Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that pitching prospect Chayce McDermott (lat) threw a light side session at camp on Tuesday. McDermott, the team's No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is coming along slowly in his throwing program after being originally diagnosed with a mild lat strain at spring training. The 26-year-old right-hander is fully expected to join Triple-A Norfolk to begin the 2025 season whenever he's cleared for game action. He stands at 6-foot-3, 197 pounds and was the fourth-round pick by the Houston Astros in 2021 out of Ball State University. McDermott's fastball-slider combination generates plenty of strikeouts (over 30%) in his time at Triple-A, which makes him an interesting pitching prospect to speculate on in fantasy. He should return to Baltimore at some point in 2025 after starting one game in 2024, but his lack of control of his secondary stuff will limit his upside.

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (elbow) played catch from 75 feet on Tuesday as he started a throwing progression. Rodriguez was shut down in spring training due to right-elbow inflammation and will not be ready for the start of the 2025 regular season, but it's good to see that the 25-year-old is throwing the ball around at the tail end of camp. Still, the Orioles are going to slow-play one of their best starting arms early in the season, which means he might not be ready to make his season debut until late April or even early May, depending on how he progresses. Based on how well Rodriguez pitched in 2024, he's still worth stashing in all fantasy formats, but prepared for the possibility that he misses the first month. The former 11th overall pick in 2018 was also shut down last August with a lat strain.

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that shortstop Gunnar Henderson (intercostal) took batting practice in camp on Tuesday. While Henderson is still up in the air to be read for Opening Day next Thursday, it's a good sign that he's at least swinging and ramping up his baseball activities. However, the 23-year-old is running out of time to get into game action. Henderson is still deserving of being a first-round selection in upcoming fantasy drafts, but just be prepared for him potentially missing the early portion of the campaign. If he opens the year on the injured list, Jackson Holliday would likely slide over to shortstop, with Ramon Urias (hamstring) likely taking over at second base. Henderson won the American League Rookie of the Year in 2023 and was a first-time All-Star in 2024, slashing .281/.364/.529 with 37 home runs, 92 RBI, 21 steals and 118 runs scored in 159 games. He can do it all.

Although San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish (elbow) played catch in camp on Tuesday, manager Mike Shildt revealed that Darvish experienced elbow inflammation after his last Cactus League start. The Padres are calling Darvis day-to-day right now, but Shildt couldn't rule out the injury affecting the start of Darvish's 2025 season. The Padres attributed fatigue to the 38-year-old Japanese pitcher missing his scheduled spring start on Tuesday, but now we know he's dealing with an elbow issue that could land him on the injured list to begin the season. We wouldn't blame fantasy managers from wanting to avoid an aging pitcher dealing with an elbow issue that could put the start of his season in peril. If Darvish is not able to open the year in the Friars' starting rotation, either Stephen Kolek or Kyle Hart would be candidates to replace him.

Boston Red Sox utility man Romy Gonzalez (oblique) is undergoing an MRI exam on Tuesday after leaving the team's spit-squad game against the Atlanta Braves on Monday with a tight oblique, according to manager Alex Cora. The level of concern is low, but the team is proceeding cautiously with only nine days before Opening Day next week. If the 28-year-old is healthy, MassLive's Chris Cotillo writes that Gonzalez is nearly certain to make the Opening Day roster because he is the top backup behind Triston Casas at first base. He projects as Boston's top super-utility option after playing seven different positions in 2024. But if Gonzalez opens the year on the injured list, Nick Sogard or Abraham Toro could break camp with the BoSox. When healthy, most of Gonzalez's playing time will come against lefties after he hit .266/.306/.417 with six home runs, 29 RBI and 11 steals in 199 at-bats a year ago.