hitter but that "just having a DH and not giving somebody a chance to play on the other side of the ball would not be fair to him or the team." The 32-year-old is recovering from surgery to remove a bone spur from his right ankle in February and is unlikely to be on the Opening Day roster. When Grichuk is healthy, he'll serve as outfield insurance for the Snakes after hitting .267/.321/.459 with 16 home runs and 44 RBI in 118 games with the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels in 2023. Grichuk hasn't hit 20 homers since 2021 and lost most of his fantasy appeal when he left Colorado last year.

The Chicago White Sox placed catcher Max Stassi (hip) on the 10-day injured list on Monday with left-hip inflammation and recalled catcher Korey Lee from Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move. The 33-year-old Stassi will be eligible to be reinstated from the injured list on April 4, so he may not end up missing much time at all. However, it's not good news for Stassi after he missed all of 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels due to a hip injury and a family matter. When healthy, Stassi will be working as the primary backup catcher in Chicago to Martin Maldonado, leaving him very little fantasy appeal in the deepest of two-catcher leagues. Stassi also doesn't have much power in his lumber at the catching position.

The Athletic's Jayson Stark writes that left-hander Tyler Alexander will start either the fourth game of the regular season for the Tampa Bay Rays or serve as the bulk reliever versus the Toronto Blue Jays in a shy-away matchup. It's a sign that right-hander Jake Odorizzi (shoulder). It's his call whether he'll stay in extended spring training for the start of the regular season after missing all of 2023 while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder. The 33-year-old Odorizzi didn't sign with Tampa until March 15. The 29-year-old Alexander is likely to move to Tampa's bullpen once Shane Baz (elbow) or Taj Bradley (pectoral) are able to rejoin the team's rotation. At best, Alexander will be a low-upside, matchup-based streamer in AL-only leagues to open the year.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale finished out his spring on a high note during Monday's game against the Minnesota Twins. The left-hander struggled during his last two outings but bounced back nicely here. Sale struck out six batters over three innings of work during the shutout victory. He'll end the spring with a 3.07 ERA and a 23/5 K/BB in 14 2/3 innings. Sale is set to make his Braves debut against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday. That isn't an ideal opponent for Sale but he has done enough for fantasy managers to give him the benefit of the doubt.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt was impressive during his outing against the New York Mets on Monday. Coming into camp there were some concerns if Schmidt would be able to keep up the high level of pitching that he showed last season. The right-hander has proven himself in camp and earned himself the fourth spot in the rotation. On Monday, Schmidt allowed one hit with six strikeouts over six innings of work. He'll be worth a look as a streaming option in mixed leagues.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) will throw a two-inning live batting practice session on Tuesday at Minute Maid Park in Houston. If that session goes well, Verlander could start a rehab assignment after that, according to manager Joe Espada. The 41-year-old three-time Cy Young winner wasn't able to pitch at all in spring training due to shoulder issues that lingered this offseason. Verlander is going to begin the regular season on the injured list, and the Astros aren't going to rush the future Hall of Famer back, so we should expect him to make at least several rehab starts in the minor leagues. There's a good chance that Verlander won't make his 2024 debut until May. Verlander can still be effective when healthy, but he's no longer a fantasy ace.

Milwaukee Brewers infielder Joey Ortiz has been informed that he's made the team's Opening Day roster out of spring training. It's the first time that Ortiz has made an Opening Day roster in the big leagues. The 25-year-old will most likely operate as a utility infielder for the Brew Crew early on, with most of his playing time coming at third and second base. The former fourth-round selection by the Baltimore Orioles in 2019 out of New Mexico State made his big-league debut in 2023 and played in only 15 games, going 7-for-33 (.212) with no home runs and four RBI. Ortiz's glove is more impressive than his bat, but he will have more opportunities for plate appearances in Milwaukee's infield than he did in Baltimore.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones (knee) returned to the team's Cactus League lineup on Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers, starting in left field and batting second in the order. Jones had an injury score in spring training on Saturday when he was removed from the contest after fouling a pitch off his right knee, but he was diagnosed with only a contusion and only needed one day off. Now that the 25-year-old slugger is back on the field, he should be good to go for Opening Day this Thursday. Jones has the potential to finish his second year in Colorado as a No. 1 outfielder for fantasy managers after he slashed .297/.389/.542 with a .931 OPS, 20 home runs, 62 RBI and 20 stolen bases in just 106 games in 2023. He'll be the club's everyday left fielder and resides in one of the best hitting environments in baseball.