March 23, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher
Will Smith will hit cleanup against left-handed starting pitchers to open the 2026 regular season, manager Dave Roberts told Jack Harris of the California Post. The Dodgers rolled out this wrinkle to their lineup during Monday's spring training contest against the Los Angeles Angels, and it sounds like it will stick for at least the first part of the season. As a result,
Freddie Freeman dropped to the fifth spot in the lineup. Presumably, the motivating factor is to get more balance at the top of the order. With
Kyle Tucker on the team, three of the Dodgers' first four batters were projected to be left-handed hitters. Swapping Smith and Freeman allows for just two lefties among the first four batters. Jumping to cleanup against southpaws should lead to additional RBI opportunities for the veteran backstop, who already ranks #9 among catchers in RotoBaller's fantasy baseball rankings for 2026.
--Andersen PickardSource: Jack Harris
March 23, 2026
Detroit Tigers catcher
Jake Rogers (concussion) has cleared concussion protocol and will be on the 26-man roster for Opening Day, manager A.J. Hinch told Evan Petzold of Detroit Free Press. Hinch noted that Rogers caught a couple of bullpens and hit in the cage on Monday, and he'll catch a portion of Tuesday's spring training contest against the Colorado Rockies. Rogers is nestled into the backup role in Detroit after a couple of frustrating seasons at the plate. Across 49 games in 2025, he slashed just .187/.277/.333 with a 27.5% strikeout rate and 70 wRC+. The vast majority of his contributions come on defense, where he has posted 11 FRV and 14.6 FRM over the last two years. He'll only start games this year when
Dillon Dingler gets the day off.
--Andersen PickardSource: Evan Petzold
March 23, 2026
Houston Astros infielder
Jeremy Pena (finger) will play shortstop during Tuesday's exhibition game against the Triple-A Space Cowboys, manager Joe Espada told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. There had been speculation that Pena might play on Tuesday, but the skipper now confirmed the rumors and also noted that the 28-year-old will grab a glove and play the field. Pena is working his way back from a right ring finger fracture that he suffered while working out for the Dominican Republic ahead of the World Baseball Classic. It seems unlikely that Pena will open the season on the injured list, but the Astros are certainly taking the decision down to the wire. If he does miss any time,
Carlos Correa would shift to shortstop and
Isaac Paredes would patrol the hot corner. Pena is looking to build on a career-best 2025 campaign in which he slashed .304/.363/.477 with 17 home runs, 20 stolen bases, a 6.4% walk rate, a 17.1% strikeout rate, and 135 wRC+. He currently ranks #16 among shortstops in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for 2026.
--Andersen PickardSource: Chandler Rome
March 23, 2026
Texas Rangers left-handed pitcher
Jordan Montgomery (elbow) will throw his fifth bullpen session on Tuesday, according to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. The session will include approximately 30 pitches, and if all goes well, he could progress to the equivalent of two-inning sessions in the near future. Montgomery is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, and he's not expected to pitch in an MLB game until the middle of the 2026 season. Given that he's already had two UCL reconstruction surgeries, it seems unlikely that he'll get back to his 2023 form, which included a 3.20 ERA and 4.2 fWAR. However, the Rangers still believe he can be a low-risk starter in the back of their rotation, which is why they signed him to a one-year, $1.25 million deal in the middle of his rehab process.
--Andersen PickardSource: Evan Grant
March 23, 2026
San Diego Padres relief pitcher
Jason Adam (quad) will open the season on the 15-day injured list, according to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Adam has been recovering from a September surgery that repaired a ruptured tendon in his quad. While he has been facing batters for weeks, he didn't make his Cactus League debut until last Friday. As a result of his delayed return to action, he's going to open the year on the injured list. His placement on the IL will be backdated to March 22, allowing him to return no earlier than April 6. Getting Adam back and healthy is key for the Padres, as the veteran reliever pitched to an impressive 1.93 ERA with 9.64 K/9 and 3.44 BB/9 across 65.1 innings of relief work last year.
Ron Marinaccio and
Bradgley Rodriguez are both expected to make the Opening Day roster since Adam is not quite ready to go.
--Andersen PickardSource: Kevin Acee
March 23, 2026
Houston Astros starting pitcher
Lance McCullers Jr. has made the Opening Day rotation, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. McCullers has been with the Astros since he made his MLB debut in 2015, but he didn't pitch at all in 2023 or 2024. He returned to action last year, making 16 appearances (13 starts) in the majors with a shaky 5.77 FIP, 6.34 BB/9, and 1.63 HR/9. He struck out batters at a modest clip of 9.92 K/9, but his ground ball rate dropped to a new career-low mark of 46.4%. His job was far from guaranteed coming out of spring training, but ultimately, it appears that he has won the No. 5 starter role. With that being said, he'll need to pitch well -- or, at least, better than last year -- to survive a full season in the rotation. He showed flashes of improvement this spring with a 3.38 ERA, as well as reduced walk and home run rates. However, he racked up just 5.63 K/9 and a 40.9% ground ball rate, albeit over a small sample size.
--Andersen PickardSource: Matt Kawahara
March 23, 2026
The Chicago Cubs and star outfielder
Pete Crow-Armstrong are working to finalize a multi-year extension that would keep him in Chicago long-term, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com. Terms of the deal haven't been disclosed yet, and while the two sides are approaching an agreement, nothing has been finalized at this point. Still, it's a very encouraging development for all parties involved, including Cubs fans and fantasy baseball managers. Crow-Armstrong is coming off a spectacular 30-30 season in which he slashed .247/.287/.481 with 31 home runs, 35 stolen bases, and 109 wRC+. He was also highly productive defensively, posting 21 OAA and 21 FRV in center field. There are some holes in his game -- last year's 4.5% walk rate is far from optimal -- but overall, at just 23 years old, he has already blossomed into a superstar outfielder with a very bright future ahead of him.
--Andersen PickardSource: Jeff Passan
March 23, 2026
Boston Red Sox left-handed pitching prospect
Connelly Early has made the team's Opening Day roster, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. However, despite a strong showing in spring training, he will be competing with
Johan Oviedo for the fifth starting rotation spot early in the 2026 season. It will help the Red Sox provide length to their rotation, with both
Ranger Suarez and
Brayan Bello still building up their pitch counts after pitching in the World Baseball Classic. Boston views Early as a starter, and it's unlikely that he'll be used as a reliever for the first few weeks of the season. Exact plans for Early and Oviedo are "still being ironed out," and the team's decision-makers "do not seem keen" on the idea of a six-man rotation. The 23-year-old prospect could make his first start of the year on Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds. Early had a 2.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 29:4 K: BB in his first four big-league starts in 2025 before allowing three earned runs in 17 innings with five walks and 16 K's in five Grapefruit League appearances in spring training. He has good control and limits hard contact, making him one of the more intriguing young arms to stash in the big leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
March 23, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Monday that the team is hoping to get infielder/outfielder
Tommy Edman back around the end of May, according to The California Post's Jack Harris. Edman has had ankle issues the last couple of seasons, so he decided to have surgery on his right ankle back in mid-November, and he's still working his way back. The Dodgers just optioned
Hyeseong Kim to the minors, too, so it's looking like it could be a committee at the keystone in L.A. to begin the year between veteran
Miguel Rojas,
Santiago Espinal, and
Alex Freeland. Of the trio, Espinal has the most fantasy upside in NL-only leagues. Edman is essentially avoidable in mixed fantasy leagues going into his third year with the Dodgers. He has appeared in a total of 134 regular-season games the last two years for the Blue and has hit a lowly .229/.280/.392 with 19 homers, 69 RBI, 69 runs, and nine stolen bases in 530 plate appearances.
--Keith HernandezSource: The California Post - Jack Harris
March 23, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that the team is hoping to get left-hander
Blake Snell (shoulder) back sometime around the end of May, according to Jack Harris of The California Post. Snell isn't injured specifically, but the 33-year-old southpaw was exhausted physically after pitching deep into the postseason last fall to help the Dodgers win a second straight World Series championship. Snell also missed four months during the 2025 regular season due to left-shoulder inflammation, so the Dodgers would rather have him miss a month-plus of the 2026 campaign instead of losing him for longer. He has been throwing off a mound in camp, but he still has a ways to go to build his arm back up and eventually resume facing live hitters. The fact that he'll miss at least the first month definitely drops his fantasy value right before Opening Day, but Snell was great in his 61 1/3 regular-season innings last year and still has high-end strikeout upside.
--Keith HernandezSource: The California Post - Jack Harris
March 23, 2026
Houston Astros shortstop
Jeremy Pena (finger) could play in Tuesday's exhibition game against Triple-A Sugar Land, manager Joe Espada told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. After resuming swinging over the weekend, Pena is taking live batting practice at Daikin Park on Monday and has a chance to be cleared to play on Opening Day on Thursday against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels. Facing live pitching is probably the last box that Pena needs to check after fracturing the tip of his right ring finger while working out for the Dominican Republic while preparing for the World Baseball Classic. If Pena is forced to miss any time to begin the 2026 season,
Carlos Correa will shift over to shortstop, and
Isaac Paredes will start at third base in Houston. The 28-year-old was a first-time All-Star in 2025, slashing .304/.363/.477 with an .840 OPS, 17 home runs, 62 RBI, and 20 stolen bases in 125 games played. He's not an elite option at the shortstop position in fantasy, but he's a lower-end five-category contributor at a premium position.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
March 23, 2026
Detroit Tigers shortstop prospect
Kevin McGonigle remains with the big-league squad for their Cactus League game on Monday against the Colorado Rockies. He is starting at third base and will hit sixth in the batting order. Opening Day is coming on Thursday against the hosting San Diego Padres, so it's looking awfully likely that the 21-year-old will make Detroit's Opening Day roster as its starting shortstop despite having no experience beyond Double-A. He has held his own in spring training, going 10-for-40 (.250) with two home runs, two doubles, a triple, six stolen bases, eight runs scored, two stolen bases, 11 walks, and eight strikeouts in 52 plate appearances. McGonigle can do it all, but what has been most impressive this spring has been his plate discipline at such a young age. His power and speed are still developing, but McGonigle can at least serve as middle-infield depth with upside in mixed fantasy leagues in 2026 with a clear path to the majority of playing time at the 6 in Motown. He's ranked as the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball for a reason.
--Keith HernandezSource: Detroit Tigers
March 23, 2026
Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy announced on Monday that center field will be a platoon between
Garrett Mitchell and
Brandon Lockridge to begin the 2026 season. Mitchell, who hits from the left side, will be on the strong side of the platoon and will face right-handed pitchers. The 27-year-old former 20th overall pick in 2020 out of UCLA has a much higher fantasy ceiling than Lockridge because of his power/speed upside. He's been unable to stay on the field so far in his major-league career, though, so perhaps being in a platoon will help him in that regard. In his 443 big-league plate appearances since debuting in Milwaukee in 2022, Mitchell has hit .254/.333/.433 with a .766 OPS, 13 home runs, 40 RBI, 61 runs, and 40 stolen bases in 141 games played. Fantasy managers will be hoping that his rough spring training showing (.063 average, 19 strikeouts in 11 games) won't carry over to the regular season. Lockridge, on the other hand, has hit .317 with four homers and nine RBI in 14 Cactus League games. Expect him to serve in more of a super-utility role in his first full year in Milwaukee.
--Keith HernandezSource: David Gasper
March 23, 2026
Houston Astros right-hander
Spencer Arrighetti will start the 2026 regular season at Triple-A Sugar Land, manager Joe Espada told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Arrighetti will begin down on the farm after allowing six earned runs on five hits (two homers) while walking five and striking out 12 in eight innings over three relief appearances in the Grapefruit League this spring. It's disappointing for Arrighetti, but it might not be long before he's back in the big leagues if the team goes to a six-man starting rotation early in the year. Injuries kept Arrighetti limited to only seven starts in 2025 after he made 29 appearances (28 starts) in 2024 in his rookie season in Houston. The 26-year-old former sixth-round pick in 2021 has gone 8-18 in his two big-league seasons with a 4.69 ERA (4.45 FIP), 1.41 WHIP, and 202:85 K:BB in 180 1/3 innings. Because of his lack of control and issues keeping the ball in the yard, Arrighetti is merely a stash candidate in AL-only and keeper leagues going into the 2026 season.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
March 23, 2026
The Boston Red Sox optioned left-handed pitching prospect
Payton Tolle to the minors on Monday, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. Tolle is Boston's top prospect, per MLB Pipeline, but he'll likely begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Worcester. The 23-year-old southpaw pitched well in spring training, allowing only three earned runs while walking one and striking out 13 in 10 2/3 Grapefruit League innings over four appearances (one start). Tolle made his major-league debut late last year and struggled with a 6.06 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, and 19:8 K:BB in 16 1/3 innings over seven outings (three starts), but he should be one of the first arms up in Boston when the BoSox need rotation help. He throws in the upper-90s, but he needs to show better command consistently. As a fly-ball pitcher, he could get into quite a bit of trouble at Fenway Park if he's not locating his pitches. Tolle is one of the better under-the-radar pitching prospects to stash in deep-mixed and AL-only leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: MassLive.com - Christopher Smith
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