Every week, we will update fantasy baseball managers with all the MLB news they may have missed as we make our way through spring training and get closer to Opening Day.<\/p>\n
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season<\/a>]<\/p>\n Andrew Painter has brief, quiet outing in 2026 spring training debut<\/p>\n It seems like forever that fantasy baseball managers have been waiting for Andrew Painter to make noise in the majors. After all, three years ago, the then-19-year-old made his spring training debut, only to find himself undergoing Tommy John surgery, ending any hopes of an expedited career in MLB.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n But Painter, MLB\u2019s 28th-ranked prospect<\/a> and long considered one of the Phillies\u2019 best prospects overall, is healthy now and ready to make his mark in Philadelphia\u2019s rotation this season.<\/p>\n Painter made his 2026 spring training debut against the Yankees on March 1. He pitched two scoreless innings and collected one strikeout, to Jasson Dom\u00ednguez (another former highly-touted prospect who\u2019s already gotten a lot of MLB action).<\/p>\n Painter will likely be eased along, but it seems like a given that he\u2019ll get a chance to stick in the Phillies\u2019 rotation to start the season. He\u2019s currently carrying a 205 ADP in Yahoo leagues; that won\u2019t last.<\/p>\n Stanton makes startling injury claim<\/p>\n In what ended up being one of the more bizarre-sounding news stories of the past few days<\/a>, Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton claimed that the pain in his elbows is so bad that he \u201ccan\u2019t open bottles, can\u2019t open a bag of chips.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n As someone who has opened a lot of bags of chips in his day, that is a wild statement. Injuries, of course, are no strangers to Stanton \u2014 the last time he played more than 140 games was in 2018.<\/p>\n Highlights of Stanton running have been making the rounds on social media; that\u2019s a low bar. But nonetheless, Stanton has remained one of the most feared, powerful hitters in baseball, despite his litany of injury woes. Last season was even a resurgence for him, posting a .944 OPS in 77 games (after returning from, yes, an injury) while hitting 24 home runs. Stanton currently has an ADP of 193, but this elbow news will probably lower that even further. At that point in drafts, you could do worse than taking a chance on someone who has 40+ homer upside.<\/p>\n Baseball\u2019s No. 1 prospect makes his presence felt<\/p>\n The Pittsburgh Pirates are not a good team, but that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t offer reasons for excitement. Oneil Cruz is an exciting hitter with a yet-untapped ceiling, Paul Skenes is already one of the five best starting pitchers in baseball and Bubba Chandler could reach that position at some point.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n And there\u2019s a chance another one of Pittsburgh\u2019s prospects could take the field in the majors this season \u2014 and he might be the best of the bunch.<\/p>\n Konnor Griffin \u2014 who will turn a mere 20 years old when the season reaches its one-month mark \u2014 has already made waves across social media with his first spring training homers:<\/p>\n Not only did he launch that blast against Boston\u2019s prized free-agent pickup, Ranger Su\u00e1rez, but Griffin would go on and hit a second home run later in the game. Then, he hit a third spring training homer on March 1. At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Griffin is the Pirates\u2019 top prospect \u2014 and the top prospect in baseball overall<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n But again, Griffin is just 19 years old at the time of this writing. He\u2019s only played in A-A+-AA (in which he made mincemeat of opposing pitching to the tune of a .333\/.415\/.527 slash line with a .941 OPS) in the minors. The chances of him making the big league roster before the summer \u2014 much less right out of spring training \u2014 are not high. And we know Pittsburgh isn\u2019t exactly the place where prospects get rushed, no matter how good they are.<\/p>\n Griffin has a Yahoo ADP of 195.6 \u2014 apt for someone who is just a hopeful bench stash right now; Yahoo managers aren\u2019t too hyped yet. But if he continues the highlight reel and fan pressure continues to build, the Pirates\u2019 hand may be forced at some point in May or June. He\u2019s a must-watch player during spring training.<\/p>\n Lindor on track for Opening Day; Carroll aiming for the same<\/p>\n Mets SS Francisco Lindor was one of a group of high-profile players who announced a need for surgery after injury to the hamate bone; for him, the surgery was performed on his left hand.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n No one wants to hear about a star player needing surgery right before spring training, but thankfully, Lindor recently had his stitches removed and is reportedly still on track to start for the Mets on Opening Day<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lindor is currently just on the cusp of being a second-round pick in Yahoo Fantasy leagues. If he falls to the third round, he\u2019s a snap-selection, especially when you consider he\u2019s gone nearly 30-30 (he stole 29 bases in 2024) for three straight seasons.<\/p>\n Diamondbacks OF Corbin Carroll (who currently holds a Yahoo ADP of 16.6) had surgery on Feb. 11 on his right hamate bone, and as he continues his rehab, he has stated that he\u2019s \u201cpushing\u201d to be ready for Opening Day against the Dodgers on March 26<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n At just 25 years old, we likely still haven\u2019t seen Carroll\u2019s best season; he has a .258\/.341\/.491 slash line with an .832 OPS in his career. His ADP could shoot up if his timeline does the same during spring training.<\/p>\n Hope for a resurgent Mike Trout season?<\/p>\n Once considered the clear best player in baseball, it\u2019s been a rough couple of seasons for Mike Trout on the injury front. Trout last played more than 130 games in 2019 (134). He played just 29 and 82 games in 2024 and 2023, respectively. He did play 130 games in 2025, but the results were pretty subpar, by his standards: .232\/.359\/.439 with a .797 OPS, 26 home runs and just two stolen bases.<\/p>\n But maybe there\u2019s a chance things turn around this season. On Saturday, Trout flew down the line in an attempt to beat out an infield single versus the D-backs. He was recorded as reaching a sprint speed of 29.9 feet per second \u2014 his highest sprint speed since a meniscus tear in 2024. Trout himself revealed that his goal for this season is 30 feet per second<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Now, this is not to say that Trout will suddenly return to his glory days of stealing 30+ bases, but a return to elite speed would certainly help in that regard. At the very least, a healthy Trout will undoubtedly steal more than the measly two bags he\u2019s averaged the last six seasons.<\/p>\n For context, Trea Turner had the highest sprint speed in the league in 2025 at 30.3 feet per second, per Statcast. Trout was down at 223 with 27.9 feet per second.<\/p>\n Trout is coming off the board as OF58 in Yahoo leagues, a far cry from his previous elite years. Two years removed from his meniscus tear and with an eye on redemption, Trout could end up being a draft-day steal.<\/p>\n Yankee youth shining early in spring training<\/p>\n The Yankees aren\u2019t exactly the Pirates in terms of exciting prospects, but they do have some young players who have been turning heads so far in exhibition play.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n George Lombard Jr., baseball\u2019s 32nd-ranked prospect, has been making defensive highlight after defensive highlight so far in spring training, and the Yankees expect his bat to catch up with his glove<\/a>. Defense can get players onto the field sooner than later; Lombard\u2019s ascension is one to watch.<\/p>\n