Paul DeJong Plans to Stay With Yankees: New York Yankees veteran infielder Paul DeJong doesn't plan to opt out of his minor-league deal with the team on Thursday, a source told Joel Sherman of the New York Post. DeJong's plan is to try to make the big-league squad out of spring training, and if he doesn't, he'll begin the year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. If the 32-year-old veteran were to win a job on the Opening Day roster for next week, he'd be operating in a bench role, leaving him very little fantasy upside at this point in his career. He's going into his 10th season in the big leagues with his seventh different team. Last year in 57 games with the Washington Nationals, DeJong hit .228/.269/.373 with a .642 OPS, six home runs, 23 RBI, 18 runs scored, and four stolen bases. DeJong reached the 30-homer mark once in his career, but that was all the way back in his third year in the big leagues in 2019 with the St. Louis Cardinals. - as of Wed, 18 Mar 2026 23:55:27
Matt Svanson Emerging as Closer Option in St. Louis?: St. Louis Cardinals right-handed reliever Matt Svanson could be involved in a closing committee in St. Louis this year, making him an intriguing candidate to speculate on for saves in deeper fantasy formats going into the 2026 campaign. Manager Oliver Marmol is already on record saying that he won't have a fixed closer going into the season, so Svanson, Riley O'Brien, JoJo Romero, and Ryne Stanek could all be options for the ninth inning. The 27-year-old Svanson was 4-0 in his major-league debut in 2025 with a 1.94 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 68 strikeouts, and 20 walks in 60 1/3 innings pitched. He was deployed in a high-leverage spot in Wednesday's 4-1 Grapefruit League debut win over the Houston Astros, too, picking up his third spring win while throwing two shutout innings with a strikeout and no walks. Svanson entered the day with a 1.50 ERA, six K's, and a walk in six spring innings. His strong performance in spring training could make him a favorite to lead St. Louis' bullpen in save chances. - as of Wed, 18 Mar 2026 23:23:34
Brady Singer Leaves Wednesday's Game With a Blister: Cincinnati Reds right-hander Brady Singer (finger) left his Cactus League outing on Wednesday with a blister, according to Charlie Goldsmith of FOX 19. Before being pulled, Singer threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings against the Colorado Rockies with two hits allowed, a walk, and three strikeouts. It's unclear if the 29-year-old's blister injury will prevent him from making his first start of the 2026 regular season, which is scheduled to come on March 29 against the Boston Red Sox. In his first full year in Cincy after being acquired in a trade with the Kansas City Royals, the former 18th overall pick from Florida in 2018 went 14-12 with a 4.03 ERA (3.98 FIP), 1.24 WHIP, and 163:60 K:BB in 169 2/3 innings over 32 starts. Singer pitches in a very hitter-friendly home ballpark and has a modest 22.1% strikeout rate in his six big-league seasons, so he relies heavily on his sinker to keep the ball out of the air. In shallow mixed leagues, fantasy managers should be able to find better upside pitching targets late in drafts. - as of Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:42:42
Kevin McGonigle in Serious Consideration to Crack Opening Day Roster?: Detroit Tigers shortstop prospect Kevin McGonigle is staying in big-league camp on Wednesday rather than playing in the spring breakout game, according to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. "Their focus is in big-league camp and continuing trying to make an impression, state their case to be part of our puzzle," manager A.J. Hinch said. With just over a week to go until Opening Day next week, McGonigle remains in the Tigers' big-league camp in spring training. The former first-rounder has hit .242 (8-for-33) with two home runs, six RBI, eight runs scored, two stolen bases, and a 7:10 K:BB in 44 plate appearances over 16 Grapefruit League games, and he continues to play well beyond his years. Even if Detroit decides to have the 21-year-old start in the minors, it shouldn't be long before he's contending for starting duties at the 6 in Detroit. McGonigle needs to be stashed in all redraft formats and should already be rostered in dynasty leagues. - as of Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:21:54
Jake Rogers Suffers a "Mild Concussion," Expected to Be Ready for Opening Day: Detroit Tigers catcher Jake Rogers (concussion) has suffered a mild concussion after being struck in the face by his own bat while working in the batting cages, per MLB.com's Jason Beck. Beck reports that Rogers received stitches but that Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said the team expects him to be fine by Opening Day. Across 142 plate appearances in 2025, Rogers slashed .187/.277/.333 with three home runs, 19 RBI, and 14 runs scored. The 30-year-old posted an impressive 10.6% walk rate in 2025 and owns a double-digit barrel rate for his career, but he's also struck out at a 32.1% clip across nearly 1,100 MLB plate appearances. Once healthy, Rogers is expected to serve as Detroit's backup catcher behind Dillon Dingler. If Rogers ends up missing time to open the season, veteran backstop Tomas Nido could be the favorite to break camp with the team. - as of Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:58:41
Can Dylan Crews Establish Himself as a Productive Big-Leaguer in 2026?: Once considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball, Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews has struggled to be a consistently productive player early in his MLB career. Across 322 plate appearances in 2025, Crews hit .208/.280/.352 with 10 home runs, 27 RBI, 43 runs scored, and 17 stolen bases. At just 24 years old, Crews still has plenty of time to develop into a quality big-leaguer. Crews also has the benefit of playing for. a rebuilding Nationals' squad that should give him plenty of runway for everyday playing time. However, Crews posted an uninspiring 38.7% hard-hit rate in 2025, and it's worth noting that he owns a .634 OPS across 454 career MLB plate appearances. He has the potential for five-category fantasy production if it all comes together, but Crews has yet to prove he can handle big-league pitching and comes with a fair degree of downside risk heading into 2026. - as of Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:42:35
When Will Jesus Made Make His Major League Debut?: Milwaukee Brewers infield prospect Jesus Made earned an invitation to big league camp this spring after cruising through three levels of the minor leagues last year with a .285/.379/.413 slash line, nine home runs, and 47 steals in 115 games, finishing the year in Double-A as an 18-year-old. The Dominican slugger was reassigned to minor-league camp earlier this month, and although a 2026 debut with the Brewers is unlikely, it isn't out of the question. The soon-to-be-19-year-old has some of the highest-rated hit, power, and speed tools (fielding, too) in the minors and has risen to MLB's No. 3 prospect overall. The 6-foot-1 phenom will likely begin the year at Double-A, and even if a 2026 MLB debut ends up not being in the cards, he's likely to have an impact in 2027, so keen fantasy managers would be wise to keep tabs on his progress this year. - as of Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:25:34
Dylan Moore Dealing With Bruised Foot: Philadelphia Phillies infielder Dylan Moore (foot) is dealing with a bruised foot from a foul ball in spring training, manager Rob Thomson told Matt Gelb of The Athletic. It's nothing serious for Moore that will put him in danger of missing Opening Day late next week. Moore, who is pushing for the last bench spot to begin the 2026 regular season, had two hits and a walk in a Grapefruit League game against the Atlanta Braves before being removed in the top of the fifth inning. Speed is the 33-year-old Moore's greatest asset to fantasy managers in deeper leagues. He wasn't able to hit enough in 2025 in 106 games with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, slashing .201/.267/.374 with a .642 OPS, 11 homers, 25 RBI, 35 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases. Moore stole a career-high 32 bags in 2024 and has 118 thefts in his seven major-league seasons. Unless injuries in Philly force him into a bigger role, Moore will simply be a speed asset in NL-only leagues. - as of Wed, 18 Mar 2026 16:14:38