St. Louis Cardinals left-hander Steven Matz (lat) threw a bullpen session on Wednesday on the first day that pitchers and catchers reported to spring training. It's notable after Matz threw only 105 innings in his second year in St. Louis in 2023 because he was shut down in August due to a lat injury. The 32-year-old veteran southpaw posted a 3.86 ERA (3.75 FIP) and 1.33 WHIP while walking 32 and striking out 98 in his 25 appearances (17 starts). Matz was better last year than he was in 2022 in his first year of a four-year, $44 million deal, but he still doesn't move the needle all that much for fantasy managers, mostly because of his injury risk and below-average 22.4 percent career strikeout rate. He threw only 48 innings in 2022 due to shoulder and knee injuries and will most likely miss time at some point again in 2024.

New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez (elbow) has already started throwing, and manager Aaron Boone said he'll start hitting a week from Monday. After having Tommy John surgery last year, Dominguez's target date is still this summer. The 21-year-old outfield prospect was shagging fly balls in the outfield in camp earlier this week and is now throwing, although he was already placed on the 60-day injured list and most likely won't make his 2024 season debut until after the All-Star break in July. Despite his injury, Dominguez, the man they call The Martian, is one of the most exciting young position-player prospects in the game and has 30-30 potential over a full season. Whenever he can finally play defense, he's expected to be New York's starting center fielder.

New York Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes (shoulder) said that he's already thrown four live batting practice sessions in spring training as he prepares for the start of the 2024 regular season. The 29-year-old southpaw made his first All-Star team in 2022 but made just 12 starts in 2023 in his third year in the Bronx due to a left rotator-cuff strain. But it appears that he has had a pretty normal offseason and should be ready for Opening Day, barring any setbacks. Cortes struggled when he was on the mound last year, going 5-2 with a 4.97 ERA (4.49 FIP) and 1.25 WHIP while walking 20 and striking out 67 in 63 1/3 innings. The crafty left-hander could bounce back with better health in 2024, but the soft-tosser has less room for error than most pitchers and relies more on deception and inducing weak contact.

New York Yankees right-hander Luis Gil (elbow) is now fully recovered from Tommy John surgery and is an intriguing arm for the team in 2024. Word at camp is that the plan for Gil is to keep him stretched out as a starter while remaining open to trying him in the bullpen. He featured a high-90s fastball, a plus slider and a changeup that needed work when he first debuted, and the scouting opinion of him at the time was that he profiled as a reliever unless his changeup improved. Gil wants to be a starter, and Yankees brass has seen improvement in his changeup so far this spring. Most evaluators rank him ahead of Jhony Brito and Randy Vazquez, two young pitchers the Yankees sent to the Padres in the Juan Soto deal this winter. The 25-year-old was limited to just two rehab starts in 2023, so no matter what role he's in, the Yankees will be cautious with his workload.

There is internal optimism from the New York Yankees about left-hander Carlos Rodon after he threw a live batting practice session on Tuesday, with his fastball sitting in the mid-90s, and touching 97 mph. Last spring, Rodon featured a 90-92 mph fastball in early live sessions. He's trying to bounce back from a disastrous first season in the Bronx in 2023 in which he had a 6.85 ERA in just 61 1/3 innings due to injuries. The 31-year-old southpaw reported to camp early and is now leaner. Rodon signed a massive six-year, $162 million deal to come to New York last year, but he missed most of the season due to injury. His chronic back issue is the biggest concern, but if Rodon can manage to stay healthy in 2024, he should be a huge payoff for fantasy managers willing to take the risk.