Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe (illness) returned to workouts with the rest of the team in spring training on Thursday after being held back in the last week due to an illness. Lowe will now begin ramping things up before eventually appearing in Grapefruit League games. The 29-year-old has impressive power at the second base position from the left side of the plate, but he has struggled against left-handed pitching and has only played in over 100 games twice in his six major-league seasons. Lowe played in 109 games in 2023 and slashed .231/.328/.443 with 21 home runs, 68 RBI and seven stolen bases in 436 plate appearances. He had a career-high 39 long balls in 149 games in 2021, but that season has been an outlier for Lowe. He's a risk/reward power bat at second base.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Brenton Doyle has put on 20 pounds of good weight since the end of the 2023 season. In his first major-league season last year, Doyle struggled with a .203 batting average (81-for-399) and a .250 on-base percentage, but he also managed to club 10 home runs, drive in 48 runs and steal 22 bases in 126 games over 431 plate appearances as the team's center fielder. The 25-year-old struck out over 30 percent of the time, which is why he barely hit over the Mendoza Line, but at hitter-friendly Coors Field, Doyle's power/speed combination is intriguing. His elite glove in the outfield should keep him in Colorado's lineup on a daily basis, and if he can start making more contact, Doyle will certainly attract the attention of fantasy managers in mixed leagues.

Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Tommy Henry was named the team's starter for their Cactus League opener on Friday against the Colorado Rockies. Lefty Eduardo Rodriguez was initially supposed to get the starting nod, but the D-backs have decided to let him throw another live batting practice session on the back fields on Friday instead. The 26-year-old Henry is competing for the fifth and final spot in Arizona's rotation with Ryne Nelson this spring. Henry went 5-4 with a 4.15 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 35 walks and 64 strikeouts in 89 innings over 17 outings (16 starts) in his second year in the big leagues in 2023. The soft-tossing lefty has only fanned 6.6 batters per nine innings in 136 big-league innings so far, and his lack of high-end velocity gives him very little upside in NL-only leagues if he wins a rotation spot out of spring training.

Free-agent catcher Austin Nola has signed with the Kansas City Royals on a minor-league deal, according to a source. Nola initially signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on a minors deal this offseason, but he was released after Gary Sanchez's deal with the Brewers became official this week. The older brother of Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola, Austin was sent to the minors last year with the San Diego Padres after slashing just .146/.260/.192 with a home run and eight RBI in 52 games played in 2023. In Kansas City this spring, the veteran backstop will likely compete with Freddy Fermin for the backup job behind All-Star Salvador Perez. After Nola's offensive collapse last year, he's well off the fantasy radar and isn't guaranteed a roster spot on Opening Day in KC.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Nathan Webb (elbow), who was signed to a minor-league deal in October, has thrown five bullpen sessions in camp and hopes to be available to pitch in games by the first week of May. "I haven't had a single issue so far," Webb said. "I'm in the bullpen phase. I feel really good. No issues afterward, no issues while I'm throwing, so I'm excited." The 26-year-old is recovering from Tommy John surgery in late March of last year. He has not appeared in the majors yet and has gotten as far as Triple-A Omaha in the Royals' system in 2022. Webb owns a career 6.11 ERA and 1.60 WHIP in six minor-league seasons but averages 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The O's assigned him to Triple-A Norfolk.