Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried struggled in his second start of the spring on Friday versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 30-year-old yielded four earned runs on five hits, including a homer, with two walks and two strikeouts. His outing began with a clean first inning but struggled in the fourth when he allowed two singles and a walk. All three runners came around to score after he departed the game without recording an out in the frame. Fried tossed two scoreless innings in his first start of the spring on Feb. 26 but his spring ERA now sits at 7.40 in five innings of work. He posted a tidy 2.55 ERA and a 19.9% K-BB% in the 2023 season but he was limited to just 14 starts due to a forearm injury and a late-season blister. ATC projects a healthy return in 2024 that features a 3.27 ERA and a 17.4% K-BB% across 27 starts, making him an excellent fantasy option.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. suffered a jammed left middle finger during a plate appearance on Tuesday in a Grapefruit League game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. The team gave him a few days to let the discomfort subside but he is scheduled to be in the starting lineup Saturday versus the Philadelphia Phillies. The 24-year-old endured a down 2023 season by his lofty standards, hitting .264 with 26 home runs and a .789 OPS across 156 games played. That said, he is a very attractive bounce-back candidate as ATC projects him to hit 32 home runs alongside 98 RBI, six stolen bases, and an .863 OPS in 2024. He is a quality look at his 33.1 ADP.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar has suffered two nondisplaced fractures in his ribs on the left side. It was reported yesterday that Nootbaar was going to go in for testing for a torso injury which will now take 10-14 days while his swings in that time will depend on pain tolerance. The 26-year-old was injured attempting to field a fly ball on Saturday, getting twisted up and falling to the ground. He was enjoying a nice start to his spring as he is 4-for-9 with two walks and a stolen base across 11 plate appearances in Cactus League action. He was projected by ATC to hit 18 home runs and steal nine bases across 123 games but his status for Opening Day is unsure. He remains a solid option in the outfield with a 203.2 ADP.

The Chicago White Sox have signed right-hander Brad Keller to a minor-league deal with an invitation to big-league spring training. Keller has spent the first six seasons of his career with the Kansas City Royals and had his 2023 season shortened due to a shoulder injury. He posted a 4.57 ERA in 11 outings (nine starts) last season and walked an eye-popping 21.3% of the batters he faced on the season. Keller is a ground-ball pitcher who sports a 51.7% ground-ball rate for his career as his strikeout rate sits at just 17.2%. In 150 MLB appearances (114 starts), Keller sports a 4.27 ERA but only a 6.9% K-BB% in that time. He could battle for the fifth spot in the White Sox rotation or serve as a long reliever in 2024.

Free-agent first baseman Joey Votto has signed a non-roster invite deal to join the Toronto Blue Jays for spring training. The 40-year-old is from Toronto as the player and team seemed likely to at least connect on a minors deal this winter. Votto was relatively productive in the 2023 season, hitting just .202 but also slugging 14 home runs in just 65 games played while walking at a healthy 11.2% clip. He has seen his walk rates dip and his strikeout rates increase in recent seasons but his production hovered around league average a season ago, as per his 98 wRC+. He will battle for reps at designated hitter in the 2024 season but the Blue Jays also signed veteran Justin Turner to fill that void. Votto is well off the fantasy radar at this point.