March 31, 2026
Texas Rangers starting pitcher
Jacob deGrom (neck stiffness) will start Tuesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles, according to an announcement from the team. deGrom was scratched from his scheduled season debut last week due to neck stiffness, but he only missed one start and will now make his season debut on Tuesday. The veteran right-hander can be an elite pitcher when healthy, but starts have been hard to come by due to his recent injury history. He made just 22 total appearances from 2022-2024 before returning for 30 starts in a healthy 2025 campaign. Across those 30 starts (172.2 innings) last year, he posted a 3.37 xFIP with 9.64 K/9, 1.93 BB/9, and a 37.8% ground ball rate. He allowed more loud contact than usual, including a career-worst 1.36 HR/9. However, he still managed to be a highly effective starter in the Rangers' rotation and ultimately posted his highest fWAR total since 2021. As long as he can stay healthy this year, deGrom should continue to be one of the most dependable starters in baseball. He currently ranks #12 among starting pitchers in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for 2026.
--Andersen PickardSource: Texas Rangers PR
March 31, 2026
The Seattle Mariners have signed shortstop prospect
Colt Emerson to an eight-year, $50 million contract extension, according to Robert Murray of FanSided.com. The deal includes a club option for 2035, a full no-trade clause, and incentives that can increase the maximum value to more than $130 million. It's a bold move to extend a player who hasn't even reached the majors yet, but it falls in line with decisions we've seen from organizations across Major League Baseball. More and more, teams are starting to sign their prospects to extensions early in their career to buy out arbitration years. These deals benefit the player with guaranteed money for years to come, but also benefit the team by paying the player less than the maximum salary they could potentially get in arbitration. We're not surprised the Mariners wanted to lock up Emerson long-term, as he posted an impressive .285/.383/.458 slash line with 16 homers, 14 stolen bases, and 129 wRC+ in the minors last year. RotoBaller's Eric Cross recently ranked the shortstop as his #17 prospect to stash in redraft fantasy baseball leagues for 2026.
--Andersen PickardSource: Robert Murray
March 31, 2026
Texas Rangers starting pitcher
Jack Leiter allowed two earned runs, five hits, and one walk during Monday's 5-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. He also struck out eight batters and earned the win. It was an impressive season-opening outing from the young right-hander, who is looking to build off a breakout campaign in 2025, when he went 10-10 with a 3.86 ERA and 8.78 K/9 across 29 starts. Now that he has established himself as a consistent rotation piece, he should rack up innings and become an intriguing starting pitching option for fantasy baseball managers. As it stands, he ranks #62 among starters in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings. He's projected to return to the mound on Sunday, April 5, against the Cincinnati Reds. It'll be an exciting pitching matchup as Leiter toes the rubber opposite
Chase Burns.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
Cincinnati Reds right-handed pitcher
Chase Burns allowed zero runs, one hit, and three walks over five innings of work during his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. He struck out seven batters along the way and ultimately earned the win. Burns was cruising, but given that it was his first outing of the regular season, manager Terry Francona pulled him after just 78 pitches. His fastball velocity averaged out to 98.3 mph, consistent with his velocity numbers from his rookie season in 2025. The 23-year-old continues to be an impressive starting pitching option in fantasy baseball, ranking #37 among starters in RotoBaller's latest rankings. He'll return to the mound on Sunday, April 5, against the Texas Rangers.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
San Francisco Giants relief pitcher
Ryan Walker allowed two runs but earned the save during Monday's 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres. Walker entered with a 3-0 lead, and he allowed a walk and a two-run homer before recording the final out to secure the victory. He also struck out one batter along the way. It wasn't a very pretty outing, but he earned the save nonetheless. Each of Walker's last two appearances has come in the ninth inning, so it appears Giants manager Tony Vitello plans to use him as the club's closer for now. The two-pitch righty has struck out three batters over 2.1 innings so far this year, but he needs to cut down on walks and induce more ground balls in order to produce better results going forward. He currently ranks #19 among relievers in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for 2026.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks closer
Paul Sewald pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Monday, earning the save in his team's 9-6 win over the Detroit Tigers. He struck out one batter en route to securing his first save of the 2026 season. It's been a small sample size of just 1.1 innings so far this year for Sewald, but so far, he's been productive. He has retired all four batters he's faced, and he has an impressive 76.5% strike rate. That rate might not be sustainable, but still, it's encouraging to see him find the zone with such consistency. We're also intrigued that the average fastball velocity has jumped to 92.2 mph, which is his highest mark since 2023. If he can continue to earn saves, limit walks, and generally pitch effectively, he'll soar higher than his current rank as the #28 reliever in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
Cincinnati Reds reliever
Connor Phillips worked around two walks to earn the save while pitching a scoreless ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. With the Reds leading by two, manager Terry Francona turned to Phillips for the first save opportunity of his three-year major league career. He had some trouble with control but managed to keep Pittsburgh off the board, preserving Cincinnati's 2-0 lead. Phillips was only used in the ninth inning on Monday because closer
Emilio Pagan had pitched each of the two previous days. Going forward, as long as Pagan is rested, he'll get the save situations for the Reds. As a result, managers should not rush to add Phillips in fantasy baseball leagues.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
Texas Rangers relief pitcher
Tyler Alexander recorded his second save of the season during Monday's win over the Baltimore Orioles. Alexander retired all three batters he faced in a scoreless ninth inning, including two via the strikeout. He has allowed zero earned runs over three innings of work this year with two saves, one hit, zero walks, and three strikeouts. Alexander doesn't have elite velocity — his fastball is averaging 89.9 mph — but he makes up for it with an impressive slider that grades out at 114 Stuff+, according to FanGraphs' models.
Robert Garcia is the Rangers' closer, but the Rangers seem to have plenty of trust in Alexander handling high-leverage save situations when Garcia is unavailable. If he keeps it up, he could generate some streaming appeal in fantasy baseball.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
Houston Astros veteran second baseman
Jose Altuve can still hit. The 35-year-old nine-time All-Star, former MVP, and three-time batting champion had a big night as the team's leadoff hitter in the 8-1 win over the Boston Red Sox, going 4-for-4 at the plate with two home runs, four runs scored, and a walk to boost his early-season batting average to .412 and his OPS to 1.389. Both of Altuve's home runs in the first game of the series at Daikin Park came off right-hander
Johan Oviedo. It was Altuve's 15th career multi-homer game. Father Time remains undefeated, and Altuve is no spring chicken anymore, but Monday night's performance is a reminder that he still has plenty of fantasy value as a starting second baseman in mixed fantasy leagues. If Altuve can remain healthy, we wouldn't rule out his chances of posting another 20-20 season in his 17th year in the big leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
March 30, 2026
Chicago White Sox infielder
Miguel Vargas took care of business on Monday to help the team beat the Miami Marlins 9-4 in the opening game of a series at LoanDepot Park, going 2-for-4 with a grand slam, two runs scored, and a career-high six RBI. Vargas was playing first base in this one while batting out of the leadoff spot. His grand slam came in the fourth inning off right-hander
Chris Paddack. The home run was his first of 2026, and his six RBI were also his first runs batted in of the season. In his first full season with the White Sox in 2025, Vargas hit .234/.316/.401 with a .717 OPS, 16 home runs, 60 RBI, 80 runs scored, and six stolen bases in 569 plate appearances over 138 games played. In deep-mixed leagues as corner-infield depth, Vargas is a fine power bat as an everyday player who has eligibility at both first and third base for the Pale Hose. Vargas' six-RBI game will surely draw attention to him in deeper leagues where he's available.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
March 30, 2026
Houston Astros manager Joe Espada thinks right-handed reliever
Bryan Abreu's dip in velocity in Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Angels was due to issues with his mechanics and not any physical injury, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Abreu's fastball averaged 93.2 mph in his outing on Sunday after averaging 97.3 mph a season ago. With his velocity being down early on, Abreu has struggled as the team's de facto closer with
Josh Hader (biceps) on the injured list. He's allowed four earned runs on a home run while walking four and striking out three in 1 1/3 innings. Espada said on Monday that Abreu is "doing well." On Saturday, Abreu averaged 95.9 mph on his 12 fastballs but walked two batters and gave up a three-run homer to
Nolan Schanuel. Abreu, who had a 2.28 ERA and led all relievers with 105 strikeouts in 70 outings, is capable of turning things around and needs to be rostered for saves as Houston's primary closer while Hader is sidelined.
--Keith HernandezSource: Houston Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
March 30, 2026
New York Yankees shortstop
Anthony Volpe (shoulder) has been hitting off the Trajekt pitching machine and will advance to live batting practice soon, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. The Yankees put Volpe on the 10-day injured list to begin the 2026 campaign after he had surgery to fix the labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder last October. He has been brought along slowly, but he could be cleared to start a minor-league rehab assignment in the second week of April. The most likely scenario is that Volpe will be ready to make his 2026 season debut at some point in early May, barring a setback. The former first-rounder in 2019 hit just .212 (114-for-539) and managed to hit 19 home runs and steal 18 bases in 153 regular-season games despite dealing with a labrum tear for the majority of the season. Until he's ready to return, the speedy
Jose Caballero will be the Yankees' primary shortstop. Volpe is rostered in just 7% of Yahoo leagues right now.
UPDATE: Volpe will take live batting practice on Wednesday.--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch
March 30, 2026
New York Yankees left-hander
Carlos Rodon (elbow) threw 50 pitches in a live batting practice session on Sunday, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Rodon was forced to start the 2026 season on the 15-day injured list after having surgery in the offseason to remove a bone spur from his left elbow. However, he's already throwing off a mound against hitters, which means he might not be far off from a minor-league rehab assignment. If Rodon doesn't encounter any setbacks as he continues to ramp up, he could make his season debut for the Yankees in April. The three-time All-Star really struggled in his first year in the Bronx in 2023, but he's been much better the last two years, going 34-18 with a 3.50 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 398 strikeouts, and 130 walks in 370 1/3 innings over 65 starts in pinstripes. Rodon absolutely should be rostered in all fantasy leagues while he recovers, given his high-end upside for one of the best teams in baseball.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch
March 30, 2026
New York Yankees right-hander
Gerrit Cole (elbow) is scheduled to throw one "up" of live batting practice in a couple of days, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Cole continues to trudge along in his recovery from Tommy John surgery that he had in March of last year. Ultimately, the Yankees are hoping that he can return to the team's starting rotation by late May or early June. Cole threw 2 2/3 innings during spring training before the team placed him on the 15-day injured list for the start of the regular season. The former American League Cy Young winner deserves to be stashed in all fantasy baseball leagues, but you'll need to be patient. Because of Cole's long layoff, workload restrictions are expected to be in place to help ease him back in. The former first overall pick in 2011 out of UCLA is a six-time All-Star, but he has only made 17 starts for the Yankees since the start of the 2024 season.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch
March 30, 2026
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander
Cody Ponce (knee) injured his right knee while fielding a ground ball in his first outing of the 2026 season on Monday against the Colorado Rockies, according to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet. Ponce was able to get up and limp around, but he was ultimately carted from the field. The team announced that he has "right-knee discomfort." We won't know more about the severity of his knee injury until he undergoes tests. Hopefully, the 31-year-old can avoid a serious injury in his return to the big leagues. In his first two major-league seasons in 2020 and 2021 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Ponce struggled to a 5.86 ERA and 1.54 WHIP with 48 strikeouts and 17 walks in 55 1/3 innings pitched over 20 appearances (five starts). He spent three years in Japan and one year in Korea before signing with Toronto in the offseason. Ponce only lasted 2 1/3 innings before getting hurt, allowing an earned run on one hit while walking one and striking out three.
UPDATE: Ponce will undergo an MRI exam on Tuesday, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.--Keith HernandezSource: Sportsnet - Blake Murphy
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