Shane Smith Locked into the Starting Rotation in Chicago After 2025 Emergence

After being selected by the Chicago White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft heading into the 2025 season, starting pitcher Shane Smith emerged as a quality starting pitching option. Across 146 1/3 innings (29 starts), the 25-year-old posted a 7-8 record with a 3.81 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 145 strikeouts. Smith's 23.5% strikeout rate and […]

Can Dominic Canzone Build on 2025 Breakout?

Seattle Mariners outfielder Dominic Canzone broke out in 2025, hitting .300/.358/.481 with 11 home runs, 32 RBI, 30 runs scored, and three stolen bases across 268 plate appearances. The 28-year-old cut his strikeout rate from 28.2% in 2024 to 22% in 2025 while still posting an excellent 14.5% barrel rate. The lefty-swinging Canzone owns a […]

Konnor Griffin Slugs Two Home Runs on Tuesday

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin had a monster spring training showing against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI in his team's 16-7 victory. Griffin, who will turn 20 years old in late April, is widely considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball. […]

Chandler Simpson "Tentatively" Scheduled to Make Spring Debut on Friday

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said that outfielder Chandler Simpson (hamstring) is tentatively scheduled to make his 2026 Spring Training debut on Friday, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Simpson has been held out of the Rays' first few Spring games due to a tight left hamstring, but it does not appear […]

Brandon Woodruff "on Track to Begin the Season in the Rotation"

The Milwaukee Brewers say that starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (lat) is "on track to begin the season in the rotation," per Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The 33-year-old finished the 2025 season on the Injured List due to right lat strain and said on Monday that his status for Opening Day was "up […]

Yordan Alvarez Not Cleared to Play in Spring Games

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada said that designated hitter/outfielder Yordan Alvarez will make his spring training debut "a little bit later" due to normal buildup, per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. While it does not seem as though Alvarez's Opening Day availability is in doubt, the 28-year-old's health is always worth monitoring. Alvarez has […]

SIERA Overachievers - Identifying Fantasy Baseball Pitchers Worth Fading in 2026

It's that time again - time to dig into the advanced stats and see what we can find that will help us make the right decisions in our upcoming fantasy baseball drafts. Every year, I like to analyze the SIERA of starter pitchers to identify those who likely overperformed in terms of their ERA. SIERA […]

Catcher Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleepers, Values: Middle-Round Discounts With Upside

RotoBaller is back with more fantasy sleepers and targets to help you crush your upcoming fantasy baseball drafts, as part of our ongoing mid-round fantasy baseball values and sleepers series. Today, we review the catcher position. If you miss out on Cal Raleigh or Ben Rice, not to worry -- we are here to help […]

Top 230 Starting Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Rankings: February Updates

Spring training is here, and at RotoBaller we have updated our fantasy baseball rankings to account for the latest rotation news and injuries. Today we're back with our 2026 fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings and tiers for roto leagues (5x5 category mixed leagues). These February rankings cover the top 230 starting pitchers for 2026. Injuries […]

Fantasy Baseball Post-Hype Sleepers: Infield Breakout Candidates for 2026

Targeting post-hype sleepers is one of the best ways to find upside in the later rounds of fantasy baseball drafts. Everyone is enamored with the "shiny new toy," so going after those who have lost their luster makes a ton of sense when looking for value. Just look at Jo Adell last year. He was […]

Carlos Estevez's Velocity Down in Spring Debut

Kansas City Royals closer Carlos Estevez's velocity was "way down" during his Cactus League debut on Tuesday at 86-89 mph, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Rogers says it's "eyebrow-raising" and "something to monitor," but it's also "exactly what came up last year." Estevez typically starts slow in the spring, and the Royals "really rely […]

Later-Round Fantasy Baseball Prospect Sleepers - Rookies To Stash (2026)

While draft season is in full swing, it is never too early to begin looking at high upside prospects to stash. In the final rounds of your draft, managers often select high-upside prospects who have a path to an early MLB debut. Last season, those who either drafted Nick Kurtz or stashed him early in […]

Trey Yesavage to be on Strict Inning Limit This Season

The Toronto Blue Jays plan to manage right-hander Trey Yesavage's "workload fluidly throughout the season," according to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. Yesavage's rotation turn could be skipped or pushed back at times, depending on his measurables and how he's recovering between outings. The 22-year-old is still roughly a week from pitching in a Grapefruit League […]

Blaine Crim Suffers Oblique Strain

Colorado Rockies first baseman Blaine Crim (oblique) left Monday's Cactus League game with an oblique strain, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com. It's unclear how serious Crim's oblique injury is, but it definitely won't help his cause in the competition at first base this spring. The 28-year-old made his major-league debut last year with the […]

Matt Waldron "Week-to-Week" After Undergoing Surgery

San Diego Padres right-hander Matt Waldron (lower body) has been shut down and is labeled as "week-to-week" after undergoing hemorrhoid surgery, manager Craig Stammen told Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. This setback will now make it much more difficult for Waldron to make the starting rotation out of spring training. The 29-year-old knuckleballer […]

Oneil Cruz Looking to Improve Against Left-Handed Pitchers

Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach Matt Hague said that outfielder Oneil Cruz hired a left-handed batting practice coach on the second day of the offseason and worked on hitting lefties all offseason. Cruz reached the 20-homer mark for the second straight year in 2025 and also had a league-high 38 stolen bases, but he hit a […]

Sebastian Walcott has Internal-Brace Surgery, Out 5-6 Months

Texas Rangers shortstop prospect Sebastian Walcott (elbow) had successful UCL surgery last week, an internal-brace procedure performed by Dr. Keith Meister, according to Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News. The Rangers expect a five- to six-month recovery for Walcott. The 19-year-old could miss the entire 2025 season, delaying his development another year. Walcott is […]

Ricky Tiedemann to Back Off for a Week Due to Elbow Soreness

Toronto Blue Jays left-handed pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann (elbow) felt left-elbow soreness after his last side session in spring training, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. An MRI exam came back clean on his left elbow, but the Blue Jays will be cautious and back him off for a week in camp. It's not what […]

Jameson Taillon Can Be a Sneaky Late-Round Value

Chicago Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon can be a nice depth addition late in mixed-league drafts, since his ADP (average draft position) is currently around 300. Taillon had a solid season overall last year, making 23 starts and going 11-7 with a 3.68 ERA. His 4.65 FIP was a little high, but he was able to […]

Matt Wallner Ready for a Breakout Season?

Minnesota Twins outfielder Matt Wallner brings elite raw power but has been very streaky in his time in the majors. He only hit .202 in his 104 games last season but did set a career-high with 22 home runs. The lefty actually had more success against lefties, but his contact rate was low on both […]

Andres Gimenez Looking for Healthy 2026

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop/second baseman Andres Gimenez helped the Blue Jays get to the World Series in his first season after joining the team via trade, but he had a down year at the plate. He hit only .210 after hitting over .250 in each of his last three seasons in Cleveland, and he only […]

Ernie Clement Expected to Play a Major Role in Toronto

Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement is a nice late-round fantasy baseball value who brings versatility and should get regular playing time for the Blue Jays. He actually hit leadoff in their first game of spring training while playing 2B. George Springer was not in the lineup and will normally hit leadoff, but Clement will […]

Chris Sale Signs Extension With Braves

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale agreed to a one-year extension to stay in Atlanta that includes a team option for the 2028 season. Before the extension, the former Cy Young winner was on track to be a free agent after the upcoming 2026 season, but this deal will keep him in Atlanta through 2027 […]

Carson Fulmer Signs Minor-League Deal With Pirates

Free-agent right-hander Carson Fulmer signed a minor-league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training, a source told Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Fulmer's 2025 season with the Los Angeles Angels was cut short due to an elbow injury. Before his injury, he struggled to a 5.83 […]

Brent Honeywell Signs Minor-League Contract With Giants

Free-agent right-hander Brent Honeywell, who won the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024, signed a minor-league contract with the San Francisco Giants on Monday, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. The former top prospect with the Tampa Bay Rays did not pitch with a team in 2025. The 30-year-old former second-round pick […]

Graham Pauley Undergoes Imaging for Forearm Tightness

Miami Marlins third baseman Graham Pauley (forearm) has not appeared in a Grapefruit League game yet in spring training and underwent imaging for forearm tightness on Monday, according to Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. Although Pauley doesn't have a ton of upside offensively, he was considered one of the favorites for regular playing time at […]

Trevor Story a Strong Candidate to Hit Second in 2026

Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story is a strong candidate to hit second in the batting order this year, following outfielder Roman Anthony in the leadoff spot, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. Story was in the two-hole in his final 10 games of the 2025 regular season and also hit there in all three […]

Bryan Abreu Could Begin Season as the Closer

Houston Astros relief pitcher Bryan Abreu could be asked to step up into the closer role to begin the regular season. Normally, Josh Hader (biceps) would fill the role, but he's currently dealing with biceps inflammation. The southpaw is playing light catch off flat ground, so he'll need to ramp up his progress to be […]

Justin Foscue Exits Grapefruit League Game With Hamstring Tightness

Texas Rangers infielder Justin Foscue (hamstring) was forced to make an early exit from Monday's Cactus League matchup versus the Los Angeles Angels. Foscue was removed from the contest due to right hamstring tightness. It sounds like he pushed to stay in the game, but the Rangers didn't want to risk him making it a […]