San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt said Tuesday that newly signed relief pitcher Yuki Matsui will make his Cactus League debut in Thursday's opening game against the Dodgers. The 27-year-old lefty signed a four-year, $21 million contract this off-season after spending the past decade pitching for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan. Matsui was a successful closer, but the Padres also signed KBO reliever Woo-Suk Go and have Robert Suarez as the incumbent for the closer's role. Fantasy managers should keep a close eye and ear out in the Padres' camp as things progress.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks is looking to build off his solid 2023 season after returning from a worrisome shoulder injury that caused him to get a late start last spring training. Hendricks looked good in a live batting practice session last Saturday and was sitting around 86-88 mph with his fastballs. The 34-year-old soft-tossing veteran didn't throw his first bullpen session last spring until Feb. 24 and didn't make his season debut until May while working back from a capsular tear in his right shoulder. Upon his return, Hendricks "felt completely normal again," and it was backed up the fact that he topped 90 mph on a fastball 14 times while seeing the highest spin rate of his career on his changeup. Hendricks will be a key starter for Chicago's rotation, but there's just not much fantasy upside due to his lack of strikeouts.

Chicago White Sox right-hander Edgar Navarro (elbow) will have Tommy John surgery in early March, according to the team. The 26-year-old Venezuelan made his major-league debut in 2023 for the Pale Hose and struggled, allowing seven earned runs on 11 hits (two homers) while walking two and striking out nine in 8 2/3 innings over eight appearances out of the bullpen. He was outrighted off the 40-man roster in December and will now miss all of the 2024 campaign. In five seasons on the farm, Navarro has gone 15-14 with a 5.14 ERA and 1.58 WHIP with 15 saves, 160 walks and 278 strikeouts in 264 1/3 innings over 173 appearances (five starts). When he returns from his elbow injury in 2025, Navarro will be minor-league relief depth for Chicago.

Free-agent catcher Gary Sanchez (wrist) is close to finalizing the one-year, $7 million contract that he reached with the Milwaukee Brewers nearly two weeks ago, according to sources briefed on the discussions. There was a holdup because the Brewers had lingering concerns over the condition of Sanchez's right wrist after his physical, and the expectation is he will accept a lower base salary with incentives that would allow him to earn the original $7 million if he stays healthy. The deal also includes a mutual option for 2025. The 31-year-old veteran backstop fractured his right wrist on Sept. 6 while with the Padres when he was hit by a pitch. Before that, he had a resurgent 2023, batting just .218 but hitting 19 homers with a .792 OPS in 260 plate appearances. In Milwaukee, he'll be the primary backup to William Contreras but will also see at-bats at designated hitter.

The Tampa Bay Rays placed right-hander Drew Rasmussen (elbow) on the 60-day injured list on Tuesday to make room on the 40-man roster for the signing of infielder Amed Rosario. Rasmussen won't return until the second half of the 2024 season after having an internal-brace procedure on his right elbow last July. The 28-year-old looked great for the Rays in eight starts last year before getting hurt, posting a 2.62 ERA (2.54 FIP) and 1.05 WHIP with 11 walks and 47 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings pitched, but fantasy managers are going to have to wait until later this year to get another look at him. He's already had two Tommy John surgeries in his career, too, so expecting Rasmussen to pick up where he left off in 2023 would be pretty foolish.