March 2, 2026
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander
Max Scherzer is with the team at camp and threw a side session in full uniform on Monday, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. Scherzer could make his Grapefruit League debut as early as this Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer signed a one-year, $3 million deal with Toronto last week to return for a 19th major-league season. The eight-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young winner could be ready to open the year in the team's starting rotation despite signing late this spring. Scherzer will always be a bulldog, but Father Time is catching up with him. He went 5-5 with a career-high 5.19 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 82:23 K:BB in 85 innings over 17 regular-season starts. Not only is Scherzer no longer dominant on the mound, but durability is a major concern. Scherzer could be a matchup-based streamer in the right matchups, but he's outside RotoBaller's top-100 starting pitcher rankings.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sportsnet.ca - Ben Nicholson-Smith
March 2, 2026
Chicago White Sox outfielder
Andrew Benintendi (side) took swings in camp on Sunday and planned to do so again on Monday, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Benintendi said he would be playing if it were the regular season, but there is no reason to rush things on March 2. He is expected to be back in Grapefruit League action after Wednesday's off day. The 31-year-old veteran has been out since being scratched from Friday's spring game with right-side soreness, but he should be ready for Opening Day later this month, barring a setback. Benintendi has quietly hit 20 home runs in each of the last two seasons, but that is pretty much his ceiling, and he hasn't offered much else on one of the worst teams in baseball. He's outside of RotoBaller's top-100 outfield rankings despite being Chicago's starting left fielder.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Scott Merkin
March 2, 2026
San Diego Padres shortstop
Xander Bogaerts is the leading candidate to hit leadoff for the team this season, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee. Bogaerts has been the team's most common leadoff hitter so far in Cactus League play and appears to be the club's top choice to fill the No. 1 role this year, with outfielder
Fernando Tatis Jr. moving to the third or fourth spot in the batting order. The 33-year-old veteran's plate skills are declining, but a move to the top of the lineup will definitely help him get more plate appearances and perhaps rack up some more counting stats, at least in runs scored. Second baseman
Jake Cronenworth is another candidate for manager
Craig Stammen to hit leadoff this year. Bogaerts hit 11 homers for the second straight year in 2025 and also had a career-best 20 steals, but he was mostly underwhelming. A move to the leadoff spot will make him slightly more attractive as middle-infield depth with middling power and speed.
--Keith HernandezSource: The San Diego Union-Tribune - Kevin Acee
March 2, 2026
San Diego Padres All-Star outfielder
Fernando Tatis Jr. is expected to hit either third or fourth in the team's batting order this year, according to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. Tatis primarily hit leadoff for the Friars in 2025, so this is a notable development as he enters his seventh year in the big leagues. Shortstop
Xander Bogaerts is expected to move to the leadoff role this season. The 27-year-old Tatis will have more RBI opportunities in the heart of the order, but he'll also have fewer plate appearances and will most likely score fewer runs. Tatis hit .268/.368/.446 with an .814 OPS, 25 home runs, 71 RBI, 111 runs scored, and 32 stolen bases in 691 plate appearances over 155 regular-season games. He's probably not going to return to the 40-homer mark as he did before his PED suspension, but he remains a solid power/speed asset as a top-10 fantasy outfielder, especially if he can continue to show the improved plate discipline he had in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: The San Diego Union-Tribune - Kevin Acee
March 2, 2026
Miami Marlins outfielder
Kyle Stowers (hamstring) took 30 swings and played catch in camp on Sunday, according to Christina De Nicola. Stowers will take some live at-bats in the next few days and will also start a running progression soon as he continues to recover from a mild right-hamstring strain. The 28-year-old left-handed hitter is expected to be back in Grapefruit League action in one to two weeks, and he should be ready for Opening Day at the end of the month, barring a setback. Stowers is a rising fantasy outfielder -- he's ranked at No. 33 at RotoBaller -- after a breakout 2025 campaign in his first full season in Miami. He was the team's lone All-Star representative and finished his fourth MLB season with a .288/.368/.544 slash line, .912 OPS, 25 homers, 73 RBI, 61 runs, and five stolen bases in 457 plate appearances and 117 games. Stowers' batted-ball metrics are promising, but injuries could be an issue.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Christina De Nicola
March 2, 2026
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder
Cedric Mullins went deep for the first time in spring training on Friday in a Grapefruit League game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Mullins went 2-for-2 with two RBI. He entered Monday's action hitting .250 (2-for-8) with a homer, two RBI, and two runs scored in his first four spring games with Tampa. The 31-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder is coming off a disappointing 2025 season spent with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets. Mullins hit .216/.299/.391 with a .690 OPS, 17 home runs, 59 RBI, 58 runs scored, and 22 stolen bases in 498 plate appearances over 133 games played. He's probably no longer a threat for 30 homers and 30 stolen bases, but he did have 15 homers and 49 RBI in just 91 games for Baltimore before being traded to New York last year. Mullins isn't going to be a help in batting average, but he can help with counting stats as outfield depth as Tampa's starting center fielder.
--Keith HernandezSource: Baseball Reference
March 2, 2026
Kansas City Royals first baseman/outfielder
Jac Caglianone struggled in his first taste of the big leagues last year, but he came into Monday hitting .400 (6-for-15) with a home run, four RBI, six runs scored, five walks, and three strikeouts in his first six Cactus League games in spring training. His homer last Tuesday was a 460-foot blast that had an exit velocity of 115.2 mph. We all know that Cags has elite power upside from the left side of the plate, although he slashed just .157/.237/.295 with a .532 OPS, seven home runs, 18 RBI, and a 52:18 K: BB in 232 plate appearances over 62 games with the Royals in 2025. Caglianone hit well under .200 against left-handed pitchers. The 23-year-old former first-rounder out of the University of Florida still has tons of projectable upside, but he'll need to improve against lefties and make more contact going into his first full MLB campaign in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Baseball Reference
March 2, 2026
Houston Astros infielder
Isaac Paredes went 1-for-2 with a walk and a solo home run in his Grapefruit League debut on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Paredes missed a huge chunk of last season due to a severe hamstring injury, so the Astros chose to slow-play him in spring training. The 27-year-old is past his hamstring injury now, but playing time is a real concern for him going into the 2026 season if he remains in Houston.
Carlos Correa is the team's primary third baseman, and
Jose Altuve is moving back to second base on a more permanent basis, leaving Paredes as a man without an everyday position. Paredes' power from the right side of the plate is real, especially in Houston, and he has delivered 90 home runs in the last four seasons for fantasy managers. His homer on Saturday came off Bucs right-hander
Bubba Chandler. Unless a trade or injury for the Astros clears up regular playing time for him, Paredes will merely be a depth option for power at a corner-infield spot.
--Keith HernandezSource: Baseball Reference
March 2, 2026
San Francisco Giants right-hander
Logan Webb will start for Team USA against Team Brazil in the opener of the World Baseball Classic on Friday, according to USA Today Sports' Bob Nightengale. Webb will be followed in Team USA's starting rotation by the Detroit Tigers'
Tarik Skubal (against Great Britain), Pittsburgh Pirates'
Paul Skenes (against Mexico), and New York Mets'
Nolan McLean (against Italy). Webb, 29, is already 2-0 in Cactus League play after giving up an earned run on two hits while striking out three and hitting one batter in three innings against the San Diego Padres on Sunday. He's expected to be available to throw 60 to 65 pitches in his outing for the USA on Friday. Webb, an All-Star each of the last two years, went 15-11 last year with a 3.22 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. He led the league in games started (34), innings (207), hits allowed (210), strikeouts (224), and batters faced (856).
--Keith HernandezSource: USA Today Sports - Bob Nightengale
March 2, 2026
Detroit Tigers two-time Cy Young winner
Tarik Skubal is expected to throw around 55 pitches for Team USA against Team Great Britain in the second game of the World Baseball Classic before returning to Lakeland, Fla., to rejoin the Tigers in camp, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. Skubal is coming off another heavy workload last year, so he'll only pitch in one game in the WBC before heading back to spring training. The 29-year-old left-hander will be the No. 1 pitcher off the board in fantasy drafts after a second straight dominant year as the Tigers' ace, going 13-6 with a league-best 2.21 ERA and league-best 0.89 WHIP with 241 strikeouts and only 33 walks in 195 1/3 innings over 31 regular-season starts. He picked up where he left off in his first Grapefruit League start against the Twins, in which he allowed two hits over two scoreless innings while striking out four.
--Keith HernandezSource: USA TODAY Sports - Bob Nightengale
March 2, 2026
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher
Kyle Freeland (back) is scheduled to make his spring debut in an exhibition game against Team USA on Wednesday. This will be the first appearance of the spring for Freeland, who has been slowed by a lingering back issue. He was able to throw a few bullpen sessions without any issues, so it appears the back injury is behind him. This isn't expected to be a long outing, but Freeland has time to build up his stamina ahead of Opening Day. The southpaw posted a 4.98 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and a 124/38 K/BB ratio across 31 starts with the Rockies last season. Freeland could offer some streaming appeal, but pitching is Coors Field is never a favorable situation for pitchers.
--Andy WebbSource: Thomas Harding
March 2, 2026
Kansas City Royals outfielder
Dairon Blanco has been designated for assignment by the organization on Monday. Blanco gets booted off the roster with the Royals needing to free up a 40-man roster spot with the
Starling Marte signing becoming official on Monday. The 32-year-old only played in nine games with the Royals last season, but his speed is something that could make him an attractive option for other organizations. Blanco has stolen 59 bases across 285 plate appearances in parts of four seasons with the Royals. He could draw interest on waivers as possible outfield depth.
--Andy WebbSource: Kansas City Royals
March 2, 2026
Texas Rangers starting pitcher
Jacob deGrom will officially make his spring debut against Team Brazil in an exhibition game on Wednesday. Over the weekend, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker told reporters that deGrom was getting close to making his spring debut. It appears the right-hander is ready to go after a 30-pitch bullpen session last week. The 37-year-old managed to stay healthy last season and posted his first 30-start season since the 2019 campaign. When healthy, deGrom is a top-10 starting pitcher in the league, but his injury history is concerning.
--Andy WebbSource: Kennedi Landry
March 2, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher
Kyle Hurt isn't being considered for a starting rotation spot, according to Bill Plunkett. Manager Dave Roberts said on Monday that Hurt is competing for a bullpen spot. Hurt came into the league as a starting pitcher, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024. He has been working as a reliever since then, and that'll probably be his easiest path to making it to the big league roster. The Dodgers already have a handful of pitchers competing for the final two spots in the starting rotation. Hurt only pitched in seven games at Triple-A Oklahoma City last season. The Dodgers will likely want to see more of him as a reliever at the minor league level before promoting him, but we'll see if he can impress them in camp.
--Andy WebbSource: Bill Plunkett
March 2, 2026
Detroit Tigers relief pitcher
Beau Brieske (ribs) was forced to make an early exit from Monday's Grapefruit League contest against the Atlanta Braves. Brieske was pulled after three pitches due to right ribcage tightness. This was his first appearance of the spring after being sidelined due to back spasms earlier in camp. The Tigers will have Brieske undergo further testing, so his timetable to return is unclear at the moment. The right-hander is looking to bounce back after posting an ugly 6.55 ERA across 22 games (one start) with the Tigers last season. He'll likely settle into a middle relief role, assuming he cracks the 26-man roster to begin the season.
--Andy WebbSource: Evan Petzold
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