Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Jose Ramirez went 2-for-4 with two RBI, two runs scored, and a walk on Wednesday in an 8-0 win over the Mariners. Ramirez now has three multi-hit games in his first seven, hitting .273 (9-for-33) with six RBI and eight runs scored. Fantasy managers who invested in him as the first third baseman off the board are expecting 20-plus stolen bases from the veteran, however, and he's yet to record one so far in 2024. It's still early of course, and the Guardians are one of the few teams active Thursday, so we'll see if he gets on the board. He'll face the Twins' Pablo Lopez whom he's seen 13 times before, going 4-for-13 (.308) with a triple and no strikeouts in his career against the righty.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) is scheduled to start for Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, according to manager Joe Espada. Verlander will throw a bullpen session on Thursday at Minute Maid Park before going on his minor-league rehab assignment. The Astros are optimistic that Verlander will only need two starts at Sugar Land before rejoining Houston's starting rotation. The future Hall of Famer and three-time Cy Young winner didn't pitch at all during spring training due to right-shoulder issues, but he hasn't had any setbacks while building his arm up and could make his 2024 debut for Houston in late April. Verlander shouldn't be viewed as a fantasy ace anymore, but it doesn't mean he still can't be productive as a No. 3 or 4 starter if he stays healthy.

Chicago White Sox right-hander Dominic Leone will serve as the opener for the team on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves in what is expected to be a bullpen game. The White Sox re-signed Mike Clevinger to fill out their starting rotation late in spring training, but he's not ready to make his 2024 debut just yet, so the White Sox will have to piece things together on Wednesday in the series finale against Atlanta. The 32-year-old Leone will probably only go an inning or two before giving way to the team's next bullpen arm in this one, so fantasy managers shouldn't be streaming him at all anywhere. The former 16th-rounder in 2012 by the Seattle Mariners out of Clemson has already allowed three earned runs without a walk or strikeout in 1 2/3 relief innings in 2024.

Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker went 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI. The slugger hit his third homer of the season, a three-run blast off Jake Cousins in the bottom of the seventh inning to add on to the Diamondbacks rout of the Yankees. Walker, 33, remains one of the most underrated power hitters on a year-to-year basis and is now hitting .292 with three homers and eight RBI on the young season. With 69 homers over the past two seasons and three already in 2024, managers should continue to enjoy the power out of the underrated first baseman.

Former American League Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel is signing a minor-league deal with the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday. The plan will be for the veteran left-hander to report to Triple-A Tacoma. The 36-year-old southpaw won the Cy Young award all the way back in 2015 with the Houston Astros and hasn't made an All-Star team since 2017. Last year in 10 appearances (six starts) for the Minnesota Twins, Keuchel went 2-1 with a 5.97 ERA (4.56 FIP) and 1.67 WHIP with 18 walks and 25 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings pitched. There's no guarantee that he'll make it back to the big leagues in Seattle, so fantasy managers in all leagues can probably leave Keuchel to the waiver wire. In his 12 big-league seasons, Keuchel has fanned just 6.9 hitters per nine innings, too, so there will be very little upside if he's making starts for the M's in 2024.

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.

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.

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.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said that right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session in Houston on Thursday and will then pitch in a minor-league rehab game a few days after that. Verlander threw a three-inning, 52-pitch simulated game on Monday and came away without any setbacks to his right shoulder. The 41-year-old three-time Cy Young winner didn't pitch at all in spring training and will now build up his arm in minor-league games before potentially making his 2024 debut for the Astros before the end of April. But because he didn't pitch in any Grapefruit League games this spring, don't be surprised if Verlander needs two or three rehab games before being activated from the injured list.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez hit his second home run of the season and drove in two runs in a 6-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. Perez took Dean Kremer deep to give the Royals a 3-0 lead. Perez finished the game going 1-for-4 with two RBIs, while also striking out once. The Royals catcher is now slashing .250/.294/.625 with two homers and six RBIs. Perez will continue to bring value as a hitter as he's batting cleanup for Kansas City this season.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher James Paxton faced off against the San Francisco Giants for his first start as a Dodger on Monday. Paxton threw five scoreless innings, giving up four hits while showing spotty control with five walks in addition to five strikeouts. Despite his spotty control, he kept the Giants off the board while also earning himself the win as the Dodgers scored nine runs in the game. Paxton should have another start this week against the Chicago Cubs. Paxton is worth starting in all leagues, as he plays for a stacked Dodgers team and should pick up a lot of wins for fantasy squads on the cheap.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout continued his hot start to the season in Monday's 7-4 win over the Marlins. Trout went 2-for-4 with two home runs (including a 473-foot blast), a walk, and a strikeout. The 32-year-old has started things with a power surge, slashing .286/.333/.929 with three HR and six strikeouts in 15 plate appearances.

Houston Astros right-hander Justin Verlander (shoulder) threw a three-inning, 52-pitch live batting practice session on Monday. He said that ramping up to full velocity after an inning break was his focus again. Asked if he expects to go on a minor-league rehab assignment next, Verlander said, "I think so." Verlander was forced to start the year on the injured list due to shoulder issues he experienced in the offseason, but he's ramping up now and getting closer to making his 2024 season debut. Still, the 41-year-old is probably going to need at least several minor-league rehab starts, which means we won't see him back in Houston's starting rotation until late April or early May. The future Hall of Famer is no longer a fantasy ace, but he can still contribute in mixed leagues when he's healthy.

Houston Astros first baseman Jose Abreu (hand) is back in the starting lineup on Monday to take on right-hander Bowden Francis and the Toronto Blue Jays. The veteran missed Sunday's series finale against the New York Yankees with hand soreness after being plunked on the hand by a pitch on Saturday. It was a rough first series at the plate for the 37-year-old, as Abreu went hitless with one walk and three strikeouts across 13 plate appearances against the Yankees. It's a disappointing start after Abreu endured the worst season of his career at the plate in 2023, hitting just .237 with 18 home runs, albeit with 90 RBI, across 141 appearances in his first season with the Astros. His fantasy stock has plummeted, and age could be rearing its ugly head for the former White Sox star.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman allowed one run on two hits across 4 1/3 innings of work during Sunday's 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The right-hander struck out six batters without issuing a walk. Gausman was on a strict workload limit for this one, exiting the game after tossing 69 pitches. Despite that, the 33-year-old looked like his dominant self in his season debut. Gausman should be able to go deeper into the game during his next start against the New York Yankees. He remains a high-end fantasy starter for the rest of the season.

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The 33-year-old started the first three games of the season for Toronto, going 1-for-10 with one RBI and a walk. Kiermaier was battling a knee injury during Spring Training, but he seemed no worse for wear throughout the weekend. Daulton Varsho will slide over to centerfield in his absence while Davis Schneider will start in left. Kiermaier remains nothing more than a depth option in AL-Only or deep league formats.

Houston Astros first baseman Jose Abreu (hand) is out of the starting lineup on Sunday against the visiting New York Yankees after he was hit by a pitch on his hand on Saturday, according to manager Joe Espada. The skipper said that Abreu should be available off the bench on Sunday in the series finale. With Abreu down, Jon Singleton will get the start at first base and will bat sixth for the Astros against right-hander Clarke Schmidt. Abreu's injury doesn't sound all that serious, so consider him day-to-day for now. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Monday to see if he's back in the lineup for the series opener at home against the Toronto Blue Jays. Through the first couple of games in 2024, the 37-year-old slugger is hitless in 12 plate appearances, so perhaps the day off on Easter will do him some good.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters on Saturday that ace Kevin Gausman (shoulder) will start on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Gausman was slowed this spring by shoulder fatigue. Gausman was 12-9 with a 3.16 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 237 strikeouts in 2023. The 33-year-old veteran had a successful bullpen session on Friday and has been given the go-ahead to start on Sunday. This pushes Bowden Francis to Monday against the Houston Astros. If all goes well on Sunday for Gausman, he will face the New York Yankees next weekend. Gausman should be put back into all fantasy lineups as soon as possible, although he'll be pretty risky in DFS. Gausman hopes to be among the top-five starting pitchers again now that he is healthy.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (shoulder), who started the season on the 15-day injured list, inched closer to going out on a minor-league rehab assignment when he threw a bullpen session before Friday's game versus the New York Yankees. On March 5, the Astros decided to have Verlander begin the season on the IL because there wasn't enough time to get him fully ready before Opening Day. Although he showed up to camp a couple of weeks behind schedule due to right shoulder inflammation, the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer's absence isn't likely to extend very deep into the regular season. If all goes well in his recovery, Verlander should be able to return to Houston's rotation by the end of April. Until the veteran right-hander is ready to make his 2024 debut, Ronel Blanco will occupy a rotation spot and carry short-term fantasy streaming appeal in favorable matchups.

San Francisco Giants right-hander Alex Cobb (hip) threw five innings in a rehab start in Arizona on Thursday. Cobb is eligible to return from the injured list on April 9th and is well ahead of his initial recovery timeline. He owned a 3.87 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 131:37 K: BB across 151 1/3 innings in 2023. The 36-year-old may be a viable streaming option once he returns to the Giants rotation and is projected for a 3.84 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. Injury concerns are likely to be consistent with Cobb, so fantasy managers should take caution about how much they depend on him when rostering the right-hander.