October 23, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said on Foul Territory on Thursday that right-hander
Zack Wheeler (shoulder) could have a chance to be ready for Opening Day in 2026, and that they aren't expecting Wheeler to have any setbacks during his recovery this offseason from thoracic outlet surgery. "We're hopeful it'll [his return] be on the front end, which would even get him ready for Opening Day, but right now he's doing very good," Dombrowski said. Wheeler's 2025 campaign ended early because of a blood-clot issue in his right shoulder that required surgery, but he could be ready to go early next year. Before the unique injury, the 35-year-old veteran hurler went 10-5 with a 2.71 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 195 strikeouts in 149 2/3 innings pitched over 24 starts. Wheeler has been one of the most consistent starting pitchers in the league since 2021, but there will be more risk than ever with him in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Foul Territory
October 23, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander
Clayton Kershaw will be on the team's World Series roster, according to manager Dave Roberts. Kershaw, who has made just one relief appearance in the playoffs this year in the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, will continue to be available out of the team's bullpen. The 37-year-old future first-ballot Hall of Famer didn't fare well in that one appearance, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits (two homers) while walking three and striking out none in two innings of work. Kershaw already announced that this year will be the last of his Hall of Fame career. Although the three-time Cy Young winner and former MVP hasn't been a part of the team's postseason success this October, he was solid in his 23 outings (22 starts) for the Blue during the regular season, going 11-2 with a 3.36 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 84:35 K:BB in 112 2/3 innings.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Alden Gonzalez
October 23, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers right-handers
Logan Henderson (elbow) and
Trevor Megill (elbow), and left-hander
DL Hall (oblique) were all deemed fully recovered by season's end, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Right-hander
Quinn Priester (wrist), who dealt with right-wrist soreness late in the year, is also headed for a normal offseason and is expected to be fully healthy for Opening Day in 2026. Henderson was shut down in early August due to a flexor strain in his right elbow, but he should be ready for the start of next season. He only threw 25 1/3 innings over five starts before getting hurt, but when available, he was money, posting a 1.79 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 33 strikeouts and eight walks. As long as he doesn't have a setback with his forearm in spring training, Henderson figures to have a good shot at winning a starting rotation spot for the Brew Crew.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Adam McCalvy
October 23, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers third baseman
Caleb Durbin (elbow) battled elbow irritation at the end of the 2025 season and will have arthroscopic debridement surgery on Oct. 30, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Durbin is expected to be fully ready for the start of spring training in February, according to the team. The 25-year-old former 14th-round pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2021 out of Washington University in St. Louis made his big-league debut this year with Milwaukee and settled in as their starting third baseman pretty quickly. He ended up playing in 136 regular-season games and slashed .256/.334/.387 with a .721 OPS, 11 home runs, 53 RBI, 60 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases in 506 trips to the plate. Durbin should be ready for the start of the regular season as long as he doesn't have a setback with his elbow in spring training.
--Keith HernandezSource: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Curt Hogg
October 23, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder
Sal Frelick (knee) underwent imaging on his troublesome left knee after the Brewers were knocked out of the National League Championship Series, but the imaging came back "unremarkable," according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. Frelick is thus expected to have a "normal offseason." The 25-year-old battled soreness in his left knee for much of the 2025 season after initially injuring it in May, but he managed to play in 142 regular-season games and had his best year in the big leagues in his third season. Frelick finished the regular season with a strong .288 batting average (152-for-528) with career-highs in home runs (12), RBI (63), runs scored (76), and stolen bases (19). Unfortunately for the Brewers, Frelick's 2025 numbers could easily figure to be his ceiling going forward.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Adam McCalvy
October 23, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers catcher
William Contreras (finger) will visit with a hand specialist next week for a "potential correction" of his fractured left middle finger, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Contreras suffered a fractured finger way back in May but played through the injury. The 27-year-old Venezuelan backstop took a slight step back offensively in 2025, and it was likely due to his fractured finger. In 150 games played for the first-place Brewers, he hit .260/.355/.399 with a .754 OPS, 17 home runs, 76 RBI, 89 runs scored, and six stolen bases in his 659 plate appearances. Contreras was still one of the better-hitting catchers in the league, but he wasn't as good as his 23-homer season in 2024. Even if Contreras needs to have his injured finger fixed via surgery this offseason, he should be ready to go for Opening Day in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Adam McCalvy
October 23, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter
George Springer is "very" capable of playing the outfield, if needed, in the upcoming World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to manager John Schneider. The skipper prefers not to take players out of their comfort zone, but Schneider sounds confident that Springer can play the outfield, if needed. It has been a month since Springer played in the outfield, and he also suffered a knee injury in the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners, but it sounds as though the Jays will consider the veteran in the outfield if shortstop
Bo Bichette (knee) is put on the World Series roster but has to be limited to DH duties. Along with first baseman
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Springer has been an offensive hero for Toronto all year, hitting 32 home runs in the regular season and posting a .929 OPS with four dingers in the postseason.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sportsnet - Ben Nicholson-Smith
October 23, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays All-Star shortstop
Bo Bichette (knee) will face live pitching on Thursday, according to manager John Schneider. Bichette has also been taking ground balls, running, and hitting over the last few days. Schneider said there's "still a few more boxes to check," and "we're kind of coming right down to the wire with it" in terms of his availability for the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which starts on Friday night in Toronto. If Bichette is included on the World Series roster, the skipper said that starting him at designated hitter, shortstop, or second base is all on the table. For what it's worth, Scheider said that Bichette "looked more than comfortable" when he played second in the minors. If Bichette is active and serves as the DH, it would require
George Springer to play the outfield. Getting Bichette back in the lineup would be a huge boost to Toronto's lineup, although there could be plenty of rust since he hasn't played in a big-league game since early September.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sportsnet - Arden Zwelling
October 23, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays rookie right-hander
Trey Yesavage will become the second-youngest pitcher ever to toe the rubber in Game 1 of a World Series when he starts on Friday night at the Rogers Centre against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yesavage will be making just his seventh start in the major leagues in the first game of the Fall Classic -- he made three during the regular season for Toronto and three so far in the postseason. The 22-year-old allowed five earned runs on 13 hits (no homers) while walking seven and fanning 16 in 14 innings in his three regular-season starts (two against Tampa and one versus the Royals). He has allowed seven earned runs in his three postseason starts over 15 innings, but he has walked seven and struck out 22 against the Yankees and two times out versus the Mariners. Yesavage has a lot of swing-and-miss stuff, but it will prove to be a huge challenge matching lefty
Blake Snell, who has been lights-out for L.A. in October.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
October 23, 2025
The plan is for the Detroit Tigers to promote their top prospect, shortstop
Kevin McGonigle, next season, and the Detroit Free Press' Evan Petzold writes that a "midsummer promotion makes the most sense." The 21-year-old hasn't played above Double-A Erie in the minors, but he's coming soon, and fantasy managers need to take notice. "I expect the players that posted dominant years in Double-A to factor into our big-league team next year," president of baseball operations Scott Harris said. McGonigle ranks second overall on MLB Pipeline's top-100 list going into next season. While nothing is official yet, McGonigle is expected to be in big-league camp during spring training after hitting .305 with 19 home runs, 59 walks, and 46 strikeouts in 88 games with Erie and High-A West Michigan in 2025. At Erie, McGonigle hit .254 with 12 homers, 33 walks, and 26 K's in 46 games, posting a .919 OPS. The Tigers are in win-now mode, so as long as McGonigle is performing in the minors early in 2026, he should make his big-league debut sooner rather than later.
--Keith HernandezSource: Detroit Free Press - Evan Petzold
October 23, 2025
The Athletic's Jim Bowden writes that Boston Red Sox outfielder
Jarren Duran's name "keeps coming up in trade rumors," and it now "sounds like the Red Sox will move on from him this winter." Boston must envision their future outfield as
Wilyer Abreu in right field,
Ceddanne Rafaela in center field, and
Roman Anthony in left. Duran has plenty of appeal, as he slashed .256/.332/.442 and led the league in triples for the second straight season while posting 4.6 bWAR in 2025. He was more productive in 2024, though, leading the league with 48 doubles and 14 triples and also hitting 21 home runs and stealing 34 bases. Making Duran more attractive is the fact that he's controllable through the 2028 campaign, so Boston is going to have a high asking price for him. Bowden lists the Phillies, Dodgers, Tigers, Guardians, and Rangers as teams that would love to acquire him.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Jim Bowden
October 23, 2025
The Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan announced that they will officially post third baseman Kazuma Okamoto for major-league teams this offseason, according to Francys Romero. Okamoto should have a decent market as a player who can play third base and first base, and he also has some experience playing the outfield. Third base is his primary position. Last season for the Giants, the 29-year-old slashed a strong .327/.416/.598 with 15 home runs in 69 games in what was a down year for him. Okamoto averaged over 30 home runs per season in the NPB from 2018 through 2024, so he certainly has pop in his bat that should translate to Major League Baseball in 2026 and beyond. Okamoto's fantasy value for next season will ultimately depend on where he lands this offseason.
--Keith HernandezSource: Francys Romero
October 22, 2025
The San Francisco Giants are naming Tony Vitello as the team's new manager, per ESPN's Jeff Passan and Pete Thamel. Vitello previously served as the manager for the University of Tennessee's baseball program and will become the first MLB manager hired directly from a college program. Vitello led the Volunteers to a College Baseball World Series victory in 2024. The Giants fired veteran MLB manager Bob Melvin on September 29 after he spent two seasons at the helm and failed to lead San Francisco to a playoff berth in either year. Expectations for Vitello in San Francisco will be high right away. The Giants have a talented roster and may continue to add pieces during the offseason, but they also play in one of MLB's most competitive divisions in the National League West.
--Will BradySource: ESPN - Jeff Passan, Pete Thamel
October 22, 2025
Los Angeles Angels pitching prospect Tyler Bremner (elbow) "isn't pitching in Angels instructs due to elbow soreness," according to Sam Blum of The Athletic. Blum also reports that Bremner "had a clean MRI" and there's "no concern within the (organization) about any actual injury." Still, any sort of elbow discomfort is a worrying sign for the number two overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft. Bremner threw 77 1/3 innings this season at the University of California, Santa Barbara, recording a 3.49 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 111 strikeouts. Given how the Angels have aggressively promoted prospects in recent seasons, Bremner may be in the team's big-league plans sooner rather than later. His health will be a storyline for fantasy managers to monitor over the winter.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Sam Blum
October 22, 2025
Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reports that "there is expected to be runway" for top Mariners infield prospect
Colt Emerson to "win an opening-day job going into 2026." In 2025, Emerson played 90 games with High-A Everett, 34 games with Double-A Arkansas, and six games with Triple-A Tacoma. He slashed .285/.383/.458 with 16 home runs, 78 RBI, 82 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases in 600 plate appearances spread across the three levels. Emerson will not turn 21 years old until July 2026. He's a natural shortstop, but Jude speculates that Emerson's best path to a starting job in Seattle may be at third base.
Eugenio Suarez served as Seattle's third baseman down the stretch of 2025, but he is now a free agent. Despite his limited experience at the highest levels of the Minors, it appears Emerson could crack the Mariners 2026 opening day roster if he performs in Spring Training.
--Will BradySource: Seattle Times - Adam Jude
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