Francisco Lindor Likely to be Ready for Opening Day: MLB.com reports that New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (hand), who is recovering from a stress reaction in his left hamate bone, is likely to be ready for Opening Day on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lindor made his Grapefruit League debut in spring training on March 15, which was 4 1/2 weeks after he had hand surgery on Feb. 11, and he's scheduled to play in each of the team's last two spring training games. Fantasy managers should be stoked that Lindor is on track for Opening Day, but he'll be greeted with a very difficult matchup in Game 1 on Thursday against reigning National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes. Coming off a hand injury against one of the most dominant pitchers in the game will have fantasy managers in DFS avoiding the five-time All-Star if he's in the starting lineup, as expected. Overall, Lindor is one of the best shortstops in the game on one of the best teams in baseball. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 4 shortstop, behind only Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, and Elly De La Cruz. - as of Tue, 24 Mar 2026 16:51:35
Tyler Freeman to Start the Year on the Injured List: Colorado Rockies outfielder/first baseman Tyler Freeman (back) will start the 2026 regular season on the 10-day injured list due to lower-back inflammation, according to Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette. Freeman dealt with back issues this spring, and the setback he had last week means he won't be ready for Opening Day this week. The 26-year-old's back injury isn't considered very serious, though, so the hope is that he has a minimal stay on the IL and makes his season debut early in April. Freeman, a former second-round pick in 2017 by the Cleveland Guardians, played in 110 games in his first year in Denver in 2025 and hit an impressive .281 (106-for-377) with two homers, 31 RBI, 50 runs, and 18 stolen bases in 428 plate appearances. He's a contact over power-oriented hitter, limiting his fantasy appeal to mostly NL-only leagues as a utility man in Colorado once he's healthy. In addition to having limited power, Freeman probably won't be of much help away from hitter-friendly Coors Field, either. - as of Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:32:40
Jace Jung Optioned to Triple-A: The Detroit Tigers optioned infield prospect Jace Jung to Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, according to the Detroit Free Press' Evan Petzold. For now, Jung will operate as third base depth for the Tigers in the minors. The 25-year-old former 12th overall pick in 2022 out of Texas Tech has played in 55 total big-league games with the Tigers in the last two years and has hit just .190 (24-for-126) with no homers, six RBI, 22 runs, no steals, 22 walks, and 45 strikeouts in 149 plate appearances. He looked pretty bad at the plate in his first stint with Detroit in 2025 before finishing in a better spot with the lumber. Issues making contact at the plate have been a big concern for Jung, the younger brother of Rangers third baseman Josh Jung. He will need to make some notable improvements with the Mud Hens at Triple-A before getting a shot in the majors again in 2026. Jung is a hold in dynasty/keeper leagues right now, with many managers likely considering selling low on him. - as of Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:23:29
Bubba Chandler Carrying Some Momentum Into 2026: Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Bubba Chandler appears set to open the season in the team's starting rotation, though no official confirmation has been made yet by the team. Right now, RosterResource projects the Pirates' top-ranked pitching prospect as the team's No. 3 starter. The right-hander didn't have the cleanest of springs, but looked sharp his last time out, allowing just one run on one hit while striking out eight batters and walking only one over five innings of work. The 6-foot-3 hurler finished 2025 on a high note as well, allowing just two earned runs over his final three starts while recording a pristine 19:0 K:BB in 16 2/3 innings pitched. Hopefully he can carry that momentum into 2026, and if he can, then the 23-year-old could end up as a real value pick in fantasy drafts, currently going around pick No. 160, whereas RotoBaller ranks him at 145 overall. - as of Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:14:34
Wenceel Perez Starting at Triple-A: Detroit Tigers outfielder Wenceel Perez will open the 2026 season at Triple-A Toledo, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Perez is the odd man out for the Opening Day roster after infield prospect Kevin McGonigle made the team out of spring training. With the 26-year-old starting the season on the farm, fantasy managers should expect Matt Vierling to see most of the playing time in right field in Detroit to begin the year. Perez, a switch-hitter, didn't help his cause in spring training by hitting .158 (6-for-38) with no homers, three RBI, four runs, two stolen bases, three walks, and 12 strikeouts in 16 Grapefruit League games. The Dominican outfielder will be up with Detroit eventually after hitting .244/.308/.430 with a .738 OPS, 13 home runs, 43 RBI, 47 runs, and eight steals in 100 games in 2025 in his second year in the majors. When he returns to the big leagues, expect Perez to be in some sort of a platoon in the outfield, limiting his fantasy appeal in redraft leagues to deep-mixed and AL-only affairs. - as of Tue, 24 Mar 2026 15:12:29
Gage Jump Will Head to Triple-A Las Vegas to Start 2026: Athletics pitching prospect Gage Jump will begin the season at Triple-A Las Vegas, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. The Athletics' third-ranked prospect made a good impression this spring, allowing just two earned runs in 9 2/3 innings of work (1.86 ERA), with a 1.24 WHIP and a 7:3 K:BB, but has yet to pitch above Double-A during the regular season. The southpaw made 20 of his 26 appearances at Double-A in 2025, posting a 3.64 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and a 16.8 percent K-BB% (86 strikeouts) over 81 2/3 innings pitched. With a good showing at Triple-A, the 22-year-old could be up in the big leagues by midseason, so fantasy managers in redraft leagues will want to keep an eye on his progress as the lefty could provide some reinforcement for pitching-needy staffs once the injuries to fantasy starters start to pile up. The LSU product has seen an uptick in velocity on his fastball and has a deceptive delivery, along with three secondary pitches that could produce at least a K per inning whenever he gets the call. - as of Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:21:32
Lazaro Montes Will Begin 2026 at Double-A: Seattle Mariners outfield prospect Lazaro Montes will begin the season at Double-A Arkansas, per Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. The Mariners' fourth-ranked prospect played nearly half of his games in 2025 there after starting the season at High-A. The powerful left-handed hitter blasted 32 home runs in '25, 14 of which came in 64 games at Double-A. With his big-time power comes a lot of swing-and-miss, though, as the 6-foot-5 slugger registered a 30.5 percent strikeout rate during his time with Arkansas (career 27.1 percent K%). It was somewhat offset by a strong 12.4 percent walk rate (career 15.2 percent BB%), but with just a .213 AVG at Double-A, the team would surely like to see the Cuban take a step forward in 2026 before sending him on to Triple-A. With a strong showing at both levels, there's a chance MLB's No. 43 overall prospect makes a late-season debut, but 2027 is when he'll likely begin making an impact for fantasy. Redraft managers should keep an eye on his progress, as the power is for real, and if he gets the call in September, he could provide a home-run boost for teams in need. - as of Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:11:30
Daylen Lile Projected to Start in Right Field for Nationals: MLB.com's Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie have Washington Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile starting in right field for the team going into the 2026 regular season this week. Lile will get the nod next to left fielder James Wood and center fielder Jacob Young after the team surprisingly optioned Dylan Crews to Triple-A Rochester at the end of spring training. Outfield prospect Robert Hassell III is also beginning the year at Rochester. Lile, a former second-round pick in 2021, made his major-league debut in 2025 and hit an impressive .299/.347/.498 with an .845 OPS, nine home runs, 41 RBI, 51 runs, and eight stolen bases in 351 plate appearances over 91 games played. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter makes plenty of contact and has emerging power and speed skills. His defense won't do him any favors, though, and he'll likely need to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump in 2026 to hold Crews off eventually. Still, there's a lot to like about his profile in dynasty/keeper leagues, and he's now firmly on the radar in mixed fantasy leagues as well. RotoBaller has Lile ranked as the No. 44 fantasy outfielder in 2026. - as of Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:14:29
Keibert Ruiz Projected to be Nationals Starting Catcher: Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz is projected to be the team's primary catcher entering the 2026 regular season, according to Jessica Camerato and Paige Leckie of MLB.com. This was the expectation after the Nats optioned prospect Harry Ford to Triple-A Rochester to get him more consistent reps to begin the season. The team's No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, is very much in Washington's long-term plans, though, and he could even have a good shot to become the team's No. 1 backstop by the conclusion of this season. Drew Millas will open the year as Ruiz's backup behind the dish. The 27-year-old Ruiz, a Venezuelan switch-hitter, is RotoBaller's No. 34-ranked fantasy catcher because of his declining offensive profile. Since hitting a career-high 18 home runs in 2023, Ruiz has a .235/.266/.345 slash line with a .610 OPS, 15 homers, 82 RBI, 80 strikeouts, and 24 walks in 752 plate appearances in the last two seasons. Ruiz doesn't strike out much, but he also makes a lot of weak contact. - as of Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:05:46