March 15, 2026
After notching 10 saves and a 1.91 ERA across 76 appearances in 2024, San Francisco Giants relief pitcher
Ryan Walker entered 2025 as the team's primary ninth-inning option. While Walker collected 17 more saves in 2025, he struggled to a 4.11 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP, and eventually lost his job to emergent Giants right-hander
Randy Rodriguez (elbow). However, Rodriguez underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in late August 2025, opening the door for Walker to reclaim his ninth-inning role. Entering 2026, Walker is expected to get the first shot as San Francisco's primary closer. While the Giants have other quality relief options like left-hander
Erik Miller, there is no clear option to replace Walker even if he encounters some early-season struggles. Walker has sleeper potential if he can rediscover his 2024 form, but his profile is not without significant downside risk for fantasy managers entering 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
March 15, 2026
After undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2024, Miami Marlins starting pitcher
Eury Perez did not make it back to the big league mound until June 2025. Upon his return, the 22-year-old posted a 7-6 record with a 4.25 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 105 strikeouts across 95 1/3 innings (20 starts). While Perez's 4.25 ERA stands out as less than ideal, he posted an excellent 19% K-BB rate and was victimized by a 64% strand rate that is likely to regress. Perez is reportedly fully healthy heading into 2026 and is expected to anchor the Marlins rotation. Perez has been a bit wild so far this spring, issuing a 17.9% walk rate across his three Grapefruit League appearances. Still, his health is more important than his performance in the small sample size of Spring Training. As long as he can avoid the injury bug, Perez has a fantasy SP1 upside in 2026 and beyond.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
March 15, 2026
After breaking out as a fantasy ace in 2024, Kansas City Royals starting pitcher
Cole Ragans battled through injuries and underperformance in an underwhelming follow-up campaign in 2025. Across 61 2/3 innings (13 starts), the 28-year-old went 3-3 with a 4.67 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts. Ragans spent time on the Injured List with two separate groin strains and also dealt with a rotator cuff issue. However, Ragans is reportedly back to full strength heading into 2026 and could be in line for a resurgent season. Even in a down year, Ragans still posted a ridiculous 38.1% strikeout rate in 2025. His outlier 64.4% strand rate indicates that his inflated 4.67 ERA in 2025 was a symptom of poor luck, as he logged an excellent 2.67 xERA and 2.50 FIP. As long as Ragans can stay healthy, he could easily re-emerge as a fantasy SP1 in 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
March 15, 2026
Cleveland Guardians third baseman
Jose Ramirez has been one of the better players in baseball for the better part of the last 10 years. He posted another excellent season in 2025, hitting .282/.360/.503 with 30 home runs, 85 RBI, 103 runs scored, and 44 stolen bases across 673 plate appearances. Ramirez has logged at least 630 plate appearances in five consecutive seasons and has now recorded back-to-back campaigns with at least 30 home runs and 40 stolen bases. He has not recorded a strikeout rate higher than 12% since 2021, providing him with a safe batting average floor as well. If there's one flaw in Ramirez's profile, it's that he does not make consistently elite contact. With a 7% barrel rate and a 37% hard-hit rate in 2025, Ramirez's underlying power metrics are below-average. Still, the 33-year-old has a proven track record of maxing out his skill set. Ramirez remains an elite third base option who should be selected in the early part of the first round in fantasy drafts heading into 2026.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
March 15, 2026
Houston Astros shortstop
Jeremy Pena (finger) is "feeling good" and returning by Opening Day remains his goal, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Pena suffered a fracture in the tip of his right ring finger while fielding a ground ball in a WBC exhibition game for Team Dominican Republic earlier this spring. The 28-year-old is coming off the best season of his MLB career, as he slashed .304/.363/.477 with 17 home runs, 62 RBI, 68 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases across 543 plate appearances with Houston in 2025. Once healthy, Pena profiles as a max-volume regular at the top of the Astros lineup. Should he end up missing the start of 2026, Astros third baseman
Carlos Correa could shift back to his natural position of shortstop, keeping glove-first infielder
Nick Allen in a bench role.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
March 15, 2026
Boston Red Sox infielder
Marcelo Mayer (knee) was scratched from the lineup ahead of Sunday's Grapefruit League contest against the Minnesota Twins. According to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com, Mayer is experiencing left knee soreness. While it's hard to gauge the severity of injuries from a potentially precautionary lineup change in spring training, this situation requires extra attention because of Mayer's injury history. He's had four significant injured list stints in the last three years, including a months-long absence that sidelined him from July 2025 through the end of the regular season. The former first-round pick has been competing for a spot on Boston's Opening Day roster, with manager Alex Cora publicly acknowledging Mayer isn't a lock to make the team. A knee injury certainly won't help his chances, especially if it's significant enough to sideline him for multiple games. At this point, it's looking more likely that
Isiah Kiner-Falefa could be the Red Sox' Opening Day second baseman with Mayer and
Romy Gonzalez (shoulder) injured.
--Andersen PickardSource: Christopher Smith
March 15, 2026
Los Angeles Angels shortstop
Zach Neto (hand) has been diagnosed with a small sprain in his left hand, according to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. Fletcher reports that tests came back negative on Neto's hand, which means he avoided a fracture, and he expects to return to the Halos' lineup within a few days. All in all, this is good news for the Angels and Neto, as it appears the 25-year-old infielder avoided a serious injury. He should be good to go for Opening Day, which is less than two weeks away. Having Neto healthy is pivotal for the Angels and fantasy managers, as he was a prime contributor last year with a .257/.319/.474 slash line, 26 home runs, and 116 wRC+. He currently ranks #4 among shortstops in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for the 2026 season.
--Andersen PickardSource: Jeff Fletcher
March 15, 2026
The Miami Marlins are targeting next weekend for third baseman
Graham Pauley (arm) to resume playing the infield, according to Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. When he gets back onto the field, he'll return to his natural position at third base, where he played 52 big-league games last year. Pauley slashed just .224/.311/.366 with 90 wRC+ in 2025, but he delivered above-average contributions on defense (6 OAA and 5 FRV), suggesting he's in line to earn substantial reps at third base during the 2026 regular season. It's unclear if Pauley's arm injury, which he's been dealing with since February, will end up jeopardizing his shot at appearing on the Opening Day roster. Miami is fortunate to have depth at the position in case Pauley misses extended time. Replacement options include projected starting third baseman
Connor Norby or
Javier Sanoja.
--Andersen PickardSource: Christina De Nicola
March 15, 2026
Miami Marlins infield prospect
Maximo Acosta (oblique) has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left oblique strain and will miss three to four weeks, according to Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. Acosta is a former international prospect who ranked #25 among Marlins prospects in FanGraphs' mid-2025 farm system report. He ended up making his MLB debut before the end of the season, slashing .204/.295/.389 with three home runs, a 9.8% walk rate, a 27.9% strikeout rate, and 91 wRC+ across 19 games. The results at the plate weren't great by any means, but they also weren't necessarily uncharacteristic for a glove-first rookie who was called up midseason. Of course, any chance that Acosta had of making the 2026 Opening Day roster is now down the drain due to his oblique injury. He'll open the year on the injured list, and it'll be tougher for the Marlins to justify sending him right back to the majors when he's healthy.
--Andersen PickardSource: Christina De Nicola
March 15, 2026
Los Angeles Angels infielder
Adam Frazier appears to be the favorite to start at second base on Opening Day, according to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. Fletcher wrote that Frazier is "probably the leader" in the mix for the job after
Christian Moore and
Kyren Paris were optioned to Triple-A. Other names in the hunt include
Oswald Peraza,
Nick Madrigal, and Vaughn Grisson. However, Frazier is the leader in the pack amid an impressive spring in which he's slashing .368/.478/.474 with a 8.7% walk rate, a 13.0% strikeout rate, and 159 wRC+. It's a significant accomplishment for the veteran infielder, who originally faced an uphill battle to even make the team after attending camp as a non-roster invite. Now, he's in line to start on Opening Day and will need to be added to both the 26-man and 40-man rosters in the next two weeks. Despite Frazier's newfound starting role, he's not a reliable option in fantasy baseball leagues.
--Andersen PickardSource: Jeff Fletcher
March 15, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman
Pavin Smith (forearm) was scratched from Friday's lineup with left forearm tightness. Manager Torey Lovullo said that Smith will be shut down for a couple of days, but he won't require any imaging, and he should return to the lineup by Wednesday. The 30-year-old is looking to take on a bigger role in 2026 after he posted a solid .258/.362/.434 slash line with 123 wRC+ last year. Unfortunately, his defense is significantly below average, so he's essentially cornered into playing designated hitter and earning some first base reps when
Carlos Santana isn't in the lineup. Specifically, we expect Smith to start against right-handed pitchers, while he sits out most games against southpaws. Since he could be headed for fewer than 100 games once again this year, he ranks all the way down at #56 among first basemen in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.
--Andersen PickardSource: Bailey Leasure
March 15, 2026
St. Louis Cardinals right-hander
Hunter Dobbins (knee) will start the 2026 season on the injured list, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Dobbins threw five solid innings on the back fields in camp on Saturday, but he's recovering from ACL surgery last July and still has not been cleared to field his position. Dobbins' role when he's ready to come off the IL will depend on his performance and the Cardinals' need. Goold writes that Dobbins will be a starter at either Triple-A Memphis or with the Cardinals. The 26-year-old former eighth-round pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2021 out of Texas Tech made his big-league debut in Boston last year before his knee injury and went 4-1 with a 4.13 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 45:17 K: BB in 61 innings over 13 outings (11 starts). The Cards acquired him in the deal that sent
Willson Contreras to Boston. Dobbins is more suited towards being a dynasty or NL-only stash as he heads into his first season in the National League.
--Keith HernandezSource: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Derrick Goold
March 15, 2026
Seattle Mariners shortstop
J.P. Crawford (shoulder) is out of the Cactus League lineup again on Sunday against the Cincinnati Reds as he continues to deal with shoulder soreness, according to Shannon Drayer. The Mariners are taking the opportunity to give Crawford multiple days off with an off day coming on Monday. The team will see how he's feeling on Tuesday. It's an injury that the 31-year-old has been battling since early in spring training, and he even took a few weeks off earlier in camp to try to rest his shoulder. But after returning to Cactus League action in March, the issue hasn't gone away. It doesn't sound like the Mariners are too concerned about Crawford's shoulder, but it's definitely something to watch with Opening Day less than two full weeks away. Crawford hit .265/.352/.370 with a .722 OPS, 12 homers, 58 RBI, 69 runs scored, and a career-high eight steals in 157 games last year in his ninth year in the big leagues. He's a better real-life shortstop than a fantasy one with minimal power and speed upside. Crawford has double-digit homers in just two of his nine MLB seasons and has never had double-digit stolen bases.
UPDATE: Crawford is expected to be back in the spring lineup on Tuesday.--Keith HernandezSource: Shannon Drayer
March 15, 2026
Cleveland Guardians right-handed reliever
Cade Smith threw another scoreless inning in his Cactus League outing on Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers and has not allowed a run or a hit with no walks and four strikeouts in his three innings of work in spring training. Smith needed just seven pitches to retire the side in the fifth inning on Thursday. With
Emmanuel Clase now out of the picture in Cleveland for the closing role, Smith is the Guardians' go-to guy in the ninth inning, and he's quickly become a top-five closing target for fantasy managers. The 26-year-old Canadian hurler went 8-5 last year with a 2.93 ERA (1.95 FIP), 1.00 WHIP, a career-high 16 saves, 104 strikeouts, and 19 walks in 73 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Smith was one of only five relief pitchers to have 100-plus strikeouts in 2025. He's one of the best emerging high-leverage bullpen arms in baseball.
--Keith HernandezSource: Baseball Reference
March 15, 2026
Houston Astros first baseman
Christian Walker hit his first Grapefruit League home run on Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals, but overall, he's been swinging a cold bat this spring. Going into Sunday's action, Walker has gone 3-for-23 (.130) with one home run, two RBI, two runs scored, three walks, and six strikeouts in the small sample size of nine games played. Walker's name came up in trade rumors in the offseason, but he remains in Houston and will open the 2026 regular season as their starting first baseman. The 34-year-old veteran right-handed slugger slashed .238/.297/.421 with a .717 OPS, 27 home runs, 88 RBI, 72 runs scored, and two steals in 640 plate appearances over 154 games in 2025 in his first year with the Astros. If he stays healthy, Walker should be a reliable mid-round contributor at first base in fantasy while hitting in the heart of Houston's batting order. He's had at least 26 homers and 84 RBI in each of the last four years. RotoBaller has Walker ranked as the No. 22 fantasy first baseman.
--Keith HernandezSource: Baseball Reference
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