Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (shoulder) had an encouraging start in Monday's 4-3 Grapefruit League loss to the Pirates. Gausman pitched three innings, allowing one run on three hits and no walks with seven strikeouts. The 33-year-old experienced shoulder soreness earlier in spring training, but now should avoid a stint on the injured list. His delay won't allow him to start on Opening Day, but he is lined up to start the series opener against the Houston Astros. This is great news for fantasy managers who drafted Gausman early in drafts.

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.

The Chicago White Sox placed catcher Max Stassi (hip) on the 10-day injured list on Monday with left-hip inflammation and recalled catcher Korey Lee from Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move. The 33-year-old Stassi will be eligible to be reinstated from the injured list on April 4, so he may not end up missing much time at all. However, it's not good news for Stassi after he missed all of 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels due to a hip injury and a family matter. When healthy, Stassi will be working as the primary backup catcher in Chicago to Martin Maldonado, leaving him very little fantasy appeal in the deepest of two-catcher leagues. Stassi also doesn't have much power in his lumber at the catching position.

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.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (shoulder) is planning to start Monday's Grapefruit League finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which would set him up to avoid the injured list and take his first turn in the starting rotation to open the regular season. Gausman threw an encouraging side session in camp on Saturday and will throw "three innings, 55 pitches and go from there" on Monday. Had he not experienced shoulder soreness earlier in spring training, he would have been the team's Opening Day starter. Barring a setback on Monday, Gausman is lined up to start the series opener against the Houston Astros. The 33-year-old is a fantasy ace when he's healthy, but the fact that he probably won't be properly stretched out early on makes him avoidable in DFS contests to begin the season.

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.

The Atlanta Braves have signed pitcher Jesse Chavez to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The 40-year-old journeyman spent last season in Atlanta, but was recently cut by the Chicago White Sox after a tough time in the Cactus League this spring. Despite his rough numbers with the White Sox this spring, he had a great season in 2023 with a 1.56 ERA and should have an opportunity to earn a bullpen spot with the Braves. Even with his impressive numbers in 2023, he doesn't provide much in the fantasy world and can be left on the waiver wire for now.

The Minnesota Twins were reportedly in agreement with relief pitcher Jesse Chavez earlier on Sunday. However, the two sides have not officially agreed on a deal. It sounds like the Twins and Chavez are discussing a one-year contract, but haven't made it official. The 40-year-old is looking to pitch at least one more season in the big leagues. Whether it's the Twins or elsewhere, Chavez will likely be a middle reliever. That means, Chavez probably won't carry much fantasy value on any organization.

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.

The Minnesota Twins have signed veteran reliever Jesse Chavez to a one-year big league deal and he will serve in a middle relief role or pitch in matchup-specific opportunities. It will be the 40-year-old's tenth different major league club and 17th season, which is an enviable feat in and of itself. The Twins have lost some bullpen arms recently and needed to sure it up before the season began. While Chavez has found a niche for himself over his many MLB seasons, he's not going to log many innings and isn't a power strikeout pitcher, so his usefulness for fantasy purposes is pretty much limited to leagues where Holds are counted as a category.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray's (hamstring) next minor-league game is expected to be on Thursday in Florida. The Cardinals were holding out hope that Gray would be able to avoid the injured list to start the season after injuring his hamstring in spring training, but they are ultimately playing it safe and will place the 34-year-old veteran on the 15-day injured list to start the campaign. If he can avoid any setbacks as he continues to ramp up his arm, it's possible that he could make his Cardinals debut in just the second week of the season. While Gray doesn't throw hard, he has excellent control and knows how to limit hard contact. He was also the runner-up in last year's American League Cy Young voting. Despite his injury, he makes for a high-floor No. 3 fantasy starter in his first year in St. Louis.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker was getting loose for a bullpen session on Saturday and stated that his shoulder "didn't feel right." The Phillies sent him for an MRI, the results of which should be known Sunday. Walker had already battled some right knee soreness this spring and had only made two spring appearances thus far. Last time out, the veteran was tagged for seven earned runs on five hits (three home runs) and three walks while striking out just one batter over two and two-thirds IP. The injury doesn't sound promising for his already bleak outlook. Right-handed 31-year-old Spencer Turnbull would take his spot in the rotation were he placed on the IL.

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.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier (knee) exited Saturday's spring game against the Detroit Tigers after fouling a ball off his right knee. Kiermaier went 0-for-1 with a strikeout before exiting. The 33-year-old is expected to be fine and would have stayed in the game if it were the regular season. He is considered day-to-day, with Sunday being the earliest he could return to the lineup. Kiermaier slashed .265/.322/.419 with eight home runs, 36 RBI, 58 runs, and 14 stolen bases over 408 plate appearances in 2023. He signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Jays during the offseason to be the team's starting center fielder. Kiermaier has an ADP of 685 and is mainly a fantasy option in AL-Only or deep league formats.

The New York Mets have informed Jose Iglesias, Tomas Nido, and Luke Voit that they did not make the team's Opening Day roster. Voit signed a minor-league contract with the Mets in February but failed to latch onto the team's main roster after hitting .097 with a home run and four RBI over 31 spring at-bats. Iglesias had a solid spring, but it wasn't enough to make the team's Opening Day roster. This spring, he hit .278 with a home run and three RBI over 36 at-bats. Both Voit and Iglesias will look to latch onto another team. Neither Iglesias nor Voit will provide much fantasy value even if they sign with another club ahead of 2024 fantasy drafts.

The New York Mets will officially option designated hitter J.D. Martinez to the minor leagues to begin the 2024 regular season so that he can build up at-bats, meaning he won't be with the team to start the year for at least the first 10 days of the season. Martinez just signed with the Mets the other day and will need to see some live pitching in the minors first before the Mets are comfortable throwing him into the fire in the big leagues in 2024. When the Mets deem him ready, the 36-year-old is expected to be the team's primary designated hitter to help give All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso more protection in the lineup. Martinez had yet another 30-homer season in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers and can provide plenty of power when he's healthy, but his lack of positional eligibility in fantasy makes him less attractive.

Veteran third baseman Eduardo Escobar was granted his release by the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. The 35-year-old was a non-roster invitee and was a long shot to make the roster, but was hitting just .122 (5-for-41) with 17 strikeouts in 15 spring appearances. Escobar was an All-Star as recently as 2021 but has seen his Contact% fall for three consecutive seasons while his K% has increased three consecutive seasons. He may not have much left in the tank, but he does have the ability to play multiple positions and can bat from both sides of the plate, so perhaps he could latch on somewhere.

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez had his third straight game with a hit on Friday in a 10-0 Cactus League win over the Rangers. He's also had a hit in five out of the last six games, but he's yet to have a multi-hit performance this spring and is hitting just .200 (9-for-45) through 15 Cactus League games. On the bright side, he's hitting for power with three doubles and four home runs compared to just two singles. The 5x All-Star typically goes off the board as the first third baseman overall, due in part to his stolen base prowess at a position that is usually devoid of base stealers that can also produce in other categories like Ramirez can, but the 31-year-old has yet to swipe a bag in 46 spring PA, although he has been caught once. Regardless, the 4x Silver Slugger Award winner has been one of the most consistent and durable hitters for eight years now and shows no signs of slowing down, so look for another All-Star caliber campaign again in 2024.

The Chicago White Sox released infielder Mike Moustakas and outfielder Kevin Pillar on Friday. Moustakas was released after slashing a weak .195/.283/.317 with a home run and two RBI in 41 Cactus League at-bats for Chicago after signing a minor-league deal with the team on Feb. 14. The 35-year-old left-handed-hitting veteran is nearing the end of his career. The three-time All-Star hit .247/.293/.392 with 12 home runs and 48 RBI in 112 games with the Colorado Rockies and Los Angeles Angels in his 13th big-league campaign. Pillar, who is also 35, went 11-for-44 in the Cactus League with five RBI. He hit .228/.248/.416 with nine home runs, 32 RBI and four steals in 81 games with the Atlanta Braves in 2023. Moustakas and Pillar will be looking to latch on with another team in reserve roles with the season starting next week.

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.