New York Mets pitching prospect Jonah Tong could be an early-season call-up for the team whenever they find themselves in need of pitching. Although the right-hander struggled to a 7.71 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, and a 14.9 percent K-BB% in his five starts with the Mets last year, he was one of the most dominant arms in the minors before that. Despite being in the majors for the final month, the former seventh-round draft pick still led all minor leaguers with 179 strikeouts in just 113 2/3 innings pitched, good for a 14.17 K/9. If he can continue to dominate to begin the 2026 campaign and perhaps tone down the walks (career rate of 11.5 percent) then he should be in contention for an early-season call-up. Pitching-needy managers in deeper leagues could consider stashing the 22-year-old, who is available in over 90 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

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Washington Nationals catching prospect Harry Ford was optioned to Triple-A Rochester earlier this month after an underwhelming spring, but that doesn't mean he won't be back in the big leagues soon. The Nats' third-ranked prospect is a former 12th-overall draft pick and had a strong 2025 at Triple-A, hitting .283 with 16 home runs while walking (74) nearly as many times as he struck out (88), which earned him a late-season promotion with the Mariners. The former first-rounder has a solid contact/power blend with his bat, and with his ability to draw walks, there is a solid OBP floor. The catcher's position is one of wear and tear, so there could be an opening for him on the major league roster sooner rather than later, and the 23-year-old should be considered one of the top stash candidates in deep two-catcher leagues.

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Seattle Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo will make his first start of the 2026 season in the team's fifth game on Monday, March 30, against the New York Yankees at T-Mobile Park, according to Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. Fantasy managers shouldn't read anything into the fact that Castillo will start the fifth game of the regular season after he pitched in the team's Cactus League finale on Monday. The 33-year-old veteran will have a difficult matchup to kick things off, though, after struggling in spring training. Castillo allowed 14 runs (13 earned) on 23 hits (five home runs) while walking four and striking out 13 in 15 innings pitched over five starts. Spring statistics should always be taken with a grain of salt. Castillo has had ERAs under 4.00 in three straight seasons and has also made at least 30 starts for fantasy managers over that span. He's no ace, but Castillo's fantasy floor is pretty high, especially when starting at pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park.

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Miami Marlins pitching prospect Robby Snelling did not earn a spot in the team's starting rotation to begin the season, but will likely be one of the first names called when Miami needs pitching reinforcements. The Marlins' second-ranked prospect made the top two levels of the minors look easy in 2025, recording a 2.51 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and a 23.2 percent K-BB% across 25 starts (136 innings pitched) between Double and Triple-A. Despite allowing seven earned runs in 8 1/3 IP this spring, the southpaw showed his strikeout potential with 13 punchouts during that time. The 6-foot-3 hurler owns a 27.1 percent K% in 71 minor-league starts and has shown solid command, too, with an 8.0 percent BB% for his career. With the 22-year-old standing on the doorstep to the big leagues, the 39th-overall selection in the 2022 Draft is one of the top pitching stashes for fantasy, and is available in over 90 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

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Los Angeles Angels infielder Oswald Peraza is getting the start at second base and will bat ninth for the Halos on Opening Day on Thursday on the road against the division-rival Houston Astros and right-hander Hunter Brown at Daikin Park, per MLB.com. The left-handed-hitting Adam Frazier will start on the bench for Game 1 despite a right-hander being on the mound. The 25-year-old Peraza is coming into the start of the regular season hot after batting .315 (17-for-54) with an .888 OPS, two home runs, 10 RBI, six doubles, six runs scored, and six stolen bases in 18 Cactus League games. The former Yankees top prospect has also hit .750 with a home run and two RBI in four career at-bats against Brown, which might be why he's getting the starting nod on Thursday over Frazier. Speed is Peraza's biggest asset for fantasy managers in AL-only leagues, but he'll need to keep up his strong play from spring training to hold off Frazier against right-handed pitchers.

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Texas Rangers left-handed-hitting outfielder Evan Carter will take a seat on the bench on Thursday for the team's Opening Day contest against the Philadelphia Phillies and left-hander Cristopher Sanchez at Citizens Bank Park, according to MLB.com. Wyatt Langford is moving to center, while Sam Haggerty will make the start in left field and bat ninth for Texas. Haggerty is hitless in three career at-bats against Sanchez and will be a poor low-upside DFS option on Thursday against Sanchez. Injuries have held the 23-year-old Carter back from reaching his potential early in his MLB career, but he's expected to play more against southpaws in 2026 if he can stay healthy. The former second-round pick in 2020 played in a career-high 63 games in 2025 and hit .247/.336/.392 with five home runs, 25 RBI, 31 runs, and 14 steals in 220 plate appearances. Carter has hit just .083 (5-for-60) with 21 K's against lefties in his three big-league seasons.

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San Francisco Giants first base prospect Bryce Eldridge should remain on the fantasy radar in the early part of 2026, as the Giants' top-ranked prospect has some of the biggest power potential in the minors. The 6-foot-7 slugger blasted 25 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A last year in just 100 games, and although he was left off the club's Opening Day roster, he'll likely be back in the majors sometime in the first half of the season. The left-handed slugger carries some batting average risk with the amount of swing-and-miss that comes with his power stroke, but managers who are looking for a home-run boost should keep the former first-round draft pick top of mind, and he should be a top stash candidate in deeper leagues as the regular season gets underway.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios (elbow) will throw off a mound this week, general manager Ross Atkins told The Athletic's Mitch Bannon. Berrios is on the 15-day injured list to begin the 2026 regular season after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow last week. The Blue Jays are hoping that the veteran right-hander will be able to pitch through the issue this year, but because he hasn't pitched in a game in three weeks, he will need to build up his arm again. There isn't an exact time for when Berrios will be able to come off the IL, but fantasy managers should probably expect him to miss most, if not all, of April. When the 31-year-old is ready to rejoin the big-league squad, it could come in a long-relief role, which would kill most of what's left of his fantasy value. Berrios is no longer as dominant as he once was, he has injury concerns, and his home run issues probably aren't going away at hitter-friendly Rogers Centre.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Shane Bieber (elbow) will throw off a mound this week, general manager Ross Atkins told Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. Bieber still needs a full ramp-up that will simulate spring training, but it's a big step in his return from forearm/elbow fatigue. The 30-year-old veteran was placed on the 15-day injured list to start the 2026 regular season. Up to this point this spring, Bieber has been limited to throwing on flat ground. He didn't make his 2025 debut until August last year while recovering from Tommy John surgery. When he returned, Bieber's velocity was up, but he still gave up plenty of hard contact and had a 3.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 37:7 K:BB in 40 1/3 innings over seven regular-season starts. He then went 2-1 in five postseason games (four starts), allowing nine runs (eight earned) while striking out 18 and walking six in 18 2/3 frames. Barring a setback, Bieber could be a back-end rotation arm for fantasy managers at some point in May.

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Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect Logan Henderson should be a name for fantasy managers to keep an eye on in the early going of the 2026 season. Although the right-hander was optioned to Triple-A earlier this month, he'll surely be one of the first names considered when Milwaukee needs pitching help. The former fourth-round draft pick debuted last year with good results, posting a 1.78 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and an elite 25.3 percent K-BB% over five starts with the big league club. The 24-year-old looked good again in limited action this spring, allowing just one earned run in six innings pitched (1.50 ERA) with a 0.50 WHIP and a 4:0 K:BB. Fantasy managers with available bench space or even an NA slot should consider stashing the Brewers' seventh-ranked prospect ahead of his eventual call-up. Henderson is available in almost 80 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-handed pitching prospect Trey Yesavage (shoulder) was "very effective" in a minor-league game on Wednesday, and his "velocity bumped back up," general manager Ross Atkins told Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. Toronto was being overly cautious with the 22-year-old's workload this spring, which is why he didn't appear in any Grapefruit League games. Then we learned that he was battling a right-shoulder impingement, which landed him on the 15-day injured list to begin the 2026 campaign. It's disappointing for Yesavage's fantasy managers, but it's a plus that he's pitching in games and looking good. Still, he is going to need probably a few more minor-league starts on an official rehab assignment before the Jays are comfortable having him rejoin the big-league rotation. When he makes his season debut, expect the Jays to ease him into action early on, limiting his DFS appeal. In year-long fantasy formats, Yesavage is one of the highest-upside young starting pitchers in baseball.

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Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Sproat had a solid spring showing, posting a 3.46 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 21.2 percent K-BB% in 13 innings pitched, earning himself a spot in the Brewers' rotation to begin the year. The right-hander began last season at Triple-A, and although the season-long numbers don't jump off the page, in 10 appearances from June 28 through August 30, the former second-round draft pick recorded a 2.44 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 70 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched (20.9 percent K-BB%), which prompted his promotion to the big leagues. The 6-foot-5 hurler had a 4.79 ERA (2.80 FIP), 1.21 WHIP, and a much lower 11.9 percent K-BB% in his four starts for the Mets last year, and while a 7.40 K/9 in the majors doesn't grab the attention of many fantasy managers, the 25-year-old will draw a very favorable home matchup against the White Sox on Sunday in his first start of 2026. That should make him a viable waiver target, even if just for streaming purposes, and he could be a sneaky DFS pick in a game that the Brewers will surely be favored to win.

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Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler (shoulder) threw a bullpen session on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park and is expected to go three innings/50 pitches during his minor-league rehab start on Saturday at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, according to Corey Seidman of NBC Sports. Wheeler is making good progress in his recovery from surgery last September for venous thoracic outlet syndrome, and this will be his first game action since going under the knife. If everything goes according to plan during his rehab assignment in the minors, Wheeler could come off the IL and make his 2026 season debut in mid-April. The 35-year-old veteran is more of a risk in fantasy baseball going into his 12th season while coming off unique surgery, but Wheeler's high-end upside when healthy is too hard to ignore. He should not be available on any waiver wires to begin the year. The three-time All-Star had a 2.71 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 195:33 K:BB in his 24 starts last year before being shut down.

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Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said he'd be "foolish" not to consider veteran right-hander Paul Sewald for save chances this year with both Justin Martinez (elbow) and A.J. Puk (elbow) on the injured list to begin the 2026 season, according to 12 News' Cameron Cox. Lovullo mentioned Sewald's experience at the back of the bullpen in his career, as the 35-year-old has 86 saves over his nine major-league seasons with five different teams. He certainly isn't a slam-dunk saves candidate for the D-backs or for fantasy managers, though, as he posted a weak 4.58 ERA (4.66 FIP), a 1.22 WHIP, two saves, 20 strikeouts, and six walks in just 19 2/3 innings in 2025 with the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers. Sewald should be the Diamondbacks' first choice for save chances to begin the year, but Kevin Ginkel and Ryan Thompson could also be sprinkled in, and this could quickly evolve if Sewald struggles. Fantasy managers are better off staying away.

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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson will start Opening Day on Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals on the bench, according to MLB.com. The Rays will roll with Ryan Vilade (batting second) in left field, Cedric Mullins (batting eighth) in center field, and Jonny DeLuca (batting sixth) in right field against Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore. Simpson, 25, bats from the left side and will have to wait to make his first start in 2026. In his first year in the big leagues in 2025, Simpson hit .299 (32-for-107) against southpaws, as opposed to a .293 (9-for-307) average versus righties. The former second-rounder in 2022 slashed an impressive .295/.326/.345 with a .671 OPS, no homers, 26 RBI, 53 runs scored, and 44 stolen bases in his first 109 big-league games. He gives fantasy managers virtually zero power, and when he is in the lineup, he'll likely be down at the bottom of the order, limiting his counting-stat upside. Still, Simpson is useful in all leagues for his elite speed in Tampa.

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Chicago White Sox catcher Kyle Teel (hamstring) was seen getting in some pre-game work on Thursday before the team's Opening Day contest in Milwaukee against the Brewers, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Teel was placed on the 10-day injured list to start the 2026 season due to a Grade 2 right-hamstring strain that he suffered in mid-March while playing for Italy during the World Baseball Classic. The White Sox expect the 24-year-old backstop to return in four to six weeks. When healthy, Teel should serve as the Pale Hose's primary catcher in 2026, sharing time with Edgar Quero behind the dish. Until Teel can make his season debut, the White Sox will roll with Quero and Reese McGuire at the position. Teel doesn't have a crazy-high power ceiling, but he's proven he can get on base frequently, and he even has above-average wheels for a catcher. The former 14th overall pick in 2023 out of Virginia by the Red Sox hit .273/.375/.411 with a .786 OPS, eight homers, and 35 RBI in his first 78 major-league games in Chicago in 2025.

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Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said on Thursday that infielder Isaac Paredes will move around at several different positions in 2026, according to Astros beat writer Javier Gonzalez. "He'll get a lot of at-bats. The plan is for him to play 3B, 1B, 2B, and DH," Brown said. Paredes is starting at the hot corner and will bat third on Opening Day on Thursday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels and right-hander Jose Soriano with Jeremy Pena (finger) out of the lineup. Carlos Correa is moving to shortstop. The 27-year-old will essentially rotate around the infield when players need a day off or when injuries strike, so Paredes won't be guaranteed regular playing time throughout the year. He was limited to 102 games in 2025 in his first year in Houston due to a serious hamstring injury, but he still managed to reach the 20-homer mark for the third time in his six MLB seasons. Fantasy managers should view Paredes as a mid-tier third baseman, but to reach his true ceiling, he'll likely need an injury to open up more consistent playing time in Houston.

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The Houston Astros are hoping that left-handed closer Josh Hader (biceps) will be facing hitters "by mid-April," general manager Dana Brown told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Hader is starting the 2026 season on the 15-day injured list due to left-biceps tendinitis that he dealt with this spring. The good news is that the veteran southpaw has been throwing off the mound since earlier this month. However, with Hader being a couple of weeks out from potentially facing live hitters, fantasy managers might want to expect his 2026 debut to come in early May, at the earliest. Hader should not be floating around on any waiver wires to begin the year, but fantasy managers holding him might not get him back as early as they anticipated, and it remains to be seen if he'll be his normal dominant self when he returns after also dealing with shoulder issues in 2025. In the meantime, Bryan Abreu figures to get the majority of save opportunities in Houston.

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Philadelphia Phillies rookie outfielder Justin Crawford is starting in center field and batting ninth for the Phillies in his major-league debut on Thursday on Opening Day against the visiting Texas Rangers and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, according to MLB.com. Crawford earned a spot on the team's Opening Day roster after hitting .250 (13-for-52) with no homers, two RBI, 10 runs scored, three steals, two walks, and 12 strikeouts in 18 Grapefruit League games. The 22-year-old former 17th overall pick in 2022 has the opportunity to become the team's long-term option in center field after slashing .334/.411/.452 with seven home runs and 46 stolen bases at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2025. There's very little pop to be had here, and Crawford's counting stats might leave a lot to be desired while hitting at the bottom of the batting order, but his plus-plus speed should play as long as he's in the Phillies' lineup regularly.

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San Diego Padres outfielder Miguel Andujar is serving as the designated hitter and will bat fifth for the Padres on Opening Day on Thursday against the visiting Detroit Tigers and left-hander Tarik Skubal, according to MLB.com. Fantasy managers setting DFS lineups will want to avoid Andujar against the reigning American League Cy Young winner. In just two career at-bats against Skubal, Andujar is hitless. At least against lefties, Andujar will be San Diego's primary DH, with veteran Nick Castellanos starting on the bench on Opening Day. The 31-year-old Dominican has an .807 career OPS against lefties, as opposed to a .734 OPS against right-handers. Andujar hit just .220 (11-for-50) with three home runs, 10 RBI, nine runs scored, and a stolen base in 19 Cactus League games this spring. He brings some pop from the right side, but he hasn't done much in the power department in his nine-year MLB career outside of crushing 27 long balls back in 2018 with the Yankees in just his second MLB season.

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