March 20, 2026
Chicago White Sox outfielder
Jarred Kelenic was informed on Friday that he will not make the team's Opening Day roster, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. It's a new low point for the former top prospect after hitting .200 (7-for-35) with two home runs, five RBI, six runs scored, three walks, and 10 strikeouts in 38 plate appearances over 12 Cactus League games this spring. The 26-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder was taken sixth overall by the New York Mets in the 2018 draft. He spent his first three years with the Seattle Mariners before playing for the Atlanta Braves for the last two seasons. Kelenic sports a .211 average with 49 homers, 156 RBI, 161 runs, and 31 steals in 407 total games in his five seasons. Last year, he only played in 24 games for the Braves and hit .167 with two homers. It's getting late for Kelenic to rebound in dynasty/keeper leagues, and you can ignore him entirely in single-year formats.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Scott Merkin
March 20, 2026
MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo reports that "all signs continue to point to" infielder
Marcelo Mayer starting the year as the team's "primary second baseman," but manager Alex Cora "won't cop to it." Mayer has played better recently in spring training, and the Red Sox have already announced Caled Durbin as their starting third baseman. Mayer's "inclusion seems like a formality" on the Opening Day roster, and he is the clear favorite for most of the at-bats at the keystone in 2026 as long as he's healthy. The 23-year-old former fourth overall pick in 2021 has hit 6-for-24 (.250) with a homer, two RBI, four runs, six walks, and seven strikeouts in nine Grapefruit League games. Staying healthy has been an issue for Mayer early in his career, and he struggled in his big-league debut in 2025, hitting .228/.272/.402 with four homers, 10 RBI, eight walks, and 41 strikeouts in 136 plate appearances over 44 games. Fantasy managers in deep-mixed leagues should think of him as an upside bench option as a late-round flier that can contribute decent volume with middling power and speed. Mayer carries more intrigue in dynasty/keeper leagues as a developing power/speed threat on the middle infield.
--Keith HernandezSource: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
March 20, 2026
Free-agent first baseman/designated hitter
Rowdy Tellez signed a minor-league deal with the Atlanta Braves on Friday, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Tellez is a big lefty bat at first base and designated hitter that can provide some pop, but he'll operate as depth if he makes the Braves' major-league roster this year behind stud first baseman
Matt Olson. The 31-year-old Tellez played in 112 games with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers in 2025, slashing .228/.276/.443 with a .719 OPS, 17 home runs, 49 RBI, and 34 runs scored in 312 plate appearances. Tellez has 122 long balls and 368 RBI in eight major-league seasons with five different teams, but he has also hit a lowly .234 for his career. He saw action with Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, going 1-for-9 with two walks and two strikeouts in four games. There's no guarantee that Tellez will earn significant at-bats in Atlanta this year, so he can be ignored in mixed fantasy leagues for now.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
March 20, 2026
The Cleveland Guardians named right-hander
Tanner Bibee as their starter for Opening Day next Thursday, March 26, against the Seattle Mariners, according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Bibee will be opposed by Mariners right-hander
Logan Gilbert. The 27-year-old will make his first career Opening Day start in 2026 after going 12-11 last year with a career-high 4.24 ERA (4.34 FIP), 1.23 WHIP, and 162:54 K:BB in 182 1/3 innings over his 31 starts in his third year in the majors. After two strong campaigns to begin his career, Bibee was a disappointment for his fantasy managers, posting his lowest strikeout rate and lowest K-BB percentage while also giving up the most home runs in his young career. Bibee's underlying metrics in 2025 were encouraging, though, and he did finish strong with a 1.30 ERA in the final month of the season. Fantasy managers should target him as a strong No. 3 or 4 starter with safe volume at the top of Cleveland's rotation. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 48 overall starting pitcher.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Zack Meisel
March 20, 2026
San Francisco Giants right-hander
Logan Webb will start on Opening Day next Wednesday night at home against the visiting New York Yankees, according to Jessica Kleinschmidt. He'll be opposed by Yankees left-hander
Max Fried at Oracle Park. Webb is a pretty safe high-floor fantasy starter as a low-end No. 1 and a high-end No. 2 target in drafts this weekend. The 29-year-old has made the All-Star team in each of the last two seasons and led the league in games started (34), innings pitched (207), hits allowed (210), strikeouts (224), and batters faced (856) in 2025 while going 15-11 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. Webb has been effective and reliable for his fantasy managers, throwing 200-plus innings for three straight seasons. The matchup on Opening Day won't be an easy one against Atlanta, but you'll be starting Webb if you draft him in the early rounds. Webb is ranked at RotoBaller as the No. 14 fantasy starting pitcher in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Jessica Kleinschmidt
March 20, 2026
Philadelphia Phillies left-hander
Cristopher Sanchez will start on Opening Day for the Phillies on Thursday, March 26, against the Texas Rangers and right-hander
Nathan Eovaldi, according to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Sanchez will get the nod with right-hander
Zack Wheeler (shoulder) opening the season on the injured list. The 29-year-old Dominican left-hander earned the Opening Day nod by leading the league with an 8.0 WAR while going 13-5 with a 2.50 ERA (2.55 FIP), 1.06 WHIP, and 212:44 K:BB in 202 innings over 32 starts in his fifth year in the big leagues. Sanchez was a first-time All-Star in 2024, too, as he began to establish himself as a high-end fantasy starting pitcher on one of the better teams in baseball. He was one of just three starters in 2025 to work at least 200 innings. Sanchez has taken the leap and is now a top-five fantasy starting pitcher going into the 2026 campaign. Fantasy managers will start him with confidence in his first outing of the year against Texas.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Philadelphia Inquirer - Scott Lauber
March 20, 2026
The Atlanta Braves officially named left-hander
Chris Sale as their Opening Day starter for next week against the Kansas City Royals, according to Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It will be Sale's second straight Opening Day start with Atlanta and the seventh of his career. The 36-year-old veteran southpaw has plenty of experience leading a starting staff and will do so again to open the 16th year of his MLB career. The nine-time All-Star and former National League Cy Young winner is a high-risk, high-reward No. 1 fantasy baseball starter with a career 30.7% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate. Sale is no stranger to injuries, which makes him a high-risk starter, but he's been lights-out the last two years in Atlanta, going 25-8 with a 2.46 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 390 strikeouts and 71 walks in 303 1/3 innings over 50 outings (49 starts). If you draft Sale early in upcoming fantasy drafts this weekend, you'll want to make sure you have plenty of starting pitching depth.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Gabe Burns
March 20, 2026
Athletics first baseman/outfielder
Tyler Soderstrom (knee) is starting in left field and will bat cleanup for the A's in Friday's Cactus League game against the Chicago Cubs. Soderstrom was hit by a pitch on the knee on Thursday in a spring training game, but he'll be right back in the lineup on Friday and should be just fine for Opening Day next week. The 24-year-old left-handed slugger is one of the A's interesting young hitters in a hitter-friendly ballpark in Sacramento. The former 26th overall pick in 2020 broke out in 2025 with a .276/.346/.474 slash line, .820 OPS, 25 home runs, 93 RBI, 75 runs scored, and even eight stolen bases in 624 plate appearances and 158 games played in his third season in the major leagues. Adding to his fantasy intrigue is the fact that he'll have first base and outfield eligibility in 2026. Soderstrom is ranked as RotoBaller's No. 23 fantasy outfielder and as the No. 11 fantasy first baseman. His power from the left side plays in all formats as a regular middle-of-the-order hitter for the A's.
--Keith HernandezSource: A's Communications
March 20, 2026
Athletics outfielder
Lawrence Butler (knees) is making the start in right field and will bat leadoff in Friday night's Cactus League game against the Chicago Cubs. Butler made his spring training debut on Tuesday as the designated hitter but will now return to the outfield after having surgery on his left knee in the offseason. The 25-year-old has also battled tendinitis in his right knee. Butler broke out in 2024 with 22 homers and 18 RBI in 125 games in his first full season in the major leagues before slashing .234/.306/.404 with a .710 OPS, 21 home runs, 63 RBI, 22 stolen bases, and 83 runs scored in 152 games played in 2025. He obviously has the potential to put up another 20-20 season in the bandbox in Sacramento, but ultimately, his 2026 value will depend on how his knees hold up over the course of the season. RotoBaller has Butler ranked as the No. 41 fantasy outfielder because of his power/speed upside, but plenty of swing and miss and injury concerns make him more volatile than others around the same price.
--Keith HernandezSource: A's Communications
March 20, 2026
The Los Angeles Angels announced on Friday that they optioned right-handed pitching prospect
George Klassen to minor-league camp. Klassen, the team's No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline, allowed five earned runs on nine hits (three homers) while walking five and striking out 10 in 11 2/3 innings over his four Cactus League appearances. At Double-A Rocket City and Triple-A Salt Lake in 2025, Klassen had a 5.22 ERA and 1.46 WHIP with 134 strikeouts and 47 walks in 108 2/3 innings over 25 starts. The 24-year-old right-hander has some intriguing stuff with a dominant fastball and a couple of nasty breaking pitches, but the Angels want to see him have some more success on the farm before they bring him up to the big-league starting rotation. It was encouraging to see Klassen cut his walk rate last year as well. He's a power pitcher with a heater that reaches triple digits. Klassen should make his major-league debut in 2026, but for now, he's a high-upside pitching stash in AL-only and keeper leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: Angels PR
March 20, 2026
Los Angeles Angels right-hander
Alek Manoah (finger) is dealing with a fingernail issue in camp, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. It's unclear if Manoah will be ready for Opening Day next week, but the 28-year-old hasn't really done enough to win a starting rotation spot with the big-league club after allowing 16 earned runs on 23 hits (five homers) while walking 14 and striking out 13 in 15 1/3 innings pitched over his five Cactus League starts in spring training. Whether Manoah makes the Angels' Opening Day starting rotation will probably depend on the health of
Grayson Rodriguez's right arm. Manoah, a former first-rounder by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019 out of West Virginia, was an All-Star in 2022 and was third in the American League Cy Young voting before completely falling apart in 2023. He also dealt with arm issues and only made five major-league starts with Toronto in 2024 before not pitching at all in the big leagues last year. Manoah is a major dice roll in deeper leagues who needs to show more consistency and that he belongs back in the big leagues before managers in mixed leagues take him seriously again.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Rhett Bollinger
March 20, 2026
Miami Marlins outfielder
Kyle Stowers (hamstring) was pulled from Friday's Grapefruit League game early with right-hamstring tightness, according to Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. Stowers missed one to two weeks earlier this spring with a strained hamstring, so it looks like he's suffered a setback with less than a week until Opening Day. The 28-year-old left-handed slugger injured his hamstring in late February and finally made his return to the outfield in spring training last weekend. It's unclear exactly how serious his injury is, but at this point, it would be a surprise if he doesn't start the 2026 season on the injured list. It puts a damper on Stowers' 2026 fantasy value after he broke out in 2025 to the tune of a .288/.368/.544 slash line with a .912 OPS, 25 home runs, 73 RBI, 61 runs, and five stolen bases in 117 games. He was Miami's lone All-Star representative and has a bright future ahead of him with intriguing batted-ball metrics. Stowers deserves to be stashed in all fantasy formats, but injury concerns aren't going away.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Christina De Nicola
March 20, 2026
Cleveland Guardians outfielder
George Valera (calf) is "highly likely" to start the 2026 regular season on the injured list, per MLB.com's Zack Meisel. Valera suffered a strained left calf earlier this month and will not be ready for Opening Day next week. The 25-year-old was competing for a spot on the team's Opening Day roster in spring training and went 7-for-24 (.292) with a homer, four RBI, four runs scored, two walks, and seven strikeouts in his 10 Cactus League games this spring. Valera earned his first call to the big leagues in 2025 and went 9-for-41 (.220) with two home runs, five RBI, seven runs scored, seven walks, and 13 strikeouts in just 16 games played in the final month of the regular season. When healthy, Valera could be back at Triple-A Columbus early in the 2026 season. He has plenty of competition for playing time at the big-league level between outfield and designated hitter, making him merely a stash candidate in dynasty/keeper leagues right now.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Zack Meisel
March 20, 2026
Cleveland Guardians right-hander
Hunter Gaddis (forearm) is "highly likely" to begin the 2026 regular season on the injured list, according to Zack Meisel of MLB.com. Despite being cleared to throw live batting practice in camp earlier this week, the 27-year-old probably isn't going to be ready for Opening Day next week after he began feeling forearm tightness in early March. When healthy, Gaddis has earned high-leverage opportunities at the back end of Cleveland's new-look bullpen. He had a 1.57 ERA and 0.76 WHIP with 66 strikeouts and 14 walks in 74 2/3 innings in 2024 and posted a 3.11 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, his first three career saves, and a career-high 73 punchouts in 66 2/3 innings of work out of the bullpen in 2025. Gaddis finished third with 34 holds in 2024 and second last year with 35. When he's past his forearm injury, he'll absolutely be in play in holds leagues again this year as a reliable setup man in front of closer
Cade Smith.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Zack Meisel
March 20, 2026
New York Yankees outfielder
Jasson Dominguez was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Dominguez was having a strong spring training at the plate, but he just got caught in a numbers game for the major-league roster with all of
Aaron Judge,
Giancarlo Stanton, and
Trent Grisham healthy and ready for Opening Day next week. The 23-year-old that they call The Martian will surely be up in the big leagues at some point in 2026, but starting in the minor leagues is now what his fantasy managers in dynasty/keeper leagues were expecting. The Dominican outfielder hit .342 (13-for-38) with three home runs, 10 RBI, nine runs scored, and three stolen bases in 42 plate appearances over 13 Grapefruit League games. In his first full big-league season in 2025, Dominguez hit .257/.331/.388 with a .719 OPS, 10 homers, 47 RBI, 58 runs scored, and 23 stolen bases in 123 games played. His redraft stock is obviously way down, but Dominguez remains a high-upside stash candidate in deeper leagues as a toolsy outfielder with plenty of upside if he can ever find regular playing time in the Bronx or elsewhere.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch
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