February 17, 2026
MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo writes that Boston Red Sox left-hander
Jake Bennett has been an early camp standout for the team. The Red Sox want to keep him stretched out this spring, so he won't be a candidate to be in the Opening Day bullpen. "I don't foresee us, outside of strict necessity, wanting to shorten him up anytime soon," pitching coach Andrew Bailey said. The 25-year-old 6-foot-6, 234-pounder is getting an opportunity in big-league camp despite having not pitched above Double-A. Baseball America ranks Bennett as the sixth-best prospect in Boston's system and the fifth-best pitcher. He had Tommy John surgery after the 2023 season and missed all of 2024, but he bounced back nicely last year with a 2.27 ERA, 64 K's, and 19 walks in 75 1/3 innings. For now, Bennett is a name to watch. If he pitches well at Triple-A this year, he could be an option for Boston's rotation or bullpen later in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
February 17, 2026
Former MLB player Tony Clark is expected to resign from his position as executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, according to Evan Drellich, Ken Rosenthal, and Andy McCullough of The Athletic. The union will now be scrambling to find a leader heading into a lengthy labor dispute this winter. According to Los Angeles Angels pitcher
Brent Suter, a member of the union's eight-player executive subcommittee, the union hopes to "keep everything as stable as we can this year." The priority for the MLBPA will be the upcoming bargaining sessions, which are expected to start this summer. The most obvious candidate to become the interim director is deputy director Bruce Meyer. The 53-year-old Clark has headed the union since 2013, but he has been under federal investigation since last year regarding using licensing money or equity to enrich themselves.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Evan Drellich, Ken Rosenthal, and Andy McCullough
February 17, 2026
New York Yankees right-hander
Gerrit Cole (elbow) threw another bullpen session in camp on Tuesday, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. Cole had Tommy John surgery with an internal brace last March and missed all of the 2025 season, but the 35-year-old former Cy Young winner has been throwing since August and is making good progress. He will not be ready for the start of the 2026 season, but if he avoids any setbacks in his rehab, Cole could be ready to make his season debut in late May or early June. He could even pitch in some Grapefruit League games before the end of spring training. The six-time All-Star shouldn't be expected to return to pre-injury form immediately, and the Yankees will most likely ease him back into the rotation. The former ace should be stashed in all fantasy leagues, but he'll be a wild card since he's thrown only 95 innings since the start of 2024.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Daily News - Gary Phillips
February 17, 2026
Minnesota Twins right-hander
Pablo Lopez (elbow) has been diagnosed with a torn UCL, and "surgery is very much on the table," according to general manager Jeremy Zoll. If surgery is needed, Lopez would miss the entire season, according to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. Lopez is seeking a second opinion, but in all likelihood, he's going to need Tommy John surgery or an internal-brace procedure and miss all of 2026. It's a big blow to an already thin Twins starting rotation. Lopez also dealt with shoulder and forearm injuries last year and threw just 75 2/3 innings. The Venezuelan hurler was solid when he was on the mound for Minnesota, though, recording a career-best 2.74 ERA (3.19 FIP) and 1.11 WHIP with 73 strikeouts and 20 walks in his 14 starts. Even though surgery isn't official yet, fantasy managers will want to avoid Lopez in drafts this week.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Aaron Gleeman
February 17, 2026
New York Mets infielder
Brett Baty could be in line to play a super-utility role for the team in 2026. Baty was working at second base in camp on Tuesday after spending time at first base on Monday, according to Metsmerized. He's expected to work all over the diamond in spring training this year, and he could even be a candidate to platoon in right field if outfield prospect
Carson Benge begins the season in the minors.
Bo Bichette is locked in at third base, and
Marcus Semien will start at second this year, so Baty must increase his versatility to see the field in 2026. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter was a disappointment with the bat in his first three seasons at the big-league level, but he showed more promise in 2025, slashing .254/.313/.435 with a .748 OPS, 18 homers, 50 RBI, 53 runs, and eight steals in 130 games. From Aug. 1 on, Baty hit over .300 with seven homers in 146 plate appearances. Unfortunately, he might not have enough volume to make him relevant in mixed fantasy leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: Metsmerized
February 17, 2026
If Atlanta Braves right-handed pitching prospect
Hurston Waldrep (elbow) needs surgery on his right elbow, the assumption is that he would need roughly three months to recover, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. If Waldrep avoids going under the knife, he might just need at least three weeks of rest. It all depends on what Dr. Keith Meister sees. A decision on the 23-year-old is expected to come this week. Either way, Waldrep is going to start the 2026 season on the injured list. The former 24th overall pick in 2023 out of the University of Florida made 10 appearances (nine starts) for the Braves last year and looked great, going 6-1 with a 2.88 ERA (3.21 FIP) and 1.19 WHIP with 55 strikeouts and 22 walks in 56 1/3 innings pitched. Waldrep should eventually have a place in Atlanta's starting rotation, but 2026 could end up being a lost season for him if he needs surgery.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mark Bowman
February 17, 2026
St. Louis Cardinals right-handed reliever
Riley O'Brien (calf) is dealing with some calf soreness in camp, according to Jeff Jones of The Belleville News. The Cardinals are now discussing what it means for O'Brien's participation in this year's World Baseball Classic for Team South Korea. The 31-year-old will be in the mix for saves in St. Louis in 2026 with
JoJo Romero as long as he's healthy. In his second year in St. Louis in 2025, O'Brien was hard to hit, posting a 2.06 ERA (1.15 WHIP), his first six career saves, a career-high 45 strikeouts, and 22 walks in 48 innings over 42 appearances out of the bullpen. It was his first extended look in the big leagues, and he did not disappoint. O'Brien struck out only 22.6% of the batters he faced, though, and also had an elevated 11.1% walk rate for a high-leverage arm, so there will be plenty of volatility and risk for a pitcher who has never held down the closer's role for an entire season.
--Keith HernandezSource: Belleview News - Jeff Jones
February 17, 2026
Texas Rangers starting pitcher
Jack Leiter appears to have secured the fourth spot in the Rangers' rotation coming into the season, behind a strong trio of
Jacob deGrom,
Nathan Eovaldi, and recently-acquired
MacKenzie Gore. Leiter finished his first full season in the majors 10-10 in 29 starts for Texas last year, racking up 148 strikeouts in 151 2/3 innings. He finished the year with a 3.86 ERA and 4.15 FIP, but the 25-year-old righty looked better after the All-Star break with a 3.28 ERA, 3.72 FIP, and 79 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings. He also cut his walk rate to 3.66 walks per nine innings from 4.4 before the All-Star break. Leiter can be a great later-round sleeper with good upside, and he still has plenty of room to grow into his top-prospect status after the Rangers snagged him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Kennedi Landry
February 17, 2026
Cleveland Guardians first baseman
Kyle Manzardo is ready to build on last year's success and came into spring training with a new look and new approach. The 25-year-old lefty bulked up this offseason, adding about 15 pounds coming into spring training. In 2025, he hit .234 in his first full season in the majors, exactly matching his batting average from 53 games in 2024. He dramatically increased his power production, though, with a .221 ISO, .329 wOBA, and 27 homers in his 142 games. While a 30-homer season is definitely a real possibility, Manzardo said his focus is to be better situationally. He's projected to hit fourth in the batting order again this season, right behind the always-productive
Jose Ramirez. Manzardo's ADP is low enough that he can be a great option late in drafts if your team needs a little power and can take a hit in batting average.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Ryan Lewis
February 17, 2026
Washington Nationals outfielder
Dylan Crews was one of the top prospects in baseball coming into last season, but he had underwhelming rookie numbers. He's ready to turn the page and have a much better sophomore campaign, saying, "I think all of us have to forget about everything that's happened in the past. It's a clean slate right now." The former No. 2 overall pick is still a huge part of the Nationals' plans and should get a long leash as a primary outfielder in Washington this season. In his 85 games last year, he hit just .208 with 10 homers and 17 stolen bases. He has the potential for a much better average and more power if he can live up to his pedigree in the majors this season. He's slotted into a great lineup spot if he hits second between C.J. Abrams and
James Wood, so there's definitely still some upside with Crews, who is available at a low ADP and has some definite "post-hype sleeper" potential to emerge this season.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Mark Zuckerman
February 17, 2026
San Francisco Giants relief pitcher
Ryan Walker is likely to get the first shot at being the team's primary closer, even after a down year in 2025. Walker took over closing duties in 2024 and was excellent on his way to a 1.91 ERA and 2.52 FIP in 80 innings across 76 appearances. In 2025, though, his ERA climbed to 4.11 and fIP to 3.31. He had a career-high 17 saves but also had six blown saves and a 1.27 WHIP. Walker has made it clear coming into camp that he wants the ball in high-leverage situations, and he seems to have the inside track for the job. The rest of the bullpen doesn't have much combined experience closing games, so if Walker stumbles like he did last year, it will likely be
Joel Peguero,
Erik Miller, or
Jose Butto who have to step up.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Alex Pavlovic
February 17, 2026
Boston Red Sox infielder
Romy Gonzalez (shoulder) is still limited to just playing catch, according to manager Alex Cora, and is unable to do any other baseball activities while waiting for the PRP injection to work on his shoulder injury. The issue first cropped up towards the end of last season and has limited Gonzalez all offseason. It's starting to look unlikely that he'll be ready for Opening Day, but the 29-year-old will still likely fit into Boston's crowded infield mix at some point, He slashed .305/.343/.483 with an .826 OPS, nine home runs, 53 RBI, 47 runs scored, and six stolen bases in 96 regular-season games last year and had an impressive 99th-percentile hard-hit rate and 123 wRC+ in what a breakout campaign. He especially excelled against lefties and should at least get time in a platoon when he's healthy. Monitor his recovery and keep him as a late-round deep-league value addition, especially if you need some roster versatility.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Gabrielle Starr
February 16, 2026
The San Diego Padres signed free-agent right-hander
Walker Buehler to a minor-league deal on Monday, according to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. The Padres' first four starting rotation spots for 2026 appear to be set with
Nick Pivetta,
Michael King,
Joe Musgrove, and
Randy Vasquez. Buehler will come to spring training competing for the fifth and final rotation spot with
German Marquez,
Matt Waldron,
Triston McKenzie,
JP Sears, and
Marco Gonzales. The 31-year-old struggled in his final season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024 and also didn't look great in 126 innings with the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies last year, posting a 4.93 ERA (5.66 FIP) and 1.52 WHIP with 92 strikeouts and 61 walks in 26 outings (24 starts). Buehler has not been the same pitcher since having Tommy John surgery in 2022, and he'll need to limit the walks and keep the ball in the yard to win a rotation spot in San Diego.
--Keith HernandezSource: The San Diego Union-Tribune - Kevin Acee
February 16, 2026
Cleveland Guardians manager
Stephen Vogt said that infield prospect
Juan Brito will see time at first base, second base, and third base this spring, according to Mason Horodyski of WEWS. Brito could also be an option in right field because the team doesn't have many right-handed options there. "If Juan Brito can play all of those roles... obviously it's beneficial for him and for us," Vogt said. Adding versatility will only increase Brito's chances of earning an Opening Day roster spot in 2026. The 24-year-old Dominican switch-hitter only played in 31 games in 2025 at the Rookie level and with Triple-A Columbus due to surgeries on his thumb and hamstring. He hit .243/.355/.437 with a .792 OPS, four homers, 17 RBI, 17 runs, and four steals in 125 plate appearances. Brito is unlikely to have a realistic shot at regular playing time in 2026, and he still has minor-league options remaining.
--Keith HernandezSource: WEWS - Mason Horodyski
February 16, 2026
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder
Richie Palacios will see reps at third base during spring training, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Palacios has mostly played the outfield in the major leagues, but he's also seen time at second base. The 28-year-old should be the backup option behind
Gavin Lux at the keystone in 2026, but he'll increase his versatility in camp this year by getting some experience at the hot corner. Palacios, a former third-rounder by the Cleveland Guardians in 2018 out of Towson University, missed most of the 2025 campaign (17 games played) due to a broken right ring finger and a sprained knee. The Rays are willing to give him more playing time to see what he can do after he hit .223/.346/.318 with a .664 OPS, five home runs, 21 RBI, 46 runs, and 19 steals in 92 games in 2024. Palacios has plenty of plate discipline and speed, so if he's playing regularly, he could be a nice late-round sleeper in deeper fantasy leagues in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
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