As expected, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (abdomen, oblique) is back in center field on Wednesday and is hitting third in the team's Grapefruit League contest versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Judge's return to spring action had been pushed back a few days over the weekend, causing fans and fantasy managers to panic about his availability for Opening Day next week against the Houston Astros. But the Yankees and the 31-year-old All-Star continued to downplay the severity of his injuries, and fantasy managers should be able to relax a bit now that Judge is back in the starting lineup. The top-10 fantasy asset is a difference-maker at the plate when he's healthy, but it's fair to wonder how healthy he'll be in 2024 while having to start in center field for the first half of the season.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (hamstring) and catcher Patrick Bailey (hand) are both back in the team's Cactus League lineup on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels. Lee is in center field and batting leadoff, while Bailey is behind the dish and hitting seventh for the Gigantes. The 25-year-old Lee was held out of the spring lineup for a few days after tweaking his hamstring last week. It wasn't a serious injury, and he's fully expected to be ready for Opening Day on March 28 versus the San Diego Padres as the team's leadoff man and starting center fielder after inking a six-year, $113 million deal to come over from Korea. Bailey took a foul tip off his right hand over a week ago in the Cactus League and is now fully recovered. He struggled at the plate at the end of his rookie season and should only be an option in two-catcher fantasy leagues in 2024.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (back) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting second in the team's Grapefruit League game on Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers. Buxton was scratched from the spring lineup on Monday due to back tightness, but it turned out to be a minor issue, which is great news for the oft-injured 30-year-old outfielder. Buxton wasn't able to play a single game in center field in 2023 for Minnesota due to a knee injury that eventually required surgery. His knee is healthy this spring, though, and he's hit one home run and has a 1.074 OPS in Grapefruit League play. The power/speed combination has always been tantalizing with Buxton, but his inability to stay on the field trumps any of the offensive skills he has these days.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Kutter Crawford continued his strong spring with another good outing against the Tampa Bay Rays in Grapefruit action on Tuesday. The right-hander went 5 2/3 innings and allowed four hits, two runs, no walks and recorded six strikeouts. The 27-year-old has seen his value rise as Opening Day approaches with his shiny 1.98 ERA and 13 K's to go along with no walks in four starts. Crawford was good down the stretch for the BoSox in 2023 and that has carried over to this spring. Crawford has an ADP of 245, but that should continue to rise after another strong performance. In deeper leagues, Crawford is worth taking ahead of his ADP as he has strong potential to outplay that value.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish only lasted 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision in Wednesday's Opening Day contest versus the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea. The veteran allowed two hits, one unearned run, three walks and struck out three on the day. Darvish probably could have gone longer, but the Padres defense did not do him any favors. Darvish had good results in the Cactus League this spring with a 2.89 ERA in three starts, but is coming off one his worst careers in the big leagues with a 4.56 ERA in 2023. Despite the ERA, his numbers were on par for the rest of his career. The 37-year-old isn't getting any younger, but he should remain a solid option for managers in the middle of their rotation.