Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen will be the team's Opening Day starter next Thursday, March 27, against the Chicago Cubs, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. It's a bit of a surprise that the D-backs didn't go with offseason acquisition Corbin Burnes, but instead they'll roll with the 29-year-old Gallen for the third straight year on Opening Day. Gallen has a little pressure off of him at the top of Arizona's rotation now that Burnes is in tow. He's not a fantasy ace by any means, but he makes for a solid No. 3 fantasy starter and should be rolled out there in his first start of the year against the Cubs. Gallen's strikeout rate fell to a career-low 25.1%, but he's notorious for being one of the best strike-throwers in the game. It seems unlikely that Gallen will ever be a fantasy ace again like he was in 2022, but you could do a lot worse as your SP2 or SP3.

X-rays have come back negative for Athletics second baseman Zack Gelof (hand) after he was it by a pitch on his right hand in a Cactus League game on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians. Gelof is dealing with a little bit of swelling on his hand, though, so he'll be held back from baseball activities on Thursday. The A's will re-evaluate the 25-year-old on Friday, but the team thinks he will be fine. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Gelof return to spring games this weekend, and he should be fine for Opening Day next week. The former second-rounder in 2021 out of the University of Virginia has hit .314 with two homers and eight RBI in 14 Cactus League games, but he's merely middle-infield depth in deep-mixed leagues after he hit just .211 with a league-high 188 strikeouts in only 138 games in 2024 in his sophomore season.

Baltimore Orioles right-handed reliever Felix Bautista (elbow) isn't a lock to be on the team's Opening Day roster when they take on the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays next Thursday. "No, we're still talking about our roster. We haven't solidified anything there yet," manager Brandon Hyde said when asked if he's confident that Bautista will be ready. The O's were always planning on easing the 29-year-old closer in early on in 2025 after he missed all of the 2024 season following Tommy John surgery in October of 2023, but he might actually begin on the injured list. The good news for fantasy managers is that Bautista has been throwing in spring training and has allowed three runs while striking out seven and walking one in four Grapefruit League appearances. He should still be rostered in all fantasy leagues, but Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto could tag-team closing duties for the O's early on.

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that shortstop Gunnar Henderson (intercostal) is "running out of time" to be ready for Opening Day next Thursday against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays. Hyde is still "hopeful," but there are only a few spring training games remaining on the schedule. The good news is that if Henderson opens the 2025 season on the injured list, it shouldn't be very long before he's able to make his debut. The most likely scenario if the 23-year-old isn't ready for Opening Day is that young infielder Jackson Holliday will shift to shortstop, with Ramon Urias seeing most of the starts at second base in Baltimore. Despite suffering an intercostal injury in spring training, Henderson was still a first-rounder in most fantasy drafts after a breakout 2024 season that saw him slash .281/.364/.529 with an .893 OPS, 37 home runs, 92 RBI, 21 steals and 118 runs scored in 159 regular-season contests.

Chicago White Sox right-hander Drew Thorpe (elbow) left his minor-league outing early on Thursday due to elbow discomfort. Manager Will Venable said that Thorpe will need to undergo imaging on his arm. It's unclear exactly how serious Thorpe's right-elbow injury is, but it's a bit ominous after he's already had multiple setbacks since having a bone spur removed from the same arm last September. Even if it's not a serious injury for the 24-year-old former second-round pick by the New York Yankees, it would not surprise us if the White Sox play it safe with the young hurler and place him on the injured list to begin the regular season next week. If healthy, though, Thorpe has already secured a spot in Chicago's starting rotation after he went 3-3 with a 5.48 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 25:21 K:BB over his first nine MLB starts in 2024. He's an AL-only option in fantasy if he's healthy.