St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray (hamstring) will shift his minor-league rehab start scheduled for Wednesday to a simulated game because of weather concerns. The earliest he will be available to start for the Cardinals is the series in Arizona against the Diamondbacks from Friday, April 12, to Sunday, April 14. Gray will attend the team's Opening Day festivities in St. Louis and is set for a rehab start with Triple-A Memphis next week. Fantasy managers were hoping that the 34-year-old veteran would be making his 2024 debut earlier, but the earliest he'll be available for lineups will be next weekend in a tough matchup on the road against the defending National League champions. Coming off a strong season in 2023 with the Twins, Gray should be a high-floor No. 3 fantasy starter in his first year with the Cards.

The New York Yankees signed free-agent right-hander Phil Bickford to a minor-league deal on Tuesday. Bickford was a first-round pick (18th overall) by the San Francisco Giants in 2015 out of Southern Nevada. He became a free agent after the Mets released him after spring training. Bickford pitched for the Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023 and relies mostly on a four-seam fastball and slider combination. The 28-year-old reliever will report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will give the Yankees minor-league relief depth this year. In a career-high 61 relief appearances in LA and New York last year, Bickford had a 4.95 ERA (4.46 FIP), a 1.45 WHIP, one save, 39 walks and a career-high 76 strikeouts in 67 1/3 frames. Bickford isn't anywhere near the fantasy radar.

The Los Angeles Dodgers claimed outfielder Taylor Trammell off waivers on Tuesday after he was recently designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners, according to a source. Trammell, 26, has not lived up to his first-round pedigree since the Cincinnati Reds took him 35th overall in 2016. All three of his big-league seasons have come with the Seattle Mariners, and he's hit just .168/.270/.368 with 15 home runs, 39 RBI, four stolen bases and 45 runs scored in 116 games played. In the last three years with the M's, Trammell has struck out nearly 40 percent of the time. If it was hard for Trammell to stick at the major-league level with the Mariners, it's going to be even harder to do so in the Dodgers' organization.

The Miami Marlins announced on Tuesday that they acquired infielder Emmanuel Rivera from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations. In a corresponding move, the Marlins designated infielder Jacob Amaya for assignment. Rivera will head to the East Coast as infield depth (mainly at third base behind Jake Burger) and as a candidate to get some at-bats at designated hitter for the Fish. The 27-year-old is off the fantasy radar in pretty much all leagues but would be a candidate for a waiver-wire pickup in NL-only setups if Burger misses time with injury. The Puerto Rican infielder has slashed .247/.304/.380 with 17 home runs, 74 RBI, four stolen bases and 91 runs scored in 217 games played in his three major-league seasons to this point.

Chicago White Sox catcher Max Stassi (hip) is starting his minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday night. Stassi is working his way back from a hip ailment that landed him on the injured to begin the 2024 regular season, but he could make his debut with the White Sox as early as this weekend if he looks good in the minors. The 33-year-old backstop missed all of last year due to a hip injury and a personal issue and was traded in the offseason from the Los Angeles Angels to the White Sox. When healthy, he'll serve as the team's backup to Martin Maldonado. Currently, Korey Lee is serving as Chicago's No. 2 to begin the year with Stassi on the IL. Unless Maldonado misses time with injury in 2024, Stassi is off the fantasy radar outside of two-catcher, AL-only leagues.