Texas Rangers outfielder Leody Taveras went 1-for-3 versus the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. The 25-year-old has struggled this spring with a .200 batting average, but has swiped two bags. The Rangers young outfield prospects, Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford have been scorching hot this spring and their strong performances may move Taveras into a fourth outfielder role upon the 2024 season. Taveras hit a respectable .266 with with 14 homers, 67 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 2023, but Carter will lock down one of the outfield spots and the emergence of Langford gives the prospect a real opportunity to crack the Opening Day roster. If Langford makes the roster out of camp, Taveras will have minimum value in the fantasy community without an injury to open up more at-bats.

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) was told on Thursday that he will not need Tommy John surgery, at least for now, after visiting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Cole has been advised to rest and undergo non-invasive treatment while being shut down for at least a month. The reigning American League Cy Young reported not recovering as expected between outings this spring, which prompted the team to send him for an MRI exam on his right elbow before traveling to LA for a second opinion. The 33-year-old has made at least 30 starts in every full season since 2017, but that's going to change in 2024, and there's still no guarantee that he won't need TJ surgery down the road. It makes him a high-risk fantasy ace in 2024 drafts.

Washington Nationals first baseman/outfielder Joey Meneses tallied three hits in Thursday's 5-3 Grapefruit League win over the Houston Astros, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, one run scored, and a stolen base. It was a nice day at the dish for Meneses, who is now hitting .303 (10-for-33) with a .755 OPS during spring training. After bursting onto the scene in 2022 with 13 home runs in 56 games for the Nats post-All-Star break following 11 seasons overseas, the 31-year-old veteran came crashing back down to earth with 13 homers in 154 outings during 2023 to go with a pedestrian .275/.321/.401 triple-slash line in 611 at-bats. Meneses is still projected to be Washington's everyday designated hitter and cleanup batter to begin the 2024 campaign, but not only is his fantasy appeal limited by a weak lineup around him, he could also eventually start to lose playing time due to how little he offers as a fielder and baserunner.

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno (back) was scratched from Thursday's Cactus League lineup due to lower back tightness, per manager Torey Lovullo. Tucker Barnhart started behind the plate, and he will also start Friday's spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers. There's nothing here to suggest Moreno's 174.5 Yahoo ADP should be affected, and he should continue to be drafted as a top-12 fantasy backstop. The 24-year-old Venezuelan contact hitter was the No. 1 prospect for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022 and achieved a Gold Glove Award during his debut season with the D-backs in 2023 following the trade that sent Daulton Varsho to Toronto. Although Moreno came up small for Arizona during the World Series, he slashed an impressive .311/.382/.496 with four home runs, eight doubles, 22 RBI, and two stolen bases over his final 136 plate appearances of the regular season.

Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga struck out nine Oakland Athletics hitters as part of a stellar effort in Cactus League action on Thursday. The Japanese import signed a four-year, $53 million deal with the Cubs this winter but wasn't at his best across his first two starts this spring. Imanaga allowed five earned runs across his first two starts and 5 1/3 innings but still managed to strike out 10 in that time. After his nine punchouts in 4 1/3 scoreless innings on Thursday, he has now racked up an eye-popping 19 punchouts against just a pair of walks in 9 2/3 spring frames to this point. He struck out 174 across 148 innings with Yokohama last season and projects for a 24.2% K% and a 3.88 ERA across 26 starts by ATC for the 2024 campaign.