The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma points out that Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki has mostly been hitting second in Cactus League games this spring. Suzuki hit all over the lineup during his first two seasons, but in theory, the two-hole could be where he could most help the Cubs. From Aug. 1, Suzuki's 183 wRC+ was third-best in baseball. He has turned a corner and found a comfort level at the plate, and it's not a stretch to call him the most complete hitter on the team now. Manager Craig Counsell usually prefers to put his best hitters at the top of the lineup, so expect Suzuki to at least start the season as the No. 2 hitter in what could be a pretty potent Chicago lineup. RotoBaller considers the 29-year-old as the No. 23 fantasy outfielder this year.

St. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that outfielder Lars Nootbaar (ribs) is making progress from his rib fractures. "He feels better every day. He still feels (the ribs) a little bit, but he's progressing. He was able to do some rotational stuff (on Wednesday) and we'll see what the next 4-5 days look like," Marmol said. The 26-year-old still doesn't have a timetable for when he might return to spring training games, though, and it's more likely than not that he'll open the 2024 regular season on the injured list. Injuries also put a damper on his 2023 campaign, but when he was healthy, Nootbaar was impressive with the bat, clubbing 14 home runs and stealing 11 bases in 117 games. He should be a regular when healthy and has some intriguing power/speed upside for fantasy managers as a late-round flier.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray (hamstring) threw a full side session in camp on Thursday after straining his right hamstring on March 4. If Gray is able to clear this hurdle, it could put him on a path to pitch in the opening series of the regular season in Los Angeles against the Dodgers at the end of March. The 34-year-old's next step could either be live batting practice or to pitch in a Grapefruit League game. It's great news for those that were worried the veteran hurler might have to open his first season with the Red Birds on the injured list. The three-time All-Star was great with the Minnesota Twins last year and finished second in the American League Cy Young voting. Even though he's leaving the weak AL Central, Gray is a strong No. 2 fantasy starter in St. Louis in 2024.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he expects outfielder Aaron Judge (abdomen, oblique) to hit in camp on Friday, and if he does, he will be back in the team's Grapefruit League lineup on Saturday. The 31-year-old All-Star slugger is dealing with soreness in his abdomen/oblique, and he claims it's a byproduct of all the extra swinging he did in the offseason. A report surfaced on Wednesday night that Judge is also still dealing with pain in his toe after he missed almost two months with a torn ligament in his big right toe in 2023. It's not what fantasy managers that plan to invest their first-round pick in Judge want to hear, but the Yankees remain optimistic that the former MVP will be ready for Opening Day on March 28.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand went 2-for-5 on Wednesday in a 19-11 Cactus League win over the Giants. His day at the plate included a home run, two RBI, and three runs scored. The 24-year-old is now batting .292 (7-for-24) with three home runs, eight RBI, and eight runs scored in the spring season. He's looking to follow up a season in which he hit 33 home runs between Triple-A and the majors and with a Barrel% of 10.5% last season in his 222 MLB at-bats, his projection of 26 home runs certainly seems within reach, if not more. RotoBaller ranks the powerful righty at 137 overall, ten picks ahead of his NFBC ADP of 147.