Preseason Prep – March 3, 2026
Yordan Alvarez, OF (HOU)
Alvarez may need to work off some rust. Making his first appearance of spring training, the veteran slugger was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. The fact he’s out there is really what matters, however, after a mostly lost season in 2025. Alvarez could turn out to be one of the steals of draft season with fantasy owners scared away enough to let him slip late into the third round of drafts. Let’s not forget what he is when healthy: a .300 hitter with 30+ home run power and elite on-base skills. Playing primarily at designated hitter opens the door for more health and everyday reliability. Simply said, Alvarez should not be a third-rounder. As he progresses through spring training and has fewer games like Monday’s, he will climb the draft boards.
Max Scherzer, SP (TOR)
Scherzer officially signed his one-year contract to return to the Blue Jays, and he could make his first appearance of the spring this weekend. The veteran has done this enough to know what he needs to get ready for the start of the season, and he seemingly has a full bill of health, as much as possible at 41 years old, entering his 19th season. He isn’t going to strike out more than 30% of batters like the old days; he isn’t going to stifle home runs like he did in his 30’s, but he is still capable of contributing for fantasy owners. Scherzer’s walk rate remains low and his supporting cast is very good. Maintaining health and strength is what we need out of the future Hall of Famer.
Kyle Stowers, OF (MIA)
Stowers’ hamstring injury is one of the injury storylines to monitor this spring. He was diagnosed with a mild right hamstring strain on Sunday, and although he is expected to begin a running progression soon, his status for Opening day is not a certainty. The Marlins could opt to give the young slugger more time at designated hitter to begin the season in order to protect his hamstring, but hamstring injuries can linger nonetheless. The 28-year-old lefty broke out for Miami last year, hitting .288 with 25 home runs, but health was an issue then and it apparently still is. Furthermore, his 16.1% swinging-strike rate is unsustainable for a player without elite power. It’s a bit of a risk right now, but the reward is quite notable.
Jack Suwinski, OF (LAD)
After nearly passing through waivers a couple weeks ago, Suwinski made it all the way through waivers this week, which allowed the Dodgers to send the 27-year-old outfielder to AAA-Oklahoma City. Suwinski has seen a dramatic downward fall since 2023 when he hit .224 with 26 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 447 at bats. He only has 397 major league at-bats since then while hitting under .200 each of the past two years. His barrel rates have been impressive throughout, but that comes on a very low number of batted balls in play because his strikeout totals are enormously high. No matter how stacked the Dodgers are, they find ways to get players opportunities if those players are capable of helping the major league team win. That’s a big long shot for Suwinski right now, but the door is not closed.
Michael King, SP (SD)
King was battered for four runs on five hits and two walks in 2.1 innings on Monday. The veteran pitcher gave up a home run to Tyler Soderstrom, his second home run allowed in as many games this spring. After throwing a career-high 173.2 innings in 2024, King dealt with shoulder injuries and inconsistency last year in 73.1 innings. He probably won’t get back to that 170-inning mark, but a healthy season should lead to 150+ frames with typically good ratios and a healthy strikeout rate.
Mickey Moniak, OF (COL)
Moniak hit his second home run of the spring and stole his first base on Monday. In four games the outfielder has a cool 2.250 OPS. The one-time top prospect is still only 27 years old and coming off a very good season, highlighted by career-best quality of contact metrics and nine stolen bases. He is a career .190 hitter versus lefties but was better last year. However, since his defense is very bad, it’s very possible the Rockies will choose to platoon a right-handed hitter with Moniak at designated hitter. That will limit his plate appearances, but his improvements in 2024 are supported enough to invest draft-day capital, especially in daily lineup leagues.
Matt McLain, 2B (CIN)
McLain popped two three-run home runs on Monday, catapulting the Reds to 17 meaningless runs. The Reds infielder had a .385 BABIP in 2023 and then a .292 BABIP in 2025 after missing all of 2024. He is not as good as that .385 BABIP or as bad as the .292. He is somewhere in between, which makes for an intriguing bounceback candidate in 2026. He is already off to a hot start in spring training with eight hits in his first 14 at-bats, including three home runs and nine RBIs. McLain was a superstar in college, drafted 17th overall in 2021. He showed power and speed at every level of his career, but his batting average lagged last year, in large part due to that depleted batting average on balls in play. He should be better in 2026 with true 20/20 potential, and right now you can get him outside of the top-200 in most drafts.
Brady Singer, SP (CIN)
Singer’s first spring start was not a success. He gave up five runs on seven hits and two walks with only one strikeout in two innings against the Cubs. Singer initiated only one swinging strike in the game, another reminder of Singer’s low ceiling compared to other pitchers in the Reds’ rotation. His floor is high enough as long as he can lift his groundball closer to his 47.2% career mark (it was 38.9% in 2025), but there is enough volatility and roster threats from talented young pitchers to convince fantasy owners to fade the former first-round pick.
Jameson Taillon, SP (CHC)
Jameson Taillon was obliterated by Cincinnati on Monday, allowing six runs on five hits and two walks in 2.1 innings. He has now allowed 13 runs in six innings over three spring training appearances. His velocity has been down and the results have been terrible. Taillon is coming off two solid seasons with the Cubs and he’s owed $17 million in the final year of his four-year contract, but he is not guaranteed a rotation spot all year. The Cubs have options for the fifth spot in the rotation, including Colin Rea, Javier Assad, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks and talented prospect Jaxon Wiggins. They even brought in veterans Kyle Wright and Vince Velasquez to compete in the preseason. Taillon has outperformed his xFIP with the Cubs, but the reality may be catching up with him, and the Cubs won’t sit around for him to figure it out. Raise the alarm bells on drafting Jameson Taillon!
Luisangel Acuna, OF (CWS)
Acuna hit his first home run of the spring, part of a two-hit effort that lifted his OPS to 1.400 in four games. Known primarily for his speed (and his more talented brother), the utility player has been crushing the ball in the early going, and he needs a strong spring to secure a roster spot with the White Sox on Opening Day. He played centerfield on Monday and his versatility in the field will help his case as the Sox navigate a roster full of players without clear positions or obvious talent. LaMonte Wade Jr., Curtis Mead, Tanner Murray, Derek Hill, Jarred Kelenic and others are all in the mix to take one of the final two spots on the bench. However, if Acuna keeps swinging the bat like he has through four games, one of those spots is his.
Johan Oviedo, SP (BOS)
Oviedo made a strong case for the Red Sox’ final spot in the starting rotation on Monday. The offseason trade acquisition tossed three scoreless innings with four strikeouts. What’s most encouraging is that he didn’t walk anyone after allowing three walks in his first start of spring training. Oviedo is still working his fastball velocity up to where it was with the Pirates, but that’s not a concern at this point of the preseason. What’s been a staple of Oviedo’s success is limiting hard contact, and he did that again on Monday. Only one batted ball was swatted at more than 96 miles per hour. Avoiding home runs will be the key to success in Boston. If he can maintain a manageable home run rate, he should stick in the starting five.
Tarik Skubal, SP (DET)
Skubal is reportedly set to make one appearance for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. That appearance is scheduled for Saturday against Great Britain. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Skubal will throw around 55 pitches as the Tigers insist on limiting his wear at the WBC. In all likelihood, those 55 pitches will be very effective against the Brits, but it’s not going to make a huge impact on the overall tournament. Skubal has thrown more than 210 combined innings between regular and postseason each of the past two years so Detroit will likely keep that in mind in containing his workload. At the same time, he’s probably the best pitcher in baseball right now so a team built to win like Detroit will need their ace to shine. He is every bit the first round pick being drafted, the No. 1 SP off the board and a true fantasy ace.
Bryce Elder, SP (ATL)
Elder threw three scoreless innings on Monday. He allowed three hits and struck out one batter as he pushes for a starting role in Atlanta’s depleted rotation. Elder has been a starter throughout his major league career, but a 5.59 combined ERA between 2024 and 2025 doesn’t create much optimism heading into 2026. The 26-year-old gives up a lot of base hits and just doesn’t have the stuff to strike enough batters out in order to escape the jams he creates by allowing such a high opposing batting average. Elder may get the job by default, with injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep highlighting the Braves preseason, but he is not a comfortable fantasy starter by any means, even against weak competition.
Gavin Stone, SP (LAD)
Working his way back from shoulder surgery that cost him all of last season, Stone suffered a “setback,” according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Los Angeles has shut him down from throwing and he will be reevaluated in a matter of weeks. This is a discouraging development for Stone who was healthy enough to throw an inning in his first start of the spring with strong velocity and solid results. The Dodgers will play it cautiously with the talented young pitcher, particularly with an incredible amount of depth throughout the franchise and concerns about reinjuring that shoulder that has cost him so much time. He still has a lot of dynasty appeal, but this year will be about regaining his form.
Sebastian Walcott, SS (TEX)
The Rangers made the procedural move of reassigning Sebastian Walcott to minor league camp, although he won’t be participating in any baseball activities following surgery to repair his torn UCL. He will rehab all season at the minor league complex with the hope of making a full recovery for 2027. This setback doesn’t change the fact Walcott remains one of the top prospects in the game, but it does delay his path to the majors. There is still some needed refinement to his plate approach, but if you’re looking for future five-category contributors, Walcott certainly ranks near the top of the list.