The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham writes that right-hander Chris Martin (groin) may not be ready for Opening Day on March 28. Closer Kenley Jansen (back) was scratched from making his second Grapefruit League appearance on Monday, but the team still believes he has a shot to be ready by Opening Day. The 37-year-old Martin threw a live batting practice session in camp on Saturday, but he's running out of time to get ready for the start of the regular season. He's expected to need four spring training appearances in order to be ready for Opening Day. This is notable because Martin figures to be the BoSox's next man up for save chances if Jansen misses any time due to injury in 2024. Given Jansen's recent string of injuries and his age (36), it's likely he's going to miss time at some point. Josh Winckowski is another name that could see save chances early in the year if both Jansen and Martin aren't 100%.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen (back) has been scratched from the team's Grapefruit League game on Monday versus the Minnesota Twins due to lower-back tightness. However, he could pitch as soon as Tuesday, and the Red Sox still expect that he'll be ready for Opening Day on March 28. Jansen didn't make his spring training debut until last Friday due to lat soreness that he experienced after reporting to camp a month ago, so he hasn't been able to get much work in this spring. Boston is being extra cautious with the 36-year-old veteran reliever. Jansen is MLB's active leader in saves and will be Boston's primary ninth-inning man in 2024, but the injuries are beginning to pile up, and he should be considered a shaky No. 2 fantasy closer.

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (back) has been out of the lineup since Thursday, which has raised some concerns about his health. On Sunday, Phillies manager Rob Thompson confirmed that Harper is dealing with minor back stiffness. The lefty slugger has been out since Thursday and will remain out until at least Tuesday. It's worth noting that the organization is not concerned about this being a long term issue. Thompson says that Harper should be back in the lineup by the end of the week. That being said, fantasy managers shouldn't be concerned about Harper's health heading into Opening Day.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler has been confirmed as the Opening Day starter, according to manager Rob Thompson. The right-hander has earned this opportunity given how excellent he has pitched over the last few seasons. This will be a change of pace for the Phillies as Aaron Nola has started the last seven Opening Day games for the Phillies. The organization will shake it up and have Wheeler take the ball against the Atlanta Braves on March 28. The assumption is that Nola will follow him as the second starter.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Joey Votto (ankle) was forced to exit early during Sunday's spring training contest against the Philadelphia Phillies. The veteran slugger launched a solo home run in his first at-bat with his new team. Sadly, Votto didn't last too much longer as he rolled his ankle stepping on a bat in the dugout. The team decided to take a cautious approach and pull Votto from the game. The expectation is that Votto will return to the lineup in a few days.

The San Diego Padres are close to a deal with free-agent outfielder Tommy Pham, according to Bob Nightengale. The expectation is that it'll be a cheap one-year contract. The Padres could use the help in the outfield as this team does lack depth there. Currently, Jurickson Profar is penciled in as the everyday left fielder. The move to get Pham could give the Padres additional options for platoon type situations. Last season, Pham hit .256/.328/.446 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI in 129 games between the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks. There probably won't be a ton of fantasy value from Pham, but it depends on his role.

New York Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu (foot) was forced to exit early during Saturday's game. The veteran slugger fouled a ball off his right foot and underwent imaging this weekend. Luckily, the X-rays came back clean which means LeMahieu has avoided serious injury. The team will likely give LeMahieu a few days off for the pain and swelling to stop. The expectation is that LeMahieu will be fine heading into Opening Day.

New York Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton clobbered his first home run of the spring on Saturday in a 10-9 Grapefruit League win over the Blue Jays. The 34-year-old demolished a 1-0 fastball from Jays pitcher Paolo Espino and finished the day 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI, and a run scored. It took Stanton 25 at-bats to hit his first homer and he's batting just .250 (7-for-28) in ten spring games, but at least he's healthy after missing 61 games last season. As long as he's in the lineup he should be a viable source of power and is available at the end of most drafts. Currently projected to hit 26 home runs over 104 games this season, if the former MVP can eclipse that number he could be a value.

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow), the reigning American League Cy Young winner, said he will be shut down from throwing for three to four weeks and then go from there. He said he has nerve inflammation in his right elbow but "felt good" after meeting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles this week. The 33-year-old ace wasn't bouncing back normally after his spring outings, prompting the team to send him for a battery of tests. It's been confirmed that Cole doesn't have a torn UCL, so the Yankees are hoping that after a month or two of rest, he'll be able to make his 2024 debut without having to go under the knife. Cole was RotoBaller's No. 2 fantasy starter before his elbow injury, but now he's ranked at No. 72 with the possibility that he could miss most of the first half of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt went hitless in four at-bats in an 8-4 Grapefruit League loss to the Marlins on Friday. The veteran has been scuffling this spring, hitting just .148 (4-for-27) including 11 strikeouts (33.3%) and just one home run. You don't want to put too much stock in spring stats, but the 36-year-old is coming off of a season that was a continuation of some troubling trends, seeing his Contact% tick down while his Whiff% ticked up for a third consecutive season. Hopefully the 7x All-Star can pick up the pace, as he'll also be in talks with the Cardinals at some point about a contract extension as the former MVP will be a free agent at the end of the season.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have signed free-agent outfielder Michael A. Taylor on Friday. The contract is reportedly a one-year deal worth $4 million for the upcoming 2024 season. The 32-year-old is coming off a one-and-done season with the Minnesota Twins. Taylor slashed .220/.278/.442 with a career-high 21 home runs and 51 RBI in 129 games with the Twins. Taylor should be able to find his way into regular at-bats whether it's in the outfield or at designated hitter. The expectation is that his power is going to regress after last season, which makes him barely a deep league option in fantasy formats.

The San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates are both eyeing free-agent outfielder Tommy Pham. Pham is one of the top names remaining on the open market after he split the 2023 season between the Mets and Diamondbacks. He was productive in doing so, hitting .256 with 16 home runs and 22 stolen bases across 129 games and 481 trips to the plate. Pham has long displayed a quality combination of power and speed, slugging 130 homers and stealing 119 bases across 1,005 big-league contests. Regardless of his landing spot, he is worth a strong look as a mid-round pick in fantasy baseball as he has also been able to use his speed to score plenty of runs in his career while he also sports a healthy 11.6% career walk rate.

Free-agent reliever Justin Wilson has signed a major-league deal with the Cincinnati Reds after he opted out of his minor-league pact with the Dodgers on Wednesday. The left-hander last saw big-league action with the Reds in the 2022 season, posting a 2.45 ERA in five appearances but was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery that cost him the 2023 campaign, as well. He did appear briefly in the minors with the Brewers last season but the club declined their option on Wilson this winter. The long-time big leaguer has largely been effective in his career, posting a 3.41 ERA and a 25.9% K% across 527 appearances. He certainly won't be in line for saves and likely won't see many hold opportunities, leaving him off the fantasy radar at this point.

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) was told on Thursday that he will not need Tommy John surgery, at least for now, after visiting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Cole has been advised to rest and undergo non-invasive treatment while being shut down for at least a month. The reigning American League Cy Young reported not recovering as expected between outings this spring, which prompted the team to send him for an MRI exam on his right elbow before traveling to LA for a second opinion. The 33-year-old has made at least 30 starts in every full season since 2017, but that's going to change in 2024, and there's still no guarantee that he won't need TJ surgery down the road. It makes him a high-risk fantasy ace in 2024 drafts.

Free-agent outfielder Adam Duvall has signed a one-year, $3 million deal to return to the Atlanta Braves. This marks the veteran's third career stint with the Braves after spending parts of four seasons with them from 2018-2021 before returning for 86 games in the 2022 season after being traded to the Marlins in 2021. Most recently, the 35-year-old spent the 2023 season with the Red Sox, hitting .247 with 21 home runs, four stolen bases, and an .834 OPS. His season was slowed by a broken wrist suffered in April as he would appear in just 92 games in the 2023 season. The plan is for Duvall and offseason trade acquisition Jarred Kelenic to platoon in left field for the Braves in the 2024 campaign. He should provide quality power as he has throughout his career but his playing time will be limited, putting a hard cap on his fantasy value.

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) has had X-rays and a CT scan on his elbow, in addition to an MRI. He flew to Los Angeles on Wednesday for an in-person visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, where more testing is planned. There remains no official timeline from the Yankees for Cole's return/recovery, although the New York Post reported on Wednesday morning that Cole would miss at least a month or two. ElAttrache and Yankees doctors haven't found a tear in the reigning American League Cy Young winner's right elbow, but there remains some concern. Cole is one of, if not the most, dominant starting pitchers in baseball, so losing him for an extended period of time would be a devastating blow to New York's rotation to begin the year. Stay tuned for more news on Cole, but needless to say, he's now become a huge risk as a fantasy ace in 2024.

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (elbow) will be out at least one to two months and will head to Los Angeles for an appointment with noted sports surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache. None of the team's doctors or ElAttrache have detected a tear in Cole's UCL, but there's enough concern about the ligament that ElAttrache has suggested an in-person visit. The defending American League Cy Young winner will be out for an "extended period," but for now the hope is that he'll have a chance to return in May or early June. The 33-year-old has shown excellent velocity and command this spring, but his recovery has been an issue, and he felt a twinge in his elbow after a Grapefruit League start. Even if Cole avoids Tommy John surgery, this news is a big hit for his high-end fantasy value and for the top of the Yankees' rotation to begin the 2024 season.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen's (lat) live batting practice session appeared to go well on Tuesday, as he gave a thumbs up and a "yes, sir" when asked how it went. He is expected to pitch in his first Grapefruit League game on Friday. The Red Sox have been slow-playing Jansen in camp after he reported to spring training with lat soreness. The 36-year-old veteran has progressed nicely, though, and as long as he doesn't have a setback once he starts pitching in actual games, he will be ready for Opening Day later this month. Jansen is MLB's active leader in saves and will be Boston's primary ninth-inning guy when he's healthy, but there's no denying that he's a pretty big injury risk for fantasy managers at this stage of his career.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Joey Votto could be in minor-league games in spring training as early as Wednesday, according to manager John Schneider. This would put Votto on track to appear in his first Grapefruit League game in the days that follow this weekend, but the Blue Jays want to ramp him up against minor-league pitching first. The 40-year-old veteran joined the club as a non-roster invite to spring training last Friday and will attempt to make his hometown team in what could be his final season as a professional. There's a good chance Votto will start the year at Triple-A Buffalo, but he could eventually be up in Toronto as a veteran left-handed bat off the bench. In 65 games in 2023 for the Reds, he hit just .202 but with 14 home runs.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone stated that there is no update on starting pitcher Gerrit Cole's (elbow) MRI and that last year's American League Cy Young winner will undergo more testing Tuesday. Boone also acknowledged that regardless of what is determined from the testing, Cole has not got enough work in this spring and as a result would likely not be ready for Opening Day. The team would determine another starter for the first game of the season in his stead. It sounds like it will be a couple more days until we know anything more definitive, but it's obviously not good news for the Yankees or for fantasy managers. Stay tuned.