Oakland Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler made it a point of emphasis in the offseason to work on his plate discipline, as the 23-year-old walked just four times in his first 129 major-league plate appearances in 2023. He hit .284/.350/.475 with 15 home runs and 21 stolen bases in 89 games with Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas last year and received his first big-league promotion on Aug. 11. Butler hit .211 with four homers while playing mostly center field in 42 games in the majors to close out the year. "I love the way he's come into camp," manager Mark Kotsay added. "You can tell he's got a mindset that he belongs here." The former sixth-round pick looked mostly overmatched at the plate with the A's last year, but his speed could be enticing as a depth outfielder in AL-only fantasy leagues in 2024.

Oakland Athletics infielder Darell Hernaiz, the team's No. 9 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is primarily a shortstop, but the 22-year-old got the start at third base on Tuesday in the team's Cactus League game against the Cleveland Guardians and is in the mix with Jordan Diaz, Aledmys Diaz (groin), and Abraham Toro for an Opening Day roster spot at third base. He hit .321 with an .842 OPS in the minors at Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas last year. Hernaiz made a smooth play at the hot corner on Tuesday, had a sacrifice fly and singled and scored later in the game. He's played in 255 minor-league games at shortstop but only 33 at third base, so he has some work to do defensively at the hot corner. At best, Hernaiz is a stash candidate in deep dynasty/keeper leagues.

Oakland Athletics shortstop Nick Allen is off to a hot start in spring training this year after going 2-for-3 with two triples and three RBI in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Cleveland Guardians. In three spring games so far, the 25-year-old has seven total bases, five RBI, three hits, a walk, a stolen base, a run scored and no strikeouts. "Nick has really focused on making an adjustment from last season with his swing," said manager Mark Kotsay. "He's worked really hard with our hitting coaches these first 10 days of spring in just trying to stay on top of the baseball." Allen was shuttled up and down between the A's and the minors last year and just .221 (67-for-303) with four homers, 20 RBI and five steals in 106 games. He lacks power and has a low fantasy ceiling for those looking for middle-infield depth in AL-only leagues.

Oakland Athletics left-hander JP Sears showcased his new sinker when he threw two perfect innings on Tuesday in his Cactus League debut against the Cleveland Guardians. Thirteen of his 19 pitches were thrown for strikes, including two strikeouts. The 28-year-old southpaw, who led the team with 32 starts in 2203, threw his developing sinker three times, inducing a fly out and striking out one hitter. In his first full MLB season last year, Sears had a 4.54 ERA and 1.26 WHIP while going 5-14. He's going to be counted on again to be a bulldog at the top of Oakland's rotation in 2024 and is worth a flier in the later rounds of deep-mixed drafts for his strikeout upside, especially if he can improve against left-handed hitters this year.

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez (side) was scratched from Thursday's Cactus League contest against the San Francisco Giants with left-side tightness, according to manager Torey Lovullo. Suarez is considered day-to-day. Suarez's injury doesn't seem too serious, so hopefully he'll be back in spring training action by the weekend. In his place, Blaze Alexander got the start at third base for Arizona on Thursday. The 32-year-old Suarez is a solid source of power, especially with the move to the desert, but he strikes out way too much to help even remotely in batting average. He's also coming off a season in which he hit just 22 home runs and had his lowest slugging percentage (.391) since his rookie year in 2014. Suarez should bounce back in the power department if he can stay healthy in Arizona.