St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (hamstring) has been able to do agility work and throw from 120 feet in recent days without issue, per manager Oliver Marmol. If Gray's recovery goes well on Saturday and Sunday, he could throw a side session off the mound next week, Marmol also said. Gray suffered a mild right hamstring strain during Monday's Grapefruit League loss to the Washington Nationals, but he is trending in the right direction ahead of St. Louis' Opening Day on March 28 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. While the 34-year-old three-time All-Star could face a minimum stay on the injured list to begin the campaign, we still wouldn't recommended letting Gray fall into the double-digit rounds of fantasy drafts, considering where he's at in his recovery at this stage. Entering the first season of a three-year deal with the Cards, Gray led baseball with a 2.83 FIP and 0.4 home runs per nine innings across his 184 innings for the Minnesota Twins in 2023.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a side session on Saturday at the team's camp. It will be Gausman's first time throwing off a mound since experiencing fatigue in his right shoulder following a bullpen session around a week ago, which is an optimistic sign for his chances of building his arm back up in time for Toronto's Opening Day on March 28 against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 33-year-old two-time All-Star led the American League with 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings in 2023, registering a 3.16 ERA (2.97 FIP), 1.17 WHIP, and 237:55 K:BB over 185 frames. At this point, there's really not much reason for fantasy managers to be adjusting Gausman's third-round price tag in drafts this spring.

Free-agent left-hander Blake Snell has a "strong preference" to join the Los Angeles Angels, according to ESPN's Buster Olney. "I'm hearing that Blake Snell's preference -- strong preference -- is to go to the Angels," Olney said during Thursday's edition of the Baseball Tonight podcast. "There [has] been back-and-forth with that team. That's where I think he's going to land," he added. The Angels could use a stalwart atop their rotation as the top five currently consists of Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval, Tyler Anderson, Griffin Canning, and Chase Silseth. Snell took home his second career Cy Young Award in 2023 as he worked to an MLB-best 2.25 ERA across 32 starts, although his control remained an issue as he paced the league with 99 walks a season ago.

Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele has been announced as the Opening Day starter, as per skipper Craig Counsell. It's the first Opening Day start for Steele as he looks to build on a season that saw him enter the NL Cy Young conversation. The 28-year-old worked to a 3.06 ERA across 30 starts, posting an impressive 19.6% K-BB% in the process. The southpaw has been a model of consistency in his young career as he owns a 3.30 ERA and a 16.8% K-BB% in 74 outings (63 starts) while generating ground balls at a healthy 50.2% clip. The Cubs lost starter Marcus Stroman in free agency but also added international free agent Shota Imanaga. Steele now headlines a rotation that ranked 14th with a 4.26 ERA a season ago.

The Los Angeles Angels have optioned right-hander Zach Plesac to the minors. The former Cleveland Guardians starter entered camp as a rotation candidate or even a long reliever but it appears his 2024 campaign will begin with Triple-A Salt Lake. It's been a rather unfortunate fall from grace for the 29-year-old who impressed with a 3.81 ERA across 21 starts as a rookie in the 2019 season. He went on to post a tidy 2.28 ERA in eight starts during the shortened 2020 season but has struggled since. Most recently, he worked to a 7.59 ERA across five starts with the Guardians in the 2023 season and struggled mightily to a 6.08 ERA across 19 outings (18 starts) with Triple-A Columbus. Plesac remains well off the fantasy radar as he looks to regain his form in the minors to begin the 2024 season.