MLB Player News

Everyone knows Guzman can hit lefties, and he more than held his own against righties as well last season. The door is again open for him to start for the Padres with Carlos Quentin down, though it’ll probably be just a temporary assignment. Until Guzman has a position to call his own, his fantasy value figures to be pretty limited.

The 26-year-old slugger is hopeful that he’ll be back in time to appear in at least a couple of Cactus League contests before spring training concludes. Even if that does happen though, he’s still likely to open the season on the injured list and will require plenty of at-bats on a rehab assignment to make up for the missed time during the spring.

The 32-year-old hurler will earn $1.75 million if he makes the Nationals’ roster and has the ability to earn an additional $1.25 million in incentives. Smith missed the entire 2025 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery but is now fully recovered and ready to roll for the start of spring training.

The 31-year-old split his 2025 campaign between the Blue Jays and Twins, slashing .257/.320/.360 with seven homers, 52 RBI and an 83/22 K/BB ratio over 490 plate appearances. France, who’s best work has always come against left-handed pitching, could wind up as a potential platoon option with Gavin Sheets at first base in the event that the Padres decide Nick Castellanos is better suited for the outfield.

No word yet on the financial terms or the duration of the deal. Several Padres’ players, including Manny Machado, had mentioned to the media over the weekend that Preller was deserving of an extension — especially after adding Nick Castellanos to the team’s lineup for the MLB minimum salary. Look for Preller to continue at the helm of baseball operations for the foreseeable future in San Diego.

The dynamic 22-year-old suffered a broken hamate bone in his right wrist as he was plunked during a live batting practice session. Holliday noted his disappointment, saying that he felt as though he had crushed his offseason routine and that his swing was in a great place entering spring training. If he only misses a couple of weeks, it shouldn’t impact his fantasy draft stock too drastically, though there are serious questions about what the injury will do to his power output.

Casas noted, “I don’t see myself participating with the group, but I will be doing the same activities baseball-wise... But as of right now, I haven’t had the clearance to get out there and participate with the group, but I will take ground balls and continue to hit at my own pace, without the structure of being in a team workout.” His entire rehab from the knee injury has been shrouded in mystery, but it’s at least encouraging to see him in uniform and doing baseball activities. It remains unclear how he’ll factor into the Red Sox’ lineup mix once healthy following the addition of Willson Contreras to be the team’s regular first baseman.

The 28-year-old slugger suffered an ankle injury in the middle of September that ultimately ended his season. Alvarez also missed significant time during the season due to a broken hand. As long as he’s able to avoid the injured list, he should once again put up massive offensive numbers for fantasy purposes. Astros’ skipper Joe Espada has already noted that the plan is for Alvarez to spend most of his time at DH in an effort to keep him healthy for the duration of the 2026 campaign.

Lindor had surgery Wednesday for a stress reaction in his left hamate bone. It will be interesting to see if the Mets let him go on Opening Day if he winds up receiving little or no action this spring. For what it’s worth, he’s had dreadful Grapefruit League campaigns the last two years. In 2024, that was followed by a very slow start at the plate, but he came out of the gate nicely last season.

Bradish was very impressive after returning late last season, and he’s set for a normal spring this year. He’s been quite the popular pick in early drafts as a result, but since the Orioles will want him to have something in the tank late in the year, they’ll probably hold him back some this summer. They’ll also probably spend some time with a six-man rotation to help keep everyone fresh.

Keith should be a lock to start at either third base or DH against right-handers, but starts against lefties will likely remain few and far between, limiting his fantasy potential. Keith got just 46 plate appearances versus southpaws last season, and the Tigers will likely go with an entirely right-handed bench, creating plenty of platoon opportunites.