Chicago Cubs catching prospect Moises Ballesteros was expected to have a role on the team's Opening Day roster, but could have even a larger role in the early part of the campaign following Seiya Suzuki's knee injury. While his timeline has yet to be revealed, Ballesteros could quickly claim the everyday DH spot and face even less competition for at-bats. The young backstop looked quite comfortable in his MLB debut last summer, posting a 298/.394/.474 slash line with two doubles and two home runs. Earlier in the campaign, the No. 1-ranked prospect in the system posted a stellar .316/.385/.473 line with 13 long balls over a 114-game stint. Managers should also closely monitor Ballesteros' usage behind the dish, as he could see his fantasy value soar if he were to gain catcher eligibility in standard leagues. For now, he projects to remain a primary DH for the early part of the season and has high-end streaming value in 12+ team formats.

From RotoBaller

New York Yankees top outfield prospect Spencer Jones looked quite comfortable in spring training, but was unable to crack the Opening Day roster due to the depth the Yankees have at the outfield position. Following the re-signing of Cody Bellinger, Jones was poised to begin the 2026 regular season back in the minor leagues once again. In camp, Jones held a .333/.429/.917 slash line with four long balls over just 11 games. However, he was optioned to Triple-A earlier this week but will likely be the first named called as an injury replacement. In 2025, Jones continued to show elite raw power in the minor leagues, launching 19 home runs over a short 67-game stint with Triple-A. However, he carried a hefty 36.6% K%. If Jones can lower his strikeout rate, he should be in the mix to debut in the first half. Given his elite power upside, he is a viable stash option in deeper 15-team leagues ahead of the start of the regular season.

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Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop prospect Demetrio Crisantes will begin the 2026 regular season at the Double-A level. Crisantes spent his entire 2025 campaign at High-A but showed enough development to move up to the next level in the Arizona system. Last summer, Crisantes appeared in only 34 High-A games while dealing with a shoulder injury, but he was productive during this stint. The infielder would hold a .252/.358/.415 slash line with eight doubles, four home runs, and six stolen bases. In 2024, he would spend most of his campaign at Low-A Visalia and carried an elite .907 OPS over a 63-game stint. While the former seventh-round pick is unlikely to make his MLB debut this summer, he remains on track for a 2027 promotion and is a name to continue to monitor in dynasty formats.

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Boston Red Sox left-handed pitching prospect Payton Tolle is unlikely to break camp with the MLB roster and is emerging as a top early-season stash candidate. Throughout spring training, the 6-foot-6 southpaw has looked quite comfortable, logging 10 2/3 innings to the tune of a 2.53 ERA with a 0.84 WHIP. During this stint, he has totaled 13 punchouts while allowing just one free pass. Last summer, Tolle made his MLB debut but stumbled in his first taste of action, carrying a high 6.06 ERA with a 1.59 WHIP over 16 1/3 innings. However, he did manage to strike out 19 hitters, showcasing his raw upside. With Johan Oviedo slated to take the final spot in the starting rotation, Tolle will likely begin the regular season at Triple-A but could be called to make a start in Boston early in the first half. Given his strikeout potential, he is worth stashing in 12+ team leagues ahead of Opening Day.

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St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect Nathan Church is in strong consideration to break camp with the MLB roster, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Church has put together an impressive showing in spring training and could find a lead role on a rebuilding club in 2026. Through 14 games, Church has held a .313/.436/.469 line with a .905 OPS, one home run, and two stolen bases. The 25-year-old made his MLB debut last summer and posted a modest .279/.254/.250 line with one stolen base and one round-tripper. He spent most of the 2025 campaign with Triple-A Memphis, where he carried a dominant .335/.400/.521 line. Given that Lars Nootbaar (heel) is unavailable to open the campaign, Church could slot in as the everyday left fielder to begin the season.

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Colorado Rockies first base prospect Cole Carrigg was optioned to minor league camp on Thursday evening. The team's No. 6-ranked prospect on MLB.com was in the mix to break camp with the MLB roster but will instead begin the campaign in the minor leagues. Carrigg joined the Rockeis with the 65th overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft. The 23-year-old spent his entire 2025 campaign wth Double-A but could be in the mix to make his Triple-A debut in the coming weeks. Across 123 games with Double-A Hartford, Carrigg held a .237/.316/.394 line with a .710 OPS. During this stint, the first baseman would hit 15 home runs, swipe 46 bags, and hold a 145:45 K:BB. Managers should monitor his status as he could contend for a second-half MLB debut.

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Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, who finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2025, is having a forgettable spring training, hitting .229 (8-for-35) with a home run, five RBI, three runs scored, and one stolen base in 39 plate appearances over 14 Cactus League games going into Thursday's action. Fantasy managers shouldn't be too concerned with the results. The 23-year-old former sixth overall pick in 2023 out of Grand Canyon University had an excellent first full year in the big leagues in 2025, slashing .311/.355/.444 with an .800 OPS, 13 home runs, 63 RBI, 62 runs scored, and five stolen bases in 523 plate appearances over 125 games played. Wilson doesn't have a ton of power, but he does make elite contact and is one of the hardest hitters to strike out -- he fanned just 39 times in 486 at-bats last year. A fractured forearm didn't help Wilson finish strong last year, but there's still a lot to like with him as a No. 2 fantasy shortstop for his high average and counting stats in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the league in Sacramento. RotoBaller has Wilson ranked as the No. 18 SS.

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Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevory Story was held out of a third straight Grapefruit League game over the weekend, with the Red Sox "monitoring Story's workload" in an effort to keep him fresh going into the start of the 2026 regular season next week, a club source told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Story has played in 11 Grapefruit League games this year and has hit a strong .424 (14-for-33) with no homers, four doubles, three triples, two RBI, six runs scored, and a stolen base in 34 plate appearances. The 33-year-old two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner had two injury-plagued seasons for Boston in 2023 and 2024 before rebounding to hit .263/.308/.433 with a .741 OPS, 25 home runs, 96 RBI, a career-high 31 stolen bases, and 91 runs scored in 157 regular-season games in 2025. Boston is planning to give Story a "little more rest in 2026," which has started this spring. Story showed he can still deliver power/speed numbers for fantasy managers last year, but his lengthy injury history and advanced age make him a pretty big injury risk and more of a low-end starting shortstop option in fantasy leagues.

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New York Mets third baseman Bo Bichette hit his first home run of spring training on Tuesday in the Grapefruit League game against the Miami Marlins, going 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and five RBI. The 28-year-old two-time All-Star is starting to get a little more comfortable at the plate and at defense at the hot corner for the Mets with a week to go until Opening Day. Bichette came into Thursday's spring action hitting .267 (8-for-30) with a homer, eight RBI, four runs scored, four walks, and five strikeouts in 12 games played. He bounced back from an injury-plagued 2024 campaign to slash .311/.357/.483 with an .840 OPS, 18 home runs, 94 RBI, 78 runs scored, and four steals in 139 regular-season games in 2025 in his final year in Toronto. Bichette should give fantasy managers a high floor with his strong contact skills, midrange power, and reliable counting stats in another strong lineup in Queens. He'll also provide shortstop eligibility to begin the year for fantasy managers. Bichette doesn't have the elite power/speed profile of the high-end fantasy shortstops, which is why he's more of a midrange fantasy target at shortstop/third base.

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Los Angeles Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said that left-hander Yusei Kikuchi will start the second game of the season in Houston against the Astros on Friday, March 27, even though he only threw 64 pitches in his Cactus League outing on Thursday night against the Kansas City Royals, according to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register. Kikuchi told Suzuki that he'll be a full-go next week. The 34-year-old southpaw allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking none in four innings across two outings for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic this spring. Kikuchi was an All-Star for the second time in his career in 2025 in his first year in Anaheim, going 7-11 with a 3.99 ERA (4.23 FIP) and 1.42 WHIP with 174 strikeouts and 74 walks in 178 1/3 innings over 33 starts. He allowed a league-high 180 hits. Although he's not much more than a No. 5 starting pitcher for depth in deeper fantasy leagues, Kikuchi has been durable, making at least 32 starts in each of the last three years.

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New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (back) was pulled early from Thursday night's Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros with back tightness, manager Carlos Mendoza told Will Sammon of The Athletic. The skipper called it a precautionary move to pull Alvarez from the game, and the catcher said he would have continued playing if it was the regular season. The oft-injured 24-year-old is not scheduled to play on Friday. Alvarez struck out in his only plate appearance of the game before being replaced. At the moment, it doesn't look like anything that will keep him from playing on Opening Day next week, but it's something to keep an eye on. He came into Thursday's game with a strong .381 average (8-for-21) with a homer and four RBI in nine Grapefruit League games. Alvarez has breakout potential because of his above-average power from the right side for a catcher, but he's also a pretty big risk because of his lengthy injury history. The Venezuelan catcher had 25 homers in 2023 but has 22 in the last two seasons combined, and only played in 76 games in 2025 due to injuries.

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After posting a career-low .674 OPS across 614 plate appearances in 2024, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer engineered a remarkable resurgence in his age-35 season in 2025. Across 586 trips to the plate, Springer slashed .309/.399/.550 with 32 home runs, 84 RBI, 106 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases. Springer's barrel rate soared to a career-high 15.8%, and his hard-hit rate jumped to 46.7%, his first time cracking the 44% mark. Springer benefited from a .340 batting average on balls in play, significantly better than his career BABIP of .298. He's likely in line for regression in the batting average category as a result. However, he should still be able to post quality power numbers, even if his underlying metrics slide back towards his career norms. As long as Springer can avoid injury and significant age-related decline in his age-36 season, he looks like a capable starting fantasy outfielder across all league formats entering 2026.

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Across 649 plate appearances in 2025, Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner hit .297/.345/.394 with seven home runs, 61 RBI, 89 runs scored, and 29 stolen bases. The 28-year-old's lack of power limits his fantasy upside, and it's a feature of his profile that appears extremely unlikely to change in 2026. Hoerner owns a minuscule career barrel rate of 1.9%, and he's hit just 36 total home runs across nearly 2,900 career MLB plate appearances. However, Hoerner has logged 123 stolen bases over the past four seasons, making him one of the more reliable sources of speed in fantasy baseball. He's also a lifetime .282 hitter whose strong defense keeps him in the Cubs lineup on an everyday basis and allows him to rack up counting stats. Hoerner is not a perfect fit on all rosters, but he still profiles as a top-five fantasy second baseman heading into 2026.

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow has long tantalized fantasy managers with his immense upside and frustrated them with his inability to make it through a full season without getting injured. 2025 was more of the same for the 32-year-old, as he posted a 4-3 record with a 3.19 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 106 strikeouts across 90 1/3 innings (18 starts). Across 10 MLB seasons, Glasnow has never made more than 22 starts or thrown more than 134 innings. Still, the veteran right-hander is currently healthy as 2026 Opening Day approaches. Glasnow has recorded five consecutive seasons with an ERA of 3.53 or less and eight straight campaigns with a strikeout rate of 29% or higher, making him very difficult for fantasy managers to pass up. All in all, Glasnow remains a high-risk, high-reward starting pitcher option heading into 2026.

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After back-to-back top-10 finishes in the American League MVP voting in 2023 and 2024, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson battled through a down year in 2025. Across 651 plate appearances, the 24-year-old hit .274/.349/.438 with 17 home runs, 68 RBI, 85 runs scored, and 30 stolen bases. Henderson's barrel rate dropped from 11.2% to 8.5% in 2025, and his hard-hit rate fell from 53.9% to 49%. As a result, his slugging percentage dipped from .529 to .438. However, injury may have played a role in Henderson's power decline. He suffered an intercostal strain in 2025 Spring Training that did not cause him to miss much time, but still may have impacted his performance at the plate. Entering 2026, Henderson is fully healthy and has more help around him in the Baltimore lineup following the Orioles acquisition of first baseman Pete Alonso over the winter. Henderson remains an elite fantasy shortstop with the potential for high-level five-category production in 2026.

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Across 70 innings split between the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies in 2025, Phillies closer Jhoan Duran recorded a 7-6 record with a 2.06 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 80 strikeouts, and 32 saves. Despite making 26 fewer appearances with Philadelphia than Minnesota, Duran recorded the same number of saves (16) with both teams. Heading into 2026, the 28-year-old is locked in as the Phillies' closer and could be in line for his most productive MLB season from a saves perspective. While Minnesota often deployed Duran in high-leverage spots outside of the ninth inning, Philadelphia used him as a traditional closer. Duran owns a career K-BB rate of 23.6% and also does a tremendous job of limiting the long ball, as he's allowed a HR/9 of just 0.67 across 254 1/3 career innings. He profiles as an elite closer option for fantasy managers heading into 2026.

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San Francisco Giants first base prospect Bryce Eldridge is being sent to minor-league camp on Thursday, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Officially, Eldridge was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento despite having an .830 OPS with six RBI and eight runs scored in his 19 Cactus League games this spring. The 21-year-old left-handed slugger also struck out in 19 of his 40 at-bats, so he clearly has some stuff to work on down on the farm to start the 2026 regular season. He'll play first base at Sacramento, but Eldridge will probably be more of a full-time designated hitter whenever he reaches the majors with Rafael Devers entrenched at first. Eldridge got a cup of coffee in the big leagues last year in 10 games, going 3-for-28 (.107) with no homers, four RBI, seven walks, and 13 strikeouts. He had 25 homers in 102 minor-league games before that, but he also dealt with wrist and hamstring injuries that caused him to miss time. Eldridge is a big power bat with a low floor in 2026 because of his inexperience and high whiff rate. Long-term, though, he's a nice power bat to keep stashed in dynasty/keeper leagues who could get extended run in the Show this year if he stays healthy.

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New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga finished his spring with seven straight scoreless innings in the Grapefruit League, striking out nine and walking one over that stretch, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Senga topped out at 97.3 mph in his outing on Thursday and has been up to 99 mph in the Grapefruit League. The 33-year-old Japanese hurler was an All-Star in 2023 in his first year in the big leagues with an ERA under 3.00 and 202 strikeouts, but he hasn't been quite as good since then, and he's only made a total of 23 starts for the Mets over the last two years due to injuries. Senga was off to a fantastic start in 2025 before injuring his hamstring, struggling upon his return, and being sent to the minors at the end of the year. He looks motivated this spring and has likely secured a spot in the starting rotation going into the 2026 season. Because he ended the year in Triple-A in 2025, Senga could come at a value in fantasy drafts this weekend, although his ADP has been on the rise due to his strong spring. There's a lot to like about Senga and his high-strikeout upside at a reduced cost.

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Athletics right-hander Luis Severino will make the Opening Day start for the team this year in Toronto at the Rogers Centre against the Blue Jays next Friday, March 27, manager Mark Kotsay told Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. It will be Severino's second straight Opening Day assignment with the A's and the third of his career. Severino's fantasy stock is on the decline after he went 8-11 with a 4.54 ERA (4.11 FIP) and 1.30 WHIP with 124 strikeouts, and 50 walks in 162 2/3 innings over 29 starts in his first year in Sacramento. At home at Sutter Health Park, Severino went 2-9 with a 6.01 ERA, really struggling to keep the ball in the yard at the hitter-friendly band box. The 32-year-old Dominican isn't a bad pitcher -- he's made two All-Star teams -- but his upside is limited in a tough pitching environment as he gets closer to the end of his career. He's been more volatile than ever for fantasy managers the last three years of his career, and he's fallen to the No. 139-ranked starting pitcher at RotoBaller. In DFS, we wouldn't recommend Severino on the road against the reigning American League-champion Blue Jays.

From RotoBaller

The Colorado Rockies announced on Thursday that they reassigned infielder/outfielder Charlie Condon to minor-league camp. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as the expectation all along was that Condon would open the 2026 campaign in the minors, most likely at Double-A. The 22-year-old former third overall pick in 2024 out of the University of Georgia had a strong spring training showing, hitting .389 (14-for-36) with three home runs, nine RBI, six runs scored, four walks, and eight strikeouts in 19 Cactus League games. He hit .268/.376/.444 with an .820 OPS, 14 home runs, 58 RBI, and 59 runs scored in 99 games over three minor-league levels in 2025. The Rockies definitely have some playing time up for grabs at the first base position, which looks to be Condon's long-term home in Colorado. If Condon continues to swing a hot bat down on the farm to begin the 2026 season, he'll most likely be in Denver by the summer. He's an intriguing power-hitting first base option to stash in dynasty/keeper leagues for the time being.

From RotoBaller