The Colorado Rockies placed right-hander Daniel Bard (knee) on the 15-day injured list on Thursday after he missed all of spring training following a cleanup procedure on his left knee in the middle of February. In addition to his knee ailment, the 38-year-old veteran has received platelet-rich plasma injections in his right forearm in the offseason. Bard is improving and could be ready to face live hitters in the second week of April. There's a chance that he could make his 2024 season debut before the end of April if he doesn't suffer any setbacks while on a minor-league rehab assignment. Bard again struggled with anxiety last year after recording 54 saves in 2021-22, and Justin Lawrence and Tyler Kinley are now Colorado's primary options for saves, so fantasy managers can ignore Bard.

Philadelphia Phillies infielder/outfielder Whit Merrifield was not in the starting lineup for the team's season opener on Friday against the division-rival Atlanta Braves, but with the Phillies facing lefties on Saturday and Sunday, Merrifield will likely be in the lineup, according to manager Rob Thomson. Merrifield told Thomson before signing in the offseason that, "I'll work myself into the lineup." The three-time All-Star hit .272/.318/.382 in 2023 with the Toronto Blue Jays with 11 home runs, 67 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 145 games in a bounce-back year. The short side of a platoon role in Philly hurts his overall upside for fantasy managers in deeper leagues, but Merrifield could be more efficient in 2024 if he's mostly facing lefties. He's a .289 career hitter in 526 games against southpaws.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas will start in center field and hit ninth in Friday's season opener versus Spencer Strider and the rival Atlanta Braves. Rojas was battling for the starting center field job in spring training and has seemingly won it despite a tough showing at the plate in Grapefruit League action. The 23-year-old hit just .176 without a homer and four stolen bases across 56 spring plate appearances. However, he also hit .302 with two homers and 14 stolen bases alongside a .772 OPS in a 59-game debut in the 2023 season while playing excellent defense in center field. The move pushes Brandon Marsh to left field and veteran Whit Merrifield to the bench to begin the season.

Miami Marlins left-hander A.J. Puk will look to begin his new career as a starter on the right note when he takes on the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. Vast injuries to the Miami rotation opened the door for Puk to at least begin the season as a starter and he took major advantage of the opportunity in Grapefruit League action. The former A's top prospect posted a tidy 1.32 ERA with a whopping 23 strikeouts against four walks across 13 2/3 innings of work this spring, all as a starter. This is Puk's first career start and it comes in a nice matchup against a Pirates team that tied for 24th with a .307 wOBA and finished 23rd with a 24.1% K% against left-handed pitching last season.

Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly will look to keep up the excellent work at home when he takes on the visiting Colorado Rockies on Friday. Kelly has long pitched much better at Chase Field than anywhere else as he sports a 3.17 ERA alongside a 24.3% K% in his career at home versus a 4.48 ERA and 19.6% K% on the road. However, his dominance at home increased in the 2023 season when he pitched to a 2.59 ERA and a 29% K% in 93 2/3 frames at Chase Field. The 35-year-old is an excellent fantasy option on Friday against a Rockies team that ranked 29th with a .285 wOBA on the road and also dead last with a 27.3% K% outside of Coors Field.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos is hitting in the seven-hole for Friday's season opener versus the Atlanta Braves and right-hander Spencer Strider. The veteran largely hit somewhere in the top four in the lineup for much of the 2023 season but was moved down into the seven-hole more frequently in September. Nonetheless, it was a bounce-back season for the 32-year-old who hit .272 with 29 home runs while setting career highs with 106 RBI and 11 stolen bases. It was the third time in his career he has reached the century mark in RBI while his previous career-high in steals was seven in the 2022 season. The increase in stolen base attempts sure boosts his fantasy value but fantasy managers should brace for a few less steals in 2024.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II will hit sixth in Friday's season opener versus Zack Wheeler and the rival Philadelphia Phillies. Harris II has moved ahead of Sean Murphy in the lineup, who is hitting seventh while hitting behind Marcell Ozuna in the five-hole. The 23-year-old had another nice season as a sophomore in 2023, hitting .293 with 18 home runs, 76 runs, 20 stolen bases, and an .808 OPS across 138 games, narrowly missing the 20/20 mark for the second straight season after hitting 19 homers with 20 steals as a rookie in 2022. He'll take on a tough customer in Wheeler who worked to a 3.61 ERA in 32 starts last season while putting forth a hefty 22% K-BB% in the process.

Houston Astros right-handed reliever Ryan Pressly picked up the loss in Thursday's 5-4 Opening Day defeat to the visiting New York Yankees. He entered in the seventh frame in a 4-4 tie and allowed an earned run on two hits (a leadoff double to Aaron Judge) while walking one and striking out one. The 35-year-old veteran is off to a bad start after losing a lot of his fantasy appeal in the offseason when the team signed left-hander Josh Hader to be their new closer. The former 11th-round selection by the Boston Red Sox in 2007 has made two All-Star teams in his 12-year MLB career and saved 31 games for the Astros in 2023 while posting a 3.58 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 65 1/3 regular-season innings. Despite no longer being the closer in Houston, Pressly still has plenty of value in holds leagues.

The Oakland Athletics placed shortstop Aledmys Diaz (calf) on the 60-day injured list on Thursday with a right-calf strain. Barring any setbacks in his recovery, Diaz will be eligible to come off the IL and make his season debut in late May. The 33-year-old veteran utilityman was able to start light baseball activities near the end of spring training and is hoping to start jogging this week. Once he's able to rejoin the A's in the big leagues, Diaz is expected to serve in a utility role on the infield and outfield. In 109 games over 344 plate appearances with Oakland in 2023, he hit just .229/.280/.337 with four home runs and 24 RBI. At best, Diaz makes for a bench option in AL-only fantasy leagues.

The Los Angeles Angeles signed free-agent left-hander Amir Garrett to a minor-league deal on Wednesday. Garrett was with the San Francisco Giants during spring training but was cut. The 31-year-old veteran southpaw reliever will now land with the Angels and will hope to eventually be called up to the big leagues. The former 22nd-round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2011 made 27 relief appearances for the Kansas City Royals last year and had a 3.33 ERA (5.56 FIP) and 1.73 WHIP with 20 walks and 28 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings. Garrett has been able to strikeout plenty in his seven major-league seasons with a 10.4 K/9 in 325 1/3 innings, but he's also walked 5.2 hitters per nine innings. He remains well off the fantasy radar.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II is starting in center field and batting sixth for the Braves on Opening Day on Thursday versus right-hander Zack Wheeler and the Philadelphia Phillies. It's a slight move up for Harris, who spent most of last year hitting ninth for Atlanta in their stacked lineup. If the 23-year-old former third-round pick in 2019 sticks in the six-hole, he'll have more opportunities to rack up counting stats for his fantasy managers in his third year in the majors. The former National League Rookie of the Year has hit an impressive .295/.334/.494 with an .828 OPS, 37 home runs, 121 RBI, 40 stolen bases and 151 runs scored in 252 regular-season games in his first two years in the league. Harris' fantasy arrow is pointing up with the move up the batting order.

New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil is starting at the keystone and batting cleanup for the Mets on Opening Day on Thursday against Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta. McNeil isn't your typical cleanup hitter with mediocre power, but if he sticks in this position regularly against right-handed pitching, it will give him more opportunities for RBI with Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso hitting in front of him. It's a batting order for New York that probably won't last too long once veteran designated hitter J.D. Martinez gets up to speed after signing with the team late in spring training. The 31-year-old McNeil won a batting title in 2022 but disappointed last year and is still dealing with a partially torn UCL that he's playing through. Aside from a useful batting average, McNeil isn't a lock to help with much else.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Michael Conforto got off on the right foot on Opening Day, going 3-for-4 with a homer in a 6-4 loss against the San Diego Padres. Conforto also scored three runs while driving in one. Although the lefty was batting seventh in the Giants Opening Day lineup, he should be able to move up if he continues to hit well. If this happens he could be someone to watch, as we've seen him have great fantasy seasons in the past. For now, though, he can be left to waivers outside of deeper leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz collected three hits, including a home run, in an 8-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day on Thursday. Diaz picked up right where he left off last year, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored while hitting leadoff for the Rays. He should be one of the biggest contributors of batting average in fantasy while hitting for moderate power and collecting plenty of runs. With an ADP outside the top 110, he will be a steal if he can come close to what he did last year, when he posted a .330 batting average, 95 runs, 22 home runs, and 78 RBI.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman smacked his first homer of the season in a 7-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Freeman showed why he was a top-five pick in most drafts, going 2-for-3 with the aforementioned home run while knocking in three and scoring a pair of runs. Statlines like this should be common occurrences for Freeman, who will have plenty of runners on base when he hits with Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani batting before him. Expect another brilliant season from the 34-year-old.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez threw seven one-run innings in a 4-1 win over the Kansas City Royals. Lopez was brilliant in this one, allowing just four hits while striking out seven and walking none. The only damage against him was a leadoff homer from Maikel Garcia, after which he was nearly perfect. This is just another reminder that you have to take Spring Training numbers with a grain of salt, as Lopez had a pretty brutal spring with a 7.07 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. He should be a fantasy ace as long as he can remain healthy.

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber was dominant in his Opening Day victory against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday. Yes, it was the Oakland A's lineup, but Bieber was straight up filthy over six innings. In his quality start, he allowed four hits, zero runs, one walk and struck out 11 on the evening. Bieber was great this spring in the Cactus League and that carried over last night. Bieber is still just 28, but has a lot of mileage on his arm. Managers shouldn't expect this type of dominance every start, but he is off to a good start and will look to keep it going versus a much tougher Seattle Mariners lineup on the road.

Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen recorded his first save of the season in Thursday's victory against the Seattle Mariners. The veteran allowed a walk, but also recorded a pair of strikeouts. Despite dealing with back issues this spring, Jansen was ready and looked good to go on Opening Day. Even at age 36, Jansen remains a solid option for managers out of the bullpen. The veteran was rumored to be on the trade block this offseason, so it would not be the worst idea for Jansen managers to consider rostering Chris Martin if the Red Sox get off to a slow start and the rumors pick back up.

Seattle Mariners Opening Day starting pitcher Luis Castillo struggled in his first game of the season on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox. Castillo pushed through five innings and allowed six hits, four runs, two walks and struck out five on the evening. The 31-year-old is coming off another strong season and managers should not be concerned as of now, despite spending a high draft pick on the right-hander. Castillo remains a top tier option with ability to rack up strikeouts and limits walks. He will look to get into the win column versus the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in Thursday's Opening Day victory against the Seattle Mariners. The 27-year-old is coming off an impressive Grapefruit League and remains one of the most talented hitters in all of baseball. It seems like he has been around forever, but he is still just entering his prime and that's scary to think about. With his ability to help pretty much everywhere but the speed department, Devers should easily be a top-20 player in 2024.