March 14, 2026
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher
Joe Ryan will not pitch in the World Baseball Classic, a club official told MLB.com's Matthew Leach. The decision is not injury-related. Rather, the move reflects the fact that the USA coaching staff wasn't planning to use him as a starter, and they preferred a reliever to give them short-length relief outings. Leach explains that the decision was "probably not quite as black and white" as simply rostering a reliever over a starter, but that fans should rest assured Ryan is healthy and the team would have supported his choice to pitch in the WBC. Returning to Twins camp should give him the opportunity to make one or two more starts before Opening Day. He remains the #21 starter in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for 2026.
--Andersen PickardSource: Matthew Leach
March 14, 2026
Houston Astros second baseman
Brice Matthews "will get some run in left field" during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the New York Mets, manager Joe Espada told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. It's a very interesting development since Matthews has almost exclusively played the infield since being selected in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He has just 64.2 total innings in center field (all in the minors) and has never played a professional inning in left field. Matthews went just 7-for-42 in the majors last year and had 118 wRC+ in Triple-A, so it's unclear whether this introduction to a new position is the Astros' way of getting his bat into the lineup or just an effort to increase his defensive versatility. You could also argue that we shouldn't read too much into one spring training lineup, so it'll be important to see if Matthews playing the outfield becomes a trend or is just a one-time occurrence.
--Andersen PickardSource: Chandler Rome
March 14, 2026
MLB.com's Christina De Nicola has
Connor Norby projected as the Miami Marlins' starting third baseman for the start of the 2026 regular season.
Graham Pauley (elbow) was expected to compete for starting third base duties with Norby in spring training, but Pauley remains in a no-throw status due to an elbow injury and has been relegated to the designated-hitter role in Grapefruit League games. Norby "will need to continue improving on defense" and "showing better plate discipline," but as of right now, he appears to have a leg up on playing time at the hot corner in Miami to begin the 2026 season. The 25-year-old Norby needs to make more contact at the plate to keep the third base job. He's hit .276 (8-for-29) with a home run, three RBI, three runs scored, no walks, and 11 strikeouts in 11 Grapefruit League games. In deeper leagues, Norby is certainly worth a late-round flier for his moderate power/speed upside.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Christina De Nicola
March 14, 2026
Tampa Bay Rays right-handed reliever
Edwin Uceta (shoulder) threw a bullpen session in camp on Saturday morning, the first time he has thrown off a mound since receiving a cortisone shot for shoulder inflammation in mid-February, according to John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays haven't officially ruled Uceta out for Opening Day in late March, but he's still likely to begin the year on the injured list due to his injury setback this spring. With the 28-year-old likely to be ready, it sets up the Rays for a closer-by-committee approach, which is expected to feature
Griffin Jax,
Garrett Cleavinger, and
Bryan Baker. Despite his shoulder injury, the 28-year-old Uceta is an intriguing stash candidate in fantasy baseball leagues as a high-leverage relief arm. The Dominican hurler had a 1.51 ERA in 2024 and was one of just five relievers in baseball in 2025 to strike out over 100 batters in 76 innings of work for Tampa.
--Keith HernandezSource: Tampa Bay Times - John Romano
March 14, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers infielder
Hyeseong Kim (hand) is expected to be back in the Cactus League lineup on Sunday against the Chicago Cubs, manager Dave Roberts told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Kim injured his left hand on March 8 against Australia while playing for Team Korea in the World Baseball Classic. It's not considered a serious injury, though, and all signs point to Kim being fine for Opening Day with the Dodgers later this month, barring a setback. The 27-year-old South Korean native ended up playing in 71 games for L.A. in the regular season in 2025 in his first year in the big leagues, slashing .280/.314/.385 with a .699 OPS, three home runs, 17 RBI, 19 runs, and 13 stolen bases in 170 plate appearances. Kim's power and playing time will be limited as a utility player for the Blue, and he'll mostly be valuable in deeper fantasy leagues for his speed on the base paths while offering eligibility at second base, shortstop, and center field.
Tommy Edman's ankle injury will give him a better path to at-bats early on in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
March 14, 2026
The Los Angeles Angels optioned second baseman
Christian Moore to Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday, per an announcement from the team. The 23-year-old Moore is considered one of the team's top prospects, but he hit just .175 across 43 plate appearances in Cactus League action and will start the 2026 season in the Minors. After starting the 2025 season in Double-A, Moore made his MLB debut in mid-June and hit .198/.284/.370 with seven home runs, 16 RBI, 20 runs scored, and three stolen bases across 184 plate appearances (53 games). While Moore walked at an impressive 10.3% rate, he also struck out at an unsustainably poor 33.7% clip. Swing-and-miss was an issue for Moore in the Minors as well, as he posted a 29% strikeout rate across 138 plate appearances at Triple-A. With Moore being optioned,
Adam Frazier,
Vaughn Grissom (hand), and
Oswald Peraza appear to be battling for the Opening Day second base job. Moore could easily work his way back to the big leagues in 2026, but he will have to prove himself at Triple-A to begin the year.
--Will BradySource: Los Angeles Angels
March 14, 2026
Top Colorado Rockies first base/outfield prospect
Charlie Condon is unlikely to make the team's Opening Day roster, per Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. The number three overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Condon has absolutely raked so far in 2026 Spring Training action. Across 37 plate appearances in the Cactus League, the 22-year-old is hitting .419/.486/.806 with three home runs, nine RBI, and six runs scored. Condon also posted strong numbers across 433 plate appearances split between High-A and Double-A in 2025, slashing .268/.376/.444 with 14 home runs, 58 RBI, 59 runs scored, and two stolen bases. However, he's yet to reach Triple-A, and there's little incentive for the rebuilding Rockies to force him onto the Major League roster early in 2026. Swing-and-miss is also a potential red flag in Condon's profile, as he struck out in 28.3% of his Double-A plate appearances in 2025. Still, if Condon gets off to a hot start in the Minors, he could make his MLB debut sooner rather than later. He's unquestionably a player worth monitoring for redraft fantasy managers heading into 2026.
--Will BradySource: The Denver Post - Patrick Saunders
March 14, 2026
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher
Zack Wheeler (shoulder) threw his first live batting practice session of the spring on Saturday, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. Zolecki reports that Wheeler is "zooming towards an April return" from the thoracic outlet surgery he underwent last September. The 35-year-old was his usual dominant self before getting injured in 2025, posting a 10-5 record with a 2.71 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 195 strikeouts across 149 2/3 innings (24 starts). Wheeler will start the 2026 season on the Injured List, but it sounds as though the veteran right-hander will be able to make his first appearance of the season before the end of April. Wheeler profiles as a fantasy SP1 when healthy, and his ADP will likely continue to rise in drafts leading up to Opening Day, barring any injury setbacks.
--Will BradySource: MLB.com - Todd Zolecki
March 14, 2026
Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher
Robert Stephenson (shoulder, elbow) said there is "concern of further damage to his UCL," per Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group. Fletcher reports that Stephenson is meeting with renowned specialist Dr. Keith Meister in hopes of "finding a solution that would allow him to pitch this year." It's potentially devastating news for Stephenson, who missed all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery and pitched just 10 innings in 2025 as he battled thoracic outlet syndrome and nerve issues in his shoulder. If healthy, Stephenson might have been a dark-horse saves candidate in the Angels bullpen. Without him, veterans
Kirby Yates,
Jordan Romano, and
Drew Pomeranz look like the favorites for the ninth-inning role in Los Angeles to open 2026.
--Will BradySource: SoCal News Group - Jeff Fletcher
March 14, 2026
Los Angeles Angels outfielder
Josh Lowe (oblique) is back in the lineup at designated hitter for his team's Spring Training matchup against the Seattle Mariners. Lowe has managed just seven plate appearances this spring as he battles nagging oblique issues, but it appears as though he will have a chance to ramp up and be ready for Opening Day. Lowe is no stranger to oblique problems and injury issues in general, as he's reached 500 plate appearances just once in the last three years. The 28-year-old is looking to get his MLB career back on track after he struggled to a .220/.283/.366 line across 435 plate appearances with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025. However, Lowe collected 11 home runs and 18 stolen bases even in a down year, and he profiles an intriguing power/speed threat for fantasy managers if he can ever get a run of extended health.
--Will BradySource: SoCal News Group - Jeff Fletcher
March 14, 2026
Cincinnati Reds second baseman
Matt McLain has been tearing the cover off the baseball this spring. Easily the most productive player in the Cactus League, McLain owns a .543/.600/1.057 slash line with five home runs, 12 RBI, a 12.5% walk rate, a 10.0% strikeout rate, and 314 wRC+ through 147 spring contests. While it's dangerous to put much stock into spring training stats, these results offer fantasy managers plenty of reasons to be optimistic about McLain in 2026. He's due for a much-needed bounce-back year after posting 77 wRC+ with 15 homers and 18 steals in 2025. McLain has a very firm grasp on the starting second base job, so it's not like this stretch of hot performances will impact his role for the upcoming season. Still, it should offer more confidence to the Reds' coaching staff, fans, and fantasy managers. As it stands, McLain projects as the Reds' No. 2 hitter and ranks ninth among second basemen in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 14, 2026
Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher
Jeff Hoffman has been added to the United States of America's roster for the World Baseball Classic, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. He will join the team for the semifinals in Miami, replacing now-retired pitcher
Clayton Kershaw. Now 33 years old, Hoffman has been an effective bullpen arm late into his career. While his FIP did jump to 4.90 last year, he still locked down 33 saves for a Jays team that won the American League pennant. Hoffman finished 2025 with 11.12 K/9 and 3.57 BB/9, leaving home runs as his biggest issue. If he can reduce the amount of loud contact he surrenders in 2026, he can return to being one of MLB's top closers while delivering high-leverage innings for a competitive baseball team. In the short term, he'll have a similarly important role pitching out of the USA's bullpen as the WBC continues.
--Andersen PickardSource: Shi Davidi
March 14, 2026
The Boston Red Sox reportedly haven't engaged in extension talks with infielder
Marcelo Mayer or pitching prospect
Connelly Early, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. It has become increasingly common for organizations to sign their young prospects to long-term extensions, paying them a little more in the short term to ensure they gain extra years of guaranteed control further down the road. However, it sounds like the Sox don't have any interest in jumping to that step with Mayer or Early yet. Injuries limited Mayer to just 44 MLB games in his rookie season last year, and while he played solid defense, he slashed just .228/.272/.402 with a 30.1% strikeout rate and 80 wRC+ at the dish. He's viewed as a potential long-term third base solution with
Rafael Devers and
Alex Bregman gone, but currently, Boston is non-committal about giving him a spot on the 2026 Opening Day roster. Early has flashed upside on the mound, albeit over a small sample size. Through four starts as a rookie last year, he posted a 0.91 FIP with 13.50 K/9, 1.86 BB/9, and a 46.7% ground ball rate. The Red Sox have previously signed long-term extensions with other young prospects, including
Brayan Bello,
Roman Anthony,
Kristian Campbell, and
Ceddanne Rafaela. We could see Mayer and Early join that list eventually, but for now, extension talks are non-existent.
--Andersen PickardSource: Chris Cotillo
March 14, 2026
MLB.com reports that Texas Rangers third baseman
Josh Jung's recovery from a groin injury has "been a little slower than initially expected." However, Jung was able to take ground balls on Friday and is expected to play in a minor-league game this weekend. The 28-year-old oft-injured third baseman hasn't appeared in a Cactus League game since Feb. 24. The former eighth overall pick out of Texas Tech in 2019 still has around two weeks to get fully back up to speed before the start of the 2026 regular season. Jung was an All-Star in 2023 in his first full year in the majors, slashing .266/.315/.467 with a .781 OPS, 23 home runs, 70 RBI, and 75 runs scored in 515 plate appearances and 122 games. He has clear 30-homer upside in Texas, but he's also among the biggest injury risks at the third base position, which makes him only RotoBaller's No. 34 fantasy third baseman. Jung's 131 games played last year were a career high.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
March 14, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher
Merrill Kelly (back) expects to open the regular season on the injured list, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Kelly experienced back discomfort on February 21, and while he was able to throw 1.2 innings in a Cactus League game this past Friday, it sounds like he won't be in the Snakes' rotation on Opening Day. On one hand, it's unfortunate news for the Diamondbacks and Kelly, who was projected to be the Opening Day starter after posting an impressive 3.76 FIP with 3.48 K/BB last year. On the other hand, Gilbert notes that the Diamondbacks can backdate Kelly's IL placement to three days before Opening Day, so he'd only miss the first 12 days of regular-season action. All things considered, that's just a few starts and should be enough to ensure he's fully healthy for a long season. Managers can afford to be a little patient with Kelly if it means that he'll be at peak health and productivity going forward. He currently ranks as the #72 starter in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for 2026.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
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