Kansas City Royals right-hander Alec Marsh (shoulder) said he felt great in two innings of live batting practice in camp on Thursday and will continue to build his arm up. It's unclear when Marsh might be cleared to pitch in a Cactus League game, but he is making progress after arriving to spring training this year with right-shoulder tightness. Even if the 26-year-old is cleared to pitch in spring games before spring training is over, he's expected to open the 2025 regular season on the injured list. In his second year in the big leagues in 2024, Marsh went 9-9 with a 4.53 ERA (4.34 FIP) and 1.26 WHIP with 123 strikeouts and 39 walks in 129 innings over 26 outings (25 starts) for the Royals. He showed better control last year but faded down the stretch in his first full big league season and was sent to the minors while also spending time in relief. Marsh will make more starts for KC this year but is out of the top-100 fantasy starting pitchers.

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (forearm) is still feeling better on Friday and did some increased baseball activities at camp, including hitting, according to MLB.com's Anne Rogers. Witt was hit by a pitch on his left forearm in a Cactus League game on Wednesday, but X-rays came back negative and he's just dealing with a forearm contusion. The 24-year-old All-Star is taking it easy, but there's a chance he'll be back in a spring game on Saturday, depending on how he feels by then. Even if he doesn't return to a game this weekend, though, Witt should be just fine for Opening Day in a few weeks. Fantasy managers that had already taken Witt early in the first round of fantasy drafts were surely holding their breathe on Wednesday after he was hit by reliever Andres Munoz. Last year's runner-up for American League MVP is ranked as the No. 2 player at RotoBaller, behind only Shohei Ohtani.

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt said he doesn't foresee second baseman Jake Cronenworth playing first base this year. "I don't see it on the radar at the moment," Shildt said. Cronenworth enters the 2025 season with eligibility at both second and first base after splitting time at the two positions in 2024. Losing Ha-Seong Kim in free agency means that Xander Bogaerts will be at shortstop full time and Cronenworth will be at the keystone full time. At first base, Luis Arraez is expected to handle most of the playing time. The 31-year-old left-handed-hitting Cronenworth batted .241/.324/.390 with 17 home runs, 83 RBI, five steals and 72 runs in 653 plate appearances last year. He makes plenty of contact but only has middling power. Given the fact that he rarely runs, Cronenworth settles in as useful middle infield depth to target late in fantasy drafts.

Houston Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) will make his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals, according to manager Joe Espada. McCullers has been cleared to pitch in his first game of the spring after looking good recently in a live batting practice session in which he touched 94 mph on the radar gun. The 31-year-old veteran last pitched in a game for the Astros in the World Series back in October of 2022, so it's been a while. He's making good progress this spring, but fantasy managers know by now not to get their hopes up. McCullers will have a rotation spot waiting for him during the regular season as long as he doesn't have any setbacks, but he will begin the year on the injured list. McCullers proved before that he's fantasy relevant in all leagues when he's healthy, but his lengthy injury history and innings limit this year will limit his upside in 2025.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (calf, elbows) is dealing with a "fairly minor" calf injury on top of the tennis elbow he's dealing with in both of his arms. Stanton is back in camp after a third round of platelet-rich plasma injections in his arms, but the Yankees still don't have any kind of timetable on the right-handed slugger. The 35-year-old has already been ruled out for Opening Day on March 27, and it's anyone's guess as to when he might be able to make his 2025 debut. His tennis elbow is being described as a severe issue. While Stanton offers elite power for fantasy managers when he's healthy, the potential for a lengthy absence this year overshadows any kind of benefit he might offer statistically. Let someone else in your draft take on the headache and uncertainty.