San Francisco Giants right-hander Alex Cobb (hip) threw five innings in a rehab start in Arizona on Thursday. Cobb is eligible to return from the injured list on April 9th and is well ahead of his initial recovery timeline. He owned a 3.87 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 131:37 K: BB across 151 1/3 innings in 2023. The 36-year-old may be a viable streaming option once he returns to the Giants rotation and is projected for a 3.84 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Injury concerns are likely to be consistent with Cobb, so fantasy managers should take caution about how much they depend on him when rostering the right-hander.

Seattle Mariners designated hitter/catcher Mitch Haniger was scratched from Friday's starting lineup, although a reason for the removal has not been released at this time. Dominic Canzone has been added to the lineup and will man left field while Mitch Haniger will slide into Garver's DH spot. Garver doubled in his four trips to the plate in Thursday's Opening Day 6-4 loss to the Red Sox. The veteran has long provided big-time power in limited duty, something he did in the 2023 season with 19 home runs and an .870 OPS in just 87 games and 344 trips to the plate as a member of the World Champion Texas Rangers. ATC projects 22 more homers and a healthy 11.5% BB% from the 33-year-old as the Mariners' primary DH in the 2023 season.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers was scratched due to shoulder soreness prior to Friday's contest against the Seattle Mariners. The star infielder homered and doubled on Opening Day Thursday but quickly hits the sidelines just 24 hours later. Bobby Dalbec will take over at third base and hit eighth against Mariners right-hander George Kirby. The 27-year-old had yet another big season in 2023, hitting .271 with 33 home runs, 90 runs, 100 RBI, five stolen bases, and an .851 OPS across a hefty 656 trips to the plate. The Red Sox won their season opener by a 6-4 score on Thursday and will look to stay clean behind right-hander Nick Pivetta on Friday.

New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (foot) is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Friday. The veteran slugger was recently placed on the injured list due to a foot issue. The good news is that LeMahieu was able to throw and hit off a tee on Thursday. The team will likely wait until after the MRI results are in before they give another update on his status. Fantasy managers should expect the team to have those results this weekend. The hope is that LeMahieu is available in roughly a week or so. Oswaldo Cabrera figures to see more playing time with LeMahieu sidelined.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado put together a horrendous outing during Friday's season opener versus the Atlanta Braves. The left-hander was smacked around for five runs on three hits and a pair of walks in just 2/3 of an inning. This sucks to see for Phillies fans after starter Zack Wheeler threw six shutout innings. After that, right-hander Jeff Hoffman gave up a pair of runs which tied the game. Phillies manager Rob Thompson turned to Alvarado after that and he couldn't hold his own. Despite this awful outing, Alvarado should still be in the mix for saves in Philly this season.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (oblique) is heading to the injured list following Friday's victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Braves' manager Brian Snitker confirmed that Murphy will miss time due to a left oblique strain. This is a tough blow to both fantasy managers and to the Braves roster. The organization should give a timetable on his return shortly, but he'll likely miss close to a month of action. In the meantime, Travis d'Arnaud figures to be the primary catcher in Atlanta. He's worth a look in fantasy formats for managers seeking help at the catcher spot. Chadwick Tromp figures to be recalled as backup to d'Arnaud.

Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen (wrist) is making solid strides in his recovery process. On Friday, it was reported that Jansen had begun swinging a bat again. It's uncertain if it was dry swings or off a tee. Regardless, it's great to see Jansen back out there swinging again. He has been able to play long toss as well. The team has not given a timetable for Jansen's return to the field. He is working his way back from a fractured wrist, so it could take some time. While he's gone, Alejandro Kirk and Brian Serven figure to split up the playing time behind the plate.

Left-hander Jordan Montgomery said he is targeting April 19 versus the San Francisco Giants for his first start with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-backs officially agreed to terms with Montgomery on a one-year deal on Friday that includes a player option. He has been optioned to Triple-A Reno and will build up his arm before hopefully debuting in late April. It's no surprise that the 31-year-old southpaw isn't ready for the start of the regular season after missing all of spring training. He could get off to a slow start with his new team as well, but Montgomery should already be rostered in all fantasy leagues after helping lead the Texas Rangers to their first World Series championship last fall. He's had a below-average strikeout rate in his career, but he limits walks and has been durable for fantasy managers.

Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (oblique) was pulled from Friday's season opener against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies with left-oblique tightness. Murphy grabbed his side after swinging and missing at a Matt Strahm pitch in the seventh inning and eventually walked off the field with a trainer. We should know more on Murphy's injury after the game, but all we can say is it didn't look good. Fantasy managers should brace for the 29-year-old backstop to miss some time and potentially land on the injured list. Before leaving the contest early, Murphy was hitless in his three at-bats with one strikeout. He was replaced by veteran Travis d'Arnaud, who would take over the primary catching duties for the Braves if Murphy is forced to miss extended time.

Philadelphia Phillies infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield was not in the starting lineup for the team's season opener on Friday against the division-rival Atlanta Braves, but with the Phillies facing lefties on Saturday and Sunday, Merrifield will likely be in the lineup, according to manager Rob Thomson. Merrifield told Thomson before signing in the offseason that, "I'll work myself into the lineup." The three-time All-Star hit .272/.318/.382 in 2023 with the Toronto Blue Jays with 11 home runs, 67 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 145 games in a bounce-back year. The short side of a platoon role in Philly hurts his overall upside for fantasy managers in deeper leagues, but Merrifield could be more efficient in 2024 if he's mostly facing lefties. He's a .289 career hitter in 526 games against southpaws.

Miami Marlins left-hander A.J. Puk will look to begin his new career as a starter on the right note when he takes on the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. Vast injuries to the Miami rotation opened the door for Puk to at least begin the season as a starter and he took major advantage of the opportunity in Grapefruit League action. The former A's top prospect posted a tidy 1.32 ERA with a whopping 23 strikeouts against four walks across 13 2/3 innings of work this spring, all as a starter. This is Puk's first career start and it comes in a nice matchup against a Pirates team that tied for 24th with a .307 wOBA and finished 23rd with a 24.1% K% against left-handed pitching last season.

Houston Astros right-handed reliever Ryan Pressly picked up the loss in Thursday's 5-4 Opening Day defeat to the visiting New York Yankees. He entered in the seventh frame in a 4-4 tie and allowed an earned run on two hits (a leadoff double to Aaron Judge) while walking one and striking out one. The 35-year-old veteran is off to a bad start after losing a lot of his fantasy appeal in the offseason when the team signed left-hander Josh Hader to be their new closer. The former 11th-round selection by the Boston Red Sox in 2007 has made two All-Star teams in his 12-year MLB career and saved 31 games for the Astros in 2023 while posting a 3.58 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 65 1/3 regular-season innings. Despite no longer being the closer in Houston, Pressly still has plenty of value in holds leagues.

The Oakland Athletics placed shortstop Aledmys Diaz (calf) on the 60-day injured list on Thursday with a right-calf strain. Barring any setbacks in his recovery, Diaz will be eligible to come off the IL and make his season debut in late May. The 33-year-old veteran utilityman was able to start light baseball activities near the end of spring training and is hoping to start jogging this week. Once he's able to rejoin the A's in the big leagues, Diaz is expected to serve in a utility role on the infield and outfield. In 109 games over 344 plate appearances with Oakland in 2023, he hit just .229/.280/.337 with four home runs and 24 RBI. At best, Diaz makes for a bench option in AL-only fantasy leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz collected three hits, including a home run, in an 8-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day on Thursday. Diaz picked up right where he left off last year, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored while hitting leadoff for the Rays. He should be one of the biggest contributors of batting average in fantasy while hitting for moderate power and collecting plenty of runs. With an ADP outside the top 110, he will be a steal if he can come close to what he did last year, when he posted a .330 batting average, 95 runs, 22 home runs, and 78 RBI.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber was dominant in his Opening Day victory against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday. Yes, it was the Oakland A's lineup, but Bieber was straight up filthy over six innings. In his quality start, he allowed four hits, zero runs, one walk and struck out 11 on the evening. Bieber was great this spring in the Cactus League and that carried over last night. Bieber is still just 28, but has a lot of mileage on his arm. Managers shouldn't expect this type of dominance every start, but he is off to a good start and will look to keep it going versus a much tougher Seattle Mariners lineup on the road.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in Thursday's Opening Day victory against the Seattle Mariners. The 27-year-old is coming off an impressive Grapefruit League and remains one of the most talented hitters in all of baseball. It seems like he has been around forever, but he is still just entering his prime and that's scary to think about. With his ability to help pretty much everywhere but the speed department, Devers should easily be a top-20 player in 2024.

Seattle Mariners utilityman Dylan Moore pinch-hit and went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer in Thursday's loss versus the Boston Red Sox. Moore came on for Dominic Canzone in the bottom of the seventh inning to make the game within one run, but it would not be enough. Moore, 31, can play all over the field, but doesn't have an everyday role. 2023 was his first year in the big leagues that he didn't eclipse 10+ stolen bases and without those, his value is even more minimal. Despite the nice performance, he doesn't carry enough opportunity or offer enough outside of position versatility to be rostered in even the deepest of leagues.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal (foot) on the 15-day injured list with plantar fasciitis. The veteran came over from the White Sox this offseason to mentor fellow backstop Henry Davis. At age 35, Grandal is no longer the defensive specialist he once was and his offense has also started to decline. There is no timetable for his return, but he only played in two Grapefruit League games this spring and will need to shake off the rust before returning to the big leagues. Even when healthy, Grandal can be left on the wire in almost all formats. Catcher Jason Delay will take over the backup duties to Henry Davis with Grandal sidelined.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, two runs and a walk in Thursday's Opening Day loss versus the Boston Red Sox. Haniger returned to the Mariners this offseason as part of the Robbie Ray trade. After a nice spring, the veteran starts the regular season out on a high. Haniger is entering his eighth season and while he has been productive, that is only when he has been able to be on the field. Outside of two seasons with Seattle that he played 157 contests, his next highest total is 96 games and that is all the way back in 2017. Managers should roster Haniger in deeper formats as he does provide good power stats, but he makes for a perfect sell-high candidate if he continues to hit well a few weeks into the season.