Tampa Bay Rays right-handed reliever Hunter Bigge, who was originally optioned to Triple-A Durham, will now be on the Opening Day roster with left-hander Shane McClanahan (triceps) starting the year on the 15-day injured list. Bigge, who could be in play for save chances at some point this year, is a hard-throwing 26-year-old who made his big-league debut in 2024 when he appeared in 19 games (one start) with the Rays and Chicago Cubs. He posted a 2.60 ERA (2.76 FIP), a 1.27 WHIP, his first career save, 24 strikeouts and only five walks in 17 1/3 innings pitched. Bigge was much more dominant at Triple-A, recording a 2.25 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, eight saves, 36 strikeouts and nine walks in 20 innings. His fastball-slider combination produces plenty of swings and misses, potentially making him an under-the-radar option in holds leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan (triceps) said that his arm is already feeling better on Monday, but there's no timetable for his return from nerve irritation in his triceps that will land him on the injured list to begin the regular season. He's waiting for the nerve to calm down. "Granted, situation could be a lot worse. I'm very frustrated that I'm going to be missing a little more time," McClanahan said. The 27-year-old southpaw was pulled from his Grapefruit League start early on Saturday due to nerve irritation in his triceps, and while he may have escaped something very serious, the fact that McClanahan is without a timetable to resume throwing means he could easily miss the first month of the season, if not more. McClanahan has already had Tommy John surgery twice as well, so fantasy managers are going to be very hesitant to pull the trigger on him in drafts this week.

Free-agent left-handed reliever Ryan Yarbrough signed a one-year deal for $2 million with $500,000 in incentives with the New York Yankees on Monday, a source tells ESPN's Jorge Castillo. Yarbrough was in spring training with the Toronto Blue Jays but decided to opt out of his minor-league deal on Sunday to become a free agent. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw spent 2024 with the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers, going 5-2 with a career-best 3.19 ERA (4.64 FIP), a 1.03 WHIP, one save, 65 strikeouts and 32 walks in 98 2/3 relief innings. With veteran Carlos Carrasco and pitching prospect Will Warren starting in the rotation for the Yankees due to injuries to Gerrit Cole (elbow), Lui Gil (lat) and Clarke Schmidt (shoulder), Yarbrough should operate in a bulk-relief role for the Yankees to begin the season. Yarbrough was fortunate to pitch as well as he did last year, and the soft-tosser won't have much fantasy value in 2025.

Philadelphia Phillies veteran right-hander Taijuan Walker will open the year as the team's No. 5 starter with left-hander Ranger Suarez (back) opening the season on the injured list. Barring a setback as he ramps back up, Suarez could be ready to return in late April, which means that Walker should see at least a handful of starts. The 32-year-old won't be of much interest to fantasy managers in single-year leagues outside of those in deep NL-only leagues. The former first-rounder really struggled in his second year with the Phillies in 2024, going 3-7 with a career-worst 7.10 ERA (6.94 FIP), 1.72 WHIP, 58 strikeouts and 37 walks in 83 2/3 innings over 19 appearances (15 starts). It didn't help that he missed time with shoulder and finger injuries. If Walker continues to struggle like that again in 2025, he could be a candidate to be released.

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said that if things continue to progress, that left-hander Ranger Suarez (back) "would pitch sometime in April." "You're talking three weeks or something at least." Suarez, who will begin the 2025 season on the injured list, will need to be built back up again, so if he does make his season debut in April, it will most likely come later in the month. With Suarez out, veteran right-hander Taijuan Walker will open as the No. 5 starter for the Phils. The 29-year-old Suarez got off to a fantastic start in 2024 before fading in his final 12 starts while also dealing with a similar back injury. He gets plenty of ground balls, but he's a soft-tosser that lacks strikeout upside to begin with, so he's taking quite the tumble in fantasy draft rankings with Opening Day just a few days away now that we know he's starting on the IL.