Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Zac Gallen is scheduled to make his first spring Cactus League start on March 1 against the Cincinnati Reds, while right-hander Merrill Kelly will make his first start on March 8 against the Chicago Cubs. Including the playoffs, Gallen and Kelly threw 243 2/3 and 201 2/3 innings, respectively, in 2023. Kelly took some time off in the offseason before getting back to his training regiment that included range-of-motion exercises, according to manager Torey Lovullo. Because of the big workloads in their run to the World Series last year, the D-backs will make sure to take it easy on both pitchers this spring. Gallen is a low-end No. 1 fantasy starter, while Kelly profiles as more of a No. 4 to round out your fantasy rotation.

New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres, who is entering the final year of his deal in 2024, said on Wednesday at spring training that wants "to be a Yankee for life." However, there have been no extension talks with the team to this point. Torres said he understands the team's hesitancy since the last two extensions for Luis Severino and Aaron Hicks didn't work out due to injuries. The 27-year-old Torres has been a staple for the Yankees at the keystone the last two years, hitting a combined .266/.330/.452 with a .782 OPS, 49 home runs, 144 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 298 games played. Contract issues aside, Torres has maintained a solid power/speed combination at the second base position for fantasy managers and could have an even better year in 2024 in what should be an improved Yankees lineup.

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole is scheduled to face live hitters at spring training on Wednesday over two innings for his first live batting practice session of camp. Cole won the American League Cy Young award in 2023 by going 15-4 with a league-best 2.63 ERA (3.16 FIP), a league-best 0.981 WHIP, 48 walks and 222 strikeouts in a league-high 209 innings over 33 starts. The six-time All-Star has had an ERA over 4.00 just once in his 11 major-league seasons and has now topped the 200-strikeout mark six times in his career, including in each of the last two seasons. He's fully healthy as he prepares for the start of his 12th season in the majors and is justifiably in consideration to be the first starting pitcher off the board in upcoming fantasy drafts.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello said his agents have been engaged in extension talks with the Red Sox in recent weeks and that a deal may be close between the two sides. Bello said "maybe" when asked if a deal could be done before the end of spring training. The 24-year-old isn't eligible for arbitration until after the 2025 season and won't hit free agency until after 2028, but the Red Sox have vowed to be more aggressive in extension talks for younger players who are far from free agency after failing to lock up previous stars Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts. Bello is one of the most intriguing young arms in fantasy in 2024 and is expected to anchor Boston's starting rotation this year. He's gone 14-19 with a 4.37 ERA in 214 1/3 innings over 41 games (39 starts) since debuting in July of 2022.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said he "feels great" at camp this spring and is sporting a leaner physique after putting in hard work to get his body right in the offseason. The 24-year-old arrived this week at camp looking noticeably slimmer and stronger. "He looks great," manager John Schneider said of Guerrero. "He put a ton of work in and I love the way he looks, love the way he's prepared, and that's what really good players do. They take ownership of everything in the offseason and they're ready to go." Fantasy managers can only hope his improved conditioning will lead to another monster season, like the one he had in 2021. But since that year, his offensive numbers have declined, and he had a .788 OPS in 2023. Still, Vladdy's floor is high and he's RotoBaller's No. 5 fantasy first baseman.