St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Victor Scott II will start in center field and bat leadoff on Thursday for the team's home opener versus the Miami Marlins and left-hander Ryan Weathers. Scott is getting the nod in the top spot in the order with Brendan Donovan (elbow) sitting out after getting hit by two pitches in Wednesday's loss to the San Diego Padres. The 23-year-old is listed as the team's No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he made his major-league debut to begin the 2024 season because of injuries to Tommy Edman (wrist), Lars Nootbaar (ribs) and Dylan Carlson (shoulder). He'll be more attractive in the leadoff spot for DFS games on Thursday, but he's off to a 3-for-25 (.120) start with a stolen base and nine strikeouts in his first 28 MLB plate appearances.

The Miami Marlins announced on Thursday that right-hander Eury Perez (elbow) will undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of the 2024 season. Not only have the Marlins become the first team in MLB history to start a season 0-7 a year after making the playoffs, but now they'll be without their two best pitchers in Perez and Sandy Alcantara (elbow) for all of 2024. The 20-year-old Perez was diagnosed with right-elbow inflammation during spring training and opened the year on the injured list, but now he won't be available to the Fish or fantasy managers for all of this year and the start of 2025. You can now safely drop him in single-year fantasy leagues, but the impressive young hurler needs to remain stashed in all dynasty/keeper formats.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Tommy Edman (wrist) said he got "generally good news" from the MRI scans he got on his surgically repaired right wrist on Wednesday. However, he's still shut down from most baseball activities until another exam on his wrist takes place on Monday. Edman had surgery on his wrist last October and was unable to play at all in spring training. The 28-year-old could be cleared to ramp up his activity after his next exam on Monday, but there remains no clear timetable for when he might be able to make his 2024 debut. Edman should still be stashed in an injured list spot in all fantasy leagues. With Lars Nootbaar (ribs) and Dylan Carlson (shoulder) also on the IL, rookie Victor Scott II is in the big leagues for the first time in 2024 and has gone just 3-for-25 (.120) through his first seven games with a stolen base and nine strikeouts.

St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras (hand) is dealing with swelling in his left hand, and it's unknown if he'll be in the lineup on Thursday for the team's home opener against the Miami Marlins, according to manager Oliver Marmol. The swelling has not gone down enough in Contreras' hand for him to undergo imaging. From the looks of things, fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to be in the starting lineup on Thursday. The 31-year-old backstop was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's series finale against the San Diego Padres but remained in the game. If he cannot play on Thursday, Ivan Herrera will likely take over catching duties in the home opener. Contreras has had a slow to start in 2024, going 4-for-19 (.211) but he does have two home runs and four RBI in the first six contests. Check back to see if he's available on Thursday.

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Sonny Gray (hamstring) threw 54 pitches and started three innings during his simulated game on Wednesday and also had some plays in the field while covering first base. Gray came out of the session feeling good and will make a minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Memphis next. If the 34-year-old veteran comes out of his rehab start without any setbacks with his hamstring, he should be cleared to make his Cardinals debut. He traveled back to St. Louis to be a part of the home-opening festivities on Thursday, but then he will depart for Memphis after that. Fantasy managers shouldn't be too concerned about Gray to begin the year based solely on the fact that his injury wasn't to his pitching arm.