Kansas City Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia is not in the team's Opening Day lineup on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Ben Lively. Vinnie Pasquantino (hamstring) will serve as the designated hitter, while Michael Massey is at second base and Jonathan India mans the hot corner. The Royals are easing Pasquantino into the lineup as the DH to protect him after he suffered a Grade 1-plus hamstring strain last Saturday in spring training. When Pasquantino is healthy enough to return to first base duties, we should see the 25-year-old Garcia return as the regular third baseman for KC. The Venezuelan infielder had a career-high 37 steals in 157 games last year but underwhelmed with his bat (.231 average, seven home runs) and will most likely hit in the bottom third of the batting order this year with India in town.

Boston Red Sox right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks (elbow) is dealing with right-elbow inflammation and is being placed on the 15-day injured list on Thursday, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo. The Red Sox announced the other day that veteran left-hander Aroldis Chapman would open the regular season as their primary closer, and now Hendriks will be on the shelf to begin the year, further dropping his fantasy appeal for those scrounging for save opportunities. The 36-year-old Australian is a three-time All-Star and has plenty of closing experience (116 career saves in 13 MLB seasons), but he didn't pitch at all in 2024 after having Tommy John surgery in 2023. His elbow issue could help explain why Hendriks struggled with his command during Grapefruit League action. With Hendriks out, Justin Slaten and Garrett Whitlock will have bigger roles as late-inning setup men in front of Chapman.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Tanner Bibee (illness) was scratched from his start on Opening Day due to food poisoning. As a result, the Guardians will give right-handed pitcher Ben Lively the starting nod. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor Bibee's status, but he should be ready to make his next scheduled start. Lively posted a 3.81 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP across 151 innings last season. He tallied 118 punchouts and served up walks at a modest 7.8 percent rate. He also generated a 4.00 xERA with a .240 xBA, which were both slightly below the average marks. Given Lively's low strikeout upside, he should not be targeted in any DFS competitions facing the Kansas City Royals, who will have first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (hamstring) active.

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andres Gimenez is starting at second base and batting cleanup in his debut with the Blue Jays on Opening Day on Thursday against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Zach Eflin at Rogers Centre. Gimenez has only five career at-bats against Eflin, but he did take him deep one time for a solo shot. It remains to be seen how often the 26-year-old will be hitting cleanup for Toronto, but it's a spot that will surely give him more run-producing upside in fantasy while hitting behind Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander. The Venezuelan infielder had a nice spring with a .283/.377/.543 slash line, .921 OPS, two homers, two doubles, two triples, 11 RBI, two stolen bases and seven runs scored in 18 Grapefruit League games. Gimenez should be in all fantasy lineups on Opening Day where he's rostered.

ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the Toronto Blue Jays have made another offer in their negotiations with All-Star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but a gap still remains between the two sides. Guerrero reportedly made a final offer to the Blue Jays during spring training for 15 years and less than $600 million. It makes tons of sense for Toronto to be hesitant to give a player like Guerrero a deal that long, although he is only 26 years old and is coming off his fourth straight All-Star appearance. He slashed .323/.396/.544 with a .940 OPS, 30 home runs, 103 RBI and 98 runs scored in 159 games played in 2024 in his sixth year in the big leagues. Contract issues aside, Vlad is RotoBaller's top-ranked fantasy first baseman after he finished last year as a top-15 overall hitter in MLB.