New York Mets outfield prospect Carson Benge turned in a strong showing in his MLB debut on Thursday and is a top waiver-wire target. In his MLB debut on Thursday afternoon, Benge drew the start in right field and did not disappoint, going 1-for-3 with a home run, a stolen base, and two walks. Benge was in competition for the starting right-field job throughout spring training and ultimately claimed the role. In camp, the former 19th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft posted a strong .366/.435/.439 line with an .874 OPS. Last summer, Benge spent his time at High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. He would finish the campaign carrying an overall .281/.385/.472 line with 15 home runs and 22 stolen bases (over 116 games). Given his clear starting role in one of the sport's most potent lineups and five-category skill set, Benge should be added in all formats ahead of Week 2 and be viewed as a starting-caliber outfielder.

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Tampa Bay Rays right-handed reliever Edwin Uceta (shoulder) threw a live batting practice session on Friday and has another one scheduled for Tuesday, March 31, according to MLB.com. If he gets through those unscathed, Uceta should start a minor-league rehab assignment soon after that. The 28-year-old was put on the 15-day injured list on March 22 with right-shoulder soreness. He reported not feeling great in spring training when playing catch on Feb. 19 and received a cortisone injection on Feb. 20. Uceta had a 1.51 ERA and 0.82 WHIP in 41 2/3 relief innings for the Rays in 2024 and was one of only five relievers in 2025 to have over 100 strikeouts in 76 innings in 2025. Right-hander Griffin Jax entered the 2026 season as the Rays' favorite for saves, but he has blown his first two opportunities. When Uceta is activated from the IL, he could quickly become manager Kevin Cash's go-to man in the ninth inning. He has the most upside of Tampa's high-leverage arms, not only for saves, but also for strikeout potential.

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Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (shoulder) went through a light workout under the eye of infield coach Perry Hill and the team's athletic training staff before the game on Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians, according to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. Crawford is scheduled to remain with the team through the weekend, and if all goes well, he'll begin a minor-league rehab assignment. His rehab assignment would likely come at Triple-A Tacoma. Crawford will likely be back from the 10-day injured list during the team's road trip, which begins on Friday and runs through Anaheim and Arlington. The 31-year-old received a cortisone shot for his ailing right shoulder last week for an injury that has been bothering him from early on in spring training. He's expected to go through a more vigorous workout on Sunday. Crawford only played in seven Cactus League games, but he's been receiving at-bats in minor-league games in camp for over a week. He should be ready to hit the ground running next weekend, barring a setback, but Crawford doesn't offer a ton of fantasy upside with very modest power and speed abilities in a pitcher-friendly home ballpark.

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Kansas City Royals right-handed closer Carlos Estevez had a rough night on Saturday in the 6-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Estevez was hit with a blown save and his first loss of the 2026 season after surrendering six runs on four hits (one home run) while walking two in one-third of an inning. The 33-year-old entered the ninth inning in Atlanta with a 2-0 lead in his season debut, but he imploded and continued to exhibit the diminished velocity that we also observed during spring training. Estevez will likely get some more chances to redeem himself early in the season, but this could become a real problem for his fantasy managers. The Dominican reliever was an All-Star for the second time in his career in 2025 and had a 2.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, a league- and career-high 42 saves, 54 strikeouts, and 22 walks in 66 innings pitched. Estevez's drop in velocity and strikeout rate have definitely made him more susceptible to outings like this. If it continues, Lucas Erceg would likely be next in line for save situations in KC.

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Cleveland Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee (shoulder) threw a 26-pitch bullpen session on Saturday and felt good, according to Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. Manager Stephen Vogt said that Bibee is still day-to-day, but said that "today was a really good day for Tanner." Bibee was pulled from his Opening Day start on Thursday night against the Seattle Mariners due to right-shoulder inflammation, but the Guardians never believed it was a serious situation. The 27-year-old allowed three solo runs to the Mariners on Thursday in the 6-4 win while also walking two and striking out seven in a no-decision in five innings pitched. Bibee could make his next scheduled start in a tough matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but if the Guards play it safe and push him back, the best bet is that left-hander Logan Allen makes a spot start. Bibee would be a pretty risky fantasy starter on Tuesday if he makes his next start against the back-to-back World Series champions.

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Tampa Bay Rays right-handed reliever Griffin Jax has put himself on the closer hot seat early in 2026 after blowing each of his first two save opportunities as he begins his first full year with the team. In Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, Jax blew the save and took his first loss of the year after allowing two runs (one earned) on a hit while walking one in just one-third of an inning. The 31-year-old blew the save on Opening Day at Busch Stadium on Thursday and could not get it done on Saturday in the bottom of the 10th inning. Infield prospect JJ Wetherholt delivered the dagger against Jax. The former third-rounder by the Minnesota Twins in 2016 out of Air Force has been manager Kevin Cash's first choice for saves to begin the year, but that could be changing the next time a save situation comes up, with Bryan Baker and Garrett Cleavinger both being options. Edwin Uceta (shoulder) should get ninth-inning duties when he returns from the injured list, and he has the most upside of any Rays high-leverage arm.

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Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers is showing his high-end power early in 2026, homering for the third time in just the second game in Saturday's extra-inning loss to the hosting Toronto Blue Jays. Langeliers went 2-for-4 with a grand slam, one walk, and a strikeout in the team's 8-7 loss at the Rogers Centre. In Friday night's 3-2 loss to Toronto, Langeliers hit two solo homers to carry the A's offense. He's feeling it at the plate early on this year after hitting a career-high 31 long balls and driving in 72 in 123 games in 2025 in his third full season in the majors. The 28-year-old also had seven stolen bases and a .277/.325/.536 slash line with an .861 OPS in 523 plate appearances. Langeliers hit 82 home runs and drove in 215 runs from 2023 to 2025 and appears headed for a possible second straight 30-home run season for the A's.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease looked excellent in his debut for the team in Saturday's 8-7 win in 11 innings over the Athletics for their second walk-off win in the first two games of the 2026 season. Cease was on point for a great first impression for the home faithful, allowing just one earned run on three hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched while walking only two and striking out 12. Fantasy managers would have loved the win on top of it, but they don't really have anything to complain about in Cease's first outing of the year in his new digs at hitter-friendly Rogers Centre. He threw 61 of his 90 pitches for strikes, and his fastball velocity was up a tad from last year. At one point in the game, Cease struck out seven straight batters. Cease could be money once again for his fantasy managers in his second start with Toronto, which is scheduled to come next Sunday against his former team, the Chicago White Sox. It's a very encouraging start for Cease in his move back to the American League.

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Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (shoulder) looked solid on the mound during his first minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday. The right-hander tossed three innings, allowing two hits, one walk, and striking out three batters. The plan was for Wheeler to throw 45 pitches, but he only needed 38 to get through three innings. Now, the next step is for Wheeler to make another rehab start against Triple-A Durham. After that, Wheeler will make a start at Double-A Reading. The 35-year-old is currently working his way back after undergoing surgery in September. The timetable for Wheeler's return isn't clear, but his season debut should be sometime in April. Wheeler should be stashed in all fantasy formats.

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Chicago White Sox infielder Curtis Mead has been traded to the Washington Nationals in exchange for catcher Boston Smith. It didn't take long for the White Sox to find a trade partner after designating Mead for assignment before Opening Day. Mead doesn't offer a ton of upside with the bat, but is a decent depth option. Last season, Mead slashed .233/.299/.321 with three home runs, 19 RBI, and five steals in 90 games between the Tampa Bay Rays and White Sox. The 25-year-old is unlikely to play enough to warrant looking at in fantasy leagues. As for Smith, he was drafted by the Nationals in the sixth round of the 2025 Amateur Draft. The 23-year-old figures to begin his career in the lower levels of the minor league system.

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St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy was locked in against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. McGreevy was stellar as he tossed six no-hit innings versus the Rays. The right-hander was pulled out of the game before allowing a hit. Sadly, the Cardinals' bullpen was unable to hold the lead for McGreevy. He finished this outing with six shutout innings, allowing zero hits, walking two batters, while striking out five in the no-decision. The 25-year-old registered a 4.42 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and a 58:20 K/BB ratio across 17 games (16 starts) in 2025. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect McGreevy to continue having this type of success. His velocity has been down all spring and surrendered some hard-hit balls that found gloves on Saturday. There could be some mixed league value, but McGreevy is far from a must-have fantasy option despite a stellar outing.

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St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt came up clutch for his team during Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Wetherholt blasted his first career home run on Thursday and had more fun in his second career game. It was mostly a quiet game for the rookie infielder until he came up to the plate in extra innings. Wetherholt smacked a single off right-hander Griffin Jax to score two runs and win the game. He's 3-for-9 with one homer, four RBI, and one stolen base over two games. It has been an exciting beginning to Wetherholt's career and a great start for the Cardinals. The rookie infielder should be rostered in most fantasy formats at the moment.

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Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Quinn Priester (wrist) was able to throw a 'pain-free' bullpen session on Saturday. The plan is for Priester to throw one more session before heading to Arizona to face hitters. The right-hander is currently on the 15-day Injured List while he works his way back from thoracic outlet syndrome. Brewers manager Pat Murphy said everything they've seen from Priester is positive right now. It's unclear when Priester will return, but late-April or early-May seems like his current timetable. He's not someone who needs to be rostered in 12-team formats right now. It sounds like the right-hander is making progress, but still has more work to do.

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Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle is making his first career start at shortstop on Saturday. The rookie infielder played the first two games of his career at third base. Now, McGonigle will shift over to shortstop and bat sixth versus right-hander Randy Vasquez on Saturday. McGonigle is 5-for-8 with four RBI and a walk during his first two career games. He's expected to see plenty of time at shortstop, but will also see action at the hot corner with Javier Baez remaining in the mix. Regardless of where he plays, McGonigle looks like he's going to make a fantasy impact right away.

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Seattle Mariners outfielder Rob Refsnyder is serving as the team's designated hitter and will bat in the leadoff spot on Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians and left-hander Joey Cantillo at T-Mobile Park, according to MLB.com. Refsnyder is known as a lefty killer in his career, and he's the only Mariners player who has faced Cantillo in his career, going 1-for-3 against him. It's Refsnyder's first action of the 2026 season for Seattle after spending the last four years with the Boston Red Sox. The 35-year-old veteran South Korean native is a career .255/.343/.387 hitter with 33 home runs, 154 RBI, and 22 stolen bases in his 10 big-league seasons. Against southpaws, though, Refsnyder has hit .281/.383/.443 with an .826 slash line, and 22 of his 33 career home runs in 791 plate appearances. In comparison, he has just a .633 OPS against right-handers. Similar to what his role was like in Boston, Refsnyder will enter Seattle's lineup as an outfielder or DH against lefties in 2026. With Refsnyder at leadoff, third baseman Brendan Donovan will move down to the six-hole on Saturday.

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Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (hip) is doing all baseball activities and could start a minor-league rehab assignment soon, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Murphy wasn't ready for the start of the 2026 season after having surgery last September to fix a labral tear in his right hip. Because of the severity of his injury, expect the Braves to give Murphy plenty of time on his rehab assignment, especially since they are covered at catcher in the big leagues with both Drake Baldwin and Jonah Heim. The 31-year-old veteran and former All-Star made his first All-Star squad in his first year in Atlanta in 2023, slashing .251/.365/.478 with an .844 OPS, 21 home runs, 68 RBI, and 65 runs scored in 108 games played. Since then, Murphy has struggled to stay healthy and has played in 166 games in the last two years, hitting just .197/.293/.384 with 26 homers and 70 RBI. Murphy is no longer Atlanta's primary catcher after Baldwin won National League Rookie of the Year honors in 2025, but he should play pretty regularly between catcher and designated hitter.

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Cleveland Guardians right-handed reliever Hunter Gaddis (forearm) is starting his minor-league rehab assignment on Saturday with Triple-A Columbus, according to Arthur Kinney of Next Year in Cleveland. Gaddis landed on the 15-day injured list to begin the 2026 season with right-forearm tightness. It's not a serious injury, so Gaddis could be ready to come off the IL when eligible in early April after a couple of rehab outings on the farm. When healthy, the 27-year-old figures to be a high-leverage setup man for Cleveland in front of closer Cade Smith at the back of the bullpen. The former fifth-round pick in 2019 out of Georgia State had a sharp 1.57 ERA in 2024 and posted a 3.11 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, his first three career saves, a career-high 73 strikeouts, and 21 walks in 66 2/3 relief innings in 2025. Gaddis is a solid source of holds for the Guards when he's healthy.

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Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida will start three of the team's next five games, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. Cora feels comfortable putting Yoshida in left field when they begin a series in Houston against the Astros next week. However, Yoshida is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game in Cincinnati against the Reds and right-hander Brady Singer. Fantasy managers should expect Yoshida to make his first start of the 2026 season in Sunday's finale in Cincy. With Yoshida getting set to enter the starting nine soon, it will push one of Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, or Ceddanne Rafaela out of the lineup. The 32-year-old Japanese outfielder has seen his fantasy stock fall dramatically in 2026 after he played in just 55 games in 2025 due to a shoulder injury. Yoshida makes plenty of contact at the plate and has a .282 average through three seasons, but the power hasn't been there, and his less-than-stellar defensive work in the outfield leaves him more susceptible than ever to sitting on the bench in Boston.

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Kansas City Royals first baseman/outfielder Jac Caglianone sat on the bench in the Opening Day loss to the Atlanta Braves on Friday with tough left-hander Chris Sale on the mound, but he will make his 2026 starting debut on Saturday at Truist Park, according to MLB.com. Caglianone is starting in right field and is batting seventh against Braves right-hander Reynaldo Lopez. The Royals have said that Cags will start against left-handed pitchers this year, but they wanted to protect him to kick off the season against one of the most dominant southpaws in the game. The 23-year-old left-handed slugger has high-end power potential, but he looked overmatched in his MLB debut last year, hitting .157 (33-for-210) with seven home runs, 18 RBI, 18 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 232 plate appearances. The good news is that he didn't strike out all that much. Caglianone will get a longer runway in 2026 and could be an asset in all fantasy leagues, but he'll need to make more consistent hard contact to get there.

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Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena is getting the day off on Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels at Daikin Park, according to MLB.com. Pena did not start on Opening Day on Thursday due to a fractured finger that he suffered earlier this spring while preparing for the World Baseball Classic, but he made his 2026 season debut in Friday night's loss and went 2-for-5 at the plate with a run scored and a stolen base. Veteran Carlos Correa will make another start at the 6 on Saturday, with Isaac Paredes starting at third base against Angels left-hander Reid Detmers. The 28-year-old Pena's performance on Friday was a good sign that his finger won't affect his production at the plate early in the season. Pena should be back in the starting lineup and at shortstop for the series finale against the Halos on Sunday. Correa has hit .222 with a homer and three RBI in nine career at-bats against Detmers, while Paredes has hit .333 against him with one RBI in six at-bats.

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