The Baltimore Orioles announced on Friday that right-hander Zach Eflin will start on Opening Day on March 27 in Toronto against the division-rival Blue Jays. Eflin gets the nod with fellow right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (elbow) opening the year on the injured list. The 30-year-old veteran closed out the year in Baltimore after the O's acquired him in a trade with the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays, and he'll start the first game of the year heading into his first full season in Baltimore. Eflin has allowed four earned runs with two walks and only one strikeout in two Grapefruit League starts, but he had a sharp 2.60 ERA, 47 K's and 11 walks in 55 1/3 inning over nine starts to close out last year with the Orioles. While Eflin continues to rarely walk people, his drop in strikeout percentage in 2024 could be concerning. Treat him as a back-end fantasy starting pitcher with a shaky DFS matchup on Opening Day.

Baltimore Orioles infielder Jorge Mateo (elbow) could get into some Grapefruit League games soon, but it will take him some time to ramp up and he remains doubtful to be ready for Opening Day, according to manager Brandon Hyde. It's good news that Mateo has progressed to the point where he's close to being cleared to play in games, but he'll almost certainly begin the 2025 regular season on the injured list after he had reconstruction surgery on his right UCL in his left (non-throwing) elbow. It helps that the surgery wasn't to his throwing arm, but Mateo still won't be ready for the start of the season and will merely be a bench infielder for the Orioles once he's ready to make his season debut. The 29-year-old Dominican led the league with 35 stolen bases in 2022 and also stole 32 bags in 2023, but he's never hit for average and isn't guaranteed that type of playing time again.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Sean Burke will open the regular season in the starting rotation, according to manager Will Venable. The right-hander appears to have impressed the organization enough in camp to open the season with the big league club. Burke posted a 1.42 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 22/7 K/BB ratio across four games (three starts) with the White Sox last season. The 25-year-old is a former third-round pick of the organization from 2021. His numbers in the minor leagues isn't great, but it appears the organization believes he's ready to make an impact on the South Side. Fantasy managers can go ahead and use a wait-and-see approach with Burke.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz is going to stick around with the organization for a few more seasons. On Friday, the Rays picked up Diaz's $12 million team option for 2026 and added a vesting option for the 2027 season. This is noteworthy because Diaz was subject to plenty of trade rumors this offseason, but it appears the Rays want to hold onto the slugging corner infielder. Last season, Diaz slashed .281/.341/.755 with 14 home runs and 65 RBI across 145 games with the Rays. That was actually a down year for Diaz who hit .330 with 22 homers in 2023. He has been a reliable bat for a handful of years and that should remain the case heading into 2025.

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (knee) is expected to be ready in time to play on Opening Day. The veteran outfielder has been dealing with a lingering knee issue, but recently received a gel injection, which appears to be helping him. Nimmo believes he'll be ready to play designated hitter, but is unsure if he's ready for the outfield yet. Nimmo continued by saying he still feels soreness in his knee and is about 80 percent healthy right now. Fantasy managers should expect to have Nimmo as part of their lineup on Opening Day, but should check back in case of a setback.