February 19, 2026
San Diego Padres starting pitcher
Michael King is a high-risk, high-rewards option in 2026 fantasy baseball drafts after re-signing a three-year deal this past offseason. In his first year in San Diego, King showed his upside with a sparkling 2.95 ERA, 3.33 FIP, and 1.19 WHIP to go with a career-high 201 strikeouts in 30 regular-season starts. Last year, though, he was held back by shoulder and knee injuries and was only able to make 15 starts, compiling a 3.44 ERA, 4.42 FIP, and 1.20 WHIP. His strikeout rate slipped a bit as well, and he finished with 76 punchouts in 73 1/3 innings. If he can stay healthy this year, King has the potential to be a fantasy ace, and he opens spring training with no restrictions. Some buzz from spring training indicates that the Padres could go to a six-man rotation to try to limit their injury issues in the rotation, but that hasn't been officially announced yet. Drafting King for his upside is a good move in almost all formats, as long as you build in some extra depth in case injuries limit him again in 2026.
--Zach ThompsonSource: RotoBaller
February 19, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder
Corbin Carroll (hand) said he is targeting an Opening Day return from his surgery to fix a broken hamate bone suffered in spring training. Carroll will get the stitches out early next week and should be able to resume hitting. The injury was to his non-throwing hand, but the primary concern with hamate bone injuries is the force from swinging the bat. It looks like Carroll still has a chance to miss no time at the start of the season, but even if he misses his target, he won't likely miss extended time, barring any complications. If he coes miss time, it looks like the Diamondbacks will try
Jordan Lawlar in center and move
Alek Thomas to right field. While his injury definitely raises his risk factor, Carroll's injury is actually creating some great potential value in drafting Carroll, since he should be a top contributor when he returns and is sliding a little bit in drafts. If you take a shot on him early, just be sure to build in reliable depth later in your draft.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Foul Territory
February 19, 2026
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Logan Webbhas been a durable and consistent ace for the Giants over the last several seasons, making 32+ starts in four straight years and surpassing 200 innings in each of the last three years. He tied a career-high with 15 wins and topped the National League with 224 strikeouts in his 207 innings. He finished the year with a 3.22 ERA despite an elevated 1.24 WHIP, but most of that was due to an elevated .346 BABIP against him. If he gets better defense and some batted-ball luck regression, he could be even sharper this season if he stays healthy again. He's a great option if you're looking for a reliable arm with good durability and upside in mixed-league drafts after about 20 pitchers have gone off the board.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Logan Webb
February 19, 2026
San Diego Padres starting pitcher
Griffin Canning (Achilles) is not expected to be ready to join his new team's rotation to start the season, but he could be back relatively early in the season. He could be ready to take a spot in April or May after finishing his recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered last June. Before the injury, the 29-year-old righty was having his best season in the majors, going 7-3 with a career-best 3.77 ERA, a 4.04 FIP, and a 1.38 WHIP with 70 strikeouts in 76 1/3 innings for the Mets. Canning will be an interesting option in Petco Park and a nice late-round stash if your league has enough IR spots to start the season. He is high-risk, though, given his inability to stay healthy during his career, so it may be better to grab him off waivers closer to his return in mixed leagues. In NL-only leagues, Canning is definitely worth stashing if possible.
--Zach ThompsonSource: AJ Cassavell
February 19, 2026
The Toronto Blue Jays have claimed infielder
Ben Cowles off waivers from the Chicago Cubs. The 26-year-old offers good defense and speed potential, which could be very important for the Blue Jays this season. He originally came up in the Yankees' system before getting traded to the Cubs in the
Mark Leiter Jr. deal back in 2024. He has bounced back and forth between the Cubs and White Sox late last season and over the winter, but now he's headed north of the border to join the Jays. He's still awaiting his MLB debut after spending last year in Triple-A, slashing .235/.300/.371 with nine homers and 18 stolen bases. He's a defense-first option that could have speed upside if he gets playing time, but he's likely to start the season in the minors, unless there's an injury.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Blue Jays
February 19, 2026
Free agent infielder
CJ Alexander has agreed to a minor-league deal with the Astros, and the 28-year-old lefty will likely serve as organizational depth for Houston this season. For the last few seasons, the infielder has bounced around Triple-A, spending time in the systems of the Braves, Royals, Athletics, Yankees, and Dodgers. He made it to the majors for six games with the Athletics last season, going just 3-for-17 with three singles and eight strikeouts. In his combined time in Triple-A, he slashed .254/.335/.448 with 15 homers in 466 plate appearances, so there's a little pop in his bat, even though he hasn't shown it yet in the majors. Barring injury, he doesn't seem likely to make the Astros roster out of Spring Training, although rumors about a potential infield trade could change that outlook. For now, he's not a fantasy factor but does give the team another option in the infield if needs arise.
--Zach ThompsonSource: MLB.com
February 18, 2026
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder
Lars Nootbaar (heels) still has no timeline for a return to full baseball activities, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News. Nootbaar has been able to hit and throw, but he's just now moving into being able to run without assistance. The 28-year-old will continue to run on an anti-gravity treadmill in camp after having surgery in early October on both of his heels to address deformities. The Cardinals are unlikely to rush Nootbaar, so the expectation is that he will not be ready to go on Opening Day in late March. Nootbaar played a career-high 135 games in 2025 and disappointed offensively, slashing .234/.325/.361 with a career-worst .686 OPS, 13 homers, 48 RBI, 68 runs, and four steals in 583 plate appearances. His batted-ball metrics have always teased more -- he had a career-best 50% hard-hit rate and 10.2% barrel rate in 2025 -- but he's rarely been healthy and has yet to put it all together. Nootbaar needs to get healthy and finally break through to jump into the top-100 outfield rankings.
--Keith HernandezSource: Belleville News - Jeff Jones
February 18, 2026
MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the Houston Astros' chances of trading third baseman
Isaac Paredes before the start of the 2026 season are "diminishing." Paredes missed two months last year in his first season in Houston due to a serious hamstring tear, which led to the team reacquiring
Carlos Correa to play third. The 27-year-old is now blocked in the infield with
Jose Altuve moving back to second base, and at designated hitter (
Yordan Alvarez). Paredes is moving around at multiple different positions this spring, and a utility role might be his best path to playing time, barring an injury. Despite playing in only 102 games, Paredes reached the 20-homer mark for the third time in his six MLB seasons while slashing .254/.352/.458 with an .809 OPS. His 2026 fantasy value is unsettled without a clear path to regular playing time. A trade out of town with an everyday role would be the best outcome from a fantasy perspective.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
February 18, 2026
Right-hander
Tobias Myers will be on the New York Mets' Opening Day roster, according to manager
Carlos Mendoza. Myers will begin his first year with the Mets in the bullpen if the starting rotation is full and everyone is healthy, but the Mets will not send him to the minors simply to keep him stretched out. The 27-year-old came over from the Milwaukee Brewers in the offseason as part of the trade that involved starter
Freddy Peralta. He will most likely start the year in a long-relief role and will likely operate as a swingman, as needed. Myers spent most of the 2025 campaign going back and forth between Milwaukee and Triple-A Nashville, and he started only six of his 22 appearances after making 25 starts for the Brew Crew in his rookie season. It was discouraging that his strikeout rate fell from 22.3% to 17.3% in mostly a relief role. Without a clear path to a starting role in Queens, Myers won't have any mixed-league utility.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Anthony DiComo
February 18, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Wednesday that designated hitter
Shohei Ohtani will remain in the leadoff spot this season, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Why mess with success? The two-way superstar won his third straight MVP award and fourth in the last five seasons while also helping the Dodgers win back-to-back World Series titles. The 2026 season will be his first full year in L.A. as a true two-way player. Ohtani led the league last year in runs (146), slugging percentage (.622), OPS (1.014), and total bases (380) in 158 regular-season games while also hitting .282 with a career-high 55 home runs, 102 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. The 31-year-old was unable to live up to his 50-50 showing from 2024, but he still was a beast as a DH for fantasy managers. He will once again set the table for the best team in baseball and will be the top player off the board in all fantasy drafts as a hitter.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Katie Woo
February 18, 2026
Los Angeles Angels right-hander
Jose Soriano will start the team's Cactus League opener in spring training on Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Tempe Diablo Stadium, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Soriano is completely recovered after missing the final two weeks of last season with a right-forearm contusion. Not only will the 27-year-old kick off Cactus League action this year, but he could get the nod as the Halos' Opening Day starter over left-hander
Yusei Kikuchi. In his third year in the majors with the Angels in 2025, Soriano went 10-11 with a career-high 4.26 ERA (3.73 FIP), 1.39 WHIP, and 152:78 K:BB in 169 innings over his 31 starts. His stuff is top-notch, and he generates plenty of ground balls, but Soriano holds only a 22.1% career strikeout rate, while his 10.6% walk rate will scare many away. RotoBaller has him ranked just inside the top 100 starting pitchers in fantasy.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Rhett Bollinger
February 18, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Wednesday that right-handed reliever
Brusdar Graterol (shoulder) won't be ready for Opening Day in late March, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Graterol's velocity was up the last time he threw off a mound, but the Dodgers will continue to take things slow with him. The 27-year-old had surgery on his right shoulder in November of 2024 and missed the entire 2025 campaign, so the Dodgers aren't going to rush him back. Graterol held a fantastic 1.20 ERA (3.03 FIP), 0.96 WHIP, a career-high seven saves, 48 strikeouts, and 12 walks in 67 1/3 innings pitched in 2023 for the Dodgers before getting hurt in 2024. If he can return to that pre-injury form in 2026, he will certainly have a place near the back end of the Dodgers' bullpen in a contract year. However, with just 7 1/3 innings thrown since the start of 2024, Graterol is a big question mark.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
February 18, 2026
Marquee Sports Network's Bruce Levine says that Chicago Cubs shortstop
Dansby Swanson has a new approach at the plate this year and is going to "forsake some of the power for more contact," and he also mentioned that Swanson wants to hit the ball the other way more often. The 32-year-old veteran hasn't hit over .244 in any of his three seasons on the North Side, although he did clobber 24 homers (three off his career high) in 159 regular-season games in 2025. Swanson had his first 20-20 season in the big leagues last year, but he'd like to drop his strikeout rate, which has been at 25% in the last four years. Plate discipline hasn't been the issue, but rather making contact with hittable pitches inside the zone. Swanson has been good but not great for fantasy managers, and he ranks as RotoBaller's No. 16 shortstop. As long as he continues to run like he did last year, fantasy managers probably won't mind a little power trade-off for a higher average.
--Keith HernandezSource: Marquee Sports Network - Bruce Levine
February 18, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder
Teoscar Hernandez (groin) admitted that a groin injury was partly to blame for the worst offensive season of his big-league career in 2025, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. "I wasn't moving the way I know I can move," Hernández said. The groin injury he dealt with last year never really felt right." The 33-year-old Dominican veteran cleaned up his diet in the offseason and dropped 10 pounds as he looks to bounce back in 2026. Hernandez is eager to prove that he can get back to the production he had in his first year in L.A., when he hit .272/.339/.501 with an .840 OPS, career-high 33 home runs, 99 RBI, 84 runs, and 12 stolen bases in 154 regular-season games. His defense also slipped last year, but Hernandez was still essential in helping the Dodgers win back-to-back World Series titles. Hernandez's batted-ball metrics in 2025 were similar to his career year in 2024, suggesting he can easily bounce back in his third year in Hollywood. And in the best lineup in baseball, you could definitely have a worse No. 3 outfielder in fantasy.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Fabian Ardaya
February 18, 2026
Free-agent catcher
Mitch Garver and the Seattle Mariners agreed on a minor-league deal on Wednesday, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. The 35-year-old veteran backstop spent the last two seasons with the Mariners and will compete for the backup job in 2026 to American League MVP runner-up
Cal Raleigh. In his two years in the Pacific Northwest, Garver hit a measly .187/.290/.341 with a .632 OPS, but he did contribute 24 home runs, 81 RBI, and 66 runs scored in 201 regular-season games over 720 plate appearances. His primary competition for the No. 2 job will be
Andrew Knizner, with
Jhonny Pereda also in the mix this spring. Garver's average was up a bit (.209) last year in 87 games, but his power (nine homers) was down. Because his glove is below-average, it will be an uphill battle for playing time in Seattle if he wins the backup job.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
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