Analysis: Rea appeared to have the upper hand for Chicago's final rotation spot after Jordan Wicks was optioned to Triple-A Iowa last week, but Ben Brown will instead get the nod with Javier Assad (oblique) on the shelf. Rea is likely to receive some starts at some point this season, but his 4.29 ERA and 7.2 K/9 across 167.2 regular-season innings with Milwaukee last year suggest he won't have much fantasy relevance.

Analysis: Wicks was on Chicago's roster for its two-game set against the Dodgers in Tokyo, but he'll head to Triple-A once the domestic regular season gets underway later this month. That should leave Rea as the fifth starter, at least until Javier Assad (oblique) is able to return. Rea should get a boost in fantasy value as a result, though he's probably best used only in favorable matchups as he doesn't offer overpowering stuff. The veteran righty posted a 4.29 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across 27 starts for the Brewers during the 2024 regular season.