Houston Astros relief pitcher Kendall Graveman (shoulder) underwent right-shoulder surgery last week and will be forced to miss all of the 2024 season, according to the team. It's unclear what specific surgery Graveman had on his shoulder, but he said he had progressed to throwing off flat ground this offseason when the discomfort in his shoulder returned. For an already-depleted Astros bullpen, this is a big loss heading into spring training. The 33-year-old will enter free agency after the 2024 season. He started 2022 with the Chicago White Sox before being traded to the Astros. Overall, Graveman went 5-6 with 3.12 ERA (4.88 FIP), 1.31 WHIP, eight saves, 36 walks and 66 strikeouts in 66 1/3 relief innings. Graveman's injury will put more pressure on late-inning setup men Bryan Abreu and Rafael Montero.

The Tampa Bay Rays signed free-agent right-hander Jacob Waguespack to a minor-league deal with an invitation to major-league camp on Monday. Waguespack hasn't pitched in the big leagues since the COVID-shortened 2020 season. In his two years with the Toronto Blue Jays, he had a 5.08 ERA (4.87 FIP) and 1.46 WHIP while walking 38 and striking out 79 in 95 2/3 innings pitched over 27 appearances (13 starts). The 30-year-old pitched for the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan in 2023 and had a 4.76 ERA and 1.43 WHIP with 30 walks and 78 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings over 36 relief appearances. Waguespack will almost certainly open the 2024 back in the US at Triple-A Durham and will serve as organizational relief depth for the Rays.

The Chicago Cubs have signed international shortstop prospect Fernando Cruz to a $4 million signing bonus on Monday. It's one of the top signing bonuses in this year's international class, even though the 17-year-old hasn't stood out quite as much as the other shortstop prospects in his class. Cruz has a very strong glove up the middle and has impressed during recent showcases, but he'll need to develop some of his other offensive tools as he matures in the next couple of years before he's considered one of the top prospects in the game at the premium position at the 6.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell and general manager Carter Hawkins said on Saturday that outfielder Christopher Morel will likely be used in a super-utility role again in 2024 rather than focusing on just one position. Morel has been working some at first base this winter and he's played every position but first base and catcher in his two seasons in the majors to this point. The 24-year-old right-handed slugger was mostly used as a designated hitter in the second half of last season. He could bounce around from the outfield, third base, first base and DH in his third big-league campaign. Of all the options on the diamond, Morel should be in the lineup regularly. Morel has a lot of power (26 home runs, .821 OPS), but he strikes out a third of the time and can be very streaky for fantasy managers. If he can cut down on the K's, he could break out.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan (elbow) has two weeks left in his throwing program and is expected to have no limitations for the start of spring training. Donovan has been rehabbing his right elbow after having surgery in August to fix a flexor tendon in his elbow. Before the 26-year-old's season ended early, he was on the few bright spots for the disappointing Cardinals with a .284/.365/.422 slash line with 11 home runs in 95 games played in just his second year in the big leagues. Donovan also had 34 RBI, five stolen bases and 48 runs scored in 371 plate appearances. He's a super-utility player for St. Louis who should play pretty regularly again in 2024, and if he can keep his power gains from a year ago, he's not a bad middle-infield target in deep mixed fantasy leagues.