The Colorado Rockies placed right-hander Daniel Bard (knee) on the 15-day injured list on Thursday after he missed all of spring training following a cleanup procedure on his left knee in the middle of February. In addition to his knee ailment, the 38-year-old veteran has received platelet-rich plasma injections in his right forearm in the offseason. Bard is improving and could be ready to face live hitters in the second week of April. There's a chance that he could make his 2024 season debut before the end of April if he doesn't suffer any setbacks while on a minor-league rehab assignment. Bard again struggled with anxiety last year after recording 54 saves in 2021-22, and Justin Lawrence and Tyler Kinley are now Colorado's primary options for saves, so fantasy managers can ignore Bard.

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.

The Miami Marlins acquired right-hander Burch Smith from the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations. Smith had an assignment clause in his minor-league contract, and the Rays didn't have a spot for him on their major-league roster out of spring training. The Marlins selected Smith's contract from Triple-A Jacksonville after the trade. The 33-year-old last pitched in the majors in 2021 with the Oakland Athletics, posting a 5.40 ERA (4.21 FIP) and 1.38 WHIP with 11 walks and 28 strikeouts in 43 1/3 relief innings. He'll be completely off the fantasy radar in what's expected to be a long-relief role for the Fish. In five big-league seasons, Smith has a poor 6.03 ERA, a 1.56 WHIP, one save, 87 walks and 184 strikeouts in 191 innings pitched.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna hit his second home run of the spring on Monday in a 4-0 Grapefruit League win over the Twins. Ozuna had started off the spring hot but his bat had gone cold as of late, going 2-for-17 over his last six games. The 33-year-old is still hitting .306 in the spring, going 15-for-49 with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI (three of which came on Monday's HR), and four runs scored. He's got just two walks compared to 16 strikeouts which is a bit concerning, but as long as he keeps hitting home runs that can be tolerated. The Braves have their Grapefruit finale on Tuesday before opening the season Thursday against the Phillies in Philadelphia.

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.

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.

San Francisco Giants infielder Wilmer Flores (knee) was scratched from the team's Cactus League lineup on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels due to a little knee soreness. Flores said "it's nothing." Flores should be considered day-to-day for now and should be ready for Opening Day next Thursday versus the division-rival San Diego Padres. Despite the 32-year-old Venezuelan putting up the best offensive numbers of his career last year for the Giants -- .284 average, 23 home runs and 60 RBI in 126 games -- playing time is going to be an issue for him in 2024. Flores was a bit fortunate to put up the numbers that he did, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he hits lefties well. At worst, he should be in some sort of short-sided platoon role in San Francisco's infield.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler has been confirmed as the Opening Day starter, according to manager Rob Thompson. The right-hander has earned this opportunity given how excellent he has pitched over the last few seasons. This will be a change of pace for the Phillies as Aaron Nola has started the last seven Opening Day games for the Phillies. The organization will shake it up and have Wheeler take the ball against the Atlanta Braves on March 28. The assumption is that Nola will follow him as the second starter.

With St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray (hamstring) not set to be cleared to pitch on Opening Day on March 28 against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the road, right-hander Miles Mikolas has been tabbed as the Opening Day starter for the Red Birds. Not only is Mikolas not much of a mixed-league target in standard 12-team fantasy leagues, but he should be considered a poor DFS option on Opening Day against a strong Dodgers lineup that added Shohei Ohtani in the offseason. The 35-year-old veteran is hoping an improved slider will make him more effective this year after he had a 4.78 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with 39 walks, 137 strikeouts and league-highs in hits allowed (226) and earned runs (107). There's just not much fantasy upside from a pitcher with a career 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings in eight years in the majors.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network has reported that Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler has agreed to terms on a three-year, $126 million extension to remain in Philly for the foreseeable future. The right-hander already has a year left on his current deal, so the extension won't kick in until the 2025 season. Wheeler is coming off of an impressive 2023 campaign and has consistently been one of the top pitchers in the league since signing with the Phillies four seasons ago. With one of the better offenses in the league, Wheeler should continue to rack up W's to go along with his other strong numbers. He is a safe Top-10 option as a starting pitcher heading into the season.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna is slashing .538/.600/..846 with a home run and three runs scored over six spring games. He bounced back in 2023 after a lackluster 2022. The 33-year-old blasted a career-high 40 home runs and collected 100 RBI over 592 plate appearances in 2023. Ozuna's production was backed up by career-highs in barrel rate (16.6%) and hard-hit rate (49%). He is projected to hit in the heart of the order in a loaded Braves lineup that includes Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley. Ozuna has always been a boom-or-bust player and only qualifies at utility in NFBC leagues. Despite the lack of position eligibility, Ozuna should pop 30-plus homers (ATC projects 30) and is a solid pick at his current NFBC ADP of 151.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas was an All-Star in 2018 and 2022, but he struggled to a 9-13 record, 4.78 ERA (4.27 FIP) and 1.32 WHIP with a league-high 226 hits allowed, a league-high 107 earned runs given up, 39 walks and 137 strikeouts in 201 1/3 innings over 35 starts. The 35-year-old topped the 200-inning mark for the third time in his career, but his 16.7% whiff rate was in the bottom one percent of the league, per Baseball Savant. Mikolas also had career-worsts in hard-hit rate (43%) and average exit velocity (90.4 mph). To bounce back in 2024, he's working hard on his slider and the sequencing of his pitches. He may try to throw less strikes on purpose as well -- because he rarely walks hitters, they have become much more aggressive against him. His poor 2023 campaign and his age has dropped Mikolas out of RotoBaller's top-100 starting pitcher rankings.

When asked if catcher Yasmani Grandal was the team's starting catcher, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton suggested that Grandal would be the starter, but that he would have his workload limited over the course of the season. "Yaz is going to catch. Yas is also 35 years old, so whoever our C2 is is going to get some time. We have to be very mindful of when he catches and how much he catches, mindful of making sure we get the second guy in there in a situation that we like all the time." Shelton said. Henry Davis, a former first-rounder, figures to be the favorite for the No. 2 job after playing exclusively right field in his MLB debut in 2023. Davis is younger and clearly has more offensive upside than the aging Grandal, but his uncertain playing time is going to hurt his fantasy value in deeper leagues as he enters his first full major-league season.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that relievers Blake Treinen (shoulder), Daniel Hudson (knee) and J.P. Feyereisen (shoulder) are all tracking to be on the active roster to kick off the season in a two-game series against the division-rival San Diego Padres in Korea. Roberts said Hudson is still working through some execution stuff after missing close to two seasons due to injuries. The 36-year-old Hudson made just three appearances in 2023 and will give them veteran depth in the bullpen, but he's not on the fantasy radar. Neither is Treinen, 35, who made five appearances in 2022 and three rehab outings in 2023 after having shoulder surgery. He's going to need to prove himself before he's given a high-leverage role in the 'pen again.

The Los Angeles Angels have brought infielder Ehire Adrianza into spring training as a non-roster invitee. The veteran appeared in just five big-league games with the Braves last season and failed to record a hit in his 11 trips to the plate. He also played sparingly in the 2022 season when he played just 37 contests between the Nationals and Braves. Known most for his four-year tenure with the Twins from 2017-2020, Adrianza is a career .238 hitter with 21 home runs and 19 stolen bases across 617 career games played. He has spent the bulk of his career at either shortstop or third base but has experience at first base, second base, and the corner outfield spots as he will compete for a super-utility role with the Halos in 2024.

Los Angeles Angels left-handed reliever Drew Pomeranz (elbow), who is in spring training on a minor-league deal, said he's "full-go" in his effort to return to the majors for the first time since 2021. Pomeranz had elbow surgery in August of 2021 and has dealt with several setbacks since. "Pushing from bullpens to game speed is where I had real trouble," Pomeranz said. "I kept getting reinjured and reinjured. It's pretty frustrating trying to figure out what's going on I feel good right now, probably the same point I would have in any spring training coming in." Anything the Angels manage to get out of the 35-year-old veteran southpaw in 2024 would be gravy. Although he had a 1.75 ERA in 2021 before his injury, Pomeranz shouldn't be drafted in any fantasy leagues this spring.

San Francisco Giants infielder Wilmer Flores enters spring training this year without a clear role once again. Last year, he had a stretch when he mostly came off the bench, but then he ended up being a lineup regular and the team's best hitter due to injuries. Until this past week when the team signed right-handed slugger Jorge Soler, Flores looked headed for right-handed designated hitter duty and time at first base. "Wilmer is a tough one, man. I mean, that guy hits righties, hits lefties. He's so well respected, not only around the league but certainly in this clubhouse. You don't always have a full complement of players. Guys are going to get hurt, too, but I'll figure out a way to get him in there," manager Bob Melvin said. The 32-year-old hit a career-high 23 homers in 2023, but the addition of Soler is going to make it much tougher for him to find regular ABs.

Doctors performed an arthroscopy/cleanup on Colorado Rockies right-hander Daniel Bard's left knee on Wednesday and did not need to do a meniscus repair as originally believed. The general recovery time frame is one month, which is a little less than the five to seven weeks the team originally believed he'd have to miss. It's good news for the 38-year-old reliever, but he still seems likely to open the 2024 season on the injured list. Bard could be in the mix for saves in Colorado when he's healthy, and at the very least he'll be a candidate for consideration in deep holds leagues, but the Rockies probably won't give their relievers many save chances. He had 54 saves in 2021 and 2022 but is an extremely risky reliever because of his past history with anxiety and the yips.

Right-hander Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies have started negotiations on a potential contract extension, according to Wheeler. It's early in the process, but Wheeler is hoping they can get something done before the start of the 2024 regular season. "I love it here. We're happy here," Wheeler said. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal said on Tuesday that he wouldn't be surprised if the two sides get something done soon. The 33-year-old made his first All-Star team in 2021 and has been everything the Phillies had hoped for since signing him before the 2020 season. In his four years with the Phils, Wheeler has gone 43-25 with a 3.06 ERA (2.90 FIP) and 1.05 WHIP with 135 walks and 675 strikeouts in 629 1/3 innings over 101 starts. Fantasy managers should have every reason to believe he'll remain a high-end starter in 2024.

Free-agent left-hander Drew Pomeranz (elbow) signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to major-league spring training on Tuesday with the Los Angeles Angels. Pomeranz hasn't pitched in a big-league game since 2021 due to arm injuries, and he was forced to shut down his minor-league rehab assignment late last year due to more elbow pain. The 34-year-old southpaw reliever will be hoping to win a roster spot out of spring training this year with the Angels if he can stay on the field. In 27 relief appearances for the San Diego Padres back in 2021, Pomeranz had a strong 1.75 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 10 walks and 30 strikeouts. He has 11 years of major-league experience but has only recorded nine saves and should be ignored in all fantasy leagues for now.