Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcherDavid Bednar(lat) is dealing with right lat tightness. Bednar felt tightness in his lat during a throwing program. The Pirates are playing it safe with Bednar, and he is currently shut down from throwing. "Hopefully, he will be back soon," said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. Pittsburgh will continue to monitor the injury for the 29-year-old, and he's considered day-to-day. Bednar had a career year in 2023, converting 39 of 42 saves while posting a 2.00 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across 67 1/3 innings. Aroldis Chapman is next in line for save opportunities if Bednar were to miss any time. Chapman signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Pirates this offseason after racking up six saves while posting a 3.09 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 103 strikeouts over 58 1/3 innings between the Royals/Rangers in 2023. Fantasy managers of Bednar should add Chapman to their roster as a handcuff in case he misses any time. Stay tuned.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale has looked sharp through two starts with his new team this spring. The left-hander has struck out nine batters with only three hits allowed in 5 2/3 innings of work. It's a small sample size but it's great to see Sale looking like himself again. The seven-time All-Star was traded to Atlanta from the Boston Red Sox in December. Sale has struggled to stay healthy over the last few seasons. He made 20 starts with the Red Sox last season but didn't look like himself. Fantasy managers shouldn't get too eager but possibly the old Sale is back with his new team.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have brought in shortstop Elvis Andrus on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. On paper, Andrus doesn't exactly fit in the overcrowded D-Backs infield. Geraldo Perdomo has already been named the starting shortstop. It won't be long before top prospect Jordan Lawlar is in the mix as well. At best, Andrus will have a bench role but that likely wouldn't be enough to provide consistent fantasy value. He slashed .251/.304/.358 with six homers and 12 steals during his time with the Chicago White Sox last season.

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Alex Cobb (hip) isn't expected to miss much time and should return relatively soon, according to Giants general manager Farhan Zaidi. The veteran right-hander is working his way back from offseason hip surgery. He'll open the season on the injury list but isn't expected to miss much time. The 36-year-old exceeded expectations with the Giants last season. When healthy, Cobb should be worth rostering in mixed leagues.

To make room on the active 40-man roster for newcomer Matt Chapman, the San Francisco Giants placed right-hander Tristan Beck (arm) on the 60-day injured list on Sunday. Beck could be forced to miss the entire 2024 season. The 27-year-old is set to have vascular surgery on Monday to fix an aneurysm that was discovered in his upper right arm last week. At the very least, Beck won't be an option for San Francisco's starting rotation until the second half of the season. Keaton Winn (elbow), Alex Cobb (hip) and Robbie Ray (elbow) are also injured, so the Giants' rotation is going to be stretched thin early in the season. They could be forced to move Sean Hjelle into a starting role.