Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu (illness) has begun swinging a bat but remains questionable for Opening Day. Abreu is up to "40 swings" and has begun playing catch but manager Alex Cora is not guaranteeing he will be ready in time for the season opener. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status during spring training. Abreu has been battling an illness during the start of camp and is even dealing with some weight loss as well. Last season, the 25-year-old received his first extended look at the major leagues and held a solid .253/.322/.459 line with 15 home runs. He swiped eight bags and generated an elite 50.4 percent hard-hit rate. However, he struck out at a high 28.0 percent rate. If he were to miss time early in the season, top prospect Roman Anthony could earn a starting role in right field.

Texas Rangers shortstop prospect Sebastian Walcott has been assigned to the minor-league camp. Walcott is considered not only the top prospect in the Texas system but one of the best in the sport. Through his brief taste of spring training, he went 4-for-8 at the plate with a home run and three doubles. The 18-year-old spent most of the 2024 campaign with High-A. Through 116 contests, the infielder held a .261/.342/.443 slash line with 31 doubles, 10 home runs, and 26 stolen bases. During his brief five-game look of Double-A, Walcott tallied eight hits (four extra-base hits) with one stolen base. Given his strong finish last season, Walcott should have a good opportunity to open the 2025 campaign at Double-A. If he carries this strong play into the start of the new season, he could make his Triple-A debut later this summer.

Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (oblique) is getting very close to making his return to Cactus League games after being diagnosed with a mild left-oblique strain on Feb. 21. "He's about ready to go," manager Bruce Bochy said. "Right now he's doing his thing in the cages, doing his thing, letting it go. You'll see him here soon in a few days." The 23-year-old has been out of action since, but he resumed light baseball activities last Wednesday and worked in the batting cages over the weekend. Barring a setback with his oblique once he resumes playing in Cactus League games, Langford will be ready to rock for Opening Day in late March. Because of his exciting mix of power and speed in a strong Texas lineup, fantasy managers should consider Langford to be a top-20 outfielder despite his small setback early in spring training due to an oblique pull.

Texas Rangers right-hander Jon Gray tossed three scoreless innings in a Cactus League game on Sunday in his second spring start against the Arizona Diamondbacks and was working to stay "tall" on the mound, according to the Dallas Morning News' Shawn McFarland. Gray was focused on keeping his right leg straight when he lifted his leg in the delivery process, and it resulted in an average fastball velocity of 94.4 mph after he averaged 93.7 mph with his heater in his spring debut. The 33-year-old allowed four hits on Sunday but also struck out two in his three scoreless frames. The Rangers mentioned Gray as a potential option to pitch in the back end of the bullpen this year, but for now, he's being stretched out as a starter and should open the 2025 campaign in the rotation. RotoBaller has him ranked outside of the top-100 fantasy starting pitchers.

The Texas Rangers plan to use right-hander Jacob deGrom at "the back end" of their starting rotation when the 2025 regular season begins later this month, according to manager Bruce Bochy. It means that deGrom, who made only three starts in 2024 after Tommy John surgery, might not pitch in the opening series against the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Field. The Rangers want to give the oft-injured two-time Cy Young winner plenty of time to rest early in the year. It's possible the 36-year-old veteran doesn't make his season debut until March 30 against the Cincinnati Reds. It shouldn't come as a huge surprise, as deGrom has yet to make his Cactus League debut (it will come on Friday) after throwing his first bullpen session of the spring on Saturday. deGrom has proven to be one of the best pitchers in baseball, but he's made only nine starts for Texas since signing a five-year, $185 million deal before the 2023 season.