Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect Dylan Beavers (quadriceps) has had some tightness in his right quadriceps muscle, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. The issue has caused soreness in his knee. Beavers is feeling better on Saturday and hopes to be ready for Opening Day next week. It's the first time he has experienced this, so he's not 100% sure he'll be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season. As a precaution, the Orioles scratched the 24-year-old from the Grapefruit League lineup on Friday. If anything, the O's will exercise caution with their young outfielder, so don't be surprised if he starts on the injured list or in the minors. The former 33rd overall pick in 2022 out of Cal Berkeley made his major-league debut in 2025 and went 25-for-110 (.227) with four home runs, 14 RBI, and 16 runs scored in 137 plate appearances. Beavers has clear 20-20 potential at the next level as a regular, but the Orioles have a crowded outfield picture, and Beavers will most likely be in some sort of platoon initially.

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New York Mets veteran left-hander Sean Manaea has not been included on the team's Opening Day starting rotation, according to Anthony DiComo. The Mets will roll with Freddy Peralta, David Peterson, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, and Kodai Senga as their starting five to kick things off in 2026. Manaea will piggyback off one of the starters the first time through the rotation. The 34-year-old southpaw has displayed diminished velocity this spring, although Manaea has downplayed it. In his three Grapefruit League starts, Manaea has allowed four earned runs on seven hits (two homers) while walking two and striking out nine in 9 2/3 innings of work. He had a late-career resurgence in 2024 in his first year in New York with a 3.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 184:63 K:BB in 32 starts, but injuries and inconsistency returned last year, when he went 2-4 with a career-worst 5.64 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 75:12 K:BB in only 60 2/3 frames. Without a rotation spot to begin the year, Manaea becomes more of a high-risk, low-reward late-round flier for rotation depth in fantasy drafts.

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Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora officially announced on Saturday that infielder Marcelo Mayer will break camp as the team's starting second baseman, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. This was the expectation all along after Boston recently named Caleb Durbin as the starting third baseman. Mayer, 23, beat out Nick Sogard for starting duties at the keystone to open the 2026 season. The former fourth overall pick in 2021 is currently hitting .214 (6-for-28) with a homer, two RBI, four runs scored, eight walks, and eight strikeouts in 11 Grapefruit League games this spring. Mayer made his MLB debut in 2025 and appeared in 44 games, slashing .228/.272/.402 with a .674 OPS, four home runs, 10 RBI, and 20 runs scored in 136 plate appearances. The left-handed hitter gets a boost as a late-round upside stash in deep-mixed and AL-only leagues with the news for his middling power and speed at a middle-infield position. As Mayer begins his first full major-league season, his ideal fantasy value comes as a developing dynasty/keeper middle-infield asset.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates have discussed a possible long-term contract extension with shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin, a source told Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Griffin is MLB Pipeline's consensus top prospect in baseball, and even though he hasn't had his 20th birthday yet, he could be the team's Opening Day starting shortstop next week. Talk has been around a deal for as long as nine years and more than $100 million, according to Mayo's source. If Griffin starts on Opening Day, he'd be the first teenager to make his MLB debut on Opening Day since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1989. Griffin is hitting just .206 (7-for-34) in 13 Grapefruit League games, but he has an .859 OPS with four homers and nine RBI, and he has impressed his teammates with his raw power and maturity. He made it look easy at three minor-league levels in 2025, slashing .333/.415/.527 with 21 homers and 65 steals. It was just the fifth 20-60 season in minor-league history. Griffin might just be one of those generational talents that don't come around too often. Even if he doesn't start the year in the majors, Griffin is going to produce for fantasy managers in all formats in 2026.

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Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Gavin Lux (shoulder) is absent from Saturday's Grapefruit League contest against the Minnesota Twins. Manager Kevin Cash said that Lux's right shoulder is "cranky," but the team is monitoring his status and expects him to return to the lineup on Sunday. The 28-year-old has put together a disappointing spring, slashing just .222/.222/.278 with a 38.9% walk rate and 18 wRC+ across six games. Lux projects as the Rays' starting second baseman on Opening Day, mostly because he posted a respectable 102 wRC+ in the majors with the Reds last year. At this point, it doesn't sound like the shoulder discomfort will sideline Lux beyond the weekend, so we should expect to see him in the lineup when the Rays kick off the regular season against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.

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Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Andrew Kittredge (shoulder inflammation) said that he'll open the season on a rehab assignment in Triple-A Norfolk, according to Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. He'll land on the 15-day injured list, but he expects a minimum stay and should be activated as soon as he's eligible. Kittredge noted that he'll be in Baltimore for Opening Day before reporting to Norfolk. An injury-related absence of any sort is not ideal, but fans and fantasy managers should be encouraged that Kittredge's ailment isn't too serious. He'll be back in action very soon, looking to build on a 2025 campaign in which he posted a 3.06 FIP with 10.9 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9. He projects as a high-leverage setup option in Baltimore this year, pitching late in the game before the O's turn to Ryan Helsley.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki (knee) has resumed light throwing and hitting, according to the team's injury and transaction tracker on MLB.com. Suzuki is working his way back from a PCL sprain that he suffered during the World Baseball Classic. The Cubs have directed Suzuki to begin these light baseball activities to determine whether he should be placed on the injured list. At this point, it seems probable that he'll miss Opening Day, even if he ends up avoiding an IL stint. That's tough news for the Cubs, who were expecting to pencil him into the No. 4 spot in their lineup as the everyday right fielder. Once he returns to action, the 31-year-old will look to build on a 2025 campaign in which he delivered a career-high 32 home runs and 103 RBI. Despite the injury blip, Suzuki still ranks as the #27 outfielder in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for 2026.

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New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez (back) is in the starting lineup for Saturday's Grapefruit League contest against the Washington Nationals, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Alvarez exited early on Thursday, and he was kept out of the lineup entirely on Friday. While Mets fans and fantasy managers initially held their breath given Alvarez's injury history, it turns out that the catcher was just dealing with back tightness, and the team wasn't too worried about his status going forward. Indeed, he's already back in action after missing less than two days. Alvarez will look to pick up where he left off last year, when he slashed .256/.339/.447 with 11 home runs and 124 wRC+. He projects as the Mets' everyday catcher, batting ninth.

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Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Justin Crawford has been informed that he made the Opening Day roster, according to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com. Crawford is regarded as one of the premier prospects in the Phillies' farm system, and his promotion to the majors comes after he spent the entire 2025 season in Triple-A. In the minors last year, he slashed a whopping .334/.411/.452 with seven home runs, 46 stolen bases, an 11.5% walk rate, an 18.0% strikeout rate, and 135 wRC+. His stats came back down to earth against MLB-caliber pitching this spring, but he still posted a respectable .277/.320/.383 slash line in spring training. Crawford represents the long-term future of the Phillies' outfield, and we wouldn't be surprised to see him start in center field on Opening Day.

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Boston Red Sox second baseman Kristian Campbell has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Campbell will require some additional development in the minors before the Boston front office is comfortable recalling him to the majors. The young infielder made his MLB debut last spring after making the Opening Day roster. He got off to a hot start but then quickly settled down, posting a .223/.319/.345 slash line with a 27.4% strikeout rate and 86 wRC+ across 67 games. He spent the rest of the 2025 season in Triple-A, not only working on his swing at the plate, but also improving his defensive versatility by getting reps at first base and in left field. Campbell produced a quiet spring this year (.645 OPS and 67 wRC+), so he didn't do enough to earn an Opening Day roster spot. Instead, he'll head back to Worcester while fellow infielder Marcelo Mayer slots in as the Red Sox' primary second baseman.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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