Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker (shoulder) threw a live batting practice session on Tuesday in the batting cages. "Caleb said he looked really good," manager Rob Thomson said. The next step for Walker will be to go on a minor-league rehab assignment, but it's unclear if the Phillies want him to throw another live batting practice session first. Fantasy managers should be hesitant to jump on board with Walker once he's activated from the injured list after he didn't pitch at all in the postseason last fall for the Phils. In his first year in the city of brotherly love, Walker went 15-6 with a 4.38 ERA (4.53 FIP) and 1.31 WHIP with 71 walks and 138 strikeouts in 172 2/3 innings over 31 starts. He should be part of the Phils' starting rotation when he's healthy, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect improvement from 2023.

Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald (oblique) threw up to 60 feet on Tuesday and was asymptomatic, according to manager Torey Lovullo. The skipper called the session a good sign in Sewald's progression as he tries to recover from a Grade 2 oblique strain that he suffered late in spring training. The injury landed the 33-year-old on the injured list to begin the 2024 season. He must still progress to throwing long toss before he can resume throwing bullpen sessions and facing live hitters. It all means that fantasy managers should not expect Sewald to come off the injured list when he's eligible on April 9, but he should remain stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy leagues. The D-backs haven't had a save situation arise yet early on, but if one does pop up, Kevin Ginkel is expected to be first in line for save chances in the desert with Sewald on the shelf.

Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano (elbow) threw a successful side session in Florida on Tuesday, an important step towards his return to the big-league bullpen. It was the first time that Romano threw off a mound since being diagnosed with right-elbow inflammation during spring training. Both he and Erik Swanson (forearm) opened the regular season on the injured list, leaving the back end of Toronto's bullpen thin. While he has yet to record a save, Yimi Garcia is the favorite for save opportunities for the Jays until either Romano or Swanson are activated. Romano is going to likely need a couple more side sessions before he starts facing live hitters, but he should be able to make his 2024 debut before the end of April, barring a setback. As one of the best closers in baseball in recent seasons, Romano should be stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy leagues.

Chicago Cubs infielder Michael Busch is out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies. This marks the first time this season that Busch will take a seat. This makes sense to give Busch some rest against a left-handed starting pitcher. In his place, Garrett Cooper will cover first base and bat seventh versus southpaw Kyle Freeland. This is a favorable matchup for Cooper, but he won't be anything more than a deep league streaming option.

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Nolan Gorman (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the San Diego Padres. Gorman will take a seat after making five straight starts to open the season. The expectation is that he'll be back in the lineup following this rest day. In his absence, Brendan Donovan will bat leadoff and cover second base versus right-hander Yu Darvish. Fantasy managers might want to consider streaming the red-hot Donovan even in a tough matchup here.