February 9, 2026
The New York Mets extended a non-roster invitation to outfield prospect
Carson Benge on Monday. Despite adding
Luis Robert Jr. in a trade this offseason, Benge is expected to compete for a starting job in the Mets' outfield in spring training this year. His primary competition for the left-field job will be
Tyrone Taylor,
MJ Melendez, and
Brett Baty. The 23-year-old hit .281/.385/.472 with 15 home runs and 22 stolen bases in 116 games at three minor-league levels last year. Benge is a former two-way star who should already be stashed in dynasty/keeper leagues. While his upside remains high long term, don't be surprised if the Mets use him in a platoon role at the big-league level against right-handed pitchers. He slugged only .326 in 123 plate appearances against lefties last year. MLB Pipeline has Benge ranked as the No. 16 overall prospect entering the 2026 season.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Mets
February 9, 2026
The Boston Red Sox acquired infielder
Anthony Seigler from the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. Seigler struggled in his MLB debut in Milwaukee last year, slashing only .194/.292/.210 with a .501 OPS, no home runs, five RBI, two stolen bases, eight walks, and 16 strikeouts in 34 games and 73 plate appearances. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter was much better in 72 games at Triple-A Nashville, hitting .285/.414/.478 with an .892 OPS, eight home runs, 39 RBI, 51 runs scored, and 23 stolen bases. In Boston, he'll provide the BoSox with defensive versatility with the ability to play third base, second base, both corner outfield spots, and catcher. With minor-league options remaining, Seigler will be expected to open the 2026 campaign at Triple-A Worcester. He has a .230/.369/.370 slash line with a .739 OPS in seven minor-league seasons.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mark Feinsand
February 9, 2026
The Boston Red Sox acquired infielder
Andruw Monasterio from the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, a source told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Monasterio will give the Red Sox some more infield depth in 2026. The 28-year-old Venezuelan hit .270/.319/.437 with a .755 OPS, four home runs, 16 RBI, 19 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 68 games played (135 plate appearances) in 2025 in his third year in the big leagues with the Brew Crew. He has been a bench player in all three seasons with the Brewers, and his role likely won't change all that much in Beantown, limiting his fantasy appeal to the deepest of AL-only formats. Boston would have to be in dire straits health-wise on the infield for Monasterio to carve out an everyday role. In his three MLB seasons, he's slashed .250/.321/.351 with a .672 OPS, only eight home runs, 59 RBI, and 15 stolen bases in 219 regular-season games.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mark Feinsand
February 9, 2026
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash and president of baseball operations Erik Neander said that left-hander
Shane McClanahan (triceps) will get a full build-up in spring training, and the expectation is that he'll be ready for Opening Day, according to Ryan Bass of Bally Sports Florida. "The last six or eight weeks have been really, really good," pitching coach Kyle Snyder said. "I think we'll consider the math in terms of the season and where he slots, but he's being totally built up to start, with the expectation that he'll be in our rotation." The 28-year-old southpaw is a dice roll going into 2026 since he hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2023. McClanahan made only two minor-league rehab starts last year before having season-ending surgery on his triceps in August. The two-time All-Star will be hoping to find his pre-injury form in 2026 while the Rays manage his workload.
--Keith HernandezSource: Bally Sports Florida - Ryan Bass
February 9, 2026
The Milwaukee Brewers acquired left-hander
Shane Drohan from the Boston Red Sox on Monday, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. Drohan will head to the National League Central and will most likely open up the 2026 campaign at Triple-A Nashville. The 27-year-old appeared in only 15 games (14 starts) in the minors last year due to a left-forearm injury, but when he was healthy, he was solid on the mound. Drohan went 5-2 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 77:21 K:BB in 54 total innings at High-A Greenville and Triple-A Worcester. He will give the Brewers some extra rotation depth in 2026 after they traded right-hander
Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets. Drohan has a career 4.29 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 472 strikeouts, and 205 walks in 104 outings (89 starts) in his five-year minor-league career.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
February 9, 2026
The Milwaukee Brewers acquired infielder
David Hamilton from the Boston Red Sox on Monday, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan. Hamilton will return to the Brewers' organization after they originally drafted him in the eighth round in 2019 out of the University of Texas. The 28-year-old mostly played second base and shortstop in Beantown, but he'll be given a chance to compete at third base in spring training this year after
Caleb Durbin was sent from Milwaukee to Boston in the same trade. Hamilton hit just .198/.257/.333 with six home runs, 19 RBI, 27 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases in 91 regular-season games for Boston last year, and he holds a .222/.283/.359 slash line with a .642 OPS, 14 home runs, 47 RBI, 76 runs, and 57 steals in 204 games over his three MLB seasons. He is mostly useful for his glove on defense and his speed on the base paths, but he won't be a lock for a regular role with his new team in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
February 9, 2026
Boston Red Sox right-hander
Johan Oviedo's career 4.24 ERA, 4.61 FIP, and 15-26 record don't jump off the page, but an improvement in his fastball last year intrigued the Red Sox enough to trade for him this offseason, according to Mike Petriello of MLB.com. Oviedo returned from Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2024 to record a 3.57 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 42 strikeouts and 23 walks in 40 1/3 innings over nine starts with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2025. His fastball had a minus-12 run value, a bottom-20 mark, in 2023. Despite a hard fastball, Oviedo had among the worst vertical movement on the pitch. When Oviedo returned in August of last year, he added five inches of rise to his fastball and increased his whiff rate on the pitch from 19% in 2023 to 31%. The 27-year-old's 14% walk rate was still ugly, but if he can stay healthy, he could be a nice sleeper in deeper leagues in Boston's starting rotation.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mike Petriello
February 9, 2026
Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz said that both young catchers
Edgar Quero and
Kyle Teel will work exclusively as catchers in 2026, according to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. Teel, a former 14th overall pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2023 out of Virginia, has the higher fantasy baseball ceiling as a low-end starting catching option in single-catcher leagues. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter made his MLB debut in 2025 and hit .273/.375/.411 with a .786 OPS, eight home runs, 35 RBI, and 38 runs in 253 at-bats. Quero was in the big leagues in Chicago before Teel, but Teel saw most of the playing time behind the dish against righties. Quero, 22, hit .268/.333/.356 with a .689 OPS, five homers, 36 RBI, and 31 runs in 365 at-bats. Teel should be a solid source of on-base percentage at the catching position against lefties in what could be a platoon in the Windy City.
--Keith HernandezSource: 670 The Score - Bruce Levine
February 9, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander
Ryne Nelson was the team's most consistent starting pitcher last year, compiling a 3.39 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 132:41 K:BB, and 127 ERA+ in 154 innings over 33 appearances (23 starts). Nelson wasn't in the Opening Day rotation, but he quickly joined the rotation after
Corbin Burnes' season-ending Tommy John surgery in May. Arizona didn't let Nelson throw 100 pitches in a start until Aug. 5 last year as the team looked to keep him healthy. According to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert, Nelson made it a priority this offseason to get physically stronger so he can "handle the rigors of making 30 or more starts." He's added muscle and reduced some body fat while also working to develop his slider and curveball. The 28-year-old should be a rotation lock for at least the first half of 2026, and he could become more of a top-of-the-rotation arm for the D-backs if his secondary offerings take a step forward.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Steve Gilbert
February 9, 2026
The Boston Red Sox have reportedly tried to trade for Los Angeles Angels shortstop
Zach Neto, but the Angels have set a very high bar for him. The Red Sox were unable to re-sign third baseman
Alex Bregman in free agency, but they have traded for first baseman
Willson Contreras and third baseman
Caleb Durbin to boost their infield depth this offseason. Neto would be a clear upgrade over the injury-prone and aging
Trevor Story, but Boston would likely have to part with several high-end prospects to land him. As things currently stand, Durbin and
Marcelo Mayer figure to compete for playing time at third base, with Story at the 6 and
Kristian Campbell manning the keystone. Neto has emerged as one of the best young shortstops in the game after hitting a combined .253/.318/.458 with a .776 OPS, 49 home runs, 139 RBI, 152 runs scored, and 56 stolen bases in the last two seasons.
--Keith HernandezSource: Jamie Gatlin
February 9, 2026
The Milwaukee Brewers acquired left-hander
Kyle Harrison, infielder
David Hamilton, and pitcher
Shane Drohan from the Boston Red Sox on Monday in exchange for third baseman
Caleb Durbin, shortstop
Andruw Monasterio, third baseman
Anthony Seigler, and a Compensation B draft pick, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. Harrison, 24, went from the San Francisco Giants to the Red Sox last year in the trade that involved infielder
Rafael Devers, and now he's on the move again. The former third-round pick only appeared in 11 games (six starts) for the Giants and BoSox in 2025, posting a 4.04 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with 38 strikeouts and 14 walks in 35 2/3 frames. It wasn't a great sign that Harrison's walk rate sat at 11.8% at Triple-A Worcester last year, but the Brew Crew will try to get more out of him. Harrison will be in the mix for the competition for one of the final rotation spots in Milwaukee in spring training this year.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
February 9, 2026
Boston Red Sox infielder
Romy Gonzalez (shoulder) is dealing with shoulder inflammation that popped up during the end of the regular season and got worse in early offseason workouts, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Gonzalez said he received a platelet-rich plasma injection 2 1/2 weeks ago. He's currently behind schedule, but the goal remains to be ready for Opening Day. The 29-year-old former 18th-round pick by the Chicago White Sox in 2018 out of the University of Miami slashed .305/.343/.483 with an .826 OPS, nine home runs, 53 RBI, 47 runs scored, and six stolen bases in 96 regular-season games in 2025 in his second year with Boston. Gonzalez had an impressive 99th-percentile hard-hit rate and 123 wRC+ in what was a breakout year, and he also dominated left-handed pitchers with a .331 average. Playing time will be the biggest issue for Gonzalez, who figures to open the season in a utility infield role if he's healthy.
--Keith HernandezSource: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
February 9, 2026
Houston Astros All-Star closer
Josh Hader (shoulder) has been throwing lightly and on flat ground as spring training begins for the Astros, according to Buster Olney of ESPN. Hader and the Astros hope to learn more about where he stands in his preparation for the 2026 season in the middle of this week. The 31-year-old southpaw missed the last seven-plus weeks of last season with a left-shoulder strain, but he said earlier in the offseason that he feels "back to normal," and he should be ready for Opening Day, barring a setback in spring training. Hader is a bit more of a risk for fantasy managers entering the 2026 campaign, but with his nasty fastball/slider mix, he showed last year before his shoulder injury that he's still one of the most dominant closers in the game. He held a 2.05 ER and 0.85 WHIP with a 29.1 K-BB percentage, which was fifth among qualified relievers. If Hader has a setback before or during the season,
Bryan Abreu would likely be the favorite to take over the closing job in Houston.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN - Buster Olney
February 9, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks left-handed reliever
Andrew Saalfrank (shoulder) posted a photo of himself on Monday on his Instagram account and announced that he underwent shoulder surgery, according to Alex D'Agostino of Sports Illustrated. MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports that Saalfrank will miss the entire 2026 season. The 28-year-old southpaw was a key bullpen piece during the team's 2023 run to the World Series. The former sixth-round pick made a career-high 28 relief appearances for the Snakes last year, posting a 1.24 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, his first three career saves, five holds, 19 strikeouts, and 10 walks in 29 innings pitched. Saalfrank's injury is another blow to a banged-up Diamondbacks bullpen that will also be without relievers
Justin Martinez (elbow) and
A.J. Puk (elbow) for a good chunk of the 2026 season.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sports Illustrated - Alex D'Agostino
February 9, 2026
Philadelphia Phillies right-hander
Zack Wheeler (shoulder) is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day this year, but the team is hopeful he'll be back shortly after, according to manager Rob Thomson. Wheeler is recovering from venous thoracic outlet surgery, which is the less severe version of the surgery. Still, the 35-year-old most likely won't be a part of Philly's Opening Day rotation in 2026 even though he resumed throwing back in December. If Wheeler doesn't have any setbacks through spring training, fantasy managers should have the right-handed ace at some point in April. The three-time All-Star was limited to 24 starts with the Phillies in 2025 in his sixth year with the team, going 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 195 strikeouts and 33 walks in 149 2/3 innings pitched. Wheeler has been one of the most consistent high-end starting pitchers in baseball in recent years, but there's no guarantee he'll bounce back to that form after his surgery. Proceed with caution.
--Keith HernandezSource: USA TODAY Sports - Bob Nightengale
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