MLB Player News
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Josh H. Smith SS | TEX
Rangers' Josh Smith: Preparing to play second base
Smith confirmed Sunday that he's preparing to mainly play second base in 2026 following the trade of Marcus Semien, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.
Smith finished second on the Rangers with 563 plate appearances a season ago, but he didn't have a permanent home at any one position. The super-utility player instead filled in as injuries dictated, logging 46 starts at shortstop, 28 at third base, 23 at first base, 14 in the outfield, 10 at designated hitter and three at second base. He'll carry eligibility at shortstop, third base and first base in most fantasy leagues heading into 2026, and he should also be usable for at keystone quickly if manager Skip Schumaker commits to him as the club's primary second baseman. The Rangers could look to deploy the left-handed-hitting Smith on the strong side of a platoon, as slashed just .206/.277/.224 (47 wRC+) in 121 plate appearances against southpaws last season.
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Colt Keith 3B | DET
Tigers' Colt Keith: Focusing on corner infield
Tigers manager AJ Hinch said Sunday that Keith will focus on playing third base and first base during spring training and will only return to second base if Detroit has injuries there, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
The 24-year-old played both the keystone and the hot corner in the minors, and second base is where he spent almost all of his time as a rookie in 2024. Keith moved around more last season, playing 18 games at first base, 26 at second and 37 at third while posting a .746 OPS over 137 regular-season games. He's expected to begin 2026 as Detroit's primary third baseman, but his playing time could be impacted by the eventual arrival of top prospect Kevin McGonigle.
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Riley Greene CF | DET
Tigers' Riley Greene: Focused on improved contact in 2026
After setting a franchise record for strikeouts last season, Greene is focused on making more consistent contact in 2026, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
On balance, Greene had a productive 2025 campaign, as he set new career highs with 36 home runs, 84 runs scored and 111 RBI over 157 regular-season games. He also had a career-worst 30.7 percent strikeout rate and saw his batting average (.258) and OBP (.313) dip from 2024. The talented outfielder said he may have been too focused on going deep, so he's going to try to be more selective and take what the pitcher gives him. He may also implement some small mechanical tweaks to his swing. The tradeoff could mean a drop in homers for Greene this year, but the 25-year-old remains a top fantasy target, and there's still room for growth in his game.
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Masataka Yoshida LF | BOS
Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida: Enters camp in limbo
Yoshida's role for the 2026 roster is uncertain entering training camp, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
Yoshida enters the fourth year of a five-year contract having underwhelmed since his arrival in Boston. Injuries have played a part, but the 32-year-old has also been passed on the depth chart by younger options. A shoulder injury to open 2025 limited him to 55 regular-season games in which he recorded an unremarkable slash line of .266/.307/.388, but an .837 OPS during the month of September suggests the shoulder was still an issue most of the year. Designated hitter appears to be his best fit, but the Red Sox also need to figure out a spot for Triston Casas (knee) when he's cleared to play, and the team already has four other outfielders pushing for regular at-bats.
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Edwin Uceta RP | TB
Rays' Edwin Uceta: Out for World Baseball Classic
Rays manager Kevin Cash said Sunday that Uceta arrived at camp with a "cranky shoulder" and won't be available to pitch for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic as a result, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Cash labeled the decision to pull Uceta out of the WBC as precautionary and indicated that the Rays fully expect the right-hander to be ready to go for Opening Day. The team heads into the upcoming season without a set closer after letting Pete Fairbanks walk in free agency, and Uceta could factor into the team's late-inning mix if his shoulder isn't a concern. The 28-year-old netted one save and 21 holds over 70 appearances last season while racking up an impressive 103 strikeouts across 76 frames.
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Triston Casas 1B | BOS
Red Sox's Triston Casas: Doing individual drills
Casas (knee) will be doing individual drills when the Red Sox have their first full-squad workout Sunday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.
He'll be taking part in drills similar to the rest of the team. For the first time in three seasons, Casas does not enter camp as the primary starter at first base, as offseason trade acquisition Willson Contreras will handle the position. That leaves designated hitter as a potential landing spot for Casas once he's healthy, and he could provide a boost to a lineup that, on paper, lacks power. Any of Boston's four main outfielders could also slot in at DH, however, and Masataka Yoshida will be in the mix as well. Casas, who is recovering from May 2025 knee surgery, isn't expected to be ready for game action by Opening Day.
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Payton Tolle SP | BOS
Red Sox's Payton Tolle: Looking to protect fastball
Tolle plans to mix in more secondary offerings to complement his fastball during the upcoming season, Christoper Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Over his 16.1 regular-season innings in the big leagues last season, Tolle's fastball averaged 96.7 miles per hour with a perceived speed of 98.7 mph due to extension and ride. The heater can be a weapon for the young left-hander, but opponents were able to hit the pitch in 2025, going 13-for-46 (.283 average) against it with a .565 slugging percentage. That's likely due to Tolle's heavy reliance on the offering, which he threw 64.1 percent of the time. Tolle feels his changeup -- which he threw just 6.9 percent of the time -- can be featured more often in 2026. Though Tolle will be given the chance to compete for the fifth spot in Boston's Opening Day rotation this spring, the fact that the 23-year-old has minor-league options remaining could work against him. Along with Tolle, Kutter Crawford, Connelly Early, Johan Oviedo and Patrick Sandoval are vying for back-end rotation spots.
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George Valera CF | CLE
Guardians' George Valera: In mix for Opening Day roster
Valera enters spring training under no restrictions and will compete for a spot on the 26-man roster, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Valera's previous three springs were marred by injuries, with two of them impacted by offseason rehab. He's had a normal offseason this year, and Guardians manager Stephen Vogt hopes to see the outfielder in a spring training game for the first time since he was named Cleveland's skipper prior to the 2024 season. Valera made his MLB debut in 2025, posting a .220/.333/.415 slash line with two home runs, five RBI and a 13:7 K:BB ratio over 16 contests down the stretch and into the postseason. He regularly started against right-handers and was often used as the No. 2 hitter. "He can manage an at-bat," Vogt said. "He makes great swing decisions. He's got power. He's just a good, good hitter." The 25-year-old will compete with current prospects Chase DeLauter and CJ Kayfus for a spot in the outfield/DH mix.
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Andrew Benintendi LF | CHW
White Sox's Andrew Benintendi: Focused on getting on base
Benintendi anticipates focusing on getting on base rather than hitting for power in 2026, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Benintendi has hit 20 home runs in consecutive seasons, but he's gotten on base at just a .289 and .307 clip during those two campaigns. He explained that he felt added pressure to deliver power based on the lack of pop elsewhere in the White Sox's lineup, something that is expected to change in 2026 with Colson Montgomery and Munetaka Murakami a part of the everyday starting nine. Benintendi shed weight this offseason to take pressure off his Achilles, after suffering an injury in July that nagged him for the rest of the 2025 season.
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Felix Bautista RP | BAL
Orioles' Felix Bautista: No rush to pitch in 2026
The Orioles aren't going to push Bautista (shoulder) to pitch in 2026, per MLB.com.
The hard-throwing right-hander is progressing well from right shoulder surgery in August of 2025 to repair a torn rotator cuff and torn labrum, but Baltimore has no intentions to rush Bautista back into the fray. His throwing progression will be worth monitoring, but the expectation remains that Bautista won't be much of a fantasy factor in 2026, if at all. Ryan Helsley signed a two-year contract with the O's in November and is all set to start the new season with a big opportunity to bounce back as the club's top closer, after limping to a 7.20 ERA through 20 regular-season innings with the Mets to finish last year.