Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that the team is aiming for second baseman Vaughn Grissom (hamstring) to make his Grapefruit League debut on Sunday. Grissom has been slowed in camp by a minor hamstring injury, but he appears ready to go this weekend and should also be ready for Opening Day by the end of March, barring a setback. The 23-year-old will be the team's starting second baseman in his first year in Beantown, and he has significant fantasy appeal to boot while being eligible at both middle-infield positions. In his career at the major-league level, he's hit .287/.339/.407 with five home runs, 27 RBI and five steals in 64 games for the Braves. Grissom has 15-15 potential if he can remain healthy, and he could even hit leadoff for the Red Sox against left-handers.

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that outfielder Jarren Duran (toe) will make his Grapefruit League debut on Friday as the designated hitter. The Red Sox are taking it slow with Duran after he had surgery last August to fix the flexor tendon in his left big toe, but he will make his debut heading into the weekend. If healthy, the 27-year-old will be an everyday starter in Boston's outfield after breaking out in 2023 before his toe injury. The left-handed hitter slashed .295/.346/.482 with an .828 OPS, eight home runs, 40 RBI, 24 stolen bases and 46 runs scored in 332 at-bats. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect too much, too soon, but Duran is at least an excellent source of speed as a No. 3 outfielder in mixed leagues for 2024.

Washington Nationals third baseman/outfielder Nick Senzel (illness) is back at third base and is hitting fifth in the team's Grapefruit League lineup on Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Senzel was scratched from the lineup on Wednesday and has missed the last several days while being under the weather, but he's feeling much better now. The 28-year-old former first-rounder will get every opportunity to earn regular playing time at third base in his first year in D.C. in 2023, and his power/speed combination make him worth a gamble in NL-only leagues if he can stay healthy. The former second overall pick in 2016 out of Tennessee played in a career-high 110 games in 2022 and hit an underwhelming .239/.302/.369 with 33 homers, 125 RBI and 32 stolen bases in his five years with the Reds.

Seattle Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo, who was in the conversation for the American League Cy Young award for most of last year, threw 96 mph fastballs in the first inning of his Cactus League debut on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds. It was a significant rise compared to last year, when he was in the high-80s early on. It was a telling sign of Castillo's health, as he's typically a pitcher who grows slower into his velocity than most and who uses spring training to regain his feel rather than install offseason adjustments. "It's telling me that I'm healthy," Castillo said. His four-seam fastball held hitters to a .165 average and .384 slugging percentage in 2023 while generating a 33% whiff rate, an MLB-best among starters. Castillo's fastball/slider combo has made him an easy top-10 fantasy starter in Seattle.

In Kansas City Royals right-hander Brady Singer's Cactus League debut on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners, he showcased two new pitches -- a four-seam fastball and a sweeper. Singer had an up-and-down year in 2023, posting a career-worst 5.52 ERA in a career-high 159 2/3 innings pitched. His sinker remains his bread and butter, but mixing in a four-seamer and sweeper now could make the young starter more effective. All three of Singer's strikeouts on Wednesday came on his sweeper in two innings of work. His four-seamer has good carry and "explodes on the hitter because of the true backspin," pitching coach Brian Sweeney said. Perhaps the new pitches will give the 27-year-old more strikeout potential after being mostly a two-pitch guy up to this point in his career. Fantasy managers in shallow-mixed leagues can be patient.