Boston Red Sox infielder David Hamilton, who was considered the front-runner for the starting second base job earlier in spring training, now appears to have lost out on the job to prospect Kristian Campbell, who is making his second straight start at the keystone in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays. "We have a pretty good idea of what we're going to do (at second). We just have to be patient," manager Alex Cora said Friday. Campbell, Hamilton and Vaughn Grissom had been competing at second in camp, with Grissom being optioned to Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday. It's expected that Hamilton will make the roster as a utility infielder if he loses out to Campbell. "There's a pretty good chance he's going to be on the team," Cora said of Hamilton. In AL-only leagues, Hamilton may be worth stashing for his speed.

Boston Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell is starting at second base and is batting leadoff for Saturday's Grapefruit League game. It's the second straight day that Campbell is starting at the keystone, suggesting that he may be the favorite to open the 2025 regular season as the starter at second over David Hamilton. Manager Alex Cora said that he has a "pretty good idea of what we're going to do" at the position, but the club has yet to make their plans official to the media. Hamilton is expected to make the Opening Day roster, but it will likely be as utility infielder. The 22-year-old Campbell broke out in the minors in 2024 with a .329/.437/.551 slash line with 20 home runs and 24 steals in 115 games over three different levels. He should definitely be rostered in dynasty/keeper leagues, but fantasy managers in deep-mixed and AL-only leagues may want to temper expectations in his rookie season, especially in the power department.

Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize appears set to open the season in the team's Opening Day starting rotation after the team optioned pitchers Keider Montero and Ryan Kreidler to the minors on Saturday morning, according to The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen. Additionally, top pitching prospect Jackson Jobe will be in the rotation to begin the year. Veteran Kenta Maeda will start in the bullpen, while Alex Cobb (hip) is expected to miss at least the first month. Mize, 27, looked great this spring with a 1.13 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 18 strikeouts and seven walks in 16 Grapefruit League innings. The post-hype prospect was the first overall pick in the 2018 draft, but so far he's disappointed due to injuries and with a 4.36 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 226:85 K:BB in 291 innings for Detroit. Mize is worth the low cost in AL-only leagues to see if he can finally put it all together.

New York Yankees relief pitcher Ian Hamilton (infection) will open the season on the injured list. Hamilton has begun to increase his workload and recently made his spring debut, which suggests he should not face an extended absence. Last season, Hamilton tossed 37 2/3 innings in the Yankee bullpen and held a 3.82 ERA with a 1.65 WHIP. During this stint, Hamilton tallied 41 punchouts but held a modest 8.6 percent walk rate. However, he generated an elite 3.8 percent barrel rate and a strong 37.1 percent hard-hit rate, which suggests he may face some positive regression in 2025. He also tallied 11 holds operating primarily in a high-leverage role. While Hamilton remains out, fantasy managers should expect the Yankees to deploy Luke Weaver as the primary setup man, with Fernando Cruz also seeing high-leverage work.

New York Mets infielder Donovan Walton will begin the season with Triple-A Syracuse. Walton signed a minor-league contract with the Mets earlier in the winter. However, with the injuries to Nick Madrigal (shoulder) and Jeff McNeil (oblique), Walton had a path to earn a spot on the big league roster. However, given the modest .176/.317/.294 slash line he held during spring training, the Mets will have him begin his campaign at the top level of the minor leagues. Through 70 career games in the MLB, Walton has posted a .174/.222/.305 line with 11 doubles and four home runs. However, across 231 career games at the Triple-A level, the Oklahoma State product has held a .287/.370/.454 slash line with 49 doubles and 26 long balls. With Walton opening the season in the minor leagues, fantasy managers should expect Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuna to see most of the time at the keystone.