Merrill Kelly Scratched From Live BP With Back Tightness: Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly's (back) live batting practice session in camp on Saturday was scratched due to mid-back tightness, and he will undergo testing in the next 24 hours, manager Torey Lovullo told Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. It's an ominous sign for a 37-year-old veteran, but we'll know more about the severity of his injury soon. Kelly began the 2025 campaign in Arizona before being traded to the Texas Rangers to close out the season. He was better with the D-backs in 22 starts, posting a 3.22 ERA (3.58 FIP) and 1.06 WHIP with 121 K's and 38 walks in 128 2/3 innings. In Texas, he had a 4.23 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 46:10 K:BB in 10 starts. Kelly knows how to command the baseball, but he lacks a ton of fantasy upside because of his lack of strikeout upside, and home runs have also been an issue. Depending on the severity of his back injury, he could fall off the radar in mixed fantasy leagues entirely entering the 2026 regular season. - as of Sat, 21 Feb 2026 15:20:45
Dodgers Claim Jack Suwinski Off Waivers From Pirates: The Los Angeles Dodgers claimed outfielder Jack Suwinski off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, a source told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Suwinski could be back on waivers before the start of the 2026 regular season, as he's out of minor-league options and is likely to face an uphill battle to make the Dodgers' Opening Day roster out of spring training. The 27-year-old center fielder has hit under .200 in his four big-league seasons in Pittsburgh and slashed just .147/.281/.253 with a career-worst .534 OPS, three home runs, 10 RBI, 15 runs scored, seven steals, and 57 strikeouts in 178 plate appearances over a career-low 59 games in 2025. Suwinski has decent plate discipline, but he has simply been overmatched by big-league pitchers, especially the last two seasons. If he sticks around with the Dodgers, he'll provide minor-league outfield depth at Triple-A Oklahoma City. - as of Sat, 21 Feb 2026 15:11:44
Can Andrew Vaughn Repeat 2025 Breakout Success?: Once a former top prospect with the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn was demoted to Triple-A while still with the White Sox organization in the middle of 2025. A mid-season trade to Milwaukee provided the 27-year-old with a second chance, and he took advantage of the opportunity. Across 254 plate appearances with the Brewers, Vaughn hit .308/.375/.493 with nine home runs, 46 RBI, and 26 runs scored. With a career 46.5% hard-hit rate, Vaughn has always carried intriguing underlying numbers, so the change of scenery may have been all he needed to unlock his potential. Heading into 2026, Vaughn should have a chance to lock down the starting first base job in Milwaukee. While he's not a speed threat, Vaughn has the chance to provide fantasy managers with four-category production and comes at a reasonable average draft position of pick 284. - as of Sat, 21 Feb 2026 15:01:42
Brenton Doyle Carries Buy-Low Potential Heading into 2026: After emerging as a high-level fantasy contributor in 2024, Colorado Rockies outfielder Brenton Doyle came crashing back down to Earth in 2025. Across 538 plate appearances, the 27-year-old hit .233/.274/.376 with 15 home runs, 57 RBI, 57 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases. With a career 28.1% strikeout rate and a questionable eye at the plate, Doyle carries significant batting average risk for fantasy managers. However, he remains an intriguing power/speed threat even after his down year in 2025. Doyle's barrel rate rose from 10.5% in 2024 to 10.8% in 2025, and his hard-hit rate jumped from 41.1% to 44.6%. He also has the benefit of playing his home games at the hitter-friendly Coors Field, which could help his batting average on balls in play improve from the .289 mark he posted in 2025. While the Rockies once again project to be one of the worst teams in baseball, Doyle's excellent defense in center field should keep him in the lineup every day and help him rack up counting stats. With an average draft position of pick 157, Doyle could be a buy-low candidate for fantasy managers to target heading into 2026. - as of Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:52:46
Can Jack Flaherty Bounce Back After 2025 Struggles?: Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty struggled throughout most of the 2025 season, finishing the year with an 8-15 record, 4.64 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 188 strikeouts across 161 innings pitched (31 starts). With a 27.6% strikeout rate, the 30-year-old still provided fantasy managers with plenty of whiffs. However, his walk rate jumped from 5.9% in 2024 to 8.7% in 2025, and he allowed a 10.3% barrel rate, the worst mark of his career. Flaherty has an established issue with allowing home runs, as he has logged a HR/9 of 1.29 or worse in each of the past two seasons. If his walk rate continues to climb towards the double-digits, he may have a difficult time keeping his ERA to a manageable number. Detroit owes Flaherty $20 million in 2026, so his spot in the rotation should be secure as long as he stays healthy. Flaherty's ability to rack up strikeouts gives him fantasy appeal as long as he remains in a high-volume role. However, Flaherty has posted an ERA north of 4.60 in two of his last three seasons and represents real risk in the ERA and WHIP categories for fantasy managers. - as of Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:41:49
Colton Cowser Looking to Rebound from Injury-Marred 2025 Campaign: After a breakout 2024 campaign, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser battled through an injury-marred 2025 season that saw him post underwhelming numbers across the board. Thumb, rib, and head injuries limited Cowser to just 92 games, and he hit .196/.269/.385 with 16 home runs, 40 RBI, 36 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases. When healthy, Cowser profiles as an intriguing power/speed threat for fantasy managers. He posted an excellent 14.1% barrel rate in 2025 and upped his stolen base total from nine in 2024 to 14 in 2025 despite playing over 60 fewer games. However, swing-and-miss is a major issue. The 25-year-old recorded a 35.6% strikeout rate in 2025 and owns a 32.3% strikeout rate across nearly 1,000 career MLB plate appearances. As a left-handed hitter, Cowser may also lose playing time against same-handed pitching, given Baltimore's crowded outfield depth chart. With a current average draft position of pick 249, Cowser profiles as a high-floor, low-ceiling outfield option for fantasy managers heading into 2026. - as of Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:30:48
Can Yandy Diaz Repeat 2025 Power Surge?: Tampa Bay Rays first baseman/designated hitter Yandy Diaz had an excellent season in 2025, hitting .300/.366/.482 with 25 home runs, 83 RBI, 79 runs scored, and three stolen bases across 651 plate appearances. Diaz has established himself as one of fantasy baseball's best sources of batting average, particularly relative to his position. He's hit .291 across almost 3,500 plate appearances since joining the Rays in 2019, and has hit .296 or better in three out of the last four years. Diaz logged a 52.4% hard-hit rate while striking out in just 14.1% of his plate appearances in 2025, so he appears to have plenty left in the tank as he enters his age-34 season. Where he might regress is in the power category, as Tampa Bay will move back into Tropicana Field for the 2026 season after playing its home games at the hitter-friendly Steinbrenner Field last year. 18 of Diaz's 25 home runs came at home in 2025, and he's hit more than 14 bombs just twice in nine big-league seasons. Still, Diaz has proven himself to be a reliable producer and should be locked into everyday playing time in Tampa Bay in 2026. - as of Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:20:37
Bo Bichette Batting Third in Mets Spring Training Debut: New York Mets infielder Bo Bichette is starting at third base and batting third in the team's Grapefruit League opener on Saturday against the division-rival Miami Marlins, according to Max Goodman of NJ.com. Despite the injury to Francisco Lindor (hand) that could keep him sidelined to start the 2026 season, the Mets will keep Bichette at the hot corner. The 27-year-old former second-rounder in 2016 had an injury-plagued year for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2024 but bounced back nicely and led them to the World Series last season, slashing .311/.357/.483 with an .840 OPS, 18 home runs, 94 RBI, 78 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 139 regular-season games (628 plate appearances). The move to Queens should be good for his run production near the top of a strong lineup, and as long as he stays healthy, he should provide around 20 long balls. Adding third base eligibility will help, too. RotoBaller has Bichette ranked as the No. 14 fantasy shortstop to begin 2026. - as of Sat, 21 Feb 2026 10:37:46
Jorge Polanco Expected to See a Lot of Time as Designated Hitter: New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the designated hitter spot will be in play "big" time as the team tries to keep infielder Jorge Polanco healthy in 2026, according to Chelsea Janes of SNY. Mendoza also expects infielders Mark Vientos and Brett Baty to get playing time at first base when Polanco is the DH. The Mets are also slow-playing the 32-year-old switch-hitting Dominican early in Grapefruit League games. Polanco has played in 100-plus games in six of his 12 seasons in the big leagues, although he did manage to play in 138 contests while hitting .265/.326/.495 with an .821 OPS, 26 home runs, 78 RBI, 64 runs scored, and six steals for the Seattle Mariners last year. Marcus Semien will be locked into Polanco's primary position at second, so most of his at-bats figure to come as New York's DH. Fantasy managers need to expect Polanco to miss time due to injury in 2026, but when healthy, he hits the ball hard and has solid pop with second base eligibility. - as of Sat, 21 Feb 2026 10:16:36