Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Vinny Capra is getting the starting nod at the hot corner on Opening Day. Capra enjoyed a productive spring training in which he posted a .292/.358/.729 slash line with three doubles and six home runs. He swiped two bags and held a 5:14 BB:K. This performance has already begun to reward him with opportunities in the regular season, as he is in the Opening Day lineup. He will bat eighth and will face Yankees southpaw Carlos Rodon. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he could earn a role on the short side of a platoon at third base alongside Oliver Dunn. Throughout his MLB career, Capra has appeared in just 20 games over the past three seasons and holds a .156/.250/.219 slash line. He is worth monitoring in NL-only formats as he could be worth deploying in favorable matchups.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that outfielder/designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (calf, elbows) has been swinging a bat, and the Yankees have been encouraged by what they've seen. "We've still got a ways to go," Boone said. Stanton missed all of spring training due to severe tennis elbow in both of his arms, and he also picked up a calf injury in early March. While it's good news that the 35-year-old slugger is at least doing some baseball activities, there's still no timetable for his return, and the possibility of him missing the entire 2025 season still exists. Fantasy managers would have been wise to avoid the oft-injured power hitter in fantasy drafts this spring. Stanton's absence has opened the door for regular playing time for the left-handed-hitting Ben Rice, who is serving as the team's DH on Opening Day on Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen (rib) appears to be ready to play on Opening Day on Friday against the Colorado Rockies after testing out his injured rib muscle while catching and hitting in a simulated game on Wednesday, according to Bally Sports' Ryan Bass. Jansen didn't have any limitations in Wednesday's sim game, clearing the way for him to be active on Friday. The 29-year-old backstop will open the 2025 campaign as Tampa's starting catcher after hitting a combined .205/.309/.349 with a .658 OPS, nine home runs and 24 RBI in 92 games with the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox in 2024. Jansen has decent pop for a catcher, but durability is an issue, as he's played in more than 100 games just once in his seven MLB seasons, and not since 2019. Expect the Rays to rest him regularly with Ben Rortvedt.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray (illness) is making the Opening Day start on Thursday against the visiting Minnesota Twins at Busch Stadium. Gray dealt with flu-like symptoms at the end of spring training that sapped him of his strength, so there was some concern that the Cardinals might push his first start of the season back. That won't be the case, although fantasy managers should be very hesitant to throw him into their starting lineups right away after he showed diminished velocity and was hit around in Grapefruit League action. The 35-year-old veteran allowed 20 earned runs on 23 hits (eight homers allowed) while walking six and striking out 17 in 14 1/3 innings over his four starts. At least in DFS lineups, the safe play would be to avoid Gray as he works to get his strength back following a bout with the flu recently.

Los Angeles Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada (thumb) is on the team's Opening Day roster but is not in the starting lineup on Thursday versus the Chicago White Sox and right-hander Sean Burke at Rate Field. Instead, Luis Rengifo will start at third base and bat sixth for the Halos. Moncada dealt with a right-thumb injury at the end of training camp and isn't quite ready to make his regular-season debut with the Angels, but he could be back in the lineup on Saturday in Chicago after a scheduled day off on Friday. When the former White Sox third baseman is healthy, he should see regular playing time at the hot corner, with Rengifo shifting over to second base. The 29-year-old Cuban hit just .190 (4-for-21) with a double, home run and two RBI in 10 spring training games, though, after playing in just 12 games in 2024 in Chicago due to injury.