Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo, who went 4-5 with a 4.21 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 93 strikeouts in his first 18 major-league starts in 2023, is hoping to improve against left-handed hitters in 2024. Lefties slashed .283/.389/.540 with a .928 OPS against Woo last year. The 24-year-old had just 16 minor-league games under his belt, with none coming above High-A, before he made his MLB debut last summer. The 131 2/3 total innings he threw in 2023 were by far the most he'd thrown in a single season, and Woo admits he wore down late in the year. He's penciled in as Seattle's No. 5 starter to open the 2024 campaign. The inexperienced starter has a five-pitch mix and could improve on his 25% strikeout rate in Year 2. Woo is worth a flier late in deep-mixed league drafts as rotation depth.

New York Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt is guaranteed a spot in the Opening Day starting rotation, according to manager Aaron Boone. Schmidt made a career-high 33 appearances (32 starts) for the Yankees last year, covering 159 innings. He went 9-9 with a 4.64 ERA (4.42 FIP) and 1.35 WHIP with 46 walks and 149 strikeouts. The 28-year-old hurler didn't really stand out at all despite a big increase in volume and failed to make it very deep into most of his starts. None of Schmidt's four pitches really stand out, but the Yankees will be hoping he can improve in his second full season as a big-league starter in the Bronx. It won't be easy in the tough American League East or at Yankee Stadium. Schmidt currently is outside of RotoBaller's top-100 starting pitcher rankings.

Instead of making his Cactus League debut on Friday, Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez will throw live batting practice on a back field. Left-hander Tommy Henry will make the start in the spring training game on Friday against the Colorado Rockies in Rodriguez's place. There's nothing physically wrong with Rodriguez, but he'll get a little more work on the back fields before making his spring debut this year. The 30-year-old veteran southpaw joined the D-backs in free agency this offseason after a career-best 3.30 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with the Detroit Tigers while adding 143 strikeouts and 48 walks over 152 innings. Fantasy managers are going to want to expect some regression, especially since E-Rod has gone over 160 innings just once in his eight big-league seasons.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder/infielder Mookie Betts expects to play second base exclusively in spring training this year. Betts joked that he didn't bring his outfielder's glove to camp. The Dodgers and Betts are fully committed to him playing on the dirt as the club's full-time second baseman in 2024. The 31-year-old All-Star will still be eligible as an outfielder in fantasy, but unless a need arises for Betts to move back to the outfield in 2024, this could be the last year he has dual eligibility. Betts had a fantastic 2023 season with the Blue, hitting .307 with 39 home runs, 14 stolen bases and 126 runs scored. His 107 RBI set the big-league record for most RB1 by a leadoff hitter. He won't last past the first round in fantasy drafts.

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott will make his first Cactus League start on Monday in a split-squad game against the Seattle Mariners. In his first taste of the big leagues, Abbott acquitted himself well, going 8-6 with a 3.87 ERA (4.20 FIP) and 1.32 WHIP with 44 walks and 120 strikeouts in 109 1/3 innings over 21 starts. The 24-year-old southpaw faded down the stretch in his rookie campaign, but he appears to have a spot set in the starting rotation out of the gates in 2024. The former second-round pick in 2021 makes up for his lack of velocity with four quality offerings and proved very tough to hit for left-handed batters. Keeping the ball in the yard in a hitter-friendly home park will be vital for Abbott in his first full big-league season.