Cleveland Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie (elbow, shoulder) missed most of the 2023 season due to elbow and shoulder injuries that dated back to spring training. McKenzie had a right teres-major strain in his shoulder to begin the year and made two starts in June before going on the injured list with a right-elbow strain. He returned to make two starts at the end of September. The 26-year-old said has had a more gradual buildup to the 2024 season and is feeling great heading into spring training. Given the fact that McKenzie had a sharp 2.96 ERA in 30 starts in 2022, he'll be a worthwhile buy-low option for fantasy managers this spring, albeit one that comes with some injury risk and an innings limit.

The Houston Astros designated left-hander Matt Gage for assignment on Monday to make room on the 40-man roster for recently signed left-handed reliever Josh Hader, according to a source. Gage made his big-league debut in 2022 with the Toronto Blue Jays and made five relief appearances for the Astros in 2023, allowing two earned runs on six hits (one homer) while walking three and striking out eight over 6 2/3 innings. The 30-year-old southpaw reliever has been pretty good in his small sample size at the major-league level with a 1.83 ERA (3.97 FIP) and 1.07 WHIP with nine walks and 20 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings. Gage had a 4.58 ERA and 1.63 WHIP with 20 walks and 39 strikeouts in 37 1/3 relief innings last year at Triple-A Sugar Land.

Veteran right-hander Collin McHugh announced his retirement from professional baseball on Monday on his Instagram account. The 36-year-old spent his final season in the big leagues in 2023 with the Atlanta Braves, recording a 4.30 ERA (4.09 FIP), 1.57 WHIP, 22 walks and 47 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings over 41 appearances (one start) during the regular season. In his 11 seasons in the big leagues, he had a 3.72 ERA (3.58 FIP) and 1.23 WHIP with a save and a 23.3 percent strikeout rate in 992 2/3 total innings over 346 appearances (127 starts) with the Braves, Houston Astros, New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies. His two best seasons came in 2014-15 with the Astros, when he went a combined 30-16 with a 3.39 ERA (3.38 FIP) and 1.17 WHIP with 94 walks and 328 strikeouts in 57 starts.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Tucker Barnhart, who was signed to a minor-league deal this offseason, will compete with Jose Herrera to be the backup to everyday catcher Gabriel Moreno. Barnhart, 33, is a two-time Gold Glove-winning backstop and can provide experience and leadership off the bench, but he hit just .202/.285/.257 with the Chicago Cubs in 2023, and his offensive production has dipped over the last two seasons. If he makes the team out of spring training, the D-backs would only have to pay him the league minimum. The Cubs are paying Barnhart $3.25 million as part of a deal he signed prior to the 2023 season. His agreement with Arizona includes an opt-out clause at the end of spring training if he doesn't make the Opening Day roster.

The Baltimore Orioles announced on Monday that they agreed to terms with left-hander Cionel Perez on an undisclosed one-year deal for the 2024 season with a club option for 2025 to avoid salary arbitration. Perez was seeking $1.4 million in arbitration for the 2024 season, and the Orioles had countered at $1.1 million. The 27-year-old southpaw from Cuba posted a 3.54 ERA (3.84 FIP) and 1.56 WHIP with a career-high three saves, 27 walks and 44 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings over 65 relief outings in 2023 in his second year in Baltimore. In six major-league seasons since debuting in 2018 with the Houston Astros, Perez has gone 13-6 with a decent 3.56 ERA (4.15 FIP) and 1.42 WHIP with four saves and a 21.3 percent strikeout rate over 161 2/3 relief innings.