Houston Astros right-hander J.P. France (shoulder), who threw two innings in a minor-league game on Monday, could make his first Grapefruit League start this weekend, according to manager Joe Espada. France has recovered nicely from right-shoulder inflammation that he was dealing with earlier in spring training, and the team remains optimistic that he'll be ready by Opening Day on March 28. The 28-year-old was relied on heavily for the Astros in his rookie season in 2023 due to injuries to the rest of their starting staff, and he stepped up nicely by going 11-6 with a 3.83 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 47 walks and 101 strikeouts in 136 1/3 innings over 24 outings (23 starts). However, France almost had an 8.00 ERA in his last six appearances, and his fantasy ceiling is low because of his lack of swing-and-miss stuff.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen's (lat) live batting practice session appeared to go well on Tuesday, as he gave a thumbs up and a "yes, sir" when asked how it went. He is expected to pitch in his first Grapefruit League game on Friday. The Red Sox have been slow-playing Jansen in camp after he reported to spring training with lat soreness. The 36-year-old veteran has progressed nicely, though, and as long as he doesn't have a setback once he starts pitching in actual games, he will be ready for Opening Day later this month. Jansen is MLB's active leader in saves and will be Boston's primary ninth-inning guy when he's healthy, but there's no denying that he's a pretty big injury risk for fantasy managers at this stage of his career.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Joey Votto could be in minor-league games in spring training as early as Wednesday, according to manager John Schneider. This would put Votto on track to appear in his first Grapefruit League game in the days that follow this weekend, but the Blue Jays want to ramp him up against minor-league pitching first. The 40-year-old veteran joined the club as a non-roster invite to spring training last Friday and will attempt to make his hometown team in what could be his final season as a professional. There's a good chance Votto will start the year at Triple-A Buffalo, but he could eventually be up in Toronto as a veteran left-handed bat off the bench. In 65 games in 2023 for the Reds, he hit just .202 but with 14 home runs.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah (shoulder) continues to play catch in camp, but there is no timeline for his return to a mound. Manoah, who had a disastrous 2023 campaign while being demoted to the minors two different times, has been dealing with right-shoulder soreness in spring training and is now unlikely to be in the team's Opening Day starting rotation. Arm issues could have been partly to blame for the 26-year-old's collapse a season ago, too, so it's bad news to see him dealing with more arm trouble before the start of the 2024 regular season. It doesn't mean that Manoah won't be ready at some point in April, although this setback certainly makes him a much less attractive late-round value pick as a bounce-back candidate for the Jays.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (shoulder) will throw a side session in camp on Tuesday, and the team will determine his next steps afterwards. Gausman's options include a live batting practice session or straight into a Grapefruit League game. The 33-year-old has been dealing with right-shoulder fatigue in spring training but is making nice progress and could still be ready for Opening Day if he resumes facing hitters in spring games soon. When healthy, Gausman is the ace of Toronto's pitching staff and is a top-10 fantasy starting pitcher, despite residing in a hitter-friendly home ballpark and the tough American League East division. Gausman has made the All-Star squad twice in the last three years and had a league-high 237 strikeouts in 31 starts in 2023.