The Arizona Diamondbacks selected veteran catcher Tucker Barnhart's contract Monday and designated pitcher Peter Strzelecki for assignment in a corresponding move. This means that Barnhart will serve as backup to Gabriel Moreno to start the season. The 33-year-old is a two-time Gold Glove winner and can provide experience and leadership off the bench. However, he has hit just .217 this spring and has never been much of an offensive fantasy option.

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo stopped short of saying that outfielder Randal Grichuk (ankle) will open the year on the injured list, but the skipper left little doubt. Lovullo said that Grichuk would be ready to serve as the designated hitter but that "just having a DH and not giving somebody a chance to play on the other side of the ball would not be fair to him or the team." The 32-year-old is recovering from surgery to remove a bone spur from his right ankle in February and is unlikely to be on the Opening Day roster. When Grichuk is healthy, he'll serve as outfield insurance for the Snakes after hitting .267/.321/.459 with 16 home runs and 44 RBI in 118 games with the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels in 2023. Grichuk hasn't hit 20 homers since 2021 and lost most of his fantasy appeal when he left Colorado last year.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Michael Wacha (finger) is fine and isn't expected to miss any time to open the 2024 regular season. Manager Matt Quatraro said Wacha woke up Monday morning and even "forgot about it." Wacha is the club's No. 4 starter in his first year in KC, joining Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Brady Singer and Alec Marsh. The 32-year-old veteran suffered a bruised right middle finger during an intrasquad game on Sunday, but it won't impact his availability for the start of the 2024 campaign. He's expected to make his Royals debut on April 1 in a tough matchup against the defending American League East-champion Baltimore Orioles. Fantasy managers should expect regression from Wacha after two straight fortunate seasons in 2022 and 2023.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras is finishing up his spring on a high note. The 31-year-old blasted his first home run of the spring during Monday's win over the Chicago Cubs. It's fitting that Contreras smacked his first homer off his former team. Contreas is slashing a lackluster .250/.300/.472 so far this spring. At this point, fantasy managers know what they will get from Contreras. The move to St. Louis doesn't seem to have boosted his offensive ability.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Joey Votto (ankle) is feeling better but has still yet to resume full baseball activities in camp. He will likely stay in extended spring training when the Blue Jays open the 2024 season later this week against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 40-year-old rolled his right ankle recently in a Grapefruit League game and will not be ready for the start of the regular season, although the injury isn't considered serious. It gives Votto a chance to stay in spring training to work on his swing after signing with the club late in spring training. Once he's healthy, he'll most likely head to Triple-A Buffalo while hoping to eventually join the Blue Jays in the big leagues as a veteran bat off the bench at both first base and designated hitter.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that right-hander Jameson Taillon (back) is scheduled to throw one inning of live batting practice in camp on Monday and then repeat the process on Friday. If all of it goes well, Taillon will be looking at a minor-league game after that. Due to a back injury that he picked up in spring training, the 32-year-old former first-round pick will open the season on the injured list and won't be ready to make his 2024 debut until at least the middle of April. We'll have a better idea of when exactly Taillon could rejoin Chicago's starting rotation once he pitches in minor league games. He doesn't walk many hitters, but Taillon hasn't been dominant and is also a fly-ball pitcher, leaving him very little fantasy upside in mixed leagues at this stage of his career.

New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (foot) will start the 2024 season on the injured list, according to general manager Brian Cashman. "(It's been) a slow go on the recovery side" due to bone bruise, right foot," Cashman said. LeMahieu is dealing with inflammation and a deep bone bruise in his right foot and will have another MRI exam later this week to give the club an idea of how much progress he's made. The 35-year-old veteran might not have to miss much time, but there's also a chance his 2024 debut won't come until later in April. LeMahieu suffered the injury while fouling a ball off his foot in a spring game last week. With LeMahieu on the shelf to begin the season, Oswaldo Cabrera should operate as the Yankees' primary third baseman.

New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (lat) is back in the team's Grapefruit League lineup on Monday against the New York Mets, serving as the designated hitter and batting cleanup. Lat tightness caused the Yankees to scratch Rizzo as a precaution from Friday's spring training game, but he's back in there on Monday after taking the weekend off. Barring a setback, the 34-year-old left-handed-hitting veteran should be New York's starting first baseman on Opening Day on Thursday, March 28, on the road versus the Houston Astros. Fantasy managers that took Rizzo as a corner infielder in mixed leagues are hoping he can stay healthy in 2024 and carry his strong spring results into the regular season. Rizzo currently has a 1.189 OPS and two home runs in the Grapefruit League.

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal (foot) and outfielder Ji Hwan Bae (hip) will open the 2024 regular season on the 10-day injured list. Grandal is dealing with plantar fasciitis and has yet to resume running in spring training, so he won't be ready for Opening Day. The good news is that the 35-year-old veteran backstop hasn't been completely shut down from baseball activities, so he could be ready to make his 2024 debut when he's eligible to return next month. With Grandal sidelined, it opens the door for Henry Davis to see full-time duties as Pittsburgh's starting catcher to begin the year. When Grandal is healthy, the Bucs plan to rotate the two behind the dish in 2024. While Grandal still has some pop from the left side, he's not much of an option in single-catcher fantasy leagues.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Davis Schneider, utility bat Daniel Vogelbach, and infielder Ernie Clement have all made the opening day roster. Schneider should see a decent amount of playing time at second base, either as a platoon with Cavan Biggio or as the outright second baseman with Biggio shifting around the diamond. Vogelbach will likely be a bench bat and could fill in at DH when Justin Turner is playing in the field or taking a day off. Clement will be a bench infielder for the club. Schneider has the most appeal in fantasy and could be worth a speculative add in deeper leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow will take the ball during the team's home opener versus the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. The right-hander made his Dodgers' debut versus the San Diego Padres on Wednesday. Glasnow allowed two runs, two hits, and walked four batters in a no-decision. It appears the plan is for Glasnow to start on Thursday, Bobby Miller on Friday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly.

New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (foot) is reportedly a longshot to be ready in time for Opening Day, according to manager Aaron Boone. It sounds like the veteran infielder has not progressed as quickly as the organization hoped. The 35-year-old continues to deal with a bone bruise in his right foot that could linger into Opening Day. The good news is that LeMahieu has been able to participate in baseball activities. Although, LeMahieu isn't quite ready for game action, so he could begin the season on the injured list. Oswaldo Cabrera figures to see an expanded role if LeMahieu does miss time.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman stated that starting pitcher Gerrit Cole could be placed on the 60-Day IL if they need to free up a spot on the 40-man roster. Cole is expected to miss an extended amount of time anyway, so putting him on the IL would give them some roster flexibility. If the Yankees were to do that, that would at least firm up the fact that the 6x All-Star would not return before late May or early June at the earliest, and fantasy managers can adjust expectations accordingly. Cole's draft stock has already plummeted of course, but a late-round flier on a pitcher with Cole's ceiling seems like a reasonable gamble, assuming he won't need to miss any additional time and provided you have space to stash him.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (hernia) made his Spring Training debut Saturday. Seager was at shortstop, hitting second to start the game. The 29-year-old had sports hernia surgery in January. Saturday marks his first game action of the spring. Even with the limited action, Seager is not a lock to open the season on the IL. Saturday marks the last game for the Rangers in Arizona but they will play their final Spring Training games on Monday and Tuesday in Texas. 2023's runner-up for the American League MVP award, Seager should be viewed as a top-five or six shortstop for fantasy purposes. Getting into 119 last season, the World Series champion produced a massive .327/.390/.623 slash line with 33 home runs and 96 RBI.

The Texas Rangers officially placed right-hander Jacob deGrom (elbow) on the 60-day injured list on Friday to make room for right-hander Michael Lorenzen on the active roster. deGrom, who is recovering from surgery on his right UCL, started playing catch on Feb. 12 and resumed again on the first official day of spring workouts on Feb. 14, just under eight months after the surgery to fix his torn right UCL ended his 2023 season. It was the second Tommy John surgery for the 35-year-old veteran. General manager Chris Young said that deGrom is progressing well in his rehab with an eye on returning around August. He still has a long ways to go in his recovery and shouldn't be relied on for much, if any, fantasy production late in the second half of 2024 if he returns to Texas' starting rotation.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (hernia), who had sports-hernia surgery in January, has been taking live batting practice since March 18 and could get a few at-bats in the team's exhibition games against the Boston Red Sox next week before Opening Day on March 28. Seager, who was the runner-up for the American League MVP award in 2023, was on the injured list twice last year due to hamstring and thumb injuries. The Rangers are currently deciding if he'll need a minor-league rehab assignment to start the 2024 campaign. Even if the 29-year-old two-time World Series MVP isn't ready for the start of the 2024 regular season, he should be considered by fantasy managers as a top-10 shortstop in a strong Rangers lineup.

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (back) is back in the team's Grapefruit League lineup on Saturday against the New York Yankees, playing first base and batting third in the lineup. After getting seven at-bats on the back fields in camp on Friday, Harper is ready to return to spring action this weekend after dealing with a minor back injury. The 31-year-old former MVP has gone only 5-for-22 with three runs scored in Grapefruit League games this spring, but the only thing that really matters is that he'll be ready for Opening Day next Thursday. Moving to first base full time in 2024, Harper is ranked at RotoBaller as the No. 1 fantasy first baseman, behind only the Dodgers' Freddie Freeman.

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner went 1-for-2 with a single and a walk in Friday's 4-3 Grapefruit League loss to the Tigers. The speedster also stole a base, his second of the spring. The veteran is having a solid but unspectacular spring, hitting just .268 (11-for-41) with four doubles, zero home runs, two RBI, one runs scored, and two stolen bases. The 2x All-Star has drawn three walks while striking out ten times. You don't want to put too much stock into spring stats, but Turner got off to a slow start last season so it would be comforting for managers to see him with a little more momentum heading into the season. Nevertheless, the 30-year-old is still a top option at shortstop with his power-speed combo which, like last season, can buoy his fantasy value even if the batting average isn't there.

San Francisco Giants infielder Wilmer Flores (knee) returned to Cactus League action on Friday against the Chicago Cubs, starting at first base and batting third in the lineup. Flores returned to the field on Friday after he was scratched from Wednesday's Cactus League lineup due to minor knee soreness. The fact that the 32-year-old is already back on the field heading into the weekend suggests he won't open the 2024 regular season on the injured list next week. The Venezuelan veteran hit an impressive .284/.355/.509 with an .863 OPS, a career-high 23 home runs and 60 RBI in 126 games in 2023 in his third year in the Bay Area. At the very least, Flores should be a lineup regular for the Gigantes this year against left-handed pitching at either first base or designated hitter.