Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas will start in center field and hit ninth in Friday's season opener versus Spencer Strider and the rival Atlanta Braves. Rojas was battling for the starting center field job in spring training and has seemingly won it despite a tough showing at the plate in Grapefruit League action. The 23-year-old hit just .176 without a homer and four stolen bases across 56 spring plate appearances. However, he also hit .302 with two homers and 14 stolen bases alongside a .772 OPS in a 59-game debut in the 2023 season while playing excellent defense in center field. The move pushes Brandon Marsh to left field and veteran Whit Merrifield to the bench to begin the season.

Miami Marlins left-hander A.J. Puk will look to begin his new career as a starter on the right note when he takes on the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. Vast injuries to the Miami rotation opened the door for Puk to at least begin the season as a starter and he took major advantage of the opportunity in Grapefruit League action. The former A's top prospect posted a tidy 1.32 ERA with a whopping 23 strikeouts against four walks across 13 2/3 innings of work this spring, all as a starter. This is Puk's first career start and it comes in a nice matchup against a Pirates team that tied for 24th with a .307 wOBA and finished 23rd with a 24.1% K% against left-handed pitching last season.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly will look to keep up the excellent work at home when he takes on the visiting Colorado Rockies on Friday. Kelly has long pitched much better at Chase Field than anywhere else as he sports a 3.17 ERA alongside a 24.3% K% in his career at home versus a 4.48 ERA and 19.6% K% on the road. However, his dominance at home increased in the 2023 season when he pitched to a 2.59 ERA and a 29% K% in 93 2/3 frames at Chase Field. The 35-year-old is an excellent fantasy option on Friday against a Rockies team that ranked 29th with a .285 wOBA on the road and also dead last with a 27.3% K% outside of Coors Field.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos is hitting in the seven-hole for Friday's season opener versus the Atlanta Braves and right-hander Spencer Strider. The veteran largely hit somewhere in the top four in the lineup for much of the 2023 season but was moved down into the seven-hole more frequently in September. Nonetheless, it was a bounce-back season for the 32-year-old who hit .272 with 29 home runs while setting career highs with 106 RBI and 11 stolen bases. It was the third time in his career he has reached the century mark in RBI while his previous career-high in steals was seven in the 2022 season. The increase in stolen base attempts sure boosts his fantasy value but fantasy managers should brace for a few less steals in 2024.

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Sam Moll (shoulder) was sent on a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Friday. Manager David Bell said that Moll is building his arm back up after being delayed in spring training with a left-shoulder impingement. He was able to pitch in a few Cactus League games as well as the team's scrimmage on Wednesday. Barring a setback in the minors, Moll should be able to rejoin Cincy's big-league bullpen soon to provide relief depth. The former third-round pick by the Colorado Rockies in 2013 out of Memphis had a 3.30 ERA (3.27 FIP), a 1.23 WHIP, his first career save, 30 walks and 68 strikeouts in 70 outings (one start) over 62 1/3 innings with the Reds and Oakland Athletics last year.