MLB News

Houston Astros right-hander Mike Burrows has been nearly unhittable in Grapefruit League action in spring training, throwing 12 2/3 scoreless innings in four outings. Burrows has struck out 15 batters, walked six, and given up only six hits after throwing 77 pitches over four innings of work on Thursday night. The Astros acquired the 26-year-old in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates in December, and so far, it's looking like it could be a steal for the Astros. Burrows made one relief appearance for Pittsburgh in 2024 but saw his first extended run in the majors last year, posting a 3.94 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with 97 strikeouts and 31 walks in 96 innings over 23 outings (19 starts). He has added a two-seam fastball to help neutralize right-handed hitters and has breakout potential as a high-strikeout arm. Particularly in dynasty/keeper formats, Burrows is becoming more attractive as a late-round dart throw by the day.

Chicago White Sox utility man Brooks Baldwin (elbow) had imaging done on his right elbow that revealed inflammation, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com. While it's not entirely clear what the issue is for Baldwin, it appears as though he could be at risk of missing Opening Day. Across 328 plate appearances for Chicago in 2025, Baldwin slashed .240/.290/.407 with 11 home runs, 38 RBI, 32 runs scored, and five stolen bases. The 25-year-old's main appeal is his versatility, as he has spent time at every defensive position other than first base, catcher, and pitcher. If Baldwin misses time, recently acquired utility man Luisangel Acuna (eye) could see a more prominent role in the early portion of the season for the White Sox.

Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers took his game to new heights in 2025, hitting .277/.325/.536 with 31 home runs, 72 RBI, 73 runs scored, and seven stolen bases across 523 plate appearances. The 28-year-old had already established himself as one of the better power-hitting catchers in the two years prior, hitting 51 combined home runs between 2023 and 2024. He emerged as a more complete hitter last season by dropping his strikeout rate to 19.7%, a significant improvement from his career average of 26.1%. Langeliers sacrificed a bit of hard contact for the improvement, as his barrel rate dropped from 12.8% to 11%. However, the Athletics' move to Sacramento and the extremely hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park helped offset any negatives for Langeliers. He also should be locked into a prime position in the heart of an improving Athletics lineup, helping him rack up counting stats. Even if Langeliers' batting average regresses a bit towards his career norm in 2026, he should still profile as one of the best hitters at his position for fantasy managers.

In his first full season with the Seattle Mariners in 2025, outfielder Randy Arozarena hit .238/.334/.426 with 27 home runs, 76 RBI, 95 runs scored, and 31 stolen bases across 709 plate appearances. Heading into 2026, Arozarena is locked into a max-playing time role in the heart of the Seattle order and should be highly motivated to put together his best season, as he will hit free agency next winter. The main hole in Arozarena's profile from a fantasy perspective remains batting average. The 31-year-old has posted strikeout rates north of 26% in each of the last two seasons and has hit .236 across 948 plate appearances with Seattle. Still, Arozarena posted excellent hard-hit (50.6%) and barrel (11.5%) rates in 2025, and he's recorded at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in five consecutive seasons. As long as he continues to stay healthy, Arozarena looks like a good bet to be a power/speed asset for fantasy managers once again in 2026.

All in all, Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby has been one of MLB's most consistent right-handers since making his MLB debut in 2022. However, the 28-year-old had his first taste of real adversity in 2025. Kirby opened the year on the Injured List due to a shoulder issue that ultimately delayed his season debut until late May. Upon his return, Kirby pitched to a 10-8 record with a 4.21 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 137 strikeouts in 126 innings (23 starts). Kirby's strikeout rate soared to a career-best 26.1%, but he also allowed the highest opponent hard-hit rate (43.9%) of his career. Still, there's plenty of reason to think Kirby can regain his top-end form in 2026. While his walk rate spiked from 3.0% in 2024 to 5.5% in 2025, Kirby remains one of baseball's best command artists and could easily return to his career WHIP mark of 1.11. If he can hold some of the strikeout gains he made in 2025 while seeing a bit more batted ball luck, Kirby could post an ace-level season for fantasy managers.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman put together another rock-solid season in 2025, slashing .295/.367/.502 with 24 home runs, 90 RBI, 81 runs scored, and six stolen bases across 627 plate appearances. Under the hood, the 36-year-old is finally starting to show some signs of slowing down. Freeman's 20.4% strikeout rate in 2025 was his worst since 2016, and his 9.6% walk rate was his worst since 2011. However, Freeman has played through nagging injuries for much of the past two seasons and is reportedly feeling the best he's felt in a while going into 2026. He also boosted his barrel rate back to 10.4% in 2025 after it had dipped to a career low of 9.1% in 2024. Fantasy managers may not be able to count on peak Freeman anymore, but the veteran lefty remains one of MLB's best pure hitters and should continue to rack up counting stats in the heart of the excellent Dodgers' lineup.

Across 131 appearances for the Cincinnati Reds between 2023 and 2024, Texas Rangers relief pitcher Alexis Diaz racked up 65 saves and 141 strikeouts. However, things came unraveled for the 29-year-old in 2025. Across 17 2/3 innings split between the Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Atlanta Braves, Diaz pitched to an 8.15 ERA and 1.53 WHIP while recording nearly as many walks (12) as strikeouts (17). Coming off the brutal season, the Rangers signed Diaz to a one-year contract this past offseason. The right-hander obviously has a lot to prove to get his MLB career back on track. However, Diaz could have a golden opportunity to emerge as the team's primary ninth-inning option if he can rediscover his prior form. Left-hander Robert Garcia currently looks like the favorite to be the closer in Texas, but he owns just nine career saves and has never recorded a WHIP below 1.19. If Diaz pitches well early in 2026, he may end up being a sneaky saves candidate for fantasy managers to target.

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell (shoulder) threw a bullpen session in camp on Thursday, according to Sonja Chen of MLB.com. Manager Dave Roberts said before the bullpen that Snell is basically at the beginning of a spring training progression, which puts him, at minimum, "about six weeks away from being fully ramped up." The 33-year-old veteran southpaw threw 15 pitches during his bullpen on Thursday, and they were low-intensity fastballs at less than 90 mph. It was the first time that the two-time Cy Young winner has thrown off a mound this spring. After admitting that his left shoulder was exhausted after helping carry the team to a second straight World Series title last fall, the Dodgers are slow-playing Snell to make sure he'll last for the entire 2026 season. Shoulder inflammation cost him four months in 2025, so fantasy managers who invest in Snell this year will be hoping he only misses the first month of action. He's a durability risk, but Snell's strikeout upside makes him a worthwhile starting-pitcher stash in upcoming fantasy drafts.

Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Quinn Prister (shoulder) will start the 2026 season on the injured list, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Priester visited with a vascular specialist in Dallas, and manager Pat Murphy said the diagnosis is a nerve issue" in the thoracic outlet syndrome family." The good news for Priester is that his condition is believed to be treatable without surgery. The 25-year-old was able to throw lightly in camp on Thursday and is scheduled for a bullpen session on March 21. How much time Priester misses to begin the 2026 regular season is to be determined and will depend on how his arm responds when he resumes throwing bullpen sessions. McCalvy writes that at the moment, "everyone is optimistic about avoiding surgery." Even though he has avoided surgery for now, Priester is a tough sell late in fantasy drafts now after his breakout 2025 season in which he went 13-3 with a 3.32 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 132:50 K:BB in 157 1/3 innings over 29 outings (24 starts).

Colorado Rockies corner-infield prospect Charlie Condon has turned heads in Cactus League play this spring, as he entered Thursday with a .414/.471/.828 slash line with a 1.298 OPS, three home runs, three doubles, eight RBI, six runs scored, three walks, and six strikeouts in 34 plate appearances over 15 games played. Condon is the club's No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, behind only shortstop Ethan Holliday. The 22-year-old former third overall pick in 2024 out of the University of Georgia hit .268/.376/.444 with an .820 OPS, 14 home runs, 58 runs scored, and 59 runs scored while posting a 112:52 K: BB in 433 plate appearances last year across three minor-league levels. He has made some noise this spring as he competes for playing time at first base to begin the 2026 season in Colorado, but Condon is expected to start the year in the minors. Condon has struggled to get to his raw power due to injuries and some swing-and-miss issues, but he's not worth giving up on yet, especially with hitter-friendly Coors Field waiting for him when he gets to the big leagues.

The New York Yankees announced that they reassigned infield prospect George Lombard Jr. to minor-league camp following their Grapefruit League game on Thursday. Lombard got off to a strong start at the plate in big-league spring training, but he had slowed down of late and will open the 2026 campaign most likely at Double-A for more development. Per MLB Pipeline, Lombard is considered the Yankees' top prospect going into this year, and he ranks as the No. 32 overall prospect in all of baseball. Even with Anthony Volpe (shoulder) set to miss the beginning of the season, the Yankees want to get Lombard more action in the minor leagues before he potentially makes his major-league debut in 2026. Lombard hit only .235/.367/.381 with a .748 OPS, nine home runs, 49 RBI, 90 runs scored, and 35 stolen bases in 132 games at High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset in 2025. He has a high baseball IQ and intriguing long-term power potential, but Lombard must first improve at making contact with the baseball at the plate.

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler (shoulder) will face hitters in a live batting practice session in camp on Saturday, manager Rob Thomson told Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. It's a big benchmark in Wheeler's recovery from thoracic outlet surgery that he had last September, as it will be the first time that he has faced hitters since going under the knife. The 35-year-old could get into Grapefruit League games before the end of spring training, too, if he continues to progress in his throwing program and avoids any setbacks. We already know that Wheeler will open the 2026 season on the 15-day injured list, but his debut could come before the end of April. The former first-rounder and three-time All-Star was one of the top fantasy arms in baseball before his injury last year, and all the positive reports on his recovery this spring have his ADP rising. Wheeler is now the No. 29 fantasy starting pitcher in RotoBaller's 2026 rankings.

Milwaukee Brewers infield prospect Luis Pena impressed at Single-A in 2025, slashing .308/.375/.469 with a low 13.3 percent strikeout rate and 41 steals through 71 games as an 18-year-old. The showing earned him a promotion to High-A, where things did not go as smoothly, slashing just .168/.220/.297 with a 24.8 percent strikeout rate and three steals in 25 games. The 2026 campaign will provide Pena an opportunity to right the ship at High-A, and with highly-rated hit and power tools, there should be plenty of confidence that he will. Assuming he does, the Brewers' third-ranked prospect should continue to show off his 70-grade wheels (per MLB.com), and if all goes well, Pena could see time at Double-A before the season is over. The 19-year-old should already be on the radar in dynasty leagues, if not already rostered, although he's a couple of years away from the majors.

Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan will join Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, replacing future Hall of Fame left-hander Clayton Kershaw, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. Ryan was scratched ahead of his first scheduled Grapefruit League start on Feb. 21 with back tightness, but he has since recovered and thrown three shutout innings with two walks and no strikeouts in his lone spring training outing to this point. Now that he's recovered from his back injury, he'll be available to USA for the quarterfinals of the WBC against Canada. The 29-year-old was a first-time All-Star in 2025 in his fifth year in the big leagues, going 13-10 with a career-best 3.42 ERA (3.74 FIP), 1.03 WHIP, and 194:39 K: BB in 171 innings over 31 outings (30 starts). The injury bug has been one of Ryan's biggest issues, like so many other pitches, but when healthy, he's a solid low-end No. 2/high-end No. 3 fantasy starting pitcher.

New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) said after his 35-pitch live batting practice session in camp that he will throw again in six days, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network. Cole said he and the Yankees "will likely" talk about him pitching in a spring training game next week. There was always a chance that the 35-year-old former American League Cy Young winner would appear in a Grapefruit League game before the end of spring training, but that doesn't mean that Cole will be in the team's Opening Day starting rotation. The Yankees are still expected to eventually put him on the 60-day injured list, which would mean Cole won't make his 2026 debut until late May. Still, his recovery from Tommy John surgery and an internal-brace procedure has gone very well so far. The former fantasy ace is a big question mark in fantasy since he didn't pitch at all last year. Workload restrictions are expected once he returns to New York's rotation.

Chicago Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd has been named as the team's Opening Day starter for the March 26 contest against the Washington Nationals at Wrigley Field, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Boyd was a first-time All-Star last year on the North Side in his first year in Chicago, going 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA (3.65 FIP) and 1.09 WHIP with 154 strikeouts and 42 walks in 179 2/3 innings over 31 starts. His 154 strikeouts were the third-most in his career. This will be the veteran left-hander's third career Opening Day start after he started the first game of the regular season twice for the Detroit Tigers in 2020 and 2021. Boyd pitched in one game for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in a relief role, allowing three runs on five hits over 2 1/3 innings versus Mexico. He knows how to keep hitters off balance, but Boyd isn't a big strikeout guy, limiting his fantasy upside as more of a back-end rotation arm.

Arizona Diamondbacks outfield prospect Slade Caldwell was the 29th overall pick in the 2024 Draft and performed admirably in his first taste of professional baseball in 2025. The left-handed slugger hit .294 at Single-A with an almost unfathomable 20.4 percent walk rate in 48 games there, leading to a superb .460 on-base percentage (OBP). While the batting average unsurprisingly took a dip at High-A, falling to .238, the pitch recognition remained, resulting in a 15.7 percent walk rate and .370 OBP. Getting on base allowed him to use his trademark tool, his speed, which allowed for 25 stolen bases in a total of 114 games. The former first-rounder could see more time at High-A to begin the 2026 campaign, but a good showing should get him to Double-A quickly. The 19-year-old is probably still a couple of years away from the majors, but he's a name dynasty managers should be familiar with.

Minnesota Twins infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper was invited to major league camp this spring and has not disappointed, going 6-for-19 (.316) with a double and a stolen base, a continuation of the success he saw a season ago. The Twins' second-ranked prospect spent half of 2025 at High-A and the other half at Double-A, posting similar numbers at both levels, culminating in a .289/.375/.469 slash line with 20 home runs and 25 steals in 113 games. He may begin the season with Double-A Wichita, but it shouldn't be long before the former first-rounder gets his first taste of Triple-A action, and a late-season debut in the majors could be in the cards. Brooks Lee is currently slated to play shortstop for the big league club, but even after a 16-homer campaign in 2025, Lee has produced an uninspiring .636 OPS, .277 wOBA, and 75 wRC+ through 189 major league games, so there is certainly an offensive hole Culpepper could fill if Lee's struggles continue. Culpepper is not a stash candidate in season-long leagues at this point, but could become one later in the year, so fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progress throughout 2026.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect Josue De Paula made a strong impression during his first major league camp this spring, going 9-for-24 (.375) with a 4:8 BB:K, and although he was reassigned to minor-league camp, he could still make an impact with the Dodgers this year. The team's top-ranked prospect has shown well in professional ball thus far, recording a .279/.405/.414 slash line with a keen eye (16.4 percent BB%) and a better-than-average strikeout rate (18.7 percent K%) during his time in the minors. For a guy who doesn't have a highly rated speed tool, the Dominican was aggressive on the basepaths the last two seasons, swiping 32 bags last year and 27 the year before. Furthermore, the 6-foot-3 slugger has yet to really tap into his 70-grade future value (FV) raw power grade (rated only behind known power-producers Samuel Basallo and Bryce Eldridge, who have FV power of 80, per FanGraphs), belting just 12 home runs in 2025 in 98 games at High-A. The left-handed hitter played just four games at Double-A last year, so that is where he will likely begin 2026, however, with a good showing, he could be ticketed for Triple-A by the second half, and the soon-to-be-21-year-old could be knocking on the door to the majors by September. For now, the Dodgers' top-ranked prospect is not a stash option in season-long leagues, but he's certainly a name to monitor.

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop prospect Aidan Miller (back) was reassigned to minor-league camp on Thursday. It's no surprise at this point, as the youngster has been dealing with a back issue since late February, having not registered a single at-bat in Grapefruit League play this spring, and with Trea Turner and Alec Bohm holding down the left side of the infield to start 2026. The Phillies' top-ranked prospect will likely begin the season at Triple-A, which is where he had an eight-game stint at the end of 2025 after a strong showing at Double-A. The former first-rounder hit .356 over his final 39 games between Double and Triple-A last year, carried a .392 OBP for the season thanks to a 15.6 percent BB%, and stole 59 bases in a total of 116 games. Assuming health, there's a good chance the 21-year-old will make his major league debut later this year, with work at both third base and second base this spring opening other potential routes to the big leagues, and with a fantasy-friendly power/speed toolset, the right-handed slugger is a worthy stash option in deeper leagues.