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  • Josue De Paula CF | LAD

    Dodgers' Josue De Paula: Beginning ST with big-league club

    De Paula will open spring training with the major-league team, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

    De Paula appeared in 98 games with High-A Great Lakes a season ago, slashing .261/.402/.414 with 12 home runs, 43 RBI, 32 stolen bases and 65 runs scored before getting a taste of Double-A Tulsa for four games. He'll get an opportunity to compete against big-league talent at least for the first part of camp before presumably getting ready to begin the 2026 campaign at Double-A.

  • Zyhir Hope CF | LAD

    Dodgers' Zyhir Hope: Invited to big-league camp

    Hope was invited to major-league spring training, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

    Hope will open spring training with the big-league club for a second straight season. As one of LA's top prospects, he spent 121 games at High-A Great Lakes a season ago but finished out the 2025 campaign at Double-A Tulsa (six games). It would make sense for the 21-year-old to open the 2026 season at Double-A after gaining valuable experience against big-league arms to start camp.

  • Colin Rea SP | CHC

    Cubs' Colin Rea: Likely slated for bullpen role

    Rea will likely work in a bullpen role to begin the season, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

    Chicago's key offseason pitching addition was Edward Cabrera, and he will likely slot in near the top of the rotation. The Cubs will also start the year with Cade Horton, who made a splash in the majors after he debuted last May. Justin Steele (elbow) should return at some point as well. The deeper pitching staff figures to push Rea into more of a swing role, at least early in the season. The veteran righty appeared in 32 games for Chicago last year, making 27 starts, and posted a 3.95 ERA and 127 strikeouts across 159.1 innings. Rea is a serviceable starter when given the opportunity, but his fantasy value takes a hit in long relief.

  • Jonathon Long 3B | CHC

    Cubs' Jonathon Long: Invited to camp

    The Cubs invited Long to major-league spring training on Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

    Long spent all of last season with Triple-A Iowa, where he sported a .307/.405/.480 slash line and mashed 20 home runs across 140 games. The 24-year-old is blocked at first base in the majors by Michael Busch, who had a breakout 2025 campaign. The offseason signing of Tyler Austin as a potential short-side platoon partner for Busch or Moises Ballesteros further blocks the righty-hitting Long, as the Cubs are unlikely to carry two righty-hitting first basemen at a time and Long isn't on the 40-man roster.

  • Cubs' Jaxon Wiggins: Invited to camp

    The Cubs invited Wiggins to Major League spring training on Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

    Wiggins is Chicago's top pitching prospect, and while the 24-year-old is likely to begin the season with Triple-A Iowa, he could make his MLB debut at some point in 2026. Cade Horton followed a similar route last year and ended up making a big impact in the majors once he got the call in May, so Wiggins is worth keeping an eye on early in the campaign. The righty posted a 2.19 ERA and 97 strikeouts over 78 innings across three minor-league stops in 2025, giving a glimpse at his upside.

  • Emilio Pagan RP | CIN

    Reds' Emilio Pagan: Light use early

    Pagan and teammate Tony Santillan will likely see less work in spring training games this year, especially early in the spring, Charlie Goldsmith of The Dayton Daily News reports. "We'll slow play them a little," pitching coach Derek Johnson said. "We need to give them a bit of time on the front end to build and maybe not be in games right away.

    Pagan and Santillan were heavily used by the Reds last season, particularly down the stretch as the team tried to make the playoffs. The Reds did acquire Caleb Ferguson, Pierce Johnson and Brock Burke this offseason to help lighten the load on the two returning high-leverage arms.

  • Zack Wheeler SP | PHI

    Phillies' Zack Wheeler: Hoping for brief IL stay

    Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Monday that he doesn't anticipate Wheeler (shoulder) being ready for Opening Day, but he "doesn't think he'll be too far behind that," Paul Casella of MLB.com reports.

    The declaration largely aligns with previous reports regarding Wheeler's timetable, though Thomson's words are the clearest indication yet that the Phillies don't plan on having the 35-year-old available for Opening Day. Recovering from venous thoracic outlet surgery -- which is the less severe of the two TOS diagnoses -- Wheeler began a throwing program in early December, and his rehab has gone off without a hitch to this point. More clarity on Wheeler's timeline could be available during spring training, but he seems to have a good shot at making his season debut sometime in April.

  • Diamondbacks' Andrew Saalfrank: Undergoes shoulder surgery

    Saalfrank will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing left shoulder surgery Monday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

    Saalfrank dealt with left shoulder fatigue this past September, and while he was cleared of structural damage at the time, subsequent testing evidently revealed the need for surgery. Specifics of Monday's operation aren't yet clear, but the loss of Saalfrank is a hit to a Diamondbacks bullpen already low on quality arms. The southpaw posted a 1.33 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 19:8 K:BB across 27 innings of work for Arizona in 2025.

  • Jett Williams SS | MIL

    Brewers' Jett Williams: Will get spring reps at third base

    Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said Monday that Williams will be given some third-base reps during spring training, Jack Stern of BrewerFanatic.com reports.

    Williams has yet to play third base at the professional level, but he's very familiar with the left side of the infield and has a plus arm, so it could be a smooth transition. The hot corner is now wide open for the Brewers after they traded Caleb Durbin and Andruw Monasterio to the Red Sox on Monday. While it's probably a long shot that Williams breaks camp as the starter at third base, showing he can handle the position would give him another path to playing time. The 22-year-old Williams was acquired from the Mets in the deal that sent Freddy Peralta to New York.

  • Chris Paddack RP | MIA

    Marlins' Chris Paddack: Inks deal with Miami

    The Marlins signed Paddack to a one-year, $4 million contract Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

    Paddack pitched to a 4.95 ERA across 21 starts with the Twins last season before being shipped to the Tigers at the trade deadline. He pitched in 12 games for Detroit, making seven starts, and logged a miserable 6.32 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB across 47 innings. In Miami, Paddack figures to compete for the fifth spot in the rotation behind Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, Max Meyer (hip) and Braxton Garrett (elbow). Robby Snelling, Janson Junk and Adam Mazur will be Paddack's top competition.

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