Oakland Athletics left-hander Ken Waldichuk (elbow), who was placed on the 60-day injured list on Wednesday, has been cleared to play catch in spring training and should be throwing off a mound soon. If all goes well, he'll begin throwing bullpen sessions near the end of camp, but he's not going to be ready for the start of the 2024 season due to a strained left elbow. The 26-year-old southpaw wasn't able to do anything for most of the offseason due to his injury after having surgery to fix a UCL sprain and damage to his flexor tendon. In his first full big-league season in 2023, Waldichuk struggled to a 5.36 ERA and 1.56 WHIP with a save, 71 walks and 132 strikeouts in 141 innings over 35 appearances (22 starts). Although he turned things around later in the year, his 11.1 percent walk rate was concerning, and he'll be off the fantasy radar in mixed leagues for now.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward (face) is in camp with the team and said he feels 100 percent after being hit in the face by a pitch that ended his 2023 season last July. He plans to face live pitching for the first time in spring training this Saturday. It was already reported last week that the Angels didn't have any plans to hold the 30-year-old back in spring training, so he should be ready to roll for Opening Day after he had surgery in August to fix several facial fractures. The Halos will be hoping Ward can step up in 2024 as one of the more prominent offensive weapons and starting left fielder. Injuries have held him to fewer than 100 games in each of the last two seasons, but Ward was productive before his injury last year, slashing .253/.335/.421 with 14 home runs, 47 RBI, four stolen bases and 60 runs scored in 97 games played.

Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said he told pitchers Jackson Jobe and Ty Madden that they won't make the Opening Day roster out of spring training this year. "It's probably the earliest I've ever told a player," Hinch said. The Tigers skipper said both pitchers are in camp to get to know their teammates and staff and to soak up information and get ready for their minor-league seasons. Jobe is the No. 25 overall prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline, but he's made just one appearance past High-A and is just 21 years old, so it shouldn't be a huge surprise that he won't break camp with the Tigers in 2024. Jobe was dominant over four minor-league stops in 2023 with a 2.81 ERA, 84 strikeouts and just six walks in 64 total innings and should already be stashed in all dynasty/keeper leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Tyler Alexander (lat) was able to throw a bullpen session at spring training on Wednesday. Alexander suffered a left lat strain while pitching for the Detroit Tigers last year and didn't make an appearance after July 2. The 29-year-old southpaw finished his fifth and final season in Detroit with a 4.50 ERA (4.10 FIP) and 1.11 WHIP with five walks and 44 strikeouts in 44 innings over 25 appearances (one start). It looks as though he's fully healthy heading into the 2024 regular season in his first year in Tampa. If he can stay healthy this year, he's likely to serve in a multi-inning relief role for the Rays, which will not make him very attractive to fantasy managers.

The Tampa Bay Rays placed left-hander Shane McClanahan (elbow) on the 60-day injured list on Wednesday to make room on the 40-man roster for right-hander Phil Maton, who was signed to an undisclosed major-league contract. McClanahan is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery in August of last year and is expected to miss all of the 2024 season. The 26-year-old southpaw should be taken off all cheat sheets for upcoming fantasy drafts in single-year leagues. In a best-case scenario, McClanahan would return to help pitch for the Rays if they make a deep postseason run this fall. He's been an All-Star each of the last two years and was a Cy Young candidate in the American League in 2022 after posting a career-best 2.54 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with a career-high 194 strikeouts in 166 1/3 innings over 28 starts.