Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams had another solid Cactus League outing on Friday against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits while walking none and striking out five in 3 2/3 innings of work. Williams threw 41 of his 56 pitches for strikes and didn't allow a walk for the second straight appearance. That's a big deal, since the 26-year-old led the league with 83 walks in 167 2/3 innings a season ago. Williams went 12-5 last year with a career-best 3.06 ERA (4.39 FIP) and 1.27 WHIP with 83 free passes and a career-high 173 punchouts over his 31 starts. So far this spring, Williams has issued just one walk in eight innings. If he's able to improve his control in 2026, Williams could take another step forward as a more reliable mid-rotation starter for fantasy managers. Williams' strong finish to the 2025 campaign gives hope for more going forward.

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The Houston Astros are signing free-agent catcher Christian Vazquez to a minor-league deal with an invitation to major-league camp on Saturday, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Vazquez played in Houston for part of the 2022 campaign and will now return to the Astros as catching depth behind Yainer Diaz in 2026. The 35-year-old veteran hit just .189/.271/.274 with a .545 OPS, three home runs, 14 RBI, and 14 runs scored in 214 plate appearances over 65 games played last year for the Minnesota Twins. Vazquez is a career .250/.299/.367 hitter in his 11 big-league seasons and has 71 home runs in 993 regular-season games. He will report to Astros camp after playing in the World Baseball Classic with Team Puerto Rico. With a limited offensive profile and in a backup role, fantasy managers can avoid Vazquez in the vast majority of leagues.

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Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (elbow) was removed from Friday's World Baseball Classic game early against Brazil after being hit by a pitch on his elbow in the fifth inning, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Team USA replaced Buxton in center field with Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. The severity of Buxton's elbow injury is unclear, and it remains to be seen if the 32-year-old veteran will be able to play in the next game in the tournament. Before leaving, Buxton had gone 0-for-2 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored in a game that Team USA won in a 15-5 blowout. Before joining Team USA for the WBC, Buxton had gone 3-for-13 (.231) with two RBI and a stolen base in six Grapefruit League games. Buxton was named an All-Star in 2025 for the second time in his career and had a career-high 35 homers, 83 RBI, and 24 stolen bases as he managed to stay healthy for 126 games. His lengthy injury history makes him a risk/reward No. 2 fantasy outfielder, though.

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Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (hand) is hitting off a tee and took 40 swings in camp on Saturday, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. Holliday said his hand feels good. He will hit flips on Sunday and could progress to batting practice in a week. The 22-year-old left-handed hitter is recovering from hamate-bone surgery in his hand and is expected to open the 2026 regular season on the injured list. However, as long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks, Holliday should have a minimum IL stay and be ready to make his season debut in early April after initially having surgery on his hand on Feb. 12. The former first overall pick in 2022 showed improvement in Year 2 in 2025, slashing .242/.314/.375 with a .690 OPS, 17 home runs, 55 RBI, 70 runs scored, and 17 stolen bases in 649 plate appearances. It was encouraging that he cut his strikeout rate considerably. Fantasy managers are now hoping he can take another step forward in 2026. RotoBaller has Holliday ranked just inside the top 15 fantasy second basemen.

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New York Mets outfield prospect Carson Benge is making a case this spring for why the right-field job should be his to lose, according to Danny Abriano of SNY. Abriano writes that Benge "has looked the part of someone ready for the majors." Others vying for playing time in right field include Mike Tauchman, MJ Melendez, Tyrone Taylor, and Brett Baty. The Mets have been adamant all offseason that Benge would have a real chance to make the Opening Day roster, and he's done nothing in camp to really hurt his chances. Benge has had a three-hit day, hit an opposite-field homer in his most recent game, is making loud contact, and has looked very good in right field. The 23-year-old former first-rounder hit .282/.389/.467 with 14 homers and 24 steals in 116 games between Double-A and Triple-A last year and should make an impact in mixed fantasy leagues if he's on the strong side of a platoon for the Mets in right field in 2026.

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It's becoming "increasingly obvious" that Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Quinn Priester (wrist) won't be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season due to a right-wrist injury that is "not responding consistently," manager Pat Murphy told Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Priester doesn't have structural damage, but more than six months after feeling discomfort in his wrist, the issue has not gone away. Opening Day is three weeks away, and Priester has not thrown off a mound in more than a week. "He'll have a bullpen and feels great, and then the next bullpen, he can't do it. Whenever you're dealing with whatever up the arm, [starting at] the wrist, it's concerning. But I'm optimistic," manager Pat Murphy said. Milwaukee is even thinking of sending Priester to a specialist at this point. If Priester is not ready to start the year, Jacob Misiorowski and Chad Patrick are the leading candidates to take a rotation spot. Fantasy managers should be extremely hesitant to take the 25-year-old in upcoming drafts.

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Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll (hand) is already taking live batting practice in camp as he works his way back from hamate surgery on his right hand that he had on Feb. 12, according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Nothing is set in stone, but the fact that the 25-year-old former National League Rookie of the Year is already facing live pitching means he should be ready to go for Opening Day at the end of the month. The two-time All-Star is an elite five-category contributor when he's fully healthy, and he's coming off a bounce-back season in which he slashed .259/.343/.541 with an .883 OPS, career-best 31 home runs, 84 RBI, 107 runs scored, a league-high 17 triples, and 32 stolen bases in 642 plate appearances over 143 games. With easy 20-20 potential in a hitter-friendly home park, Carroll is a lock as a top-10 fantasy outfielder going into his fifth MLB season.

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Toronto Blue Jays left-handed pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann (elbow) has not resumed throwing yet after he was shut down with left-elbow soreness 10 days ago, according to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. At that time, an MRI exam didn't show any structural damage. "Hopefully, in the next couple of days, he should be back at it," manager John Schneider said. The 23-year-old appears to be OK, but more elbow issues this spring are not what fantasy managers holding Tiedemann wanted to see after he had Tommy John surgery in July of 2024. He did not pitch at all in 2025 and already had an injury-prone label before having elbow reconstruction. Tiedemann isn't guaranteed to be ready to pitch in Grapefruit League games before the end of camp, and the Blue Jays will be extremely cautious with his workload in 2026. He probably isn't a realistic redraft target this year.

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Updating a previous report, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio (hand) suffered a left-hand contusion from a hit-by-pitch on Wednesday in a World Baseball Classic exhibition game, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Chourio is not in the lineup for Team Venezuela's WBC game on Friday against the Netherlands, but he could play on Saturday against Israel. "He's fine," manager Pat Murphy said. X-rays on the 21-year-old came back negative, so he shouldn't be in any danger of not being ready on Opening Day in late March. Chourio should be considered a top-10 fantasy baseball outfielder going into his third MLB season. He's been pretty consistent in his first two big-league campaigns, hitting .272/.317/.463 with a .781 OPS, 42 home runs, 157 RBI, 168 runs scored, and 43 stolen bases in 279 regular-season games for the Brew Crew. Chourio's batted-ball metrics are a bit concerning, but heading into his age-22 season, he is just getting started.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-handed pitching prospect Trey Yesavage's next spring outing could be another live batting practice session, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. There are "no immediate plans" to get him into a Grapefruit League game. Manager John Schneider said, "We still view him as a starter," when asked about Yesavage's role going into the 2026 season. But it's no secret that Toronto is handling the talent young arm with kid gloves, and he could have an abbreviated start to the season, going like three to four innings per outing out of the gates. The 22-year-old only threw 46 1/3 innings at East Carolina in 2024 before jumping to 139 2/3 innings last year as he made it all the way to the big leagues while helping the Jays make it all the way to the World Series. Yesavage looked solid with 16 K's in 14 innings over his three regular-season starts, and he also added a 12-strikeout performance against the Dodgers in the World Series. His upside will be limited early on in his first full big-league season, so fantasy managers should have Yesavage ranked as more of a No. 3 starter with upside.

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New York Yankees right-hander Clarke Schmidt (elbow) thinks that grip changes last year led to his elbow issues that required Tommy John surgery, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. "I think the No. 1 thing that played a factor was mid-season grip changes," Schmidt said. "You make grip changes, and you start to really put different stress on different areas of your forearm and stuff like that." The 30-year-old started throwing a new sweeper on May 6 last year, and it required him to "grip it really hard" and "torque it." A month late, he was having trouble recovering between starts and battled through right-forearm soreness. Schmidt was limited to 14 starts in 2025. He plans on sticking with his old sweeper grip and will "definitely" ditch the newer one. This spring, Schmidt is focusing on his rehab. Fantasy managers are unlikely to have him available until the end of the summer, limiting his fantasy appeal in 2026.

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San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers (hamstring) is progressing well and could make his return to Cactus League action in spring training next week, according to Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News. As a precaution, the Giants recently shut Devers down from all baseball activities after he reported tightness in his hamstring late last month. Barring a setback, the 29-year-old left-handed hitter should be just fine for Opening Day later this month. The three-time All-Star had a falling out with the Boston Red Sox last year and was traded to the Giants, where he finished with a .236/.347/.460 slash line, .807 OPS, 20 home runs, 51 RBI, and 52 runs scored in 90 games. Devers clubbed 35 homers and drove in 109 runs overall in 163 games, and although he's not in a favorable hitter's park, he gives fantasy managers a solid floor. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 7 fantasy first baseman.

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Detroit Tigers catching prospect Josue Briceno (wrist) had right-wrist surgery to fix something called the "extensor carpi ulnaris subsheath," and he's expected to be out for multiple months, according to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. Briceno injured his wrist in a Grapefruit League game last weekend and is now looking at an extended absence in 2026. When he recovers from his wrist surgery, he will likely report to Double-A Erie to continue his development in the minor leagues. The 21-year-old Venezuelan backstop hit .266/.383/.500 with an .883 OPS, 20 home runs, 76 RBI, and 60 runs scored in 100 games with Erie and High-A West Michigan last year. Per MLB Pipeline, Briceno is the team's No. 4 prospect. He could eventually be moved to first base long-term. Briceno might be a long shot now to make his MLB debut in 2026.

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Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (finger) said the goal is to try to be ready for Opening Day at the end of March, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. "I don't know how it's going to heal, I don't know what the process is going to be like, but the goal is always to try to join the team for Opening Day," Pena said. The 28-year-old was diagnosed with a fracture in the tip of his right ring finger on Thursday, and he'll be re-evaluated in two weeks. The injury will force Pena to miss the World Baseball Classic for Team Dominican Republic, but he's hoping he'll be healed in time for the start of the 2026 regular season. If Pena goes on the injured list to start the year, either Carlos Correa or Nick Allen are the candidates to take over at the 6 in Houston. It's not a serious injury for Pena, but it's enough to have fantasy managers hesitant to take him as a low-end starting shortstop in upcoming drafts.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio (wrist) won't play in Team Venezuela's game against Team Netherlands on Friday. Chourio is dealing with a wrist contusion after getting hit by a pitch on Wednesday. He underwent further testing that revealed a soft tissue contusion, so there isn't any structural damage. It sounds like Chourio has avoided any significant injuries, which is a huge relief. He will be available to play defense and run during Friday's game. Team Venezuela is just going to play it safe and not have Chourio hit for at least one game and see how he's feeling. Barring any setbacks, Chourio should be physically fine in a few days.

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Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff is hopeful to be fully healthy for the 2026 season. When healthy, Woodruff is reliable, but keeping him on the mound has been a problem. Since 2023, Woodruff has only made 23 starts, which is a big red flag for fantasy managers. Woodruff made 12 starts in 2025 and looked like himself when he was on the mound. In fact, Woodruff posted a 32.2% strikeout rate, which was the best of his career. He was cruising along until a lat strain in September ended his season. As everyone says, Woodruff feels in good shape heading into next season. Given the track record, it's tough to believe that Woodruff can be relied on for a full season. He's a high-risk, high-reward option that is currently sitting around 120 ADP.

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Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa (neck) has been scratched from the starting lineup ahead of Friday's contest against the Washington Nationals. Correa is dealing with neck stiffness, so the Astros will play it safe and give him the day off. Astros manager Joe Espada said the team will see how Correa feels on Saturday. That being said, it sounds like Correa should be viewed as day-to-day. A lengthy absence by Correa would be problematic with Jeremy Pena (finger) already out. Luckily, it seems like Correa should be fine in a few days, so fantasy managers and Astros fans shouldn't have anything to worry about.

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San Diego Padres outfielder Jackson Merrill needs a bounce-back campaign after injuries plagued him throughout the 2025 season. Merrill came into the league in 2024 and was outstanding as he finished ninth in MVP voting. His excellent rookie season led to many drafting him in the first three rounds during last year's drafts. Sadly, the 2025 season didn't go as planned for Merrill. He only played in 115 games due to injury. Many of his offensive numbers took a hit, but his walk rate and barrel rate both improved. His overall mechanics are solid, which means he should be able to bounce back, assuming he stays healthy. The 22-year-old said during the offseason that he feels more comfortable and physically prepared for the 2026 season. Given his age and upside, Merrill is looking like a steal at his current ADP.

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Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junor Caminero is coming off an excellent breakout campaign in 2025. The 22-year-old burst onto the scene with a .264/.311/.535 slash line with 45 home runs and 110 RBI in 154 games. His defense wasn't great, but Caminero has the potential to be a superstar in this league for a long time. The biggest question for Caminero next season will be can continue this success in a new field? Last season, Caminero enjoyed playing his home games in hitter-friendly Steinbrenner Field. His home run distribution was fairly even with (22) homers at home and (23) on the road. He sported a .313 batting average playing at home with a lousy .218 average in road games. The expectation is that his power numbers and overall offensive success will regress with the move back to Tropicana Field in 2026. Caminero is still a stud, but he's sitting around 15.7 ADP in some fantasy formats. That might be a little high for a player that is more than likely going to face an offensive regression this season.

From RotoBaller

Miami Marlins outfield prospect Owen Caissie has struggled in his first taste of action in spring training. The former 45th overall pick has posted an underwhelming .111/.273/.111 slash with a .384 OPS. Caissie has struck out six times (over nine at-bats) and only drawn two walks. Caissie was shipped to Miami earlier in the winter as the headliner piece in the deal that sent right-hander Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs. Caissie made a brief debut in the majors last summer and posted a similar .192/.222/.346 line over his first 12 games. At Triple-A, Caissie held a .286/.386/.551 line with 28 doubles and 22 home runs over a 99-game stint. While Caissie may endure some growing pains as he finds his footing in the majors, he is a viable late-round depth outfielder with upside as he should face little competition for everyday at-bats in Miami.

From RotoBaller