Kansas City Royals right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez (back) is dealing with mild lower-back tightness in camp, according to manager Matt Quatraro. It's the reason why Estevez hasn't made his Cactus League debut yet in Arizona. However, he threw off the mound on Wednesday and said he felt good. Quatraro said the Royals think there's plenty of time to "get him six to seven outings later in camp." The good news is relievers don't need as much time to ramp up. The bad news is that the 32-year-old could be in danger of missing Opening Day if he has any flare-ups once he gets into game action. After signing a two-year, $20.2 million deal in free agency, it's believed that Estevez will have a leg up for primary closing duties in his first year in KC, but Lucas Erceg could have something to say about that. RotoBaller has Estevez ranked as the No. 18 fantasy reliever.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley set a franchise record and led the majors with 49 saves in 2024 before getting a raise in salary arbitration from $3.5 million last year to $8.2 million in 2025. Helsley was a prime trade candidate in the offseason heading into the final year of his deal in 2025 and with the Cardinals looking to shed payroll, but general manager John Mozeliak fully intended to hang onto him to keep a rebuilding club competitive. However, the two sides have not started any extension talks, and depending on the team's performance, the 30-year-old could come up in trade rumors at this year's deadline. With Mozeliak stepping down after the 2025 season and adviser Chaim Bloom taking over baseball operations, this could very well be Helsley's last year in St. Louis. Regardless of Helsley's potential future, he should be viewed as a lock as a top-10 fantasy closer in 2025.

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (triceps) will return to the team's Grapefruit League lineup on Friday against the Boston Red Sox after he was hit by a pitch on Wednesday. Harper was removed from Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays as a precaution after suffering a right-triceps contusion. The Phillies gave the 32-year-old two-time MVP the day off at camp on Thursday. The eight-time All-Star is still looking for his first World Series ring heading into his 14th MLB season in 2025. He has taken well to the move from right field to first base and slashed .285/.373/.525 with an .898 OPS, 30 home runs, 87 RBI, seven steals and 85 runs scored in 145 games a year ago in his sixth year in Philadelphia. In a strong Phillies lineup, Harper is one of the safest fantasy selections at first base and is ranked No. 3 at the position at RotoBaller.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) is scheduled to throw live batting practice on Saturday in camp for the first time since recovering from surgery that he had in June of 2023 to fix his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur. It's been a long time coming for the 31-year-old hurler, but he's already been ruled out for Opening Day and really cannot be trusted in fantasy until he's actually back on the mound performing in big league games. Hopefully we'll get a look at McCullers in Grapefruit League games later this spring, but it's hard to have any expectations for an injury-plagued pitcher that hasn't pitched in an MLB game since the World Series in 2022. McCullers should be in Houston's rotation in 2025 if he's actually healthy, but given all the time he's missed the last few years, the upside will be limited because of what will be a strict innings limit.

Updating a previous report, the Chicago White Sox announced on Thursday that outfielder Andrew Benintendi (hand) will miss four to six weeks after suffering a non-displaced fracture of his right hand when he was hit by a pitch in Thursday's Cactus League game against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians. It means that the 30-year-old will most likely start the 2025 regular season on the injured list, making him even more unattractive in deep-mixed and AL-only leagues. Benintendi matched his career-high with 20 home runs in 2024 in his second year in Chicago, but he did very little else offensively, and on top of it, he was one of the worst defensive outfielders in baseball. The upside is pretty non-existent here for fantasy purposes. With Benintendi most likely to start the year on the IL, Austin Slater should be the beneficiary for playing time in left field early on.