The offseason is officially no more, but Spring Training is here, and with it comes the daily influx of baseball news that fantasy managers have missed in the last few months. Lineup news, actual games happening, constant waiver wire moves, pitching assignments, and bullpen usage.Baseball is back and so too is fantasy baseball, with drafts either starting in the near or not-too-near future for many. This column aims to cover any and all fantasy baseball news, big or small, and how it pertains to your fantasy team. Spring training or the regular season, it's covered here.Has a player who's usually been hitting in the middle of a lineup suddenly batting eighth or ninth for an extended period? The fantasy implications will be covered here. The same goes for injuries and injured placements and whether or not you should consider picking up a player who was recently called up. Basically, any kernel of fantasy news and its relevance to fantasy managers could be covered here. Today, the news of the day is the fantasy impact of Gavin Lux's ACL injury plus a look at potential rotation options in Tampa Bay in the wake of Tyler Glasnow's oblique injury. 

Fantasy Impact of Gavin Lux's Injury

Lux will reportedly miss the 2023 season with a torn right ACL per a ... [More]

The Los Angeles Dodgers and catcher Will Smith avoided salary arbitration on Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $5.25 million deal, according to sources. Smith had another very strong year as the Dodgers' primary catcher in 2022, slashing .260/.343/.465 with an .807 OPS, 24 home runs, a career-high 87 RBI, 68 runs scored and a stolen base in 578 plate appearances over a career-high 137 games. He now has 49 home runs in the last two years and has become one of the most attractive fantasy backstops in the game in one of the best lineups in baseball.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith isn't starting the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Arizona Diamondbacks and right-hander Zach Davies. Smith has enjoyed a strong season at the plate so far, batting .257 with a .348 on-base percentage, 22 home runs, and a stolen base in 526 plate appearances. The Dodgers will go with Austin Barnes at catcher instead on Tuesday. The veteran is batting .214 with a .322 on-base percentage, seven home runs, and a pair of stolen bases in 181 plate appearances. He's worth a look as a streaming option for fantasy managers in deeper leagues. Barnes is batting ninth against Arizona.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith knocked his 20th round-tripper of the season on Saturday night to help his club defeat the Padres 12-1. His three-run shot in the sixth inning just scraped by the right-center wall as he also chipped in with an RBI double to finish the game going 2-for-5 with a run and four RBI. Smith sits second among catchers behind Willson Contreras' 21 homers, but sits first in RBI with 79 through 113 games played. Managers who took a shot on the 27-year-old in the early rounds of their draft should feel satisfied with his return, and should expect him to keep padding his stats in the season's final month.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not in the starting lineup on Sunday against the Miami Marlins. It's just a normal day off for the backstop. Fantasy managers need to act accordingly and remove him from their starting lineups. With Smith on the bench, Austin Barnes will do the catching and hit ninth against Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera on Sunday in the series finale. Barnes will be a low-upside DFS option at the position to avoid. In 127 at-bats for LA this year, he's hitting just .189/.307/.362 with six home runs, 20 RBI, 22 runs scored and two stolen bases.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith had a strong game against the Miami Marlins Sunday, going 3-for-5 with a double, three RBI, and a run scored in a 10-3 victory. Smith is on a roll, along with much of the Dodgers lineup, slashing .304/.379/.539 with five homers in his last 30 games. For the season, Smith now has an .839 OPS with 18 homers, 53 runs scored, 73 RBI, and one stolen base. He's perhaps the best fantasy option at catcher at the moment.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith hit his 15th home run of the season Friday, a two-run shot off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chad Kuhl. Smith went 2-for-3 in the game with a walk. Smith has slashed .270/.367/.514 with six homers, 13 runs scored, and 20 RBI over his last 30 games, bringing him up to an .823 OPS for the season. He's among the most productive catchers in the league, and he should occupy one of the top spots in fantasy rankings at the position for years to come.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not in the starting lineup on Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies. It's a regular day off for Smith, who is hitting .258/.343/.456 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI and 29 runs scored on the season in 217 at-bats. He's been even better in the month of June, going 26-for-87 (.299) with six home runs, 12 RBI and nine runs scored in 22 games. Expect Smith to return to LA's potent lineup on Wednesday. Austin Barnes will do the catching on Tuesday and will hit ninth in the batting order against Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland. Barnes is hitting just .194 on the season with four home runs in 27 games, and he's also sporting a .125 batting average (3-for-24) with one of his four dingers against lefties in 2022.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in Friday's 6-1 win against the New York Mets. He's now batting .222/.342/.370 with five home runs, 20 runs, and 23 RBI. The power shortage is odd after Smith slugged 48 home runs with a .892 OPS across his first 221 games in the big leagues. However, Statcast is happy with how the backstop has hit the ball, giving him a .517 expected slugging. Smith also continues to bat in the heart of the lineup, so fantasy managers shouldn't stop starting him in all leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith isn't in the starting lineup on Wednesday for a matchup with the Washington Nationals and right-handed starter Erick Fedde. Smith is hitting .255 with a .368 on-base percentage and four home runs in 125 plate appearances this season. Instead, it'll be Austin Barnes getting the start behind the plate and batting ninth. So far in 2022, Barnes is hitting .245 with a .327 on-base percentage and four home runs in 55 plate appearances. He could be worth a look as a streaming option for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (pectoral) is managing a pectoral issue but will return to the lineup Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies. He was out of the lineup and didn't make an appearance in Friday's game. According to manager Dave Roberts, Smith will be the team's designated hitter on Saturday and then catch the team's next three games. The 27-year-old is slashing .260/.365/.397 with two home runs, 16 RBI, and 13 runs across 22 games in 2022. Smith is one of the top fantasy catchers in baseball, and managers should continue to roll with him this season.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (chest) and outfielder Chris Taylor (knee) are both back in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Taylor sat out on Tuesday after fouling a ball off his knee during Monday's game. Smith, meanwhile, missed each of the last two games due to a minor right pectoral injury. Taylor is off to a rough start to May as he's struck out 14 times across 24 at-bats, slashing just .167/.231/.208 along the way. Smith has similarly struggled through the first third of the month as he's gone just 3-for-18 at the plate with no extra-base hits.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (chest) is out of the team's starting lineup for the second straight day on Tuesday. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated that he is dealing with a right pectoral issue. Roberts clarified that the team is being cautious with Smith and that he expects Smith to play in one of the next few games. Austin Barnes will be getting his second straight start behind the plate for Tuesday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Smith is currently slashing .231/.342/.369 with two home runs, 13 RBI and 12 runs over 20 games on the year.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith isn't starting on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and right-handed starter Bryse Wilson. Smith is batting .231 with a .342 on-base percentage and a pair of home runs in 76 plate appearances this season. Instead, it'll be Austin Barnes starting behind the plate and hitting ninth. Barnes has hit .231 with a .310 on-base percentage and three home runs in 29 plate appearances so far this season. He could be worth a look as a streaming option for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs, according to MLB.com. The 27-year-old is slashing .246/.358/.404 with two home runs, 10 runs, and 13 RBI over 18 games. Austin Barnes will take his spot on the field and bat eighth. The eight-year vet isn't in there for his bat, as he's batting .211, but he does have a .812 OPS. However, given his career slash line of .227/.334/.357, fantasy managers would be wise looking elsewhere for a catcher on the waiver wire.

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner and catcher Will Smith are not in the starting lineup on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Turner, who is hitting just .206 with no home runs and three extra-base hits in his first 63 at-bats, will get his first day off of the season. Max Muncy is at the hot corner and hitting cleanup, while Edwin Rios enters the lineup as the designated hitter and is batting seventh against Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen. Smith will get a breather with Austin Barnes doing the catching and hitting ninth in the series finale in Arizona. Smith has gone 11-for-43 with two home runs, 11 RBI and eight runs in his first 13 games of the season as the Dodgers primary backstop.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is back in the lineup for Wednesday's matchup with the Atlanta Braves and right-handed starter Charlie Morton. The catcher previously got the day off on Tuesday with Austin Barnes drawing the start behind the plate, but he's back in the lineup and batting sixth against Morton. Smith is batting .259 with a .333 on-base percentage and a home run in 30 plate appearances this season. He's only faced Morton twice in the regular season and is hitless in two plate appearances against the veteran.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is absent from Saturday's lineup to take on the Colorado Rockies, according to MLB.com. Smith started the first game of the season on Friday and went 1-for-3 with a walk. He's become one of the most feared backstops in the game and is coming off a season in which he posted a .860 OPS. Austin Barnes will catch instead and bat ninth. The 32-year-old is mostly known for his defense behind the dish, as his .227/.335/.354 career slash line is less than ideal. In 2021, Barnes hit .215 with six home runs and one stolen base over 77 games. He has almost no fantasy relevance, and fantasy managers looking to stream a catcher shouldn't consider him an option.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith has been making a lot of hard contact so far this spring. Over nine games and 25 plate appearances, he's slugging .609 with two home runs, two doubles and one triple. Smith is almost unanimously ranked as the No. 3 overall catcher in fantasy going into the 2022 season, behind only Salvador Perez and J.T. Realmuto. In roto leagues and head-to-head categories leagues, Realmuto should certainly be drafted ahead of Smith due to Realmuto's stolen base prowess, but the case is much closer in points leagues. Smith has produced much better power numbers than Realmuto since Smith first entered the majors in 2019. Last year, Smith blasted 25 home runs over just 130 games while compiling 76 RBI and 71 runs. Expect another 25-plus home run year with solid runs and RBI totals once again for Smith in 2022.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith isn't in Friday's lineup. Smith is batting .260 with a .367 on-base percentage, 25 home runs, and three stolen bases in 493 plate appearances this season. Instead, it'll be Austin Barnes starting behind the plate and hitting eighth against the Milwaukee Brewers and left-hander Eric Lauer. Barnes is batting .215 with a .301 on-base percentage, six home runs, and a stolen base in 220 plate appearances this season. Fantasy managers are probably better off looking elsewhere for streaming help.