Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker (oblique) was scratched from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the St. Louis Cardinals with left-oblique soreness, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Jon Singleton will start in Walker's place at first base. Until we know more, we'll consider Walker to be day-to-day, but oblique injuries can linger and be tricky to recover from, so the 33-year-old veteran's availability for Opening Day later this month could be in question. Check back later for an update on the severity of his oblique injury. If Walker were to miss the start of the 2025 regular season in his first year in Houston, Singleton would become the team's regular first baseman, as he was for much of 2024. Ranked as RotoBaller's No. 7 fantasy first baseman, Walker has underrated power with 95 homers in the last three seasons.

Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (illness) is back at second base and is batting cleanup for the team's Grapefruit League game on Wednesday versus the division-rival Miami Marlins. Garcia is back in action after missing a few days in camp while being under the weather. The 24-year-old second baseman has so far gone 2-for-7 in spring training with an RBI in three games played. The left-handed hitter is on the rise heading into the 2025 season after breaking out with a career year in 2024 when he slashed .282/.318/.444 with a .762 OPS, 18 home runs, 70 RBI, 22 stolen bases and 58 runs scored in 528 trips to the plate over 140 games played. Not only did Garcia loft the ball in the air more, but he also made more contact and hit the ball hard when he did make contact. His strikeout rate is less than ideal, but he's locked into the starting role at second for the Nats, making him a top-10 fantasy second baseman.

Free-agent veteran infielder Jose Iglesias and the San Diego Padres agreed to an undisclosed deal on Wednesday, according to sources familiar with the deal. The New York Post's Jon Heyman reports it's a minor-league deal with an invitation to camp. The 35-year-old will make $3 million if he's in the big leagues and will have incentives that can earn him an extra $1 million. The Cuban infielder joined the New York Mets late last season and impressed with a .337/.381/.448 slash line, four home runs, 26 RBI, six steals and 39 runs scored in 85 regular-season games while helping the team advance to the National League Championship Series. Fantasy managers should not expect Iglesias to hit that well again in San Diego, though, where he'll likely bounce around as a utility infielder for the Friars. Iglesias' biggest value to the Padres might be his locker-room presence.

Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (oblique) is expected to make his Cactus League debut on Friday against the Colorado Rockies, weather pending. Langford was sidelined early in camp due to a mild oblique strain, but he hasn't had any setbacks while resuming baseball activities and is on track to play in his first spring training game later this week. If the 23-year-old doesn't aggravate his oblique muscle once he gets into games, he will have plenty of time to get ready for Opening Day in late March. Meanwhile, fellow outfielder Adolis Garcia, who is also dealing with an oblique strain, should also be ready for Opening Day. Langford should be considered a top-20 fantasy outfielder because of his power/speed upside heading into just his second MLB season. The former fourth overall pick hit .253/.325/.415 with 16 homers, 74 RBI and 19 steals in his first 139 big-league games in 2024.

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that outfielder Adolis Garcia's oblique strain is "pretty mild" and "not quite Grade 1" strain. The Rangers expect Garcia to be back quicker than fellow outfielder Wyatt Langford (oblique), who has also been delayed early in spring training with an oblique injury. More than likely, Garcia will be ready for Opening Day later this month. Fantasy managers that already drafted Garcia can breathe a sigh of relief that he's not expected to open the season on the injured list. The 32-year-old Cuban slugger took a step back from his All-Star campaign in 2023, but he still managed 25 home runs, 85 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 154 games played in his fifth year in Texas. When looking at Garcia's hard-hit and barrel rates from 2024, nothing concerning jumps out, so there's a good chance he can return to the 30-homer mark if he stays healthy in 2025.