Preseason Prep - March 12, 2026

Corbin Carroll, OF (ARI)

The bad news is Corbin Carroll went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in his first game of spring training. The good news is he played a game and actually smacked a game-high 113.6 mile-per-hour grounder in his first at-bat that didn't make it out of the infield. Carroll had hamate surgery less than a month ago, but the fact he is back with still a bit of time before the start of the regular season is very promising. Hamate bone fractures often lead to reduced power, and time will tell if that's the case, but Carroll should be able to at least get enough preseason games in to eliminate the rust that was clearly evident on Wednesday. Anticipate Carroll's home run totals dipping a bit from the career-high 31 dingers he had in 2025, but even if that's the case, he should maintain strong on-base skills and elite speed. If you were able to snag him as a second-rounder while his value dropped, you likely got a steal.

Josh Hader, RP (HOU)

The spring's worst kept secret is now confirmed: Josh Hader will begin the regular season on the injured list. Hader has been conspicuously nursing inflammation in his biceps tendon all offseason. The reports have been vague and concerning but never a clear indication he will miss time. Until Wednesday. The hope is his absence is only a couple weeks and he returns in April, but the fact he still isn't throwing with maximum effort and it's not clear when he can is frightening. The Astros have a clear closer replacement in Bryan Abreu, and fantasy owners can snag Abreu knowing they should be able to snipe a few saves while Hader is out, but this is overall a messy situation that will inevitably frustrate those drafting either or both of the relief pitchers.

Tatsuya Imai, SP (HOU)

Imai continues to impress through spring training, shining in a three-inning hitless appearance against the Marlins on Wednesday. He didn't walk anyone and struck out four. Through three appearances, the international signee has thrown six innings, giving up only two hits and one walk while striking out seven. His third appearance featured some extra velocity on his fastball as Imai was touching 96.7 miles-per-hour. The league may need some time to figure him out, which makes for some intriguing results in Year 1 in the major leagues. These spring numbers won't hurt his ADP either though. Don't go overboard.

Vaughn Grissom, 2B (LAA)

Grissom left Wednesday's game with left hand soreness. This injury combined with his poor performance this spring (5-for-27 with one home run and one stolen base in 11 games) and his spotty output in recent years, Grissom's path to a roster spot on the Angels is complicated. Once Anaheim brought in Yoan Moncada and invited Adam Frazier to spring training, Grissom's role evaporated. He spent all of 2025 either on the injured list or in the minor leagues, where he wasn't horrible. However, he just hasn't been able to generate enough bat speed or power to become an impact bat at the major league level. His batting EYE is very good, but that's about all he offers, and in turn the Angels aren't likely to offer much playing time in the big leagues. The door is quickly closing on the one-time prospect.

Taj Bradley, SP (MIN)

Bradley was excellent on Wednesday, holding the Tigers to one run on three hits and two walks in five innings with seven strikeouts. His cutter was on point in generating five whiffs on eight swings. He allowed only one ball hit in play on his cutter while his 4-seamer and splitter induced a miniscule 84.7-mph average exit velocity. His pitch mix has always been versatile, but he has struggled to avoid hard contact against his top pitches. However, his past two spring starts have demonstrated how high his upside is as Bradley has only allowed one run on four hits in nine innings since giving up five runs in two innings against Boston. Bradley won't become a fantasy value until he demonstrates consistency, but he can dominate on any given day and should be comfortably in the Twins rotation, especially with Pablo Lopez out for the season.

Spencer Torkelson, 1B (DET)

Torkelson appears to have avoided a serious injury after getting hit by a pitch during a simulated game this week. On Wednesday the Tigers said he was diagnosed with a right forearm contusion which should only keep him out of action for a short period. Tork is off to a slow start this spring with only four hits in his first 19 at-bats. He doesn't have a home run and has struck out six times. His spring numbers aren't much of a concern, and it doesn't appear the injury is, either. What's most concerning is we don't know quite which Torkelson we're going to get. Is it the breakout star that hit 14 home runs through the first two months of the 2025 season or the struggling No. 1 overall pick that posted a 29% strikeout rate and .164 ISO over the second half of the season? Projections tend to see him somewhere in the middle, and that's where drafts value him as well. Torkelson should be drafted as a backup first baseman and/or corner infielder and not as an every-week starter, outside of deep or AL-Only leagues.

Ryan Mountcastle, 1B (BAL)

Mountcastle appears to have avoided a major injury after taking a hit-by-pitch on Wednesday. Initial X-rays did not reveal any structural damage, although the Orioles will send him for more tests on his right hand. Mountcastle is ticketed for the smallest role of his career after Baltimore's major free-agent signing of Pete Alonso. He hasn't necessarily helped his case, failing to build on the power he exhibited early in his career and never fully adapting to the modifications at Camden Yards. His exit velocities and barrel rates are typically strong, but his launch angle has declined while his strikeout rate ticked up. Unless the Orioles suffer more injuries to their corner infielders (primarily Alonso and Coby Mayo), Mountcastle isn't fantasy relevant but for the deepest of leagues.

Brooks Baldwin, OF (CHW)

Baldwin hasn't played in five days as the White Sox take caution with the young outfielder, who is reportedly dealing with elbow soreness. Manager Will Venable said Baldwin is day-to-day right now. The switch-hitting Baldwin is an intriguing player this year after hitting 11 home runs in only 300 at-bats in 2025. He struck out at a healthy clip, but that wasn't a huge problem during his minor league career so it shouldn't be a massive concern moving forward. In order for Baldwin to take another step in his development, he has to do better against fastballs. In his short major league career, Baldwin has seen a ton of fastballs and hit .224 with eight home runs. He was also much better against righties than lefties and the White Sox have built enough depth in their roster to justify platooning him. He's a risk/reward sleeper.

Bryce Miller, SP (SEA)

Miller was forced to cut his bullpen session short due to discomfort in his side, an issue he's been dealing with for a couple weeks. An MRI on Feb. 28 revealed inflammation in his oblique, which has held the young pitcher to only one spring appearance so far. The latest discomfort is particularly concerning as it's clear the issue is not resolved and we are inching ever closer to the start of the regular season. Furthermore, Miller could have really used a strong spring following a disappointing season where he finished 4-6 with a 5.68 ERA while dealing with elbow issues. The Mariners have an elite rotation but not a lot of depth. Emerson Hancock will likely get Miller's rotation spot if he's forced to miss time.

Kyle Teel, C (CHW)

The White Sox will be without catcher Kyle Teel to start the season. The young backstop will miss 4-6 weeks after suffering a Grade 2 hamstring strain in Team Italy's win over Team USA in the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday. Teel has been a popular catcher to take when the top guys are off the board, but this injury puts him out until at least the end of April. In his place the Sox will turn to Edgar Quero and Korey Lee. Quero was also a highly-touted prospect who has a good batting EYE with moderate power. There's some safety in rostering Quero for the first month, but playing time will be an issue when Teel returns.

Cade Cavalli, SP (WSH)

While first acknowledging that the Cardinals offense is really bad this year and should be a team to target with streaming pitchers, let's also acknowledge that Cade Cavalli took advantage with a strong performance on Wednesday. He shut St. Louis out for three innings, allowing no hits and only one walk while striking out a pair. Cavalli has been fantastic this spring, allowing only one unearned run in nine innings while striking out nine. Cavalli is 27 years old, and after dealing with some injuries and command issues throughout his professional career, he is now ticketed for a more certain role in the Nationals rotation. The spring results are promising, but his previous struggles should not be ignored.

Quinn Priester, SP (MIL)

We're not quite at full panic mode with Priester yet, but we're not too far away. Priester hasn't appeared in a spring game while nursing a wrist injury. That wrist injury just doesn't seem to get better and the Brewers are now saying he will have to visit a specialist on Thursday. MRI's have been done and haven't revealed any notable issues, but the discomfort doesn't seem to be getting better. Opening Day seems highly unlikely, and a stint on the injured list is probable. The length of that absence may depend on Thursday's visit to a wrist specialist. Assuming Priester misses time, Kyle Harrison and Brandon Sproat will be competing for the final two rotation spots with Logan Henderson and Robert Gasser.

Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B (KC)

Pasquantino made history on Wednesday with the first three-homer game at the World Baseball Classic. They weren't the hardest-hit home runs with exit velocities of 101.8, 95.3 and 90.9, but short homers may be plentiful for the young slugger with the Royals bringing in the right field fence at Kauffman Stadium. He broke out with 32 homers in 2025, but that would have been projected to be closer to 40 in parks with shorter right-field fences. Vinnie P offers excellent value in standard drafts as a pivot if you don't aim for one of the top eight first basemen. He can be drafted much later than the likes of Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman and Josh Naylor and offers more power and overall upside than those three.

Brandon Lowe, 2B (PIT)

Lowe was scratched from Wednesday's Grapefruit League contest with "lower body tightness," which comes off just a bit vague. It doesn't appear to be anything serious and the veteran second baseman should be back shortly. Lowe has struggled in his first spring training with the Pirates, hitting only .214 with zero home runs in 14 at-bats. That's not a huge concern at this point, but his 39% strikeout rate amplifies his biggest weakness throughout his career with the Rays. Lowe has a career 16.7% swinging-strike rate with only one season over 70% contact. While it's nice to get 30-homer power at the keystone position, Lowe offers almost no speed and a dangerously low batting average.