Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly gave up two runs on five hits in three innings during his second appearance of spring training on Wednesday, striking out four batters in a 7-5 Cactus League loss to the division-rival Colorado Rockies. Kelly is still off to a fine start this spring, despite Wednesday's mixed bag, turning in a 3.60 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with seven punchouts over five frames in two showings. The 35-year-old right-hander was a workhorse for the D-backs in 2023, tossing 177 2/3 innings (30 starts) for a rock-solid 3.29 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 187:69 K:BB. Although he doesn't carry particularly high upside, Kelly is a relatively safe fantasy bet at his 148.7 Yahoo ADP this spring and will face these same Rockies during Arizona's first series of the regular season in late March.

Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas launched his first home run of the spring during Wednesday's 9-4 Grapefruit League win over the division-rival New York Yankees, going 2-for-3 with a solo homer in the fourth inning. After missing some time with an illness to begin spring training, Casas is now batting 3-for-23 (.130) overall. The 24-year-old left-handed slugger and former first-round pick is set to operate as Boston's everyday first baseman following Justin Turner's offseason departure to the Toronto Blue Jays, and he's being drafted as a top-10 fantasy option at the cold corner after rolling to 2023's finish line with a .319/.417/.622 triple-slash line, 15 blasts, and 38 RBI over his closing 50 games. His placement in the BoSox' lineup may not be ideal to start the campaign, but some improved hitting could help Casas work his way up the order.

Since the start of camp, the Boston Red Sox said they regarded Ceddanne Rafaela as a center fielder only. However, manager Alex Cora on Wednesday sounded ready to at least consider the possibility of using Rafaela at second base. Rafaela is an elite defender at both shortstop and center field, but he hasn't played much at the keystone. But his elite athleticism could give Boston an upgrade at second over Enmanuel Valdez with Vaughn Grissom (hamstring) hurt. If Boston uses Rafaela some at second and center, either Jaren Duran or Tyler O'Neill would shift to center when Rafaela is in the infield. Rob Refsnyder's fractured toe essentially guarantees that Rafaela will make the team's Opening Day roster, and he should be playing frequently between second and center field.

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Max Muncy (illness) will be on the team's charter flight to South Korea for the two-game, season-opening series against the San Diego Padres on March 20-21. Muncy said he lost 10 pounds while fighting a non-COVID virus in the last week, but he's apparently feeling better now and will be ready for the start of the 2024 regular season. In the long run, Muncy's illness will be quickly forgotten, but DFS gamers may want to avoid Muncy in their lineups to open the season if he's still recovering. The 33-year-old left-handed-slugging corner infielder should continue to provide plenty of home runs and RBI for fantasy managers, but he's become more of an injury risk in recent seasons and also will drain your team batting average.

The New York Mets are planning to wait an extra week beyond March 15 (the original target) for right-hander Kodai Senga (shoulder) to begin throwing. "But that doesn't mean he's having any setback," manager Carlos Mendoza said. "We want to make sure that before he picks up a baseball he's strong and we're comfortable." The Mets want to make absolutely sure the 31-year-old is healthy coming off a bout with a moderate posterior capsule strain in his right shoulder this spring. The extra week layoff is going to push Senga's eventual 2024 season debut to sometime in either late April or early May. His injury has set up veteran lefty Jose Quintana to make the team's Opening Day start on March 28 on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers. Senga's injury makes him a more risky No. 3/4 fantasy starter going into the season.