San Diego Padres right-hander Dylan Cease will make his debut with the team as the starter in the second exhibition game on Monday against the LG Twins after Jhony Brito starts the first game on Sunday. Manager Mike Shildt said Cease will probably aim for two to three innings in that start. The Padres made an unexpected spring splash when they acquired Cease from the Chicago White Sox this week to give them a starting rotation boost for 2024 alongside Joe Musgrave, Yu Darvish and Michael King. The 28-year-old former sixth-round pick in 2014 by the Cubs disappointed with a 4.58 ERA and 79 walks in 177 innings in 2023, but he's struck out 200-plus hitters in each of the last three seasons and was the runner-up for the American League Cy Young in 2022. The move to SD makes Cease an even more attractive No. 3 fantasy starter because of his swing-and-miss stuff.

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow), the reigning American League Cy Young winner, said he will be shut down from throwing for three to four weeks and then go from there. He said he has nerve inflammation in his right elbow but "felt good" after meeting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles this week. The 33-year-old ace wasn't bouncing back normally after his spring outings, prompting the team to send him for a battery of tests. It's been confirmed that Cole doesn't have a torn UCL, so the Yankees are hoping that after a month or two of rest, he'll be able to make his 2024 debut without having to go under the knife. Cole was RotoBaller's No. 2 fantasy starter before his elbow injury, but now he's ranked at No. 72 with the possibility that he could miss most of the first half of the season.

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed reliever Keynan Middleton (forearm) has a forearm strain and will be shut down from throwing for at least 10 days. It means that he'll start the 2024 regular season on the injured list. The Cardinals are planning to be without him for at least a couple of weeks into the season in April. The 30-year-old signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the team last month after he pitched for both the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees in 2023, posting a decent 3.38 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, two saves and 64 strikeouts in 50 2/3 relief innings. When healthy, Middleton can be valuable in deep holds leagues as a late-inning setup man for the Cardinals alongside Andrew Kittredge and Giovanny Gallegos in front of closer Ryan Helsley.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that the Opening Day center field job is still open and he is not ready to name a starter in that spot yet. With Tommy Edman (wrist) set to open the season on the injured list after having surgery on his right wrist in the offseason, Dylan Carlson, Victor Scott II and Michael Siani are competing for the job. Carlson is getting the start in center field in the team's Grapefruit League game on Saturday and is the most likely candidate to see most of the playing time in center until Edman returns. The 25-year-old year-old Carlson also had offseason surgery on his ankle in September, but he's good to go and is gaining steam in deep-mixed leagues with Edman injured. Scott, 23, has plenty of speed to spare and has really impressed in spring training. Siani, 24, would be the long shot, but he could make the Opening Day roster out of camp as a fourth or fifth outfielder.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray (hamstring), who strained his right hamstring on March 4, will pitch in a simulated pre-game situation at Roger Dean Stadium on Sunday. Hitters will stand in, but not swing. It's the next step in Gray's rehab, with the team still holding out hope that he can pitch in the season-opening series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In a worst-case scenario, the 34-year-old veteran would end up on the injured list to begin the year but would have a minimum stay and make his season debut early on in April. If he's ready to go for the first series versus the Dodgers, he'd be a fade in DFS coming off his injury. But overall, last year's runner-up to Gerrit Cole for the American League Cy Young award is a high-floor No. 3/4 fantasy starter in his first year in St. Louis.