February 12, 2026
The Milwaukee Brewers announced on Thursday that they avoided salary arbitration with catcher
William Contreras by signing him to an undisclosed one-year deal with a club option for the 2027 season. Contreras' downtick in production last year most likely had to do with the fact that he played through a fracture in his left middle finger. The 28-year-old backstop slashed .260/.355/.399 with a .754 OPS, 17 home runs, 76 RBI, 89 runs scored, and six stolen bases in 150 games (659 plate appearances). Contreras had surgery on his finger in the offseason, but he's expected to be a full-go for Opening Day this year, and fantasy managers should still consider him a top-five catcher. The two-time All-Star will see plenty of volume and has high-end power at the shallow catching position.
--Keith HernandezSource: Milwaukee Brewers
February 12, 2026
The Cleveland Guardians are finalizing a two-year minor-league deal with free-agent right-hander
Ben Lively (elbow) on Thursday, according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Lively had Tommy John surgery last June. The 33-year-old veteran is in camp with Cleveland this spring and will continue to rehab from UCL reconstruction and a flexor-tendon repair. The Guardians aren't expecting Lively to contribute much in 2026, if at all. The former fourth-round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2013 out of the University of Central Florida only made nine starts for the Guards last year, but looked good when he was healthy, posting a 3.22 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 29 strikeouts and 15 walks in 44 2/3 innings. Lively had a 3.68 ERA with 147 K's and 64 walks in 195 2/3 innings in his two seasons with Cleveland. He will not be a fantasy asset in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Zack Meisel
February 12, 2026
The Arizona Diamondbacks signed right-handed reliever
Paul Sewald to a one-year, $1.5 million deal on Thursday, pending a physical, according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Sewald was Arizona's closer in 2023 and had a career-high 34 saves that year, but he lost the role the following year before pitching with the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers last season. The 35-year-old veteran only threw 19 2/3 innings in 2025 due to injuries and posted a 4.58 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, two saves, 20 strikeouts, and six walks in 22 appearances with Cleveland and Detroit. The D-backs will be thin in the bullpen to begin the 2026 campaign with both
Justin Martinez (elbow) and
A.J. Puk (elbow) on the shelf, which could open the door for the declining Sewald to see some save opportunities. At best, he'll be a desperation source of save chances for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Arizona Republic - Nick Piecoro
February 12, 2026
Free-agent infielder/outfielder
Enrique Hernandez announced on his Instagram account on Thursday that he is re-signing an undisclosed one-year deal to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hernandez won't be ready for the start of the 2026 season after having left-elbow surgery this offseason. When the 34-year-old veteran returns, he'll resume his role in L.A. as a super-utility bat that mostly sees action against left-handed pitchers. Kike hit just .203/.255/.366 with a .621 OPS during 92 regular-season games for the Blue last season, adding 10 home runs, 35 RBI, and 30 runs scored in his 256 plate appearances. The Puerto Rican veteran has barely hit over the Mendoza Line the last two years in L.A., but he's been much more clutch during the postseason while helping the Dodgers win back-to-back World Series titles. Hernandez is a glue guy in L.A.'s locker room, but he won't be on the fantasy radar.
--Keith HernandezSource: FanSided.com - Robert Murray
February 12, 2026
The Denver Post's Kyle Newman writes that someone would probably have to get injured for Colorado Rockies outfield prospect
Zac Veen to break camp with the major-league team. The Rockies are pretty set in the outfield right now with
Brenton Doyle,
Mickey Moniak,
Jordan Beck, and Jack McCarthy, which leaves Veen on the outside looking in as things currently stand. In a 12-game cup of coffee for his major-league debut last year, the 24-year-old former ninth overall pick struck out 37.8% of the time over just 37 plate appearances before being sent back to Triple-A Albuquerque. Veen also hasn't exactly stood out in the upper levels of the minor leagues with a 94 wRC+ last year and discouraging batted-ball metrics. Speed is probably his biggest asset right now, with the potential to steal 20-plus bags at the next level if he has a full-time role. If he's back in the big leagues at some point in 2026, it will likely be in a part-time role, and he probably won't be an impact bat in mixed fantasy leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Denver Post - Kyle Newman
February 12, 2026
New York Mets starting shortstop
Francisco Lindor (hand) underwent surgery to fix a broken hamate bone in his hand on Wednesday and might not be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season. With Lindor sidelined this spring, infielders
Ronny Mauricio,
Vidal Brujan,
Grae Kessinger, and
Jackson Cluff will take reps at shortstop. The Mets plan to leave
Bo Bichette at third base for now. After missing all of 2024 due to a torn ACL in his knee, Mauricio struggled at the plate in 61 major-league games, hitting .226/.293/.369 with a .663 OPS, six home runs, 10 RBI, 15 walks, and 54 strikeouts in 184 plate appearances. The 24-year-old former top prospect is running out of time to make an impact in New York, and even if he does earn the starting nod at shortstop on Opening Day, Lindor isn't expected to miss extended time early on.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Will Sammon
February 12, 2026
Baltimore Orioles right-hander
Kyle Bradish has looked sharp early in camp and was seen striking out first baseman
Pete Alonso on Thursday during live batting practice, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com. Although it was a small sample size of only 32 innings over six starts, Bradish looked outstanding in 2025 in his return from Tommy John surgery, allowing only nine earned runs on 23 hits (three homers) while walking 10 and striking out 47. He struck out nine or more hitters in half of his starts for a 37.3% strikeout rate. The 29-year-old surely won't be that dominant over a full season in 2026, but his work last year was extremely encouraging. Since the beginning of 2023, Bradish has a 2.78 ERA (3.03 FIP) and 1.05 WHIP with 268 K's and 69 walks in 240 innings over 44 starts for the O's. He's a nice No. 2 starting pitcher target in fantasy drafts this spring.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Jake Rill
February 12, 2026
The New York Mets signed
Bo Bichette this offseason to play third base, and The Athletic's Will Sammon writes that he "won't be taking reps at shortstop" following
Francisco Lindor's surgery on the hamate bone in his hand. However, Sammon adds that it could change if Lindor's timetable changes. Early this spring with Lindor sidelined, infielders
Vidal Brujan,
Grae Kessinger,
Jackson Cluff, and
Ronny Mauricio will take spring training reps at the 6. The Mets are hoping that Lindor won't miss time, if any, to begin the 2026 regular season, so they'll keep Bichette locked in at the hot corner. The 27-year-old needs all the reps he can get at third, since he's never played the position professionally. Bichette rebounded nicely from an injury-plagued 2024 campaign to hit .311/.357/.483 with an .840 OPS, 18 homers, and 94 RBI in 139 regular-season games last year. He should have a high ceiling for run production while hitting for a high average and producing around 20 homers, and he'll have dual-position eligibility in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Will Sammon
February 12, 2026
The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Thursday that they reached a contract extension with third baseman
Max Muncy for one year and $10 million guaranteed, according to Jack Harris of The California Post. The deal also includes a $10 million club option for the 2028 season. Muncy will make $7 million in 2027. The 35-year-old veteran was already under contract for 2026 after the Dodgers picked up his $10 million option. Muncy, a two-time All-Star, has missed significant time with injuries the last two seasons. But when he's healthy, he continues to be a strong left-handed power bat with excellent plate discipline in the best lineup in baseball. In 100 regular-season games last year, he hit .243/.376/.470 with an .846 OPS, 19 home runs, 67 RBI, 48 runs, and four steals in 388 plate appearances. Muncy does struggle against lefties and will almost certainly miss time with injury, but he's still an acceptable third base target in fantasy in the mid to late rounds of drafts.
--Keith HernandezSource: The California Post - Jack Harris
February 12, 2026
Chicago White Sox right-hander
Drew Thorpe (elbow) has hit what he described as "road bumps" in his recovery process, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Thorpe visited Dr. Keith Meister last week and was told that his ligament looks solid. Doctors believe his pain is coming from some tendinitis in his elbow. The 25-year-old was placed on the 60-day injured list last March and missed all of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The former second-round pick by the New York Yankees in 2022 out of Cal Poly made his major-league debut with Chicago in 2024 and had a 5.48 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 25 strikeouts and 21 walks in 44 1/3 innings over his nine starts. Thorpe wasn't very sharp in his first taste of the majors, which wasn't exactly a surprise after he skipped Triple-A. While he could be ready for the start of the 2026 season, fantasy managers in dynasty/keeper leagues shouldn't expect Thorpe to contribute until maybe the second half.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Scott Merkin
February 12, 2026
Texas Rangers shortstop prospect
Sebastian Walcott (elbow) will undergo elbow surgery and will likely miss most, if not all, of 2026, according to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Walcott was expected to start the season back in the minors, but he almost certainly would have made his major-league debut this year had he been healthy. The 19-year-old is ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect at MLB Pipeline after hitting .255/.355/.386 with 13 home runs and 32 stolen bases in 124 games last year at Double-A Frisco. Despite being the youngest qualified hitter at Double-A in 2025, Walcott posted a 110 wRC+. He also showed improvement with his strikeout rate, walk rate, and swing rate. The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder has plenty of maturing to do, but he has one of the highest fantasy ceilings of any young position-player prospect in the game. Unfortunately, his timeline has been extended by a year.
UPDATE: Walcott has a UCL tear in his elbow.--Keith HernandezSource: The Dallas Morning News - Evan Grant
February 12, 2026
Philadelphia Phillies top pitching prospect
Andrew Painter has no restrictions in spring training, and the Phillies are hoping he wins a rotation spot in camp, according to John Clark of NBC Sports. It's been a long road for Painter to this point after a tear in his UCL was discovered three years ago, which led to Tommy John surgery.
Cristopher Sanchez,
Jesus Luzardo, and
Aaron Nola are locked into the team's top-three rotation spots, but there's a clear opening for Painter now that we know
Zack Wheeler (shoulder) won't be ready for Opening Day. In his first full season back from TJ surgery, Painter struggled, posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 22 starts at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The good news is that his stuff looked fine, and he threw a combined 118 innings at two levels. If the 22-year-old is a little sharper than he was last year and he stays healthy, he will most definitely be in play in all fantasy formats as long as he is locked into a rotation spot in Philly.
--Keith HernandezSource: NBC Sports Philadelphia - John Clark
February 12, 2026
New York Yankees pitcher
Luis Gil will throw live batting practice as he looks to get ready for a full 2026 season. Gil will face
Aaron Judge,
Amed Rosario, and
Paul Goldschmidt out of the gate. The 2024 American League Rookie of the Year got a late start to 2025, making his season debut in early August. He went 4-1 with a 3.32 ERA and 4.63 FIP with 41 strikeouts in 57 innings in the regular season. Gil is expected to compete with
Clarke Schmidt for the fifth spot in the rotation for the Yankees this spring training, and the 27-year-old from the Dominican brings a high ceiling if he can return to his 2024 form. In 2024, he had 10.15 K/9, but that dropped all the way to 6.47 K/9 in his limited work last year, causing his FIP and xERA to climb even though his ERA remained low. His progress will be important to watch, and it's a great sign that he's ready to throw live BP this early in the spring.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Gary Phillips
February 12, 2026
Baltimore Orioles first baseman/third baseman
Coby Mayo was the subject of plenty of trade rumors this offseason after the O's signed
Pete Alonso to play 1B on a five-year deal. Mayo has been an elite power prospect for the last few seasons, but he hasn't really established himself in the majors yet. He played 85 games for the O's last year, hitting .217 with 11 homers and a .303 wOBA. He and
Ryan Mountcastle will both be looking for playing time after the Alonso addition, but space could be opening up with 2B
Jackson Holliday (hand) needing surgery and
Jordan Westburg (oblique) behind schedule in his ramp-up to Opening Day. Mayo could be part of the solution to fill in for Holliday, since he could play 3B, while Westburg slides to 2B. Mayo played 1B mostly last season but came through the minors at 3B, where he was working out on a backfield in Orioles spring training on Wednesday. If Mayo can build on his strong September and have a strong spring at the plate, he could earn an Opening Day roster spot, and his power potential is intriguing enough to make him worth watching as a late-round flier.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Andy Kostka
February 12, 2026
Atlanta Braves pitcher
Grant Holmes (elbow) was diagnosed with a partially torn UCL last season and shut down at the end of July. He opted not to undergo surgery, instead resting and rehabbing, and now he wonders if it was a pre-existing condition, based on his quick recovery so quickly. The 29-year-old righty has no restrictions coming into spring training and could end up in the starting rotation that has already lost
Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) for an extended period of time to start the season. Holms will join Reynaldo López,
Spencer Strider, and
Chris Sale as the established rotation pieces, with
Bryce Elder,
Hurston Waldrep, and
Joey Wentz competing for the fifth spot. Holmes went 4-9 with a 3.99 ERA, 4.40 FIP, and 123 strikeouts in his 115 innings last season. How well his elbow responds to the spring workload will be critical to monitor to see if he breaks camp in the starting rotation for the Braves.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Mark Bowman
RADIO
