March 19, 2026
Kansas City Royals relief pitcher
Matt Strahm (leg) was diagnosed with a leg contusion and is considered day-to-day after being struck by a line drive against the Rangers. He was removed as a precaution, but the injury doesn't look like it will impact his availability for Opening Day. Strahm was acquired by the Royals from the Phillies, where the 34-year-old has spent the last three seasons. He is expected to fill a high-leverage role in the Royals' bullpen, and he is worth a look in leagues that count holds as a category. He isn't expected to compete for saves, though, while
Carlos Estevez is healthy, which limits his value in standard mixed leagues.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Anne Rogers
March 19, 2026
Houston Astros starting pitcher
Tatsuya Imai has looked solid in spring training, allowing just two hits and one walk while picking up seven strikeouts in six innings. He worked three perfect innings with four strikeouts against the Marlins last Wednesday. The fact that he only has one walk is especially important since his control has been an issue at times in his eight years in the NPB in Japan. Last year, the righty posted a career-best 1.92 ERA and 2.01 FIP in 163 2/3 innings, racking up 178 strikeouts but also issuing 45 walks. He has huge upside as he joins the Astros rotation and will help fill in the void left by
Framber Valdez's departure via free agency. Imai has looked very sharp and brings great upside as the #44 starting pitcher and #65 overall pitcher in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for 2026. If you can snag Imai, as a way to build rotation depth, he has the ceiling to be an elite producer if he successfully transitions to the MLB.
--Zach ThompsonSource: RotoBaller
March 19, 2026
Chicago Cubs first baseman
Michael Busch broke through as a regular in 2024 and emerged as a solid fantasy starter in 2025. He posted a .261/.343/.523 slash line with 34 home runs, 90 RBI, 78 runs scored, and four stolen bases. He was able to reduce his strikeout rate from 28.6% in 2024 to 23.5% in 2025 while increasing his barrel rate from 11.2% to 17.1% and his hard-hit rate from 39.9% to 47.3%. While he had lopsided platoon splits last year, struggling against southpaws, manager Craig Counsell said earlier in spring training that Busch has earned the right to play full-time and is not expected to be platooned to start the year. Busch's power production is excellent at his current ADP, and he is a legitimate bat to add once the elite options are gone at 1B. He's the No. 12 1B in RotoBaller's rankings, and his ADP is climbing based on the expectation that he'll be in a full-time role to start the season.
--Zach ThompsonSource: RotoBaller
March 19, 2026
New York Mets outfielder
Juan Soto is the No. 2 outfielder in the RotoBaller rankings, and he looks ready to live up to lofty expectations in his second season with the Mets. He is worth an early first-round pick since he consistently contributes across the board in multiple categories. Last year, he had a .263/.396/.525 triple-slash with a .390 wOBA, 43 homers, 120 runs scored, and 105 RBI. He also added even more value by setting a new career high with 38 stolen bases. In his first seven seasons in the majors, he had never stolen more than 12 bases. With such well-rounded production and a secure spot near the top of one of the better lineups in the National League, he's an elite play. He had a slow spring training before the World Baseball Classic, but he went 6-for-23 (.261) with a pair of homers for the Dominican Republic.
--Zach ThompsonSource: RotoBaller
March 19, 2026
Boston Red Sox first baseman
Willson Contreras is putting together a strong first impression after joining the team this offseason in a trade from the Cardinals. After hitting .257 with 20 homers and a .344 wOBA last year, the 33-year-old has gone 6-for-13 with a pair of homers in limited Grapefruit League action. He was part of the WBC-winning Venezuela team, going 3-for-12 with three RBI in four games. He is ranked as the No. 16 1B in RotoBaller's rankings and can be a solid option once the elite starters are off the board. He could get a boost from Fenway Park and a more competitive environment and lineup. He's expected to hit in the heart of the order and should be a solid source of average and power again this season.
--Zach ThompsonSource: RotoBaller
March 19, 2026
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher
Braxton Ashcraft struck out eight in 5 1/3 strong innings on Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers. The 26-year-old appeared in 26 games (eight starts) in his first taste of the majors last season, logging 69 2/3 innings and compiling a 2.71 ERA and 2.78 FIP. He looks ready to anchor a key spot in the Pirates' rotation going into the season and is an underrated part of the Pirates' exciting young rotation. If you need a late-round starting pitcher, Ashcraft can be an intriguing sleeper pick and can definitely be a streaming option to consider early in the season if he goes undrafted in mixed leagues.
--Zach ThompsonSource: ESPN
March 18, 2026
New York Yankees veteran infielder
Paul DeJong doesn't plan to opt out of his minor-league deal with the team on Thursday, a source told Joel Sherman of the New York Post. DeJong's plan is to try to make the big-league squad out of spring training, and if he doesn't, he'll begin the year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. If the 32-year-old veteran were to win a job on the Opening Day roster for next week, he'd be operating in a bench role, leaving him very little fantasy upside at this point in his career. He's going into his 10th season in the big leagues with his seventh different team. Last year in 57 games with the Washington Nationals, DeJong hit .228/.269/.373 with a .642 OPS, six home runs, 23 RBI, 18 runs scored, and four stolen bases. DeJong reached the 30-homer mark once in his career, but that was all the way back in his third year in the big leagues in 2019 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Joel Sherman
March 18, 2026
St. Louis Cardinals right-handed reliever
Matt Svanson could be involved in a closing committee in St. Louis this year, making him an intriguing candidate to speculate on for saves in deeper fantasy formats going into the 2026 campaign. Manager Oliver Marmol is already on record saying that he won't have a fixed closer going into the season, so Svanson,
Riley O'Brien,
JoJo Romero, and
Ryne Stanek could all be options for the ninth inning. The 27-year-old Svanson was 4-0 in his major-league debut in 2025 with a 1.94 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 68 strikeouts, and 20 walks in 60 1/3 innings pitched. He was deployed in a high-leverage spot in Wednesday's 4-1 Grapefruit League debut win over the Houston Astros, too, picking up his third spring win while throwing two shutout innings with a strikeout and no walks. Svanson entered the day with a 1.50 ERA, six K's, and a walk in six spring innings. His strong performance in spring training could make him a favorite to lead St. Louis' bullpen in save chances.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
March 18, 2026
The New York Yankees announced on Wednesday that left-hander
Max Fried will take the hill for Opening Day next Wednesday on the road against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Fried is the easy choice for the Yankees to kick off the 2026 season with both
Gerrit Cole (elbow) and
Carlos Rodon (elbow) rehabbing elbow injuries. The 32-year-old veteran southpaw was excellent in his first year in the Bronx in 2025, earning his third career All-Star selection while leading the league in wins (19). Fried also had a 2.86 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 189:51 K:BB in 195 1/3 innings over his 32 starts during the regular season. The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder is the ace of the Yankees' staff and should be treated as a low-end No. 1 fantasy starting pitcher going into his second season in pinstripes. It was only Fried's third time in nine MLB seasons that he reached 30 starts, and he has still never gone over 200 innings or 200 strikeouts. Fantasy managers should be starting him with confidence next week.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Yankees
March 18, 2026
The Arizona Diamondbacks will not announce an official closer to begin the 2026 regular season, according to Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. "You'll probably figure it out as I'm doing it," manager Torey Lovullo said on Wednesday when asked about the team's closing role.
Justin Martinez (elbow) and
A.J. Puk (elbow) will both begin the season on the injured list, so the D-backs will most likely go with a closer-by-committee situation to begin the 2026 season. Martinez had Tommy John surgery last June and probably won't be available in Arizona until the second half of the year. Puk is also rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and probably won't be ready to make his debut until right around the All-Star break. Because of his experience alone, veteran
Paul Sewald (86 career saves) might be the favorite for save chances early on, but
Taylor Clarke and
Ryan Thompson could also get opportunities. It's not an ideal situation to be chasing in fantasy unless you're desperate for saves in deeper leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: Arizona Sports - Alex Weiner
March 18, 2026
The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Wednesday that they optioned right-hander
River Ryan to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Even with left-hander
Blake Snell (shoulder) not expected to be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season next week, Ryan will start the year on the farm. The 27-year-old had Tommy John surgery in August of 2024 and didn't pitch at all for the Dodgers last year. The Dodgers chose to ignore his 1.86 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 12 strikeouts and four walks in his 9 2/3 innings in spring training in favor of giving him a softer runway in the minors to return from his right-elbow injury. The former 11th-round pick by the San Diego Padres in 2021 made his big-league debut in L.A. in 2024 and looked good, allowing just three earned runs with 18 K's and nine walks in 20 1/3 innings in four starts. L.A.'s starting rotation won't be easy to crack, but Ryan should make starts again for the Dodgers at some point in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Los Angeles Dodgers
March 18, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder
Corbin Carroll hit his first home run of the spring in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the Chicago Cubs, a shot to left-center field off right-hander
Edward Cabrera, reports Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. The homer had a 105.5 mph exit velocity. Carroll also hit a line drive to right field earlier in the game that came off his bat at 106.6 mph. The 25-year-old former National League Rookie of the Year has only been the designated hitter for Arizona since returning from surgery on a broken hamate bone in his right hand, but he's expected to be cleared to play the field soon, and he should be ready to go for Opening Day late next week. Fantasy managers should like what they saw from Carroll on Wednesday at the plate as far as his pop goes following hand surgery. With the ability to contribute across all fantasy categories in a hitter-friendly home ballpark, Carroll is a top-25 overall fantasy player in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Arizona Republic - Nick Piecoro
March 18, 2026
The Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of infielder/outfielder
Santiago Espinal on Wednesday, the team announced. He has earned a spot on the big-league roster to open the 2026 season after hitting .412 (14-for-34) with two home runs, three doubles, 13 RBI, 12 runs scored, and a stolen base in 14 Cactus League games in spring training. The 31-year-old figures to be in a platoon role at second base to begin the year with
Hyeseong Kim since
Tommy Edman (ankle) could miss the first month of the season. The Dominican was an All-Star back in 2022 with the Toronto Blue Jays, when he hit .267/.322/.370 with seven homers and 51 RBI in 135 games. It's a surprising development for him to make L.A.'s roster after he failed to hit a home run in 114 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 2025. Espinal has some talent with the bat, but his path to regular playing time in Hollywood is a difficult one.
--Keith HernandezSource: Los Angeles Dodgers
March 18, 2026
Milwaukee Brewers left-hander
Kyle Harrison (finger) left his Cactus League outing on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels in the third inning at 59 pitches due to a blister on his left index finger, according to Brewers reporter Sophia Minnaert. Before leaving, the 24-year-old southpaw allowed four runs (one earned) while striking out three in 2 2/3 innings of work. It's unclear at this point if Harrison's injury will keep him from being ready for the start of the 2026 regular season late next week. Harrison started last year with the San Francisco Giants before eventually being sent to the Boston Red Sox in the
Rafael Devers trade. He was slightly better in Boston to close out the year and finished with a 4.04 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 38:14 K:BB in only 35 2/3 big-league innings over 11 outings (six starts). Fantasy managers should probably only consider him as a late-round flier with strikeout upside in 15-plus team leagues. If he doesn't win a rotation spot out of spring training, Harrison will likely be a swingman for the Brewers if he's healthy.
UPDATE: Manager Pat Murphy said he doesn't expect Harrison's schedule to be changed by more than a day because of his blister issue.--Keith HernandezSource: Sophia Minnaert
March 18, 2026
Cincinnati Reds right-hander
Brady Singer (finger) left his Cactus League outing on Wednesday with a blister, according to Charlie Goldsmith of FOX 19. Before being pulled, Singer threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings against the Colorado Rockies with two hits allowed, a walk, and three strikeouts. It's unclear if the 29-year-old's blister injury will prevent him from making his first start of the 2026 regular season, which is scheduled to come on March 29 against the Boston Red Sox. In his first full year in Cincy after being acquired in a trade with the Kansas City Royals, the former 18th overall pick from Florida in 2018 went 14-12 with a 4.03 ERA (3.98 FIP), 1.24 WHIP, and 163:60 K:BB in 169 2/3 innings over 32 starts. Singer pitches in a very hitter-friendly home ballpark and has a modest 22.1% strikeout rate in his six big-league seasons, so he relies heavily on his sinker to keep the ball out of the air. In shallow mixed leagues, fantasy managers should be able to find better upside pitching targets late in drafts.
--Keith HernandezSource: FOX 19 - Charlie Goldsmith
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