February 16, 2026
The San Diego Padres are signing free-agent first baseman
Ty France to a minor-league deal with a non-roster invitation to major-league spring training, sources told Dennis Lin of The Athletic. France, 31, will return to the organization that drafted him in the 34th round out of San Diego State University back in 2015. The veteran right-handed-hitting first baseman slashed .257/.320/.360 with a .681 OPS, seven home runs, 52 RBI, and 50 runs scored in 138 games with the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays last year, his second straight season with an OPS below .700. He is an above-average defensive first baseman, but he's going to need to improve with the bat to find playing time in San Diego at first base. As things currently stand,
Gavin Sheets and
Nick Castellanos figure to platoon at first base. France could find at-bats as the designated hitter, but consistent playing time won't be guaranteed in his return to SD.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Dennis Lin
February 16, 2026
Houston Astros second baseman
Jose Altuve will spend most of his spring working exclusively at second base, manager Joe Espada told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Altuve started last season in left field and played 45 games there, but he also appeared at the keystone in 63 games in 2025 and will return to the position he's played most of his career in 2026. With the 35-year-old veteran moving back to the infield full-time, it has opened up playing time in left field for
Zach Cole in Houston. Meanwhile, with
Carlos Correa locked in at third,
Isaac Paredes is a trade candidate before Opening Day. Altuve is still a top-10 fantasy second baseman, but Father Time is starting to catch up with him, both offensively and defensively. He hit .265 last year with a .771 OPS, which was his worst since the shortened 2020 campaign. Altuve still hit 26 homers, but he had a sizeable drop in steals (10). Fantasy managers shouldn't consider him a lock for a 20-20 season.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
February 16, 2026
For the second day in a row at camp, Boston Red Sox infielder
Marcelo Mayer is at second base, and
Caleb Durbin is at third base, according to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Mayer would see most of his playing time at third in 2026 after
Alex Bregman left via free agency. However, the recent trade acquisition of Durbin from the Milwaukee Brewers has changed the dynamic of Boston's infield at the start of spring training. The 23-year-old Mayer, a former shortstop prospect, played both second and third in his rookie campaign in 2025. Durbin has experience at the keystone, but he primarily played the hot corner in Milwaukee last year. Mayer, the former fourth overall pick in 2021, might have more long-term upside offensively, but Durbin is probably the better immediate contributor in fantasy after clubbing 11 homers and stealing 18 bases in 136 regular-season games in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Jen McCaffrey
February 16, 2026
Baltimore Orioles second baseman
Jackson Holliday (hand) is in camp on Monday and said he's getting his cast removed, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com. Holliday is hopeful that he can take live at-bats in three weeks, but he also knows the Orioles don't want to rush him. The 22-year-old thinks his recovery from a broken hamate bone won't linger too long and that he'll be back shortly after Opening Day in late March. He had surgery last week to remove a fractured hamate bone in his right hand, but Holliday's fantasy value shouldn't change all that much as long as he stays on track and doesn't miss much time to begin the 2026 regular season. Holliday struggled in his first 60 MLB games in 2024, but he made strides last season, clubbing 17 homers and stealing 17 bases, while also trimming his strikeout rate a good amount. His hand injury knocks him a bit going into 2026, but he's still considered a top-15 fantasy second baseman at RotoBaller.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Jake Rill
February 16, 2026
Cleveland Guardians first base/outfield prospect
CJ Kayfus should compete to earn a near-everyday role in the Cleveland starting lineup during spring training. The Guardians promoted Kayfus to the major leagues last season, but he did not find immediate success. Across his first 44 games in the big leagues, Kayfus held a .220/.292/.415 slash line with 10 doubles, four home runs, four stolen bases, and a 38:11 K:BB. Under the hood, the 24-year-old generated a modest .322 xwOBA with a 9.2% barrel rate. Earlier in the campaign, the former 93rd overall selection from the 2023 MLB Draft held a stellar .300/.390/.539 line with 14 long balls and four stolen bases across 86 games spread between Double-A and Triple-A. Kayfus should compete for at-bats at first base alongside
Kyle Manzardo and see additional time in right field, sharing time with
George Valera.
--Andy SmithSource: RotoBaller
February 16, 2026
Atlanta Braves starting pitching prospect
JR Ritchie is drawing "excitement" in the early stages of camp and continues to make a strong case to begin the season in the MLB rotation. Ritchie is currently ranked as the team's No. 2 prospect on MLB.com and the sport's overall No. 86 prospect. Last summer, the 22-year-old opened the season at High-A but was able to progress through the upper levels at a fast rate, and concluded the campaign with Triple-A. At High-A, he posted a dominant 1.30 ERA with a 0.79 WIHP across a 41 2/3-inning stint. Through 98 1/3 innings shared between Double-A and Triple-A, Ritchie held an impressive 3.20 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 102:44 K:BB. However, his path to the majors has become quite clear, following the injury to
Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) and, more recently,
Hurston Waldrep being shut down with elbow discomfort. He is a top name to monitor throughout spring training.
--Andy SmithSource: Gabe Burns
February 16, 2026
Boston Red Sox left-handed pitching prospect
Payton Tolle plans to mix in his secondary pitches more often to further improve his fastball. According to reports by Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, Tolle's fastball appears two miles per hour faster to hitters than it actually appears. The four-seamer sat at 96.7 mph but generated a much higher perceived velocity of 98.7 mph. Boston's chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow, expressed that Tolle will continue to mix in his secondary pitches in 2026, which will only improve his fastball in his first full season in the big leagues. During his brief 16 1/3-inning stint in Boston last summer, Tolle relied on his fastball 64.1% of the time, mixed his cutter 13.5% of the time, and his slider 9.5% of the time. During this stint, his four-seamer generated a modest .341 xwOBA, while his slider was highly effective, posting a 33.3% whiff rate and a .258 xwOBA. If Tolle can continue to build his secondaries, his four-seamer will take a step forward in 2026. Managers should monitor his progress as he will likely compete for the final spot in the rotation alongside
Connelly Early,
Patrick Sandoval, and
Johan Oviedo.
--Andy SmithSource: Christopher Smith
February 16, 2026
According to Maddie Lee of The Sun Times, Chicago Cubs catching prospect
Moises Ballesteros may not make it to camp until next weekend due to visa issues. Ballesteros and fellow backstop
Christian Bethancourt continue to have their camp pushed back, but appear to be making some progress and could reach the United States by the end of the week. Ballesteros is expected to compete for a near-everyday role in the Cubs lineup following the departure of
Kyle Tucker. Last season, the team's No. 1-ranked prospect in the system posted a .298/.394/.474 line with two long balls across 20 games. At Triple-A, the 22-year-old posted an impressive .316/.385/.473 slash line with 13 round-trippers in a 114-game stint. Ballesteros should compete for a lead role as the team's primary DH and may also see occasional starts behind the dish and at first base. Given his projected playing time, the young backstop is a prime late-round sleeper in deeper formats.
--Andy SmithSource: Maddie Lee
February 16, 2026
Seattle Mariners right-handed pitching prospect Ryan Sloan (eye) looked sharp in his first bullpen session of spring training. The team's former second-round selection for the 2024 MLB Draft missed the final month of the 2025 campaign due to an eye procedure but appears to be rounding back into form. Sloan was seen reaching 99 MPH on his four-seamer and also deployed a two-seamer for the first time. Additionally, he was seen striking out starting outfielder
Randy Arozarena on a slider that generated 20 inches of break. In his first professional campaign, Sloan logged 82 innings spent primarily with Low-A before earning a short 11 1/3 inning taste of High-A. Through these 82 frames, Sloan posted a 3.73 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and a 90:15 K:BB. Sloan is expected to open the 2026 campaign with High-A Everett.
--Andy SmithSource: Daniel Kramer
February 16, 2026
Seattle Mariners left-handed pitching prospect Kade Anderson has looked impressive in the early days of camp, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. According to Divish, the former LSU standout struck out several of Seattle's top hitters in live batting practice over the weekend and did not look overmatched. The team's president of baseball operations, Jerry Dipoto, noted that Anderson pitched "like it was a start in June." The Mariners selected the southpaw with the third overall pick in last year's draft. In his final season in college, Anderson played a lead role in LSU's National Championship run, logging 119 innings with a 3.18 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. He struck out 180 hitters and was even named Most Outstanding Player of the College World Series. The left-hander will likely begin the regular season at High-A per Divish, but could be in the mix for a second-half MLB debut if he continues this current trajectory.
--Andy SmithSource: Ryan Divish
February 15, 2026
Philadelphia Phillies corner infielder
Alec Bohm will "most likely" hit fourth, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. Zolecki said that manager Rob Thomson indicated Bohm is the frontrunner for the cleanup spot, but he also mentioned
Adolis Garcia and
J.T. Realmuto as candidates in the mix to bat fourth. Bohm played 120 games last year, slashing .287/.331/.409 with 11 home runs, a 5.8% walk rate, a 16.3% strikeout rate, and 105 wRC+. He spent most of the season at the hot corner but also logged some appearances at first base, which is where he could end up eventually if infield prospect
Aidan Miller debuts and takes over at third. Hitting fourth creates plenty of RBI opportunities for Bohm, so he definitely carries some upside into the 2026 season. Still, he currently ranks as the #26 third baseman in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball draft rankings.
--Andersen PickardSource: Todd Zolecki
February 15, 2026
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher
Kyle Bradish is "expecting to be on some kind of innings limit in 2026," according to Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun. Bradish recently recovered from Tommy John surgery, so the Orioles are going to closely monitor his workload to ensure he stays healthy and productive. He was sidelined from June 2024 to August 2025, and he was able to make six starts before the end of the regular season. Across those half-dozen outings, he posted a 2.45 FIP with 13.22 K/9, 2.81 BB/9, and 0.84 HR/9. His ground ball rate declined, but it came over a small sample size, and his results were still as impressive as ever before. Even with the Orioles managing his innings, Bradish projects as the team's ace and ranks as RotoBaller's #21 starting pitcher ahead of 2026 fantasy baseball drafts.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
February 15, 2026
Houston Astros designated hitter
Yordan Alvarez (ankle) said that he is pain-free and back to 100 percent as spring training gets underway, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. "Right now I feel great," Alvarez said. "No pain right now." The slugger landed on the injured list with a left ankle sprain back in September, and he didn't return for the rest of the season. He had missed a previous portion of the campaign with right hand inflammation. Across just 48 games in 2025, he slashed .273/.367/.430 with six home runs, a 14.1% walk rate, a 16.6% strikeout rate, and 118 wRC+. He had posted at least 167 wRC+ in each of the three seasons before that, so it's safe to say that Alvarez is looking to get back to his fully-healthy, pre-2025 form. He currently ranks as the #11 outfielder in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball draft rankings for 2026.
--Andersen PickardSource: Matt Kawahara
February 15, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher
Zac Gallen said that he chose to re-sign for one year despite having several multi-year offers on the table from other organizations, according to Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com. "I've always bet on myself," Gallen told the media. "I felt like I owed it to myself, owed to my family, I even owed it to the organization, to the fans here to come back and have a good year." Gallen's free agency lasted into spring training, as he didn't re-sign with the Diamondbacks until Friday. The veteran starter is coming off a 33-start season, during which he posted a 4.50 FIP and 4.12 xFIP. He also had 8.20 K/9, 3.09 BB/9, and 1.45 HR/9 with a 43.6% home run rate. He slots right back into the Diamondbacks' No. 2 starter spot behind
Merrill Kelly.
--Andersen PickardSource: Alex Weiner
February 15, 2026
Cincinnati Reds corner infielder
Sal Stewart is mostly playing first base and second base during spring training, manager Terry Francona told Charlie Goldsmith of FOX19. It's an interesting development given that Stewart played a mix of first and third base in his brief taste of MLB action last year, but the focus has shifted to keeping him on the right side of the infield. Goldsmith explained that
Matt McLain is the Reds' primary second baseman, but Stewart could play there when McLain is off or playing shortstop. He also reported that Triple-A manager Pat Kelly said second base might be Stewart's best position. It's encouraging to see that Stewart has defensive versatility, as it could help to get his bat into the lineup more often. While it came over a small sample size of 18 big-league games, Stewart impressed with a .255/.293/.545 slash line, five home runs, a 5.2% walk rate, a 25.9% strikeout rate, and 124 wRC+ last year. He currently ranks #21 among first basemen in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball draft rankings, but more consistent playing time could boost his stock.
--Andersen PickardSource: Charlie Goldsmith
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