Cleveland Guardians left-hander Logan Allen is enduring a rough spring as he looks to build upon what was a strong debut in the 2023 season. The 25-year-old was rocked for six earned runs on eight hits, including a pair of homers, and two walks against three strikeouts in his final spring tune-up against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, elevating his spring ERA to 5.50 across five starts and 18 innings of work. However, Allen enjoyed an impressive rookie season that saw him work to a 3.81 ERA across 24 starts in the 2023 season, although his 4.49 SIERA suggests he wasn't quite as effective as his surface ERA might suggest. He has a track record of putting up big strikeout numbers in his minor-league career but he only posted an 18.2% K% this spring, suggesting it may take some time for him to generate consistent punchouts at the big-league level.

New York Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu (foot) will start the 2024 season on the injured list, according to general manager Brian Cashman. "(It's been) a slow go on the recovery side" due to bone bruise, right foot," Cashman said. LeMahieu is dealing with inflammation and a deep bone bruise in his right foot and will have another MRI exam later this week to give the club an idea of how much progress he's made. The 35-year-old veteran might not have to miss much time, but there's also a chance his 2024 debut won't come until later in April. LeMahieu suffered the injury while fouling a ball off his foot in a spring game last week. With LeMahieu on the shelf to begin the season, Oswaldo Cabrera should operate as the Yankees' primary third baseman.UPDATE: LeMahieu will have another MRI on his right foot on Friday and will remain in Florida. Manager Aaron Boone said he's unsure if LeMahieu will be ready by the April 5 home opener.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman (shoulder) is planning to start Monday's Grapefruit League finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which would set him up to avoid the injured list and take his first turn in the starting rotation to open the regular season. Gausman threw an encouraging side session in camp on Saturday and will throw "three innings, 55 pitches and go from there" on Monday. Had he not experienced shoulder soreness earlier in spring training, he would have been the team's Opening Day starter. Barring a setback on Monday, Gausman is lined up to start the series opener against the Houston Astros. The 33-year-old is a fantasy ace when he's healthy, but the fact that he probably won't be properly stretched out early on makes him avoidable in DFS contests to begin the season.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that it's "reasonable to say" that both closer Jordan Romano (elbow) and late-inning reliever Erik Swanson (forearm) will start the season on the injured list. The Blue Jays haven't made any official moves yet, though, because starter Kevin Gausman's (shoulder) status will play into the pitching puzzle. Ideally, Romano and Swanson are on a mound building up their arms next week. This was the way things had been trending for a while, but the good news is that both relievers could be ready to go when they are eligible to come off the IL in April. The injury to the 30-year-old Romano definitely puts a chip in his fantasy value as one of the top closers in baseball. Yimi Garcia should be considered the favorite for save chances early on in Toronto, but Chad Green could also be involved in the ninth inning.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Paul Skenes, the consensus top prospect in all of baseball after going No. 1 overall in last year's draft, will start the 2024 season with Triple-A Indianapolis, according to general manager Ben Cherington. No. 3 prospect Jared Jones, not Skenes, ended up winning a starting rotation spot for the Pirates to open the year, but the 21-year-old Skenes may not be far behind from making his major-league debut in Pittsburgh. Skenes finished his first year in the minors with Double-A Altoona in 2023 but threw only 6 2/3 innings after helping LSU win the national title in college baseball. So far, Skenes has looked like his dominant self this spring and is considered one of the best pitching prospects since Stephen Strasburg. Because Skenes is fully expected to be up in the majors sooner than later, he's worth stashing in all fantasy leagues this year.