Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that left-hander Nick Lodolo's (leg) next step at spring training is to throw a live batting practice session. "He's feeling great," Bell said. Lodolo made just seven starts in 2023 due to a stress reaction in his left tibia, which is why the Reds are slow-playing him in spring training. But the 26-year-old is now pain-free and is slowly progressing. Barring a setback, he is expected to be part of the team's starting rotation on Opening Day late in March. Before his injury last year, Lodolo was hurt by the long ball. The former seventh overall pick had a strikeout rate close to 30 percent, though, and there's still a lot to like about him in the long term. However, coming off his lost season, fantasy managers should consider him nothing more than rotation depth in deep-mixed leagues in 2024.

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that rookie infielder Noelvi Marte (hamstring) is scheduled to make his spring training debut on March 2 against the Colorado Rockies. Marte suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain in November while playing winter ball, and the Reds are slow-playing the impressive youngster this spring. Barring a setback, the 22-year-old should be ready for Opening Day. Marte certainly has a lot of upside at the major-league level after recording an .822 OPS in his first 123 plate appearances in the majors late last year, but he's most likely going to have to share playing time at the hot corner in Cincinnati with Jeimer Candelario, who the Reds signed to a three-year, $45 million deal in free agency. Marte has a high floor and a high ceiling in the long term because of his power/speed combination.

The Kansas City Royals believe that outfielder Kyle Isbel is their best center field option heading into the 2024 season. They are counting on power at the corner-outfield spots from MJ Melendez and Hunter Renfroe. Drew Waters can play all three outfield spots and could easily play into an Opening Day starting spot. While Waters has nice upside, he could benefit from more at-bats to begin the year in the minors as well. Isbel, 26, hasn't hit much so far in the big leagues, but he has an elite glove. At the very least, Isbel should find himself starting in center field for the Royals in 2024 against right-handed pitching. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues can ignore him. In 313 plate appearances last year, Isbel had only five home runs and seven stolen bases.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Kris Bubic (elbow) threw his first bullpen session on Tuesday at spring training since having Tommy John surgery. The 26-year-old southpaw threw around 15 pitches (only fastballs) and felt good the day after with no extra soreness in his elbow. It was the first time he's thrown off a mound since last April. He's scheduled to throw another side session on Friday and will have around nine weeks of bullpens with increasing intensity before he faces hitters. Bubic is currently limited to throwing fastballs off the mound but has started to flip in some breaking balls and offspeed stuff while playing catch. He opted for full UCL reconstruction in April of last year and is targeting the middle of 2024 as a potential return date.

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy said that catcher Gary Sanchez (hand) has been cleared for baseball activities after dealing with right-wrist issues last year. However, he will need some time to ramp up before being ready for spring training games. Sanchez's 2023 season came to an end early last September when he fractured his wrist, but it was a recent hand injury that he suffered that brought up a red flag for the Brewers on Sanchez's physical. The 31-year-old veteran backstop should be ready for Opening Day, where he'll be the primary back up to William Contreras while also seeing a steady amount of at-bats as the team's designated hitter. Sanchez rebounded nicely in San Diego last year with 19 home runs in 75 games. While he can provide solid power in two-catcher leagues, he also is going to drag your fantasy team's batting average down.