February 16, 2026
Chicago Cubs outfielder
Pete Crow-Armstrong became the first player in franchise history to reach 30 homers, 30 doubles, and 30 stolen bases in a season in 2025, but a second-half fade left him feeling a sense of disappointment when it was all said and done. Despite the up-and-down season, Crow-Armstrong finished ninth in the National League MVP voting. His goal this spring is to "reduce the dramatic peaks and valleys," according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. PCA hit 25 homers with a .544 slugging percentage and an .846 OPS in the first half, but after the All-Star break, he had an OPS of .634 while slashing just .160/.216/.230 in August. He ended last year with the highest swing rate (59.5%) and ranked third in outside-zone swings (45.6%) and swinging-strike rate (16%). The 23-year-old should be viewed as a top-15 fantasy outfielder, but to take the next step in 2026, his plate discipline must improve.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Jordan Bastian
February 16, 2026
Cincinnati Reds hard-throwing right-handed pitching prospect
Chase Burns is competing for the fifth rotation spot with the team this spring, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Burns, the second overall pick in 2024 out of Wake Forest, made his big-league debut in 2025 in his first year as a pro and had a 4.57 ERA (2.65 FIP), 1.31 WHIP, and 67:16 K:BB in 43 1/3 innings over 13 appearances (eight starts). The 23-year-old will be competing with
Rhett Lowder,
Brandon Williamson, and
Julian Aguiar. He's one of the most talented young arms in baseball and became the first MLB starter in the expansion era to strike out each of his first five batters. "He has the stuff to be an ace. He has the stuff to be a No. 1 no matter what team he's on," lefty
Andrew Abbott said. Burns is off to a great start in camp and has displayed an improved changeup. His fastball velocity averaged 98.7 mph while often touching 101-102 mph. Burns also features a swing-and-miss slider (43.7% whiff rate). His elite strikeout abilities make him a very intriguing No. 3 starting pitcher in fantasy with upside for more.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mark Sheldon
February 16, 2026
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed free-agent infielder
Santiago Espinal to a minor-league deal on Monday, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Espinal will be in spring training with the big-league team and will provide infield depth if he remains with the World Series champions going into the regular season. He will most likely begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, but he'll provide depth for the Dodgers with both
Tommy Edman (ankle) and
Enrique Hernandez (elbow) slated to open the season on the injured list. The 31-year-old Dominican hit .243/.292/.282 with a career-worst .575 OPS, no home runs, 16 RBI, 25 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 2025 in 301 at-bats with the Cincinnati Reds. Espinal was originally a 10th-round pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2016. In his six years in the majors, Espinal sports a .261/.316/.349 slash line, .665 OPS, and 20 homers in 578 games.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
February 16, 2026
The Los Angeles Angels signed free-agent second baseman
Adam Frazier to a minor-league deal on Monday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training, according to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. Frazier hits from the left side and can play second base, third base, and the corner-outfield spots, giving him a shot to win an Opening Day roster spot as a bench player. The 34-year-old hit a combined .267/.319/.365 with a .684 OPS, seven home runs, 44 RBI, 43 runs scored, and eight stolen bases in 134 games over 459 plate appearances last year with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals. Frazier is heading into his 11th big-league season, and the Angels will be the sixth team he's played for. With limited power (career-high 13 homers in 2023) and likely limited playing time, fantasy managers can safely ignore Frazier in all but the deepest of AL-only formats.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Orange County Register - Jeff Fletcher
February 16, 2026
The New York Mets reached an agreement with free-agent outfielder
Mike Tauchman on a minor-league deal on Monday, league sources told Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The deal includes a non-roster invitation to major-league spring training. The 35-year-old veteran hit .263/.356/.400 with a .756 OPS, nine home runs, 40 RBI, and 44 runs scored in 93 games played for the Chicago White Sox in 2025 and will now head to the National League East to give the Mets more outfield depth. He made 73 appearances in right field, and the Mets have an open spot in right, with superstar
Juan Soto moving to left field. Top prospect
Carson Benge has a shot at making the Opening Day roster as a right fielder, but it's not set in stone.
Brett Baty,
Tyrone Taylor, and MJ Melenders are others who will be competing with Tauchman for playing time in right field this spring. At best, Tauchman could be on the strong side of a platoon in right for the Mets until Benge is ready.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal
February 16, 2026
Texas Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said that right-hander
Kumar Rocker "looked really good" during a live batting practice session in camp on Monday, according to Kennedi Landry of MLB.com. "There was intent behind his live. Felt like he was on the gas pedal. The velo was up, the sinker was real. He threw a couple of four-seamers at the top. The slider and changeup were both effective for lefties. It was an impressive start," Schumaker said. The 26-year-old former first-rounder out of Vanderbilt made the starting rotation out of camp last year but struggled to a 5.76 ERA and 1.46 WHIP with 56 K's and 23 walks in 64 1/3 innings over 14 starts before eventually being sent to the minors to work on his mechanics. It appears that Rocker has fixed some things, although he's not a lock to be in the Opening Day rotation after the addition of lefty
MacKenzie Gore this offseason. Improving against lefty hitters will be a big key if Rocker wants to have some success in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Kennedi Landry
February 16, 2026
Boston Red Sox first baseman
Triston Casas (knee) took ground balls during team infield drills at camp on Monday, according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. Casas said over the weekend that his rehab from knee surgery is going well. "Nobody thought I would be where I'm at right now," Casas said. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger is taking part in baseball activities, but he is behind the rest of the position players after suffering a season-ending knee injury last May. Not only is it unclear if Casas will be ready for Opening Day at the end of March, but he's not projected to be the team's starting first baseman after Boston acquired
Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals in the offseason. The designated-hitter spot could be a nice fallback option, but Casas will face competition there from
Masataka Yoshida and others. The former first-rounder had 24 homers in his rookie season in 2023, but he's managed 16 the last two years while dealing with injuries. Casas' prospect shine has worn off, and he's merely trying to get healthy and prove he deserves a spot in the everyday lineup again.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Boston Globe - Tim Healey
February 16, 2026
New York Yankees right-handed pitching prospect
Carlos Lagrange has impressed early in spring training and has a shot to win a spot on the Opening Day roster as a reliever, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. Lagrange doesn't have the best command, but his fastball is capable of hitting triple digits when he's fully built up, and the 6-foot-7, 248-pound Dominican hurler can also generate plenty of spin on the ball. "We're excited about him for good reason," manager Aaron Boone said. "I think Carlos has a very bright future." Lagrange is a consensus top-100 prospect, but he has yet to pitch at Triple-A. He had a 3.53 ERA and a 33.4% strikeout rate in 120 innings split between High-A and Double-A last year. Lagrange lowered his walk rate from 20% to 12.3% last year, but he's still on the wild side and has more developing to do. Boone has compared Lagrange to former reliever Dellin Betances, and with the Yankees short on sure things in their bullpen, the 22-year-old may get a chance in short stints out of the bullpen if he makes his major-league debut in 2026. He's an arm to watch.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Daily News - Gary Phillips
February 16, 2026
New York Yankees shortstop
Anthony Volpe (shoulder) got his hitting progression underway on Monday with some dry swings in camp, manager Aaron Boone told Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. Volpe also did some fielding drills, but the 24-year-old is being brought along slowly in spring training after having surgery to fix his left labrum in October of last year. After playing through a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder for most of last season, Volpe will begin the 2026 campaign on the injured list and is expected to miss at least the first month. In the meantime, speedster
Jose Caballero should see most of the starts at the 6 in the Bronx, giving him some sleeper fantasy appeal early on. Volpe hit just .212 while playing at less than 100% in 2025, but he still managed to hit 19 homers, drive in a career-high 72 runs, and steal 18 bases in 153 regular-season games. He'll come at a discount because of his injury, but there's also a good chance we've already seen Volpe's ceiling.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Daily News - Gary Phillips
February 16, 2026
Chicago White Sox corner infielder
Munetaka Murakami has impressed so far as he heads into his first season in the big leagues, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. "Mune is special, and I think you see immediately there's a level of confidence here amidst everything being new here," director of hitting Ryan Fuller said. Most of the 26-year-old's playing time in 2026 will come at first base, per manager
Will Venable, but he'll also see some time at the hot corner. The Japanese infielder could eventually pick up eligibility at both first and third base for fantasy managers this year, which would make him more attractive in AL-only leagues. Murakami had impressive power earlier in his career, but his power stroke has been down over the last few seasons, and he only played in 56 games in 2025 due to injury. The power is still there, but fantasy managers should have hesitations since he struggled to make consistent contact in Japan.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Scott Merkin
February 16, 2026
New York Mets right-hander
Christian Scott (elbow) threw just over 30 pitches and hit 95 mph during a live batting practice session in camp on Monday, and manager
Carlos Mendoza was impressed with his cutter, according to Laura Albanese of Newsday. However, Scott's availability for Opening Day in late March is still uncertain. "It's good to see him back on the mound, competing and being himself," Mendoza said. The 26-year-old had Tommy John surgery in September of 2024 and missed the entire 2025 season. Scott is a big part of the Mets' future, but he has minor-league options remaining, and his workload will be closely monitored after his long layoff, so it's probably unlikely that he'll open the 2026 season in the big-league rotation. In his major-league debut in 2024 before being shut down, Scott had a 4.56 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 39:12 K:BB in 47 1/3 innings over nine starts.
--Keith HernandezSource: Newsday - Laura Albanese
February 16, 2026
The Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett reports that everyone in the Los Angeles Dodgers' projected starting rotation has thrown live batting practice in camp to hitters except left-hander
Blake Snell (shoulder). The 33-year-old two-time Cy Young winner has only played catch in the first week of camp and has yet to throw off a mound, either, as part of the "smarter" approach that he's taking this spring. "He's playing catch. He's throwing. Once he gets off the mound, throws a pen, faces some hitters, we'll know more. But obviously, he's not there right now. Until he gets off a mound, I just really don't know," manager Dave Roberts said on the likelihood of Snell being in the Opening Day rotation. Snell missed the first four months of last year with left-shoulder inflammation and admitted he was gassed after an expanded workload in the postseason. He still has plenty of strikeout upside and isn't actually injured this spring, but it seems more likely than not that the Dodgers will slow-play him to begin the 2026 campaign. Snell makes for a risk/reward No. 2 fantasy starting pitcher.
--Keith HernandezSource: Orange County Register - Bill Plunkett
February 16, 2026
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Sunday that outfielder
Aaron Judge (elbow), the reigning two-time American League MVP, will be a full participant when the team's full-squad workouts start on Monday at spring training, according to Jorge Castillo of ESPN. Judge dealt with a flexor strain in his right elbow and went on the injured list in late July, although he spent the minimum 10 days on IL before rejoining the club exclusively as a DH. Boone said Judge is scheduled to play in "four or five" of the team's first nine Grapefruit League games and will be built up to six innings before joining Team USA on March 1 for this year's World Baseball Classic. Judge's arm strength improved over time, and he returned to right field down the stretch and for the playoffs. Fantasy managers shouldn't have any injury concerns about Judge, who remained a beast at the plate in 2025 in both the regular season and the playoffs. Judge is ranked second overall at RotoBaller in fantasy, behind only
Shohei Ohtani.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jorge Castillo
February 16, 2026
Los Angeles Angels outfielder
Mike Trout made the transition to right field and also spent a lot of time as the designated hitter last year, but he's planning to return to his original position of center field in 2026, according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. "I just feel comfortable out there," Trout said. "I feel like I'm at my best when I'm in center." The Angels moved Trout to right field last year because he played in only 41% of the team's games due to injuries during a four-year stretch. The 34-year-old veteran became the team's primary DH after suffering a bone bruise in his surgically repaired left knee in late April. The three-time MVP lost around five pounds in the offseason in an effort to put less stress on his legs as he makes the transition back to center. Trout was one of the best players in the game from 2012 to 2020, posting a 1.008 OPS, 297 home runs, and 197 steals, but he's battled injuries the last five years and hit .232/.359/.439 with 26 homers and 64 RBI in 2025. He went 36 straight games without a homer at one point. Trout still has the skills to be impactful in fantasy, but the risk might not justify the reward for some.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Alden Gonzalez
February 16, 2026
The San Diego Padres extended the contract of long-time head of baseball operations A.J. Preller on Monday, according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. The length of Preller's new deal is undisclosed, but it puts to rest any questions about whether he would be extended with the team's control up in the air. Chairman John Seidler said he has received "tremendous interest" in the team from potential buyers and stressed that the franchise would not move from San Diego. The 48-year-old Preller, who is heading into his 12th full season as the Padres' general manager, is considered one of baseball's most aggressive front-office executives. In his time in SD, Preller has acquired star players such as
Manny Machado,
Fernando Tatis Jr.,
Jackson Merrill,
Juan Soto,
Josh Hader,
Yu Darvish, and
Joe Musgrove. He has helped the team reach the playoffs in four of the last six years. Recently, with the Padres' payroll flexibility drying up since owner Peter Seidler's death two years ago, Preller has been forced to get more creative in roster construction.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Alden Gonzalez
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