February 12, 2026
Tampa Bay Rays beat writer Evan Closky of 10 Tampa Bay News reports that he expects Rays shortstop
Carson Williams to start the 2026 season in Triple-A, based on comments by Rays manager Kevin Cash and President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander on Thursday. A 2021 first-round pick, Williams made his Major League debut in late August 2025. However, the 22-year-old struggled mightily in 106 plate appearances, hitting .172/.219/.354 with five home runs, 12 RBI, 11 runs scored, and two stolen bases. Williams struck out in 41.5% of his big-league plate appearances, which is only marginally worse than the 34.1% strikeout rate he posted across 451 plate appearances last season at Triple-A. If Williams does indeed open the season in the Minors,
Taylor Walls would likely open the year as Tampa Bay's starting shortstop. Walls is known as one of the best defenders in the game, but has hit .195 with 22 total home runs across over 1,500 MLB plate appearances.
--Will BradySource: 10 Tampa Bay News - Evan Closky
February 12, 2026
Despite being utilized mostly in a reserve role, New York Yankees utility man
Jose Caballero has emerged as one of MLB's most prolific base-stealers in recent years. Across 126 games split between the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in 2025, Caballero stole 49 bases, his second straight season with at least 44 steals. With Yankees shortstop
Anthony Volpe (shoulder) expected to start the year on the injured list due to offseason shoulder surgery, Caballero appears ticketed for an everyday role in New York early on in 2026. The 29-year-old should not be expected to provide much fantasy value with his bat, as he hit .236/.339/.347 with five home runs, 36 RBI, and 52 runs scored across 370 plate appearances in 2025. However, with everyday playing time, Caballero could be a game-changing source of speed for fantasy managers. With a current average draft position of pick 222, Caballero could be a multi-position eligible sleeper to target, particularly in the early part of the season.
--Will BradySource: rotoballer
February 12, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder
Corbin Carroll (hand) is already working out with a cast on his right (non-throwing) hand after he had surgery to fix a broken hamate bone on Wednesday, according to Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. "I'm not surprised. That's how he's wired. He had surgery yesterday morning, and 24 hours later, he's out there working. It's who he is. There's a process, and there's a plan for him," manager Torey Lovullo said. A timetable for Carroll's return is unclear right now, but the D-backs are hoping that he'll be ready to go around Opening Day at the end of March. In the meantime,
Jordan Lawlar could see playing time in center field for Arizona, with
Alek Thomas moving to right field. Carroll's injury certainly drops his fantasy value going into upcoming drafts, but fantasy managers should still consider him a top-25 player since he might not have to miss much time.
--Keith HernandezSource: Arizona Sports - Alex Weiner
February 12, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that outfielder
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (knee) won't be ready for Opening Day in 2026, according to Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports. "He said Opening Day to me yesterday when I saw him. That's how good he's feeling. It is not gonna be Opening Day, I can assure you that. Where that is, we don't know yet," Lovullo said. Gurriel, 32, tore his right ACL late in the 2025 season and had surgery in September, which means he will most likely miss at least the first couple of months of the 2026 campaign. Before his season-ending injury, the Cuban outfielder hit .248/.295/.418 with a .713 OPS, 19 home runs, 80 RBI, 52 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases in 500 at-bats. He was on pace to set career marks across the board before his injury, but now fantasy managers in mixed leagues can ignore him since he could miss most of the first half.
--Keith HernandezSource: Arizona Sports - Alex Weiner
February 12, 2026
The Philadelphia Phillies are releasing veteran outfielder
Nick Castellanos, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The Phillies were unable to swing a trade for Castellanos, who is owed $20 million in 2026, so they ultimately decided to dump him and eat the money. The 33-year-old two-time All-Star should latch on elsewhere before the start of the 2026 season, but it's hard to envision him being a standout fantasy asset. Castellanos regressed even more in 2025 in his fourth and final season in Philly, slashing .250/.294/.400 with a .694 OPS, 17 home runs, 72 RBI, 72 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 147 games played. He was still useful for his counting stats because of the volume as a regular in one of the best lineups in baseball, but he lost his everyday role halfway through the year. Castellanos' hard-hit rate continues to fall each year, and he's among the worst defensive outfielders in the game. Wherever he lands, it will likely be in a platoon role.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Matt Gelb
February 12, 2026
New York Yankees right-hander
Cam Schlittler (back) has "felt a tweak here and there" and is dealing with mid-back inflammation in camp, manager Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. The Yankees will keep him off the mound for now, but Schlittler will continue to throw. The 25-year-old should be considered day-to-day, and his back injury could keep him from pitching in Grapefruit League games in spring training initially. Schlittler earned a spot in the Yankees' Opening Day rotation in 2026 after recording a 2.96 ERA with 84 strikeouts and 31 walks in 73 regular-season innings last year. The Yankees are also dealing with injuries to other key members of the starting unit, so if he's healthy, Schlittler should be locked into a spot to begin the season. Schlittler was impressive in his rookie campaign, but regression could be coming unless his secondary pitches improve to help complement his fastball/cutter combination.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch
February 12, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder
Corbin Carroll (hand) had surgery on Wednesday on his hand after breaking the hamate bone on his right (non-throwing) hand while taking a swing during live batting practice on Tuesday, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. It's not clear how long Carroll will be out, but in a best-case scenario, he could return to action around Opening Day in late March. He will not be able to play for Team USA in next month's World Baseball Classic. The 25-year-old has been a key player for Arizona since making his MLB debut in August of 2022, winning National League Rookie of the Year honors in 2023 while helping the team get to the World Series. The two-time All-Star hit .259/.343/.541 with an OPS+ of 140 in 2025 while leading baseball with 17 triples. Carroll's fantasy stock takes a bit of a hit with this news, but he's still considered a top-25 overall player at RotoBaller since he might not miss much time at all to begin the season.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Steve Gilbert
February 12, 2026
The Minnesota Twins acquired left-handed reliever
Anthony Banda from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday in exchange for international bonus money, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. The Dodgers designated Banda for assignment. In a corresponding move, the Twins designated pitcher
Jackson Kowar (shoulder) for assignment. The 32-year-old Banda pitched well in relief for the Dodgers the last two seasons, posting a 3.14 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, two saves, and 111:52 K:BB in 114 2/3 innings. The Twins have one of the more unsettled bullpens in baseball as they rebuild, so Banda should be in line for a pretty significant high-leverage role and could rack up plenty of holds in his first year in Minnesota. In his nine-year MLB career, Banda has a 4.44 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, three saves, and a 21.5% strikeout rate in 233 1/3 regular-season innings.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Dan Hayes
February 12, 2026
The Milwaukee Brewers announced on Thursday that they avoided salary arbitration with catcher
William Contreras by signing him to an undisclosed one-year deal with a club option for the 2027 season. Contreras' downtick in production last year most likely had to do with the fact that he played through a fracture in his left middle finger. The 28-year-old backstop slashed .260/.355/.399 with a .754 OPS, 17 home runs, 76 RBI, 89 runs scored, and six stolen bases in 150 games (659 plate appearances). Contreras had surgery on his finger in the offseason, but he's expected to be a full-go for Opening Day this year, and fantasy managers should still consider him a top-five catcher. The two-time All-Star will see plenty of volume and has high-end power at the shallow catching position.
--Keith HernandezSource: Milwaukee Brewers
February 12, 2026
The Cleveland Guardians are finalizing a two-year minor-league deal with free-agent right-hander
Ben Lively (elbow) on Thursday, according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Lively had Tommy John surgery last June. The 33-year-old veteran is in camp with Cleveland this spring and will continue to rehab from UCL reconstruction and a flexor-tendon repair. The Guardians aren't expecting Lively to contribute much in 2026, if at all. The former fourth-round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in 2013 out of the University of Central Florida only made nine starts for the Guards last year, but looked good when he was healthy, posting a 3.22 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 29 strikeouts and 15 walks in 44 2/3 innings. Lively had a 3.68 ERA with 147 K's and 64 walks in 195 2/3 innings in his two seasons with Cleveland. He will not be a fantasy asset in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Zack Meisel
February 12, 2026
The Arizona Diamondbacks signed right-handed reliever
Paul Sewald to a one-year, $1.5 million deal on Thursday, pending a physical, according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Sewald was Arizona's closer in 2023 and had a career-high 34 saves that year, but he lost the role the following year before pitching with the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers last season. The 35-year-old veteran only threw 19 2/3 innings in 2025 due to injuries and posted a 4.58 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, two saves, 20 strikeouts, and six walks in 22 appearances with Cleveland and Detroit. The D-backs will be thin in the bullpen to begin the 2026 campaign with both
Justin Martinez (elbow) and
A.J. Puk (elbow) on the shelf, which could open the door for the declining Sewald to see some save opportunities. At best, he'll be a desperation source of save chances for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Arizona Republic - Nick Piecoro
February 12, 2026
Free-agent infielder/outfielder
Enrique Hernandez announced on his Instagram account on Thursday that he is re-signing an undisclosed one-year deal to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hernandez won't be ready for the start of the 2026 season after having left-elbow surgery this offseason. When the 34-year-old veteran returns, he'll resume his role in L.A. as a super-utility bat that mostly sees action against left-handed pitchers. Kike hit just .203/.255/.366 with a .621 OPS during 92 regular-season games for the Blue last season, adding 10 home runs, 35 RBI, and 30 runs scored in his 256 plate appearances. The Puerto Rican veteran has barely hit over the Mendoza Line the last two years in L.A., but he's been much more clutch during the postseason while helping the Dodgers win back-to-back World Series titles. Hernandez is a glue guy in L.A.'s locker room, but he won't be on the fantasy radar.
--Keith HernandezSource: FanSided.com - Robert Murray
February 12, 2026
The Denver Post's Kyle Newman writes that someone would probably have to get injured for Colorado Rockies outfield prospect
Zac Veen to break camp with the major-league team. The Rockies are pretty set in the outfield right now with
Brenton Doyle,
Mickey Moniak,
Jordan Beck, and Jack McCarthy, which leaves Veen on the outside looking in as things currently stand. In a 12-game cup of coffee for his major-league debut last year, the 24-year-old former ninth overall pick struck out 37.8% of the time over just 37 plate appearances before being sent back to Triple-A Albuquerque. Veen also hasn't exactly stood out in the upper levels of the minor leagues with a 94 wRC+ last year and discouraging batted-ball metrics. Speed is probably his biggest asset right now, with the potential to steal 20-plus bags at the next level if he has a full-time role. If he's back in the big leagues at some point in 2026, it will likely be in a part-time role, and he probably won't be an impact bat in mixed fantasy leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Denver Post - Kyle Newman
February 12, 2026
New York Mets starting shortstop
Francisco Lindor (hand) underwent surgery to fix a broken hamate bone in his hand on Wednesday and might not be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season. With Lindor sidelined this spring, infielders
Ronny Mauricio,
Vidal Brujan,
Grae Kessinger, and
Jackson Cluff will take reps at shortstop. The Mets plan to leave
Bo Bichette at third base for now. After missing all of 2024 due to a torn ACL in his knee, Mauricio struggled at the plate in 61 major-league games, hitting .226/.293/.369 with a .663 OPS, six home runs, 10 RBI, 15 walks, and 54 strikeouts in 184 plate appearances. The 24-year-old former top prospect is running out of time to make an impact in New York, and even if he does earn the starting nod at shortstop on Opening Day, Lindor isn't expected to miss extended time early on.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Will Sammon
February 12, 2026
Baltimore Orioles right-hander
Kyle Bradish has looked sharp early in camp and was seen striking out first baseman
Pete Alonso on Thursday during live batting practice, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com. Although it was a small sample size of only 32 innings over six starts, Bradish looked outstanding in 2025 in his return from Tommy John surgery, allowing only nine earned runs on 23 hits (three homers) while walking 10 and striking out 47. He struck out nine or more hitters in half of his starts for a 37.3% strikeout rate. The 29-year-old surely won't be that dominant over a full season in 2026, but his work last year was extremely encouraging. Since the beginning of 2023, Bradish has a 2.78 ERA (3.03 FIP) and 1.05 WHIP with 268 K's and 69 walks in 240 innings over 44 starts for the O's. He's a nice No. 2 starting pitcher target in fantasy drafts this spring.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Jake Rill
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