February 12, 2026
Free agent relief pitcher Liam Hendricks has agreed to a minor-league contract with the Minnesota Twins that includes an invite to major-league spring training. The 37-year-old former closer pitched in 14 games last season for the Red Sox after missing all of 2024. He had a 6.59 ERA and 5.04 FIP with 12 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings in 2025, and he underwent elbow surgery in September that could keep him sidelined into the season. He's already battled back from stage-four cancer and Tommy John surgery over the last few years, but he would be an interesting veteran option in a very thin Twins' bullpen if he's able to come back from this injury as well. Keep an eye on Hendriks' progress this spring to see if he's in the mix at all, especially if you're punting saves and looking to scrounge them up as the season plays out.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Jon Heyman
February 11, 2026
Free-agent right-handed reliever
Liam Hendriks signed a minor-league deal with the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Hendriks, a three-time All-Star, has only made 19 relief appearances since the start of the 2023 season due to injuries. The 37-year-old veteran Australian missed time last year with hip and elbow injuries and pitched in only 14 games for the Boston Red Sox, allowing 11 runs (10 earned) on 12 hits (two homers) while walking seven and striking out 12 in 13 2/3 innings. The Twins certainly could use the experience in their bullpen, but Hendriks is going to have to pitch well this spring and stay healthy to earn an Opening Day bullpen spot in Minnesota. Hendriks has 116 career saves in 14 major-league seasons, but fantasy managers should be looking to ignore him for now.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
February 11, 2026
Free-agent right-hander
Chris Bassitt and the Baltimore Orioles agreed on a one-year, $18.5 million contract on Wednesday night, sources told Jeff Passan of ESPN. The 36-year-old now joins an overhauled Orioles rotation that also includes
Shane Baz,
Zach Eflin,
Kyle Bradish,
Trevor Rogers, and
Dean Kremer. Bassitt will stay in the American League East after going 11-9 with a 3.96 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 166:52 K:BB in 170 1/3 innings over 32 regular-season outings (31 starts) in 2025 with the Toronto Blue Jays. The veteran hurler isn't overpowering (career 22% strikeout rate), but he does an excellent job at avoiding hard contact. Bassitt was in the 85th percentile last year in average exit velocity and the 80th percentile in hard-hit rate, and he's made at least 30 starts each year since 2022. At his age, fantasy managers know what they are getting: a safe, dependable back-end starter with a limited ceiling.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
February 11, 2026
The Denver Post's Kyle Newman writes that new Colorado Rockies outfielder
Jake McCarthy "could very well end up starting in right field" to begin the 2026 season over
Mickey Moniak. McCarthy can play all three outfield spots and will be the fastest Rockies player with a sprint speed in the 99th percentile. The 28-year-old finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting back in 2022 and played in a career-high 142 games in 2024, but he dealt with injuries and slumped to the tune of a .204/.247/.345 slash line with a career-worst .591 OPS in 67 games (222 plate appearances) last year. McCarthy faces significant competition in Colorado's outfield, but if he bounces back, he could make the left-handed-hitting Moniak expendable. Speed is McCarthy's greatest asset, and although he doesn't have much power, he's a more intriguing bench stash in deeper fantasy leagues now that he's in Colorado.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Denver Post - Kyle Newman
February 11, 2026
The Pittsburgh Pirates placed right-hander
Jared Jones (elbow) on the 60-day injured list on Wednesday to make room on the 40-man roster for recently signed right-hander
Jose Urquidy, according to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Jones' placement on the 60-day IL was expected, as he's not projected to make his 2026 season debut until sometime in late May after he had surgery to fix a torn UCL in his right arm last May. We'll have a clearer timetable for the 24-year-old once he begins to ramp up his throwing program. Despite the surgery, Jones has lots of long-term potential in Pittsburgh after impressing in his rookie campaign in 2024. In his first 22 big-league starts, the former second-rounder went 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 132:39 K:BB in 121 2/3 frames. At best, Jones will be a speculative late-round selection in fantasy drafts this year, with the Bucs most likely handling him with extreme caution when he's finally back.
--Keith HernandezSource: Pittsburgh PG - Colin Beazley
February 11, 2026
Left-hander
Kris Bubic won his salary arbitration hearing against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday, a source told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Bubic will earn $6.15 million in 2026 after the team filed at $5.15 million. Bubic broke out in 2025 in his sixth year in the big leagues to earn his first All-Star nod, but his season was cut short due to a rotator-cuff strain. In his 20 starts, the 28-year-old southpaw went 8-7 with a career-low 2.55 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with a career-high 116 strikeouts and 39 walks in 116 1/3 innings pitched. The good news is that Bubic is already throwing bullpens in spring training, so he should be ready for the start of the 2026 season. The former first-rounder has looked pretty darn good the last two years with ERAs under 3.00, but his arm just couldn't hold up to the increase in workload in 2025. He has kept hitters off balance with a diverse arsenal. Don't forget about him as rotation depth late in fantasy drafts.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mark Feinsand
February 11, 2026
Left-hander
Eric Lauer lost his salary arbitration hearing against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, a source told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Lauer will earn $4.4 million in 2026 instead of the $5.75 million he filed for. The 30-year-old veteran southpaw stepped up for Toronto in a swing role in 2025 after pitching in Korea in 2024, as he posted a career-best 3.18 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 102 strikeouts and 26 walks in 104 2/3 innings over 28 appearances (15 starts). Lauer added some velocity last year and showed a little bit better control. The problem for his 2026 fantasy value is that he'll likely be relegated to a long-relief bullpen role after the offseason addition of starting pitcher
Dylan Cease. In his seven-year big-league career, Lauer has a 4.13 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and 22.3% strikeout rate for three different teams. Lauer is strictly an arm to roster in AL-only leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mark Feinsand
February 11, 2026
Kansas City Royals left-hander
Bailey Falter (biceps) was able to throw a bullpen session at spring training on Wednesday, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Falter missed the final five weeks of last season due to a left-biceps contusion, but he made a couple of minor-league rehab starts in late September and appears to be fully healthy as he heads into his first full season with the Royals. The 28-year-old southpaw opened the 2025 campaign with the Pittsburgh Pirates and had a 3.73 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with a 70:39 K:BB in 113 1/3 innings over 22 starts before joining the Royals in the second half. Falter only appeared in four games (two starts) with KC to close out the year, allowing 15 earned runs in just 12 innings. Depending on the health of the rest of the Royals' starting options, Falter appears ticketed for a long-relief role to open the 2026 campaign. Fantasy managers can ignore him in mixed formats.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Anne Rogers
February 11, 2026
Athletics second baseman
Zack Gelof (shoulder) told Foul Territory on Wednesday that he's "feeling healthy, feeling ready to go," according to Jason Burke of Sports Illustrated. Gelof is very excited for the upcoming season and will be reporting to spring training on Friday. The 26-year-old is expected to be a full-go in camp after an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. He didn't make his season debut until early July after recovering from a fractured right wrist and a stress reaction in his ribs, and then he was shut down in the final month with a dislocated left shoulder. In between, Gelof hit an ugly .174/.230/.272 with two home runs, seven RBI, seven walks, and 46 K's in 30 games (101 plate appearances). Gelof looks to be healthy after having surgery on his shoulder, but he'll need to stay healthy and beat out Darrell Hernaiz for playing time at the keystone. Making contact has been an issue for the former second-rounder, as he led the league in strikeouts with 188 in 547 plate appearances in 2024.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sports Illustrated - Jason Burke
February 11, 2026
Los Angeles Angels right-handed reliever
Hunter Strickland (shoulder) threw a bullpen session at spring training on Wednesday, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Strickland was shut down for the rest of the season in early July of last year due to a right-shoulder strain, but the veteran reliever appears to be healthy going into the 2026 campaign. Even though
Kenley Jansen is no longer in town, the 37-year-old veteran is not a lock to win an Opening Day bullpen job with the Halos out of camp. Before his shoulder injury last year, Strickland held a 3.27 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, one save, 14 strikeouts, and 10 walks in 22 innings out of the bullpen. If Strickland pitches well this spring and begins the season with the Angels, he'll only be worth a look in deeper fantasy leagues that reward points for holds.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Rhett Bollinger
February 11, 2026
San Francisco Giants infielder
Casey Schmitt (wrist) will continue his hitting progression for one more week before he'll be cleared for all baseball activities, according to MLB.com. Schmitt is a little behind in spring training after having surgery to remove the carpal boss in his left wrist with Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles on Dec. 2. The 26-year-old is primarily a middle infielder, but he filled in at the hot corner in San Fran for a bit last year when
Matt Chapman was out due to injuries. Schmitt slashed a very modest .237/.305/.401 with a .706 OPS, a career-high 12 home runs, 40 RBI, and 34 runs scored in a career-high 95 games played (348 plate appearances). His batted-ball metrics are merely average, and Schmitt doesn't make enough consistent contact to carry a high average if he falls into more playing time around the infield. In a utility role, Schmitt can be ignored in mixed fantasy leagues in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
February 11, 2026
Veteran catcher
Jacob Stallings has retired from playing baseball and is joining the Pittsburgh Pirates' front office as a baseball operations specialist, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Stallings split the first half of the 2025 season with the Rockies and Orioles, but he elected free agency at the end of July in lieu of being sent outright to Triple-A. He slashed just .134/.195/.168 with a 31% strikeout rate and -7 wRC+ last year, and his defense also took a step backward as he posted -1.4 FRM and -5 FRV. Overall, he finishes his 577-game MLB career with 33 home runs, 77 wRC+, 0.5 FRM, and 9 FRV. The University of North Carolina product will now make the jump to a front office role with the Pirates, who drafted him in 2012 and rostered him through 2021.
--Andersen PickardSource: Jason Mackey
February 11, 2026
Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher
Orion Kerkering (hamstring) has a Grade 1 hamstring strain, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Kerkering is "a little behind" as spring training gets underway. While this is certainly a situation worth monitoring, it doesn't sound like Kerkering's injury is too serious, and he should be ready for Opening Day if he doesn't experience any setbacks. The 24-year-old fell out of the closer-by-committee group when Philadelphia acquired
Jhoan Duran last year, but he still posted a solid 3.82 FIP with 9.75 K/9, 4.05 BB/9, and a 42% ground ball rate across 69 appearances (60.0 innings). However, without many save opportunities in his future, he's not a very appealing option in fantasy baseball drafts.
--Andersen PickardSource: Matt Gelb
February 11, 2026
The Toronto Blue Jays will monitor starting pitcher
Trey Yesavage's workload this season, according to general manager Ross Atkins. Yesavage made his MLB debut last season, ultimately accruing 139.2 innings between the minors and majors (including the postseason). This was a pretty hefty innings total for the young right-hander, especially since 2025 was his first season playing pro baseball. He didn't log any game action in the months after being drafted in 2024. While it may seem like Toronto rushed him to the majors, the results speak for themselves. The right-hander logged 11.9 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 between the regular season and postseason, accruing a 51.9% ground ball rate and 3.19 FIP. It's important to note that Atkins said Yesavage's workload will be "monitored," which means the Jays are keeping close tabs on his usage but might not necessarily restrict his innings.
--Andersen PickardSource: Daniele Franceschi
February 11, 2026
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher
Tanner Houck (elbow) will resume throwing next week in hopes of being ready to rejoin the pitching staff in September, according to Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald. Houck hasn't pitched in the majors since last May, when he suffered a right flexor pronator strain. He suffered a setback while rehabbing in the minors, and he ultimately underwent Tommy John surgery in August. The right-hander didn't pitch very well when healthy, as he allowed 39 earned runs over 43.2 innings (nine starts). His strikeout rate dropped to a career-low 6.60 K/9 while his home run rate ballooned to 2.06 HR/9. Presumably, the Red Sox hope that his struggles were related to his injury and that he can get back on track when healthy later this year. However, with September as his target return, Houck still has a long recovery ahead of him.
--Andersen PickardSource: Gabrielle Starr
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