The Baltimore Orioles announced on Friday that right-handed relief pitcher Felix Bautista (elbow) had a right-elbow debridement and an ulnar-nerve transposition with Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas, Texas. The Orioles do not anticipate any changes in Bautista's overall Tommy John recovery timeline and they still expect him to return for the 2025 season. The 28-year-old will now continue to recovery from his elbow surgeries this year and will not be available to Baltimore at all this season. It's the reason why they signed veteran closer Craig Kimbrel this winter. Kimbrel will enter the 2024 campaign as the team's primary closer, with Bautista eyeing a return to the role in 2025. Before hurting his right elbow last year, Bautista had emerged as one of the best lockdown closers in the game.

The Los Angeles Dodgers placed right-hander Tony Gonsolin (elbow) on the 60-day injured list on Friday to make room on the active roster for the signing of left-hander Clayton Kershaw (shoulder), who will soon enough join Gonsolin on the 60-day IL. The 29-year-old Gonsolin will miss all of the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, so he will be completely off the fantasy radar in single-year leagues. An ankle sprain caused Gonsolin to get a late start to the 2023 campaign, and he ended up making only 20 starts, going 8-5 with a career-worst 4.98 ERA (5.43 FIP) and 1.22 WHIP while walking 40 and striking out 82 in 103 innings. It was a big disappointment after he was a first-time All-Star in 2022 and a Cy Young candidate after winning 16 games.

Chicago Cubs infielder Matt Shaw was among 19 non-roster players to receive major-league invites to spring training this year. Along with Shaw, fellow top prospect Owen Caissie will be in camp this year. The 22-year-old Shaw was taken in the first round last year and hit .357/.400/.618 with a 1.018 OPS, eight home runs, 28 RBI, 15 stolen bases and 27 runs scored in 38 total games at three different minor-league levels, ultimately finishing at Double-A Tennessee. Most of Shaw's experience has come up the middle, but he could eventually be poised to move to third base down the road. Shaw will most likely open the 2024 season with Tennessee or Triple-A Iowa, but another strong year on the farm could make him a candidate to join the big-league roster for the first time in 2024.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward (face) will be "good to go, Day 1" for spring training after he was hit by a pitch last July that resulted in three facial fractures and a broken nose that required surgery. Ward has been hitting in the cages since Nov. 15 and had his last doctor's checkup in Anaheim just over a week ago. The Angels will need the 30-year-old to step up in 2024 now that two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ward will be a starter this year for the Halos in left field after hitting .253/.335/.421 with 14 home runs, 18 doubles, 47 RBI, four stolen bases and 60 runs scored in 97 games played. He's unlikely to return to his All-Star level of 2022 when he hit .281 with a career-high 23 home runs, but Ward can still provide fantasy managers with solid contact and power skills in the later rounds.

Boston Red Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill, who was acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason, is likely to see much of his playing time in left field in 2024 in his first year in Beantown. Masataka Yoshida is expected to take a step forward defensively this year but he's also expected to see time at designated hitter. O'Neill figures to be in the mix for at-bats at DH, too, with the Red Sox expected to use the spot as more of a rotation with Triston Casas and Rafael Devers also getting DH time. With O'Neill in left, Wilyer Abreu should get the first shot at right field. The 28-year-old O'Neill's fantasy stock is on the decline after he played in just 72 games in 2023 due to more injuries. His plate skills deteriorated as well, but he'll be given plenty of playing time and gets an upgrade in home ballpark with the move to Boston.