March 6, 2026
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder
Jackson Chourio (wrist) won't play in Team Venezuela's game against Team Netherlands on Friday. Chourio is dealing with a wrist contusion after getting hit by a pitch on Wednesday. He underwent further testing that revealed a soft tissue contusion, so there isn't any structural damage. It sounds like Chourio has avoided any significant injuries, which is a huge relief. He will be available to play defense and run during Friday's game. Team Venezuela is just going to play it safe and not have Chourio hit for at least one game and see how he's feeling. Barring any setbacks, Chourio should be physically fine in a few days.
--Andy WebbSource: Daniel Alvarez-Montes
March 6, 2026
Houston Astros shortstop
Carlos Correa (neck) has been scratched from the starting lineup ahead of Friday's contest against the Washington Nationals. Correa is dealing with neck stiffness, so the Astros will play it safe and give him the day off. Astros manager Joe Espada said the team will see how Correa feels on Saturday. That being said, it sounds like Correa should be viewed as day-to-day. A lengthy absence by Correa would be problematic with
Jeremy Pena (finger) already out. Luckily, it seems like Correa should be fine in a few days, so fantasy managers and Astros fans shouldn't have anything to worry about.
--Andy WebbSource: Matt Kawahara
March 6, 2026
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher
Brandon Woodruff is hopeful to be fully healthy for the 2026 season. When healthy, Woodruff is reliable, but keeping him on the mound has been a problem. Since 2023, Woodruff has only made 23 starts, which is a big red flag for fantasy managers. Woodruff made 12 starts in 2025 and looked like himself when he was on the mound. In fact, Woodruff posted a 32.2% strikeout rate, which was the best of his career. He was cruising along until a lat strain in September ended his season. As everyone says, Woodruff feels in good shape heading into next season. Given the track record, it's tough to believe that Woodruff can be relied on for a full season. He's a high-risk, high-reward option that is currently sitting around 120 ADP.
--Andy WebbSource: Baseball Reference
March 6, 2026
San Diego Padres outfielder
Jackson Merrill needs a bounce-back campaign after injuries plagued him throughout the 2025 season. Merrill came into the league in 2024 and was outstanding as he finished ninth in MVP voting. His excellent rookie season led to many drafting him in the first three rounds during last year's drafts. Sadly, the 2025 season didn't go as planned for Merrill. He only played in 115 games due to injury. Many of his offensive numbers took a hit, but his walk rate and barrel rate both improved. His overall mechanics are solid, which means he should be able to bounce back, assuming he stays healthy. The 22-year-old said during the offseason that he feels more comfortable and physically prepared for the 2026 season. Given his age and upside, Merrill is looking like a steal at his current ADP.
--Andy WebbSource: Baseball Reference
March 6, 2026
Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junor Caminero is coming off an excellent breakout campaign in 2025. The 22-year-old burst onto the scene with a .264/.311/.535 slash line with 45 home runs and 110 RBI in 154 games. His defense wasn't great, but Caminero has the potential to be a superstar in this league for a long time. The biggest question for Caminero next season will be can continue this success in a new field? Last season, Caminero enjoyed playing his home games in hitter-friendly Steinbrenner Field. His home run distribution was fairly even with (22) homers at home and (23) on the road. He sported a .313 batting average playing at home with a lousy .218 average in road games. The expectation is that his power numbers and overall offensive success will regress with the move back to Tropicana Field in 2026. Caminero is still a stud, but he's sitting around 15.7 ADP in some fantasy formats. That might be a little high for a player that is more than likely going to face an offensive regression this season.
--Andy WebbSource: Baseball Reference
March 6, 2026
Miami Marlins outfield prospect
Owen Caissie has struggled in his first taste of action in spring training. The former 45th overall pick has posted an underwhelming .111/.273/.111 slash with a .384 OPS. Caissie has struck out six times (over nine at-bats) and only drawn two walks. Caissie was shipped to Miami earlier in the winter as the headliner piece in the deal that sent right-hander
Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs. Caissie made a brief debut in the majors last summer and posted a similar .192/.222/.346 line over his first 12 games. At Triple-A, Caissie held a .286/.386/.551 line with 28 doubles and 22 home runs over a 99-game stint. While Caissie may endure some growing pains as he finds his footing in the majors, he is a viable late-round depth outfielder with upside as he should face little competition for everyday at-bats in Miami.
--Andy SmithSource: MLB.com
March 6, 2026
Milwaukee Brewers right-handed pitcher
Logan Henderson has been quite sharp in his first two appearances in spring training and remains in a prime position to begin the regular season in the starting rotation. Over his first four innings of work, Henderson has allowed just two runs (one earned) while posting a strong 0.50 WHIP. He has only struck out one batter but has yet to allow a free pass. Henderson made his MLB debut last summer and looked very comfortable in Milwaukee, tossing 25 1/3 innings to the tune of a 1.78 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. He struck out 33 hitters and allowed free passes at a solid 8.1% rate. While Henderson has yet to be officially named to the rotation, he appears to be in a great position to slot in as the No. 4/No. 5 option, especially with
Brandon Woodruff (lat) in danger of missing the start of the season.
--Andy SmithSource: MLB.com
March 6, 2026
Miami Marlins left-handed pitching prospect
Robby Snelling was sharp in relief on Thursday afternoon, tossing three scoreless frames with one hit and one walk. He struck out six. The prospect entered the contest after
Sandy Alcantara got the starting nod and logged three innings himself. This was a nice bounce-back outing for Snelling as he allowed five runs (four earned) in his most recent outing on February 27 against the Phillies. Overall, Snelling has tossed 5 1/3 innings this spring and allowed four earned runs with a 1.69 WHIP. Last summer, the left-hander looked quite comfortable during his first taste of Triple-A, tossing 63 2/3 innings to the tune of a 1.27 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and an 81:17 K:BB. While Snelling appears to be on the outside of the current five-man rotation, he is still a top stash option in deeper 12+ team leagues, as he should earn the call to Miami early in the first half.
--Andy SmithSource: MLB.com
March 6, 2026
San Francisco Giants first base prospect
Bryce Eldridge has looked quite strong during his first taste of spring training and is carrying some solid momentum into his first full MLB season. Through nine games in camp, the team's top hitting prospect has posted a .263/.391/.579 slash line with three doubles, a home run, and a 7:3 K:BB. Last summer, the Giants provided the slugging first baseman with a short 10-game stint in San Francisco, and he struggled, posting a low .107 AVG with a .476 OPS. However, during this small taste, Eldridge generated a new. 362 xwOBA, suggesting his results should have been far more impressive. Through 66 games at Triple-A, Eldridge held a .249/.322/.514 line with 18 lone balls. The former 16th overall pick is a strong selection in the final rounds as a deep-league corner infielder, as he should see nearly every day at-bats sharing first base and the DH spot with
Rafael Devers.
--Andy SmithSource: MLB.com
March 6, 2026
Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect
Dylan Beavers has continued to hold his own through the opening weeks of spring training. Over his first six games of camp, the team's No. 2-ranked prospect (according to MLB.com) has hit .250/.294/.563 line with an .857 OPS. During this stretch, Beavers has tallied three doubles with a triple. However, he has struck out seven times and only drawn one walk. Beavers is competing for an everyday role in a crowded Baltimore outfield that welcomed
Taylor Ward in the offseason. Last summer, Beavers had a brief 35-game stint in the majors, during which he hit for a.227/.375/.400 line with five doubles and four long balls. At Triple-A, Beavers hit 18 home runs and swiped 23 bags, suggesting he could hold a solid five-category upside in a full-time position. He is a viable late-round sleeper candidate if he can carve out everyday at-bats in the starting nine.
--Andy SmithSource: MLB.com
March 6, 2026
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher
Chase Burns has contended to flash immense upside throughout the early part of spring training, but has still struggled to command his pitches. Over his first 4 1/3 innings of work, the hard-throwing right-hander has walked five batters while striking out seven. He has surrendered only one run and held a modest 1.62 WHIP. Last summer, Burns made his MLB debut and had a similar outcome, posting an elite 35.6% K% but carrying a 4.57 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. However, under the hood, Burns generated a much lower 3.48 xERA with a .218 xBA, suggesting he may have gotten a bit unlucky during his first stint in the majors. Managers should continue to monitor his progress in camp, as his short-term upside could take a hit if he continues on this trajectory. Nonetheless, the former No. 2 overall pick is a prime breakout candidate in 2026, given his expected workload and immense strikeout potential.
--Andy SmithSource: MLB.com
March 5, 2026
San Diego Padres infielder
Sung-Mun Song (oblique) was pulled from Thursday's Cactus League game early against the Seattle Mariners with tightness in his right oblique, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. It's the same oblique that Song injured in the offseason, but manager
Craig Stammen said his exit on Thursday was "precautionary." For now, the 29-year-old South Korean is day-to-day, but his availability for Opening Day in late March could be in question if his oblique continues to be an issue. Going into his first year in the big leagues in the U.S., Song figures to be a utility infielder for the Friars. Most of Song's production in the KBO in Korea came recently, with him hitting .315/.387/.530 with a .917 OPS, career-high 26 home runs, 90 RBI, 103 runs scored, and 25 steals in 144 games in 2025. Song has a nice combination of power and contact, but playing time will be limited, and fantasy managers in deeper leagues should expect an adjustment to the velocity of MLB pitching.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - AJ Cassavell
March 5, 2026
Atlanta Braves right-hander
Spencer Strider touched 96.7 mph twice on the radar gun during his Grapefruit League outing on Thursday, and his four-seam fastball averaged 95 mph, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. The late life on Strider's pitches was there, and he got a swhiff on five of the 12 sliders that he threw against the Toronto Blue Jays. Strider allowed two earned runs on two hits while walking one and striking out four in his 2 1/3 innings of work. It's good news after the 27-year-old averaged 93.1 mph with his fastball in his spring debut on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles. Strider wasn't too worried about the radar gun, though, and it's encouraging that his velocity was back up this week. He averaged 98.2 mph in his first two MLB seasons before struggling in 2025 with a 4.45 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and 9.4 K/9 in his return from elbow reconstruction last year. Strider may never recapture his pre-injury form, but a rebound in 2026 is possible while being another year removed from surgery. Expect to see his ADP rise this spring if his velocity slowly comes back. Right now, he's ranked as the No. 26 fantasy starting pitcher at RotoBaller.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mark Bowman
March 5, 2026
Houston Astros shortstop
Jeremy Pena (finger) has been diagnosed with a fracture in the tip of his right ring finger, according to the team, and he'll be re-evaluated in two weeks, per Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Pena and the Astros were downplaying the severity of the injury that occurred on Wednesday while playing for Team Dominican Republic, when a ground ball took a bad hop and hit him in the finger. The 28-year-old will now miss the World Baseball Classic, and there's a chance he'll be forced to miss the start of the 2026 regular season as well, depending on how he recovers in the next couple of weeks. If Pena is forced to the injured list,
Carlos Correa would slide over to shortstop, and
Isaac Paredes would fill in at third base in Houston. Fantasy managers might be a little more hesitant to take Pena as a low-end starting shortstop in fantasy drafts now.
--Keith HernandezSource: Houston Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
March 5, 2026
Cleveland Guardians closer
Cade Smith has emerged as an elite source of saves in 2026, now sitting as the fourth-highest ranked reliever for the upcoming 2026 fantasy season at RotoBaller, just ahead of
Andres Munoz, who registered 38 saves for Seattle a season ago. The right-hander has had a phenomenal first two seasons in the big leagues, amassing 103 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings as a reliever in 2024 with a 1.91 ERA and 0.90 WHIP, then followed it up with 104 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings with a 2.93 ERA (1.95 FIP) and 1.00 WHIP in 2025 while racking up 16 saves for the Guardians, 13 of which came after August 5 on the heels of the suspension of former closer
Emmanuel Clase. Stepping in as the full-time closer in 2026, the 6-foot-5 Smith brings a 96.4 average fastball velocity with a 95th percentile whiff rate and 97th percentile strikeout rate to the role, on a team that won 88 games in '25 and should compete for a division crown once again. He won't be cheap on draft day, but with no indications of a slowdown on the horizon, the 26-year-old is rightfully not only one of the top relievers for fantasy, but he's also one of the top pitchers for fantasy regardless of role (starter or reliever).
--Jarod RuppSource: ESPN
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