Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette took a longer break than normal from baseball activities to reset after the 2023 season. He also trained in other ways, taking up swimming, pilates and Muay Thai. Bichette is happy with the shape he's in at camp as a result and said he's "in a good place to play every day." The 25-year-old missed 25 games with right patellar tendinitis and a right quadriceps strain late last year, so he focused specifically on his right leg and took a holistic approach to his offseason training. Bichette made his second All-Star team in 2023, and despite stealing only five bases, he was one of the better hitters in the game with a .306/.339/.475 slash line with an .814 OPS, 20 homers and 73 RBI in 135 games. In a strong Toronto lineup, he's one of the top fantasy shortstops and is ranked No. 6 at the position by RotoBaller.

Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize said on Thursday that he's getting around 18 inches of induced vertical break compared to around 15 inches in the past on his fastball. "We just think the fastball up can be more of a weapon," Mize said. The fastball should pair well with his splitter, but Mize also talked about pairing it with his curveball. It could make all of the 26-year-old pitcher's offerings more effective, especially his fastball up in the zone. Fantasy managers should have tempered expectations for Mize in 2024, though, as he hasn't pitched in a big-league game since April of 2022 due to Tommy John surgery. The former first overall pick in 2018 still has plenty of upside if he can stay healthy, but we don't expect him to throw more than 140-150 innings this year.

Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington said that he envisions second baseman Luis Rengifo or outfielder Mickey Moniak batting leadoff this year. Washington also sees first baseman Nolan Schanuel as the No. 2 hitter in front of outfielder Mike Trout and third baseman Anthony Rendon. Meanwhile, shortstop Zach Neto will hit ninth in the batting order. The 26-year-old switch-hitting Rengifo has fared better against left-handed pitchers, so it would make sense for him to hit leadoff against southpaws, while Moniak hits atop the lineup against right-handers. Between second and third base, Rengifo should play regularly for the Halos in 2024, although his modest power and speed makes him a bench bat in deep-mixed fantasy leagues, at best.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander's (shoulder) bullpen session went well on Wednesday. "I am encouraged where he's at right now," according to manager Joe Espada. Verlander is behind the other pitchers at spring training after having a setback with his right shoulder during the offseason. The good news, though, is that the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer continues to throw. However, it remains to be seen if he'll need to open the 2024 season on the injured list. It's been amazing to see how well the three-time All-Star has pitched late in his career, but fantasy managers should expect more decline from Verlander this year, as well as more time missed due to injury. But when he's healthy, Verlander still has the ability to be a decent No. 3/4 fantasy starter.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow is scheduled to make his spring debut with his new team on Sunday versus the Los Angeles Angels. It will be the first in-game view of Glasnow in a Dodgers uniform after he was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in December. The oft-injured 30-year-old made a career-high 21 starts in the 2023 season and worked to a 3.53 ERA across 120 innings of work. When healthy, Glasnow is a top-tier starter but he made just 16 starts from 2021-2022 and poses significant injury risk for fantasy managers. At the same time, he sports a career 30.9% K% and 21.2% K-BB%, making him an interesting decision for fantasy managers on draft day.