Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (hernia) is starting at shortstop and batting second on Opening Day on Thursday versus left-hander Justin Steele and the visiting Chicago Cubs. It was uncertain earlier this spring if the two-time World Series MVP would be ready for Opening Day, but those concerns were mostly put to rest when he started at shortstop and went 0-for-3 in Monday's exhibition game at Globe Life Field against the Boston Red Sox. The 29-year-old missed most of spring training after having sports-hernia surgery in the offseason, but all that matters now is that he's available for fantasy managers in Game 1 of the 2024 season. Seager is a must-start on a daily basis in single-year fantasy leagues, but don't be surprised if he gets off to a slow start given his lack of spring training activity.

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman will be batting cleanup on Opening Day as he faces southpaw Nestor Cortes and the New York Yankees. Bregman was a popular target in drafts this offseason with an ADP of 59.0. The 29-year-old has been a staple in the Houston lineup for several seasons and should once again be counted on to produce as a strong source of counting stats and great on-base skills. Bregman is an excellent play in DFS, as he should see ample opportunities to be on the score sheet.

Minnesota Twins infielder Kyle Farmer, not Edouard Julien, is starting at second base and batting seventh on Opening Day on Thursday with the team facing left-hander Cole Ragans and the Kansas City Royals. In addition to Julien starting on the bench, which was common last year against lefties, too, Alex Kirilloff and Matt Waller will also grab pine on Opening Day. Farmer hit .290/.352/.430 against left-handers last year in 128 plate appearances, but it came with only two home runs and 16 RBI. In total in 120 games in his first year in Minnesota last year, Farmer slashed .256/.317/.408 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI in 369 trips to the plate. He'll be a low-upside DFS sleeper in fantasy lineups to kick the 2024 season off.

The New York Yankees officially placed right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) on the 60-day injured list on Thursday with right-elbow inflammation. Cole has avoided structural damage in his right elbow, but he's still expected to miss at least one to two months. It remains to be seen if last year's American League Cy Young winner will be able to start a throwing program in a couple of weeks as he slowly begins to build his arm back up. The 33-year-old needs to be stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy leagues because he's one of the very best arms in all of baseball when he's healthy, but there's really no telling how much he'll pitch in 2024 or how effective he'll be if he does. And of course the Yankees aren't going to rush their ace back too soon.

The Minnesota Twins placed right-handers Anthony DeSclafani (elbow) and Josh Winder (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list on Thursday. The Twins also put right-handers Jhoan Duran (oblique), Josh Staumont (calf), Justin Topa (knee) and Zack Weiss (shoulder) and left-hander Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) on the 15-day IL to open the year. DeSclafani is dealing with a right-elbow strain and won't be an option for the back end of Minnesota's starting rotation for at least the first two months of the 2024 season. The 33-year-old was acquired in an offseason trade from the Seattle Mariners in January. He went 4-8 with a 4.88 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 20 walks and 79 strikeouts in 99 2/3 innings for the San Francisco Giants in 2023. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues can leave him to the waiver wire.

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon is hitting leadoff for the Angels on Opening Day on Thursday against the Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Corbin Burnes. Manager Ron Washington experimented with using Rendon in the top spot in the batting order in spring training, and now he'll be there for the first game that counts in 2024. The 33-year-old gets the nod to start for the Halos for lack of better options, really. Rendon doesn't have much speed but does possess good plate discipline with an 11 percent career walk rate, so the Angels will be hoping he can set the table for Mike Trout and company. Rendon could boost his counting stats if he sticks at leadoff all year, but he should really only be concerned about staying healthy, as he has played in a total of 148 games in the last three years.

The Los Angeles Angels officially placed right-hander Robert Stephenson (shoulder) and infielder Michael Stefanic (quadriceps) on the injured list on Thursday. Stephenson isn't ready for Opening Day on March 28 in Baltimore against the Orioles due to right-shoulder inflammation he dealt with in spring training. While it's not a serious issue, the 31-year-old is going to miss a bit of time to open his first year in Anaheim. When healthy, Stephenson will be in play in fantasy leagues that count holds as the primary late-inning setup man to closer Carlos Estevez. And if Estevez struggles at all in 2024 and is removed from the ninth-inning job, Stephenson would be the first one in line to replace him for saves.

Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black says first baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant is in a "great place" physically, and he believes 25 home runs is a possibility for the veteran. Bryant is entering the third season of a seven-year, $182 million contract that is widely perceived as an albatross, but the 32-year-old four-time All-Star did hammer three homers and draw six walks over 43 plate appearances during spring training. Set to primarily occupy first base in 2024, Bryant should have a much better chance of staying healthy at the cold corner after appearing in just 122 of a possible 324 games in the past two years for the Rocks. Only rostered in one-third of Yahoo leagues to begin the season, the former National League MVP can't be discounted as a potential bounce-back candidate with plenty of slugging upside from a premium lineup spot in Colorado's lineup at the hitter's paradise that is Coors Field.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that right-hander Jake Odorizzi (shoulder) will make a start for Triple-A Durham on Tuesday, April 2, and then the team will go "start-to-start" on deciding when/if they'll bring him to the major-league level. Not only did Odorizzi not sign with the Rays until March 15, but he didn't pitch at all in 2023 while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder. The 34-year-old veteran should eventually become a rotation option for Tampa this year, but he'll certainly be on an innings limit and already didn't come with much fantasy upside. The former first-rounder (32nd overall) of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008 went 6-6 with the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves in his last season in 2022, sporting a 4.40 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 35 walks and 86 K's over 22 starts.

Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (late) started his throwing program on Tuesday and appears to be ahead of schedule. Rodriguez threw from 60 feet on Tuesday, which was the first time he had done any throwing since suffering a left-lat strain in spring training on March 19. The 30-year-old veteran southpaw is still going to start his first year in Arizona on the injured list, but his stay there may not end up being a lengthy one. In any event, the Snakes still felt the need to add lefty Jordan Montgomery to their rotation on Tuesday. E-Rod had career-highs in ERA (3.30) and WHIP (1.15) in his final year in Detroit in 2023, but fantasy managers should be expecting regression from an injury-prone pitcher that has exceeded 160 innings just once in his eight major-league seasons.

TSN's Scott Mitchell writes that the Toronto Blue Jays will use a closer-by-committee setup and matchup-based choices to open the season with relievers Jordan Romano (elbow) and Erik Swanson (forearm) starting the year on the injured list. Mitchell says that his pecking order for saves would be Chad Green first, followed by Yimi Garcia and Tim Mayza. Green, 32, has 11 career saves in eight big-league seasons and posted a career-worst 5.25 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP, four walks and 16 K's in just 12 innings last year in Toronto in his return from Tommy John surgery. He struck out 11 hitters in 7 2/3 Grapefruit League innings this spring but also allowed seven runs. While Green might get first crack at saves in Toronto to open the year, the fact that both Garcia and Mayza could also be involved means that fantasy managers shouldn't invest much in any of these three names off the waiver wire.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that the team still hasn't decided on when right-hander Kevin Gausman (shoulder) will make his first start of the season, but it will be either Sunday in Tampa Bay against the Rays or on Monday in Houston versus the Astros. Gausman came out of his only Grapefruit League start on Monday fine and will not need to open the regular season on the injured list after dealing with shoulder fatigue in spring training. Neither matchup is ideal for the 33-year-old's first start after missing time in spring training, so he'll be more risky than normal in season-long fantasy leagues and in DFS in his first start of 2024. But fantasy managers should feel comfortable that the Blue Jays' ace can put his shoulder injury in the rearview and put forth another strong season as a No. 1 starter.

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Max Scherzer (back) continues making progress from his offseason back surgery and was able to play catch on Wednesday. The veteran right-hander won't be ready for Opening Day, but might not miss too much time. Rangers manager Chris Young doesn't believe that Scherzer will need to be placed on the 60-day injured list. Instead, Young suggested that Scherzer could be back as early as May. The Rangers are likely going to be cautious with the 39-year-old. His injury might push him back into the later rounds of fantasy drafts.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and catcher Will Smith are finalizing a 10-year, $140 million contract extension. The 28-year-old has been one of the most productive offensive catchers since entering the big leagues in the 2019 season, putting together a career .263 average with 91 home runs and an .842 OPS across 486 games played. Most recently, he hit .261 with 19 home runs, 80 runs, 76 RBI, and a .797 OPS across 554 trips to the plate in the 2023 season. ATC projects Smith to club 21 home runs along with 74 RBI and an .823 OPS in 124 games in the 2024 season as he is every bit worthy of his 80.46 ADP as the fourth catcher off the draft board this spring.

Relief pitcher Jackson Stephens elected free agency on Wednesday after the Atlanta Braves outrighted him to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday. The 29-year-old right-hander will now look to latch on with another organization with Opening Day in 2024 just one day away. The former 18th-round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2012 out of high school was let go by the Braves after the signed veteran reliever Jesse Chavez just the other day. In the last two seasons with the Braves, Stephens went 3-3 with a decent 3.56 ERA (3.58 FIP), a 1.37 WHIP, two saves, 28 walks and 58 strikeouts in 65 2/3 frames over 44 appearances (one start). In his 12 Grapefruit League innings this spring, he allowed four earned runs on 13 hits while walking five and striking out 11.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman finished Spring Training with a 1-for-4 performance against the Los Angeles Angels. Freeman's lone hit was a solo home run. For the spring, the veteran finishes with four homers, 16 RBI and a .282 average. Although he is another year older, Freeman remains as consistent as they come. One of the safest picks this season, Freeman should once again put-up big power numbers with a healthy batting average. He remains as safe of a pick as there is entering 2024 and should have even more RBI opportunities with Shohei Ohtani joining Mookie Betts as the two batters in front of Freeman this season.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers went 1-for-2 with a solo home run on Tuesday versus the Texas Rangers to close out Spring Training. His home run would be his fifth this spring and 11th RBI to go along with a stellar .380 batting average. Devers has been one of the best players in the league throughout his career and is still just entering his prime at age 27. He remains a top-20 player in mixed leagues. One of the safest picks on a yearly basis, managers should have zero hesitation about drafting Devers in upcoming drafts.

San Francisco Giants corner infielder Pablo Sandoval said after Tuesday's 3-1 exhibition loss to the Athletics that he is not retiring and will report to Triple-A Sacramento if he gets the chance, per the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser. The 37-year-old veteran went 1-for-2 with a single and a strikeout, with his broken-bat hit coming in his final at-bat in the ninth inning. Sandoval batted .250 with no home runs in 28 spring at-bats and hasn't played in a big-league organization since 2021. However, he had a storied career during his time with the Giants, earning three World Series Championships, two All-Star appearances, and one World Series Most Value Player Award. Regardless of the outcome, the Panda made a lasting mark in the Giants' organization.

The Seattle Mariners released third baseman Brian Anderson on Tuesday. The 30-year-old signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training this off-season in hopes that he could win a platoon/backup role. While he did slash .250/.344/.536 in 28 Cactus League at-bats, it wasn't enough to earn a spot. Injuries have hindered Anderson's career, and he hasn't hit above .250 since 2020. At this point, he may try to find another team to join where he could have a clearer path to a role.

Free-agent starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on a one-year, $25 million deal with a vesting player option for 2025, pending a physical. With Eduardo Rodriguez (lat) set to begin the year on the injured list, the D-backs bolster their rotation with the move. Montgomery began 2023 with the St. Louis Cardinals but ended the season winning a World Series ring with the Texas Rangers, totaling a 3.20 ERA (3.56 FIP), 1.19 WHIP, and 166:48 K:BB over 188 2/3 innings. The 31-year-old southpaw likely won't miss enough bats (21.4% strikeout rate in '23) to be an upper-echelon fantasy starter in 2024, but he will have an outstanding defense behind him in the desert. Although it's unclear if he'll be ready for Arizona's opening series of the regular season starting on Thursday, Montgomery should not be lingering on any waiver wires ahead of Opening Day.