After New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (lat) was scratched from Friday's Grapefruit League game due to lat tightness, he said he's "fully confident I'll be in there Opening Day" and added that the decision to scratch him on Friday was a precaution. "He didn't seem too concerned with it. He said it's something he has every now and then during the season, but just wanted to be certain," manager Aaron Boone said. Fantasy managers that took the 34-year-old left-handed-hitting veteran as a power-hitting corner-infield option in mixed leagues will be hoping that Rizzo can carry over his strong spring training performance into the regular season. If Rizzo can stay healthy in 2024 after missing the last two months of 2023 with a concussion, he could be an excellent value play in fantasy.

Miami Marlins right-hander Sixto Sanchez will be on the team's Opening Day roster, according to manager Skip Schumaker. Sanchez hasn't pitched in the big leagues since the shortened 2020 season due to multiple shoulder injuries, so the fact that he will even start in the big leagues is a modest surprise for the Fish. The 25-year-old former top prospect tossed seven scoreless Grapefruit League innings this spring while walking three and striking out four and will open his second MLB season in a relief role, which puts him off the fantasy radar for now. It's hard to predict how Sanchez will fare because of how long of a layoff he's had due to injuries. In his rookie campaign in 2023, he showed promising upside with a 3.46 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 11 walks and 33 K's in 39 innings over just seven starts.

Miami Marlins right-hander Eury Perez (elbow) will start the 2024 regular season on the 15-day injured list after being diagnosed with right-elbow inflammation. In addition to his elbow injury, Perez dealt with a fingernail issue in spring training. All in all, fantasy managers who are counting on the young 20-year-old to contribute to their rotation in 2024 have to be happy that he avoided any structural damage in his arm and won't need surgery. But Perez is going to miss at least the first couple weeks of the season and might not make his season debut until late April or early May. The Dominican hurler is one of the most impressive young arms in baseball after he posted a 3.15 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 108 strikeouts in 19 starts after making his MLB debut in 2023, but his elbow injury has made him more of a No. 3/4 fantasy starter entering 2024.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar (ribs) is going to open the regular season on the injured list. This was expected, but Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol confirmed the news on Friday. The left-handed slugger continues working his way back from fractures in his ribcage. At the moment, it looks like Alec Burleson is the favorite to handle left field in the absence of Nootbaar. Burleson doesn't hold a ton of value, but could be a possible deep league option or maybe worth a shot in NL-only formats.

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Sonny Gray (hamstring) won't be ready in time for Opening Day. Cards manager Oliver Marmol confirmed on Friday that Gray will open the season on the injured list. The plan is for Gray to take the mound on Saturday in a spring contest. After that, Gray will make a pair of rehab starts before hopefully returning in mid-April. His stint on the injured list shouldn't be too long, so fantasy managers might just want to hold him here.