Washington Nationals right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan (back) returned to the mound on Thursday in a Grapefruit League game after a nine-day layoff due to lower-back tightness. He took a comebacker off his right foot in the top of the seventh inning, but it ended up being harmless. "Physically I felt great," Finnegan said. "I would've argued to keep going, finish my inning. But 25 is a good place to land. I was excited to get back out there and come out of it feeling good. That was the most pitches I threw all spring. To feel good after that, after the layoff, is positive." The 32-year-old gave up one earned run on three hits with a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning against the Minnesota Twins. Finnegan has fantasy value as the primary closing option for the Nats to open the regular season, but Hunter Harvey is a candidate to surpass him on the depth chart if he struggles in the ninth inning.

The Chicago White Sox agreed to terms with free-agent outfielder Robbie Grossman on a minor-league deal on Friday that includes an invite to major-league spring training. Grossman doesn't have much time in camp to impress the White Sox in order to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster as outfield depth to begin the 2024 season. Because of the timing of his signing, the 34-year-old veteran left-handed hitter will most likely open the year at Triple-A Charlotte. The 11-year MLB veteran won't be on the fantasy radar in mixed leagues if he's on Chicago's active roster in 2024. Grossman has one year of hitting 20-plus homers (in 2021) and batted .238/.340/.394 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI in 115 regular-season games in 2023 for the Texas Rangers.

According to the Chicago Cubs, left-hander Justin Steele (knee) left his Cactus League start on Friday against the San Francisco Giants with a left-knee contusion after he was drilled by a comebacker in the second inning. It's not a serious injury, so Steele should still be able to make his Opening Day start next Thursday on March 28. The 28-year-old southpaw made his first All-Star team in 2023 by going 16-5 with a career-best 3.06 ERA (3.02 FIP) and 1.17 WHIP with 36 walks and career-high 176 strikeouts in 173 1/3 innings over 30 starts. Steele doesn't have eye-opening velocity but still manages to strike out a fair number of batters and has done a good job of limiting home runs early in his MLB career. After his strong 2023 campaign, he's become a nice target as a low-end No. 2 fantasy starter/high-end No. 3.

Chicago Cubs corner infielder Patrick Wisdom (back) will begin the 2024 regular season on the injured list, according to manager Craig Counsell. The hope is that Wisdom will have a minimum stay on the IL to open up the season. The 32-year-old right-handed slugger offers 20-home run power as a corner infielder in deep mixed and NL-only fantasy leagues, but he doesn't provide much else. When he's healthy, he'll be a part-time player for the Cubs against left-handed pitching and can fill in at third base, first base and designated hitter. In the last three years with Chicago, Wisdom has slashed .214/.298/.474 with 76 home runs, 173 RBI, 16 stolen bases and 164 runs scored in 1,211 plate appearances and 337 games. His fantasy stock is obviously down now that he'll open the 2024 season on the IL.

Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon (back) will be out until at least mid-April. Taillon was scheduled to throw a bullpen session in camp on Friday, but he will need more time to build back up and will open the season on the 15-day injured list. The 32-year-old veteran was scratched from his Cactus League start back on March 9 and is still recovering from back tightness. Taillon has proved to be a league-average starter despite his first-round pedigree and can be avoided in standard 12-team fantasy leagues, especially since he'll be opening the year on the shelf. The former second overall pick went 8-10 last year in his first year with the Cubbies, posting a 4.84 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 41 walks and 140 strikeouts in 154 1/3 innings over his 30 outings (29 starts).