The Atlanta Braves have signed pitcher Jesse Chavez to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The 40-year-old journeyman spent last season in Atlanta, but was recently cut by the Chicago White Sox after a tough time in the Cactus League this spring. Despite his rough numbers with the White Sox this spring, he had a great season in 2023 with a 1.56 ERA and should have an opportunity to earn a bullpen spot with the Braves. Even with his impressive numbers in 2023, he doesn't provide much in the fantasy world and can be left on the waiver wire for now.

The Minnesota Twins were reportedly in agreement with relief pitcher Jesse Chavez earlier on Sunday. However, the two sides have not officially agreed on a deal. It sounds like the Twins and Chavez are discussing a one-year contract, but haven't made it official. The 40-year-old is looking to pitch at least one more season in the big leagues. Whether it's the Twins or elsewhere, Chavez will likely be a middle reliever. That means, Chavez probably won't carry much fantasy value on any organization.

The Minnesota Twins have signed veteran reliever Jesse Chavez to a one-year big league deal and he will serve in a middle relief role or pitch in matchup-specific opportunities. It will be the 40-year-old's tenth different major league club and 17th season, which is an enviable feat in and of itself. The Twins have lost some bullpen arms recently and needed to sure it up before the season began. While Chavez has found a niche for himself over his many MLB seasons, he's not going to log many innings and isn't a power strikeout pitcher, so his usefulness for fantasy purposes is pretty much limited to leagues where Holds are counted as a category.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray's (hamstring) next minor-league game is expected to be on Thursday in Florida. The Cardinals were holding out hope that Gray would be able to avoid the injured list to start the season after injuring his hamstring in spring training, but they are ultimately playing it safe and will place the 34-year-old veteran on the 15-day injured list to start the campaign. If he can avoid any setbacks as he continues to ramp up his arm, it's possible that he could make his Cardinals debut in just the second week of the season. While Gray doesn't throw hard, he has excellent control and knows how to limit hard contact. He was also the runner-up in last year's American League Cy Young voting. Despite his injury, he makes for a high-floor No. 3 fantasy starter in his first year in St. Louis.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker was getting loose for a bullpen session on Saturday and stated that his shoulder "didn't feel right." The Phillies sent him for an MRI, the results of which should be known Sunday. Walker had already battled some right knee soreness this spring and had only made two spring appearances thus far. Last time out, the veteran was tagged for seven earned runs on five hits (three home runs) and three walks while striking out just one batter over two and two-thirds IP. The injury doesn't sound promising for his already bleak outlook. Right-handed 31-year-old Spencer Turnbull would take his spot in the rotation were he placed on the IL.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier (knee) exited Saturday's spring game against the Detroit Tigers after fouling a ball off his right knee. Kiermaier went 0-for-1 with a strikeout before exiting. The 33-year-old is expected to be fine and would have stayed in the game if it were the regular season. He is considered day-to-day, with Sunday being the earliest he could return to the lineup. Kiermaier slashed .265/.322/.419 with eight home runs, 36 RBI, 58 runs, and 14 stolen bases over 408 plate appearances in 2023. He signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Jays during the offseason to be the team's starting center fielder. Kiermaier has an ADP of 685 and is mainly a fantasy option in AL-Only or deep league formats.

The New York Mets have informed Jose Iglesias, Tomas Nido, and Luke Voit that they did not make the team's Opening Day roster. Voit signed a minor-league contract with the Mets in February but failed to latch onto the team's main roster after hitting .097 with a home run and four RBI over 31 spring at-bats. Iglesias had a solid spring, but it wasn't enough to make the team's Opening Day roster. This spring, he hit .278 with a home run and three RBI over 36 at-bats. Both Voit and Iglesias will look to latch onto another team. Neither Iglesias nor Voit will provide much fantasy value even if they sign with another club ahead of 2024 fantasy drafts.

The New York Mets will officially option designated hitter J.D. Martinez to the minor leagues to begin the 2024 regular season so that he can build up at-bats, meaning he won't be with the team to start the year for at least the first 10 days of the season. Martinez just signed with the Mets the other day and will need to see some live pitching in the minors first before the Mets are comfortable throwing him into the fire in the big leagues in 2024. When the Mets deem him ready, the 36-year-old is expected to be the team's primary designated hitter to help give All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso more protection in the lineup. Martinez had yet another 30-homer season in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and can provide plenty of power when he's healthy, but his lack of positional eligibility in fantasy makes him less attractive.

Veteran third baseman Eduardo Escobar was granted his release by the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. The 35-year-old was a non-roster invitee and was a long shot to make the roster, but was hitting just .122 (5-for-41) with 17 strikeouts in 15 spring appearances. Escobar was an All-Star as recently as 2021 but has seen his Contact% fall for three consecutive seasons while his K% has increased three consecutive seasons. He may not have much left in the tank, but he does have the ability to play multiple positions and can bat from both sides of the plate, so perhaps he could latch on somewhere.

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez had his third straight game with a hit on Friday in a 10-0 Cactus League win over the Rangers. He's also had a hit in five out of the last six games, but he's yet to have a multi-hit performance this spring and is hitting just .200 (9-for-45) through 15 Cactus League games. On the bright side, he's hitting for power with three doubles and four home runs compared to just two singles. The 5x All-Star typically goes off the board as the first third baseman overall, due in part to his stolen base prowess at a position that is usually devoid of base stealers that can also produce in other categories like Ramirez can, but the 31-year-old has yet to swipe a bag in 46 spring PA, although he has been caught once. Regardless, the 4x Silver Slugger Award winner has been one of the most consistent and durable hitters for eight years now and shows no signs of slowing down, so look for another All-Star caliber campaign again in 2024.

The Chicago White Sox released infielder Mike Moustakas and outfielder Kevin Pillar on Friday. Moustakas was released after slashing a weak .195/.283/.317 with a home run and two RBI in 41 Cactus League at-bats for Chicago after signing a minor-league deal with the team on Feb. 14. The 35-year-old left-handed-hitting veteran is nearing the end of his career. The three-time All-Star hit .247/.293/.392 with 12 home runs and 48 RBI in 112 games with the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels in his 13th big-league campaign. Pillar, who is also 35, went 11-for-44 in the Cactus League with five RBI. He hit .228/.248/.416 with nine home runs, 32 RBI and four steals in 81 games with the Atlanta Braves in 2023. Moustakas and Pillar will be looking to latch on with another team in reserve roles with the season starting next week.

The Chicago White Sox agreed to terms with free-agent outfielder Robbie Grossman on a minor-league deal on Friday that includes an invite to major-league spring training. Grossman doesn't have much time in camp to impress the White Sox in order to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster as outfield depth to begin the 2024 season. Because of the timing of his signing, the 34-year-old veteran left-handed hitter will most likely open the year at Triple-A Charlotte. The 11-year MLB veteran won't be on the fantasy radar in mixed leagues if he's on Chicago's active roster in 2024. Grossman has one year of hitting 20-plus homers (in 2021) and batted .238/.340/.394 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI in 115 regular-season games in 2023 for the Texas Rangers.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (hamstring) won't be ready in time for Opening Day. Cards manager Oliver Marmol confirmed on Friday that Gray will open the season on the injured list. The plan is for Gray to take the mound on Saturday in a spring contest. After that, Gray will make a pair of rehab starts before hopefully returning in mid-April. His stint on the injured list shouldn't be too long, so fantasy managers might just want to hold him here.

New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez has minor-league options remaining but has way more than five years of service time, so he can consent to being sent to the minor leagues. Given the fact that Martinez probably isn't going to be ready by Opening Day next Thursday after just signing with the team on Thursday, Newsday's Tim Healey writes that it looks like the Mets will ask the veteran slugger to start the year in the minors with Triple-A Syracuse. The 36-year-old six-time All-Star bounced back in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, hitting .271 (117-for-432) with 33 hoe runs and 103 RBI in 113 games played, but fantasy managers may want to temper expectations for Martinez, at least early on, as he ramps back into form after not playing at all in spring training. Mark Vientos could operate as New York's primary DH until Martinez is ready to go.

The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Friday that they released infielder Elvis Andrus. The team also optioned left-hander Andrew Saalfran and outfielder Pavin Smith to Triple-A Reno and reassigned left-hander Jose Castillo to minor-league camp. Andrus was in camp with the Diamondbacks as infield depth, mainly behind Geraldo Perdomo at shortstop, but the 35-year-old veteran will now be back on the open market with Opening Day next Thursday, March 28. Now that Andrus is gone, Jace Peterson and Emmanuel Rivera are the best bets to back up Perdomo at the 6 in 2024. Waiting in the wings in the minors at the position are Jordan Lawlar and Blaze Alexander. In 112 games with the Chicago White Sox last year, Andrus hit .251/.304/.358 with six homers, 44 RBI and 12 stolen bases.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray (hamstring) won't pitch in a minor-league game as scheduled on Friday due to heavy rain in the forecast. The Cardinals aren't going to take any chances with their free-agent acquisition as he returns from a strained hamstring on a wet field. The 34-year-old will likely pitch two innings in a minor-league game on Saturday instead. Because of his hamstring injury, Gray won't start on Opening Day for the Red Birds in his first year with the club, but manager Oliver Marmol hasn't ruled out Gray starting at some point on the team's opening day road trip that starts on March 28 and ends on April 3. The runner up in the American League Cy Young voting in 2023 comes to the Cardinals as a solid veteran rotation option and should also be a solid No. 3 starter for fantasy managers in his first year in St. Louis.

The New York Mets and free-agent designated hitter J.D. Martinez agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract on Thursday. After a long stay in free agency, Martinez lands in Queens one week before Opening Day to offer the Mets a formidable protection bat in their lineup behind slugging superstar Pete Alonso. The 36-year-old Martinez is a six-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger and slashed a robust .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs, 27 doubles, and 103 RBI over 432 at-bats (113 games) for the Los Angeles Dodgers a year ago. He figures to immediately slot into the heart of New York's order as their everyday DH, likely taking some shine away from the fantasy appeal and RBI upside of former top prospect Francisco Alvarez in the process. Martinez's 221 NFBC ADP will rise with the move, and managers who have already drafted should make sure the veteran slugger isn't floating around waiver wires in shallow mixed leagues.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve reached base twice during his team's Grapefruit League contest versus the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. The veteran, fresh off a five-year contract extension, doubled to lead off the game before coming around to score on a Kyle Tucker single. He would also draw a fourth-inning walk and also struck out before departing the contest. It's been a solid, yet unspectacular spring for Altuve to this point as he's hitting .263 (10-for-38) with one homer, three doubles, and a .754 OPS across 42 trips to the plate with four walks and 10 strikeouts in that time. However, he has also stolen three bases. Altuve continues to rank as one of the best fantasy second basemen after hitting .311 with 17 homers and 14 stolen bases across just 90 games in the 2023 season. He missed significant time to begin the season after suffering a broken thumb in the World Baseball Classic in March.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) faced hitters in camp on Wednesday in a live batting practice session. Verlander looked good while throwing 20 pitches, according to manager Joe Espada. However, Verlander will not pitch in a Grapefruit League game or in the two exhibition contests at Minute Maid Park next week before Opening Day next week, which means he will need a full minor-league rehab assignment. The Astros aren't going to push the 41-year-old veteran as he continues to progress from a right-shoulder issue this spring. The nine-time All-Star appears to be making good progress, but he's going to start the season on the injured list, and it won't be a surprise if he doesn't make his 2024 debut until May.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (shoulder) threw a two-inning simulated game in camp on Wednesday as he tries to recover from right-shoulder fatigue that has sidelined him from Grapefruit League action. He reported feeling good afterward and is scheduled to make his spring debut on Monday. If he continues to progress, there's a chance that Gausman won't need to open the season on the injured list. Gausman has been one of the best pitchers in baseball the last three seasons, averaging a 3.10 ERA and 29.6% strikeout rate. The 33-year-old veteran finished third in the American League Cy Young voting in 2023. If Gausman is in the Opening Day rotation, he'll most likely be on a strict pitch limit, which will make him a pretty big fantasy risk early on.