Cincinnati Reds general manager Nick Krall said the hamstring injury that infield prospect Noelvi Marte suffered late in November while playing in the Dominican Republic winter league came with a six- to 10-week recovery process, meaning he's on a good track to be ready for the start of spring training. Barring a setback in his recovery process, the 22-year-old figures to be the team's starting third baseman on Opening Day. Marte saw his first 114 major-league at-bats in 2023 and went 36-for-114 (.316) with three home runs, 15 RBI, six stolen bases and 15 runs scored in 35 games played. There's a lot to like about Marte for fantasy managers in an improved Reds lineup. There's a nice combination of power, contact ability and speed on the basepaths with Marte as he preps for his first full season in the big leagues. He has a high ceiling and the potential to hit around 25 home runs in 2024.

The Washington Nationals are likely to take the cautious route and give outfielder Stone Garrett (leg) more time to recover from his broken leg, making it unlikely that he'll be ready to go for Opening Day in 2024. Garrett broke his left fibula last year and underwent surgery in August, followed by a minor surgery on his ankle. The 28-year-old should have a pretty good chance to see regular at-bats for the rebuilding Nationals when healthy, but at the very least, he should be in an outfield platoon against left-handed pitching. Garrett has posted a strong .813 OPS in 355 total major-league at-bats, but he's most likely going to be a placeholder in Washington's outfield until prospects James Wood and Dylan Crews arrive, possibly as early as this summer. Garrett is going to need to cut down on his strikeout rate to become a lineup regular in NL-only leagues.

The Detroit Tigers signed free-agent right-hander Drew Anderson to a minor-league deal on Wednesday. Anderson, who turns 30 years old in March, spent the last two seasons pitching overseas in Japan. He's pitched in the big leagues for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers. In his five years in the big leagues from 2017-21, Anderson went 1-3 with a rough 6.50 ERA (4.35 FIP), a 1.58 WHIP, 17 walks and 30 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings over 19 appearances (two starts). While pitching for the Hiroshima Carp in Nippon Professional Baseball the last two years, he was much better with a 3.05 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 115 innings pitched. Anderson will give the Tigers some minor-league pitching depth entering the start of the 2024 season.

Cincinnati Reds general manager Nick Krall told season-ticket holders that the team doesn't plan to re-sign long-time first baseman Joey Votto this offseason. "We don't plan to bring him back as of now," Krall said. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, considering the Reds have the most infield depth of any team in baseball, and Votto is entering his age-41 season. The six-time All-Star left-handed slugger is feeling great physically this offseason, but he's also played in 156 games combined the last two years due to shoulder issues. Votto broke out for a surprising 36 home runs in 2021, but since then he's slashed only .204/.317/.394 with 25 home runs and 79 RBI in 618 plate appearances. His best shot at big-league playing time might be as a designated hitter for the Toronto Blue Jays, but even then, he'll only be fantasy relevant for a bit of pop in AL-only leagues.

The Baltimore Orioles have signed outfielder Daniel Johnson to a minor-league deal. The 28-year-old spent the 2023 season in the Padres organization, hitting .263 with 13 home runs and 21 stolen bases across 98 games at Double-A while also hitting .296 with six HR and nine SB across 28 games at the Triple-A level. A long-time minor league journeyman, Johnson is a lifetime .268 hitter with 89 HR and 108 SB across 679 minor-league contests since making his professional debut in the 2016 season. His big-league resume consists of 35 games with the Guardians from 2020-2021 as he hit .202 with four HR and one SB across 94 plate appearances in that time. He could serve as Triple-A outfield depth for Cleveland in 2024.