San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb (hip) isn't expected to miss much time and should return relatively soon, according to Giants general manager Farhan Zaidi. The veteran right-hander is working his way back from offseason hip surgery. He'll open the season on the injury list but isn't expected to miss much time. The 36-year-old exceeded expectations with the Giants last season. When healthy, Cobb should be worth rostering in mixed leagues.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) threw around 60 pitches during his bullpen session on Sunday morning. Verlander worked out of both the stretch and from the windup and appeared to throw some breaking pitches. The Astros are expected to determine if he's ready to face hitters next in camp. The 41-year-old's shoulder didn't respond the way he would have hoped this offseason, so he entered spring training behind the team's other pitchers. Even if Verlander moves to live batting practice sessions next, there's no guarantee he won't open the 2024 regular season on the injured list as a precaution. The future Hall of Famer was still productive for fantasy managers last year, but injuries aren't going to go away, making him more of a No. 3 starter than a fantasy ace now days.

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said the team is looking at "June" for right-hander Max Scherzer (back) to return in 2024. He underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back in mid-December. Scherzer initially had a timeline to return around the All-Star break, but the veteran will continue rehab and could potentially come back in June. "With Max, we are now looking at June. That's a little bit earlier than we thought," said Bochy. The 39-year-old owned a 3.77 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 174:45 K: BB across 152 2/3 innings in 2023. With the latest news, Scherzer could see a bump in his NFBC ADP of 319 and is worth stashing in all fantasy leagues.

The Texas Rangers are hoping to get right-hander Max Scherzer (back) back from his injury in June. "With Max, we are now looking at June. That's a little bit earlier than we thought," manager Bruce Bochy said. Scherzer is around three weeks away from resuming workouts six weeks after having surgery to fix a herniated disc in his back. The 39-year-old future Hall of Famer is hoping to make his 2024 season debut in June or July, barring any setbacks with his rehab. Not only was Scherzer injured last year, but he had trouble keeping the ball in the yard and is starting to look less dominant as he approaches 40 years old. The three-time Cy Young winner is only going to pitch around half a season in 2024, too, so fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting much out of him in his first full season in Texas.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) will throw another bullpen session in camp on Sunday, and the Astros will determine Verlander's next step after that. The next step in his progression will be to get cleared to face live hitters, but the Astros aren't going to rush the 41-year-old, especially given all of his injuries in recent seasons. The future Hall of Famer had a late start to the 2023 campaign due to an injury but ended up finishing 13-8 with a 3.22 ERA (3.85 FIP) and 1.13 WHIP with 45 walks and 144 strikeouts in 162 1/3 innings over 27 starts. Houston isn't ruling out Verlander for Opening Day, but it's more likely than not that he'll open the year on the injured list as a precaution. Verlander can still be useful as a No. 3 or 4 starter for fantasy managers, but he's become a pretty big injury risk at the tail end of his career.

San Francisco Giants right-hander Keaton Winn (elbow) will throw a bullpen session this weekend, while right-hander Alex Cobb (hip) will throw a bullpen on Thursday. People around camp have been impressed with how far along Cobb seems to be, but he'll still miss a big chunk of time at the start of the year. Meanwhile, Tristan Beck (arm), who was the favorite for the No. 5 rotation spot to begin the year, was diagnosed with an aneurysm in his arm and could need surgery. Winn cut his last bullpen short over a week ago due to right-elbow soreness. It's unclear when the 26-year-old will be cleared to pitch in spring training games, but the Giants are holding out hope he'll be ready to be in the team's Opening Day rotation. With Beck hurt, Sean Hjelle is the favorite now for the final rotation spot in San Francisco.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) felt good after his bullpen session on Tuesday, but manager Joe Espada said that the future Hall of Famer is not ready to face hitters yet. However, Espada still isn't ruling Verlander out for Opening Day, but he acknowledged "obviously we're kind of running out of days here." The 41-year-old veteran had a setback with his shoulder this offseason and came to spring training behind the other pitchers. Given Verlander's age and recent injury history, it makes sense for the Astros to slow-play him and give him extra time before throwing him out there, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to be in the team's Opening Day rotation. Verlander still has the potential to be useful in fantasy despite his age, but he's a big injury risk and is no longer a fantasy ace.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale made a great first impression with his new team in Tuesday's 13-4 Grapefruit League loss to the Pirates. The 34-year-old pitched two scoreless innings with no hits or walks and four strikeouts. His velocity was up over the outing, with his fastball touching 97.1 MPH. This is encouraging for fantasy managers, as injuries have prevented Sale from turning in a strong, complete season for some time. Sale managed 20 starts and 102 2/3 innings pitched with the Red Sox last season, posting a 4.30 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 29.4% strikeout rate. The signs are still there of a fantasy contributor, and a strong spring would help convince fantasy managers further.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks (elbow) threw on flat grass from about 60 feet on Monday, per the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham. He was throwing to a catcher standing up and "threw with a pretty decent amount of zip". The 35-year-old is recovering from Tommy John surgery and hopes to make his season debut at the end of July. Hendriks has recently been a top fantasy contributor, and while he has a ways to go to return and the Red Sox currently have a strong closer in Kenley Jansen, Hendriks could find himself in the fantasy mix during the second half of the season.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) will throw another bullpen session on Tuesday with more intensity to move him forward in his rehab, according to manager Joe Espada. Verlander came into spring training behind the team's other pitchers after his right shoulder didn't bounce back properly in the offseason, but he's been throwing low-intensity bullpen sessions in camp, consisting of only fastballs. The Astros haven't ruled the 41-year-old out for the start of the regular season, but it seems more likely than not that he'll open the year on the injured list. Even if Verlander is ready for Opening Day at the end of March, fantasy managers should expect the future Hall of Famer to miss some time at some point in 2024 due to injury. He's a poor bet to stay healthy all year at his age and is no longer the fantasy ace that he once was.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (shoulder) threw a bullpen session on Saturday, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Verlander hasn't progressed to facing live batters yet, but he is on track and still figures to be ready for Opening Day. The veteran remains a key piece of Houston's entering his age-41 season, just one year removed from a campaign in which he went 13-8 through 27 starts with the Mets and Astros. He was effective at retiring batters once again last year, tallying 7.98 K/9 and 2.49 BB/9 while posting a 3.85 FIP. Barring any sort of injury setback, Verlander continues to be an appealing fantasy baseball option for 2024.

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (elbow) is in the team's Cactus League lineup on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers, batting fourth and serving as the designated hitter. Machado has been somewhat limited early in camp after October elbow surgery, but manager Mike Shildt recently said that Machado was trending toward being full-go by Opening Day. It's been expected all along that Machado would be ready for the two-game series in Korea against the Los Angeles Dodgers late in March to kick off the season, although he may begin the regular season as the DH and not at the hot corner. The 31-year-old six-time All-Star hit only .258 (140-for-543), which was down from his .279 career average, but he still managed to reach the 30-homer mark for the seventh time in his career while coming nine RBI shy of 100 for the fourth time in his 12-year career. Machado remains a high-floor, high-end third baseman in fantasy.

San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (elbow) threw 32 pitches during live batting practice on Friday, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic. He expects that his next appearance will come in a game, and he hopes to be ready for the Padres' regular season-opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Korea. This is a noteworthy update out of Spring Training given that Darvish's 2023 season was cut short when he underwent surgery to address elbow inflammation. He finished the year with a 4.03 FIP, 9.31 K/9, and 2.84 BB/9 through 24 starts.

Cleveland Guardians right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco (finger) is expected to start Saturday's Spring Training game against the Cincinnati Reds, according to Nick Camino of WKYC. Carrasco inked a minor league deal this season with the Guardians, for whom he played 11 seasons from 2010 through 2020. He most recently pitched for the New York Mets, posting a 4.93 xFIP, 6.60 K/9, and 3.80 BB/9 through 20 starts last year before a 50-pound barbell fell on his finger and prematurely ended his season. A trusted veteran presence familiar with the Cleveland system, Carrasco will compete for a back-of-the-rotation role in camp.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander's (shoulder) bullpen session went well on Wednesday. "I am encouraged where he's at right now," according to manager Joe Espada. Verlander is behind the other pitchers at spring training after having a setback with his right shoulder during the offseason. The good news, though, is that the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer continues to throw. However, it remains to be seen if he'll need to open the 2024 season on the injured list. It's been amazing to see how well the three-time All-Star has pitched late in his career, but fantasy managers should expect more decline from Verlander this year, as well as more time missed due to injury. But when he's healthy, Verlander still has the ability to be a decent No. 3/4 fantasy starter.

First baseman Eric Hosmer announced his retirement from professional baseball on social media on Wednesday. Hosmer never latched on with another team after he was released by the Chicago Cubs last May. The 34-year-old left-handed hitter played in just 31 games in 2023 and went 22-for-94 (.234) with two homers and 14 RBI before getting released. An All-Star with the Kansas City Royals in 2016, Hosmer had a career .276/.335/.427 slash line, 198 home runs and 893 RBI in 13 major-league seasons, also winning four Gold Gloves at first base. He won a World Series ring with the Royals in 2015 and quickly started to decline after signing a big contract as a free agent with the San Diego Padres before the 2018 season. In a two-year span with KC from 2016-17, Hosmer hit .292 with 50 homers and 198 RBI in 320 games.

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt said that third baseman Manny Machado (elbow), who is coming off offseason shoulder surgery, will not play in the team's Cactus League opener on Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, Machado is "trending in a really good place" and could serve as the designated hitter "sooner than later" in spring training games. Machado had surgery to fix the extensor tendon in his right elbow after last season, but he should be ready to go for Opening Day, even if he's serving as the team's DH to kick off the regular season. Even though the 31-year-old veteran slugger played through elbow pain for much of 2023, he still managed to hit 30 home runs and drive in 91 RBI, but his .781 OPS was his lowest mark since 2017. Machado is RotoBaller's No. 6 fantasy third baseman and still has a very high floor.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Liam Hendriks (elbow) said Tuesday that he hopes to debut for his new team by the trade deadline. The 35-year-old veteran overcame non-Hodgkin's lymphoma last year but then underwent Tommy John surgery in August. Hendriks said, "That's my goal. That's 12 months-ish. ... Throwing has been going well." It remains to be seen if Hendriks can hit that timeline, but he should offer fantasy impact when he does return. He was one of baseball's top closers with the White Sox from 2021 through 2022, earning a combined 75 saves. Kenley Jansen is the team's current closer, although he has been mentioned in trade rumors this off-season.

San Francisco Giants right-hander Alex Cobb (hip) threw 12 fastballs off the mound in camp on Sunday with a catcher in front of the plate and felt great on Monday. Cobb was scheduled to repeat the process on Tuesday and remains on track as he comes back from left-hip surgery that he had in October. The 36-year-old veteran is making good progress, but he won't be much of an option in shallow mixed leagues based on the fact that he isn't going to be an option for the Giants' starting rotation until later this summer. Cobb exceeded expectations in his second year in the Bay Area in 2023 by making 28 starts and going 7-7 with a 3.87 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with 37 walks and 131 strikeouts in 151 1/3 innings pitched.

Free-agent reliever Liam Hendriks (elbow) agreed to a two-year, $10 million guaranteed deal on Monday with the Boston Red Sox, pending a physical. The deal includes additional performance bonuses and an option for the 2026 season. The 35-year-old veteran overcame non-Hodgkin's lymphoma last year but then ended up needing Tommy John surgery last August, which means that he won't be available for the back end of Boston's bullpen until sometime later this summer. The three-time All-Star has 116 career saves in 13 major-league seasons, but he only pitched five innings for the Chicago White Sox in 2023, and it's fair to wonder how much he has left in the tank at this stage of his career. Hendriks can be avoided in single-year fantasy leagues.