Following the injury to third baseman Nick Senzel, who fractured his right thumb before Thursday's Opening Day loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals No. 16 prospect Trey Lipscomb will be called up from Triple-A Rochester to make his major-league debut, according to a source. Some folks believed Lipscomb should have made the Opening Day roster after impressing in big-league spring training with a team-high .400 batting average, four extra-base hits, seven RBI and defensive versatility. The 23-year-old former third-rounder in 2022 out of Tennessee has average power at the plate and will probably be most useful to the Nats for his defensive versatility. With Senzel out for around three to four weeks, expect Lipscomb to split playing time at third with Ildemaro Vargas, making him worth a waiver-wire flier in NL-only leagues for infield depth.

Washington Nationals third baseman Nick Senzel (thumb) fractured his right thumb on a bad hop while taking ground balls before the Opening Day contest on Thursday against his former team, the Cincinnati Reds, and could be out for three to four weeks, according to manager Dave Martinez. Senzel signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Nats in the offseason after playing parts of five seasons with the Reds. The former first-rounder has been a bust to this point in his career, mainly due to injuries. Ildemaro Vargas replaced Senzel at the hot corner in Thursday's 8-2 loss to Cincy, but prospect Trey Lipscomb is expected to be called up from the minors and could split playing time with Vargas at third base for Washington until Senzel is able to recover from his thumb injury.

Texas Rangers right-hander Jon Gray (neck) will make his first start of the season on Sunday versus the Chicago Cubs, with Cody Bradford getting the nod on Saturday. Gray was scratched from his scheduled exhibition start earlier this week due to a stiff neck, but the injury isn't serious and he will be able to take the ball for his first turn through the starting rotation. The last time the 32-year-old took the mound in spring training, he went five innings, so fantasy managers should expect Gray to be pretty limited from a pitch-count perspective on Sunday against Chicago. Gray got off to an amazing start for the Rangers in 2023 but struggled down the stretch. He pitches in a hitter-friendly home park, is injury-prone and has a hittable fastball, making him a backend fantasy starter in mixed leagues, at best.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that left-hander Justin Steele (hamstring) will likely go on the injured list after suffering a left-hamstring strain in his Opening Day start on Thursday evening versus the Texas Rangers. Steele will undergo an MRI exam on Friday. Counsell didn't want to speculate on whether Steele will only need a minimum IL stint. The 28-year-old southpaw suffered the injury while fielding a bunt in the fifth inning and will now have to miss at least 10 days and maybe more. It's a tough blow for the Cubs and their ace, as Steele allowed only one earned run on three hits while walking one and striking out six against the defending-champion Rangers in 4 2/3 innings of work before departing. With Steele likely heading to the IL, it's possible fellow lefty Drew Smyly will join Chicago's rotation in the near future.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans took a tough-luck no-decision in Wednesday's 4-3 defeat to the Baltimore Orioles, but he threw 6 1/3 innings of one-hit ball with seven strikeouts and two walks. Some believed Ragans may have been in for some regression in 2024, but he's passed his first two tests of the season with flying colors and is swiftly settling in as KC's ace. The 26-year-old former first-round pick has allowed a lone run with 16 punchouts over his first 12 1/3 frames of the campaign, which is good for a 1.46 ERA and 0.89 WHIP thus far. Since landing with the Royals last July as part of the Aroldis Chapman deal, Ragans has dazzled with a 2.46 ERA and 105 strikeouts while hurling at least six innings in 11 of his 14 appearances. He'll draw a tough assignment when the Houston Astros and right-hander Cristian Javier come to town for the start of a three-game series next Tuesday.