The Boston Red Sox have released first baseman C.J. Cron less than a month after he was signed to a minor league deal with an invitation to camp. At the time of the signing, it was presumed he'd be the backup to Triston Casas with Bobby Dalbec being the odd man out, however, it looks likely that it will be the opposite. Cron didn't do much with the opportunity he was given, going 3-for-15 (.200) with zero home runs in six spring games. Dalbec has shown a bit more this spring, going 11-for-44 (.250) with three home runs after mashing 33 long balls in the minors last season, while also providing both infield and outfield versatility. We'll see if Cron catches on somewhere for a team in need of a power bat. The 34-year-old was an All-Star as recently as 2022, his last fully healthy season in Colorado when he hit 29 home runs.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones fouled a ball off of his kneecap in Saturday's 6-2 Cactus League loss to the Reds. The 25-year-old said he felt numbness in his foot afterward, but today it is just a bruise. He believes he'll be ready for Opening Day and could even play in the final spring games. It's fantastic news for the lefty as he had become a high fantasy draft pick with his power-speed combo, although somewhat concerningly, he has zero home runs and zero stolen bases in 52 spring plate appearances. For anyone still drafting, RotoBaller ranks him at 49 overall, slightly ahead of his NFBC ADP of 54.

Oakland Athletics outfielder Miguel Andujar (knee) will be forced to open the season on the 15-day injured list. Andujar felt discomfort in his right leg while playing left field in a Cactus League game last week, and MRI results on Friday showed a torn meniscus in his right knee. He'll have surgery on March 27, and manager Mark Kotsay said that Andujar is looking at a recovery timeline of at least four to six weeks. It's a bummer for the A's and the 29-year-old, as he hit .357 with a 1.110 OPS and a team-high five home runs in 14 spring games. His absence to open the year now opens the door for No. 5 prospect Darell Hernaiz or non-roster spring standout Hoy Park to make the Opening Day roster. If everything goes well with Andujar's recovery, he could make his 2024 debut at some point in May.

Houston Astros centerfielder Jake Meyers was struck in the hand by a pitch Saturday during a Grapefruit League game against the Mets. The 27-year-old was sent for X-rays on his hand which on Sunday morning Meyers stated had come back clean. The righty hitter is projected to be the Astros centerfielder, although there isn't much appeal for fantasy purposes. He was able to get to double-digit home runs last season (10), but batting out of the nine-hole will give him less opportunities for production compared to other available options. He's having a mediocre spring, batting .237 (9-for-38) with two home runs, five RBI, seven runs scored, and a stolen base over 16 games.

Colorado Rockies Right Fielder Nolan Jones (knee) left Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds after fouling a ball off his right knee. The Rockies have announced that he has a right knee contusion. No timetable has been set for his return, but this certainly puts his Opening Day status in jeopardy. Jones is expected to be a big part of the Rockies lineup this season after coming on strong in the 2023 season. His spring training has been below par for the 25-year-old, hitting for a .255/.327/.731 slash line without any HR. ATC projects Jones to hit for a .269/.360/.481 slash line with 24 HR and 78 RBI. With an ADP of 71.3, fantasy managers still expect Jones to be a productive contributor to lineups but will need to keep an eye on his status for early season matchups. Jones is considered day-to-day.

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (calf) was at third base and hitting third in the lineup Saturday. It was announced earlier in the week that Jung would likely be ready for Opening Day and his getting into the lineup with five days left should bode well for his chances. ATC projects Jung to have a .259/.313/.461 slash line in 2024. Fantasy managers will most likely be more interested in his projected 26 home runs and 81 RBI. Jung connected on 23 homers over 122 games last season with a .266 average. His .340 BABIP calls for a reduction in average but his .201 ISO shows his power potential. The .201 ISO produced by the 26-year-old finished in between household names such as Manny Machado, Jose Ramirez, and Nolan Arenado at third base.

Los Angeles Angels second baseman Luis Rengifo (hamstring) will serve as the designated hitter in the team's Cactus League game on Saturday against the Oakland Athletics. Meanwhile, first baseman Nolan Schanuel (back) could also return to the lineup. Rengifo will return to spring action after leaving Tuesday's contest with a left-hamstring injury. Schanuel was scratched from Monday's Cactus League game due to back tightness. Both Rengifo and Schanuel should be ready for Opening Day next Thursday. Rengifo is expected to be the team's regular season baseman, while the 22-year-old Schanuel is projected to be the Angels' primary first baseman after impressing in his first MLB call-up after being taken 12th overall in last year's draft. Rengifo and Schanuel don't have a ton of fantasy upside in mixed leagues.

Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said that infielder Brayan Rocchio will handle the "bulk" of the playing time at shortstop this year. Rocchio is the club's No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and has won the starting shortstop job after going 20-for-81 (.247) with no home runs and eight RBI in his first 23 major-league games in 2023. The 23-year-old won the job by hitting .270/.308/.459 in 13 Cactus League games this spring. Power isn't really his thing, as he hit only seven home runs in 116 contests with Triple-A Columbus in 2023 before getting called up to Cleveland, but he steal 25 bases. The switch-hitting shortstop doesn't have a ton of fantasy upside at the 6 because of his lack of over-the-fence pop, but winning the starting shortstop gig will at least make him an AL-only asset because of his speed.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Kyle Bradish (elbow) and left-hander John Means (elbow) are both expected to pitch early in the first half of the 2024 season, according to manager Brandon Hyde. Bradish is recovering from a right UCL sprain, while Means has a left-elbow injury. There's no specific timetable for either pitcher to make their debut this year, and it's a good bet that both of them won't be ready to return until at least late April. Bradish, 27, is the more attractive fantasy arm after he had a mini breakout in 2023 by going 12-7 with a 2.83 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 44 walks and 168 strikeouts in 168 2/3 innings covering 30 starts. Means, 30, had Tommy John surgery in 2022 and has made only six starts the last two seasons as a result.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck has locked up one of the final spots in the team's Opening Day starting rotation. He'll join Brayan Bello, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford and Garrett Whitlock. Houck definitely earned the starting spot by posting a 2.40 ERA with only three walks and 16 strikeouts in 15 innings in Grapefruit League action this spring. The 27-year-old had a career-worst 5.01 ERA (4.43 FIP) and 1.37 WHIP while walking 41 and striking out 99 in a career-high 106 innings over 21 starts for the Red Sox last year. It was Houck's first year being used exclusively as a starter by the BoSox, so hopefully for fantasy managers in AL-only leagues, he'll be able to take a step forward in 2024. Houck will need to improve against left-handed hitters in order to accomplish that.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Garrett Whitlock has officially been named to the team's Opening Day starting rotation. Cooper Criswell will be optioned to Triple-A Worcester and will stay stretched out as a starter. It's good news for Whitlock's fantasy value as a streamer and in AL-only leagues, but his fantasy upside will be capped with the Red Sox most likely monitoring his innings in 2024 since he hasn't gone over 78 1/3 innings in any of his three major-league seasons to this point. The 27-year-old had a 3.45 ERA with two walks and 16 strikeouts in 15 2/3 Grapefruit League innings this spring. Whitlock has some upside in a starting role, but he was inconsistent in a starting role in 2023 before injuries moved him back to the bullpen.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil looked fairly strong on the mound versus the New York Mets on Friday. The right-hander allowed two earned runs while striking out five batters over four innings of work. The strikeout numbers are good for Gil who has four punchouts or more in three straight appearances. The 25-year-old was once a high level prospect with the organization but injuries have set him back. There's a chance that Gil is still able to secure the fifth spot in the rotation.

Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (lat) has a left-lat strain and is going to be shut down from throwing, according to manager Torey Lovullo. Rodriguez will open the regular season next week on the injured list. The 30-year-old veteran southpaw left his Cactus League outing early on Tuesday with the lat injury and will now unsurprisingly not be ready for Opening Day next Thursday. E-Rod put up some career-best numbers in his final season with the Detroit Tigers in 2023 but was pretty fortunate to do so. The Venezuelan hurler has thrown over 160 innings just once in his eight major-league seasons, so fantasy managers shouldn't be super surprised that he's already injured to begin the 2024 campaign. At best, he's a stash candidate in deep-mixed leagues for rotation depth, but Rodriguez's durability issues aren't going away.

Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Kyle Stowers has been reassigned to minor-league camp alongside fellow prospects Jackson Holliday and Heston Kjerstad. The move comes after Stowers enjoyed a massive big-league camp in Grapefruit League action as the 26-year-old clubbed seven spring homers while driving in 14 runs alongside a 1.011 OPS across 45 trips to the plate. While he struggled in a small 33-plate-appearance sample with the Orioles in the 2023 season, he hit .245 with 17 home runs alongside a 14.1% BB% in 68 games with Triple-A Norfolk a season ago, good for an .875 OPS. Stowers is locked into a jam-packed battle for reps in the Orioles' outfield but a strong spring could leave him as the first option when an outfield injury occurs.

The Detroit Tigers announced on Friday that they optioned right-hander Matt Manning to Triple-A Toledo. The team also reassigned right-hander Drew Anderson to minor-league camp. Manning will head to the farm to open the 2024 campaign after losing out on a starting rotation spot in Detroit to Casey Mize and Reese Olson. The 26-year-old former ninth overall pick in 2016 will most likely be the first man up to join the Tigers' rotation this year once a need arises. In his third year in the big leagues in 2023, he went 5-4 with a 3.58 ERA (4.81 FIP) and 1.04 WHIP with 21 walks and 50 strikeouts in 78 innings pitched over 15 starts. If Manning can get past the injury bug that has hurt him in each of the last two seasons, he could easily become a mixed-league asset for fantasy managers.

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.

Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez went 0-for-1 with a pair of walks on Thursday versus the Cincinnati Reds in Cactus League action. The 23-year-old has been having a great spring and is hitting .417 with a homer, five RBI and one stolen base in just 24 at-bats. Rodriguez backed up his stellar rookie season with another strong campaign in 2023 and continues to ascend as one of the best baseball players in the world. With his ability to help with big numbers across the board, he can safely be one of the first players off the board in upcoming drafts as he should continue to add to already impressive resume.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. has been having a tremendous Cactus League this spring. The talented 23-year-old is coming off a strong season that saw him hit .276 with 30 homers, 96 RBI and 49 stolen bases. This spring, he's picked up where he left off and has hit .372 with three homers, eight RBI and a stolen base in 43 at-bats. Witt enters this season as one of the most talented players both in real life and for fantasy purposes with his all-around skills. Still entering the prime of his career, Witt should make managers giddy over all he can do and is absolutely worth snagging as one of the first picks in upcoming drafts.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session in camp on Friday. Manoah's live BP session on Friday will be the first time facing hitters since he came down with right-shoulder soreness at the beginning of March. The 26-year-old doesn't have any structural damage in his arm, which is good news, but he's going to start the 2024 regular season on the injured list. Given his disastrous 2023 campaign in which he was sent to the minors two different times, Manoah's fantasy stock is way down after he was third in the American League Cy Young voting in 2022. He could still bounce back from his disastrous 2023 season once he's able to return from his shoulder injury, but fantasy managers in standard 12-team leagues can avoid him for now.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Alec Marsh has been named the team's fifth starter to open the 2024 season, according to manager Matt Quatraro. Right-hander Jordan Lyles will begin the season in the bullpen. We reported on Wednesday that Marsh was the favorite for the No. 5 spot, and now it's official. The 25-year-old earned the final rotation spot for KC this spring by recording a 1.93 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, four walks and 17 strikeouts in 14 Cactus League innings. Marsh struck out 85 hitters in 74 1/3 innings in his rookie season last year for the Royals, but he also walked 39 in 17 appearances (eight starts) and allowed 50 runs (47 earned). Right now, he's only an option for strikeouts in AL-only leagues. Marsh will need to improve his control to become a legitimate streaming option in mixed formats.