Baltimore Orioles catching prospect Samuel Basallo (elbow) is dealing with elbow inflammation and is expected to only serve as a designated hitter during the first weeks of the season at Triple-A. Basallo is considered one of the best-hitting prospects in the sport. During spring training, the 20-year-old went deep twice and held a .226/.284/.484 slash line. Last season, Basallo opened the season by receiving his first full look at Double-A. Across 106 contests, the backstop posted an impressive .289/.355/.465 slash line with 22 doubles and 16 home runs. He was then promoted to Triple-A Norfolk, where he held a lower .222/.267/.370 line across 21 contests. Basallo went deep three times during this stint but held a poor 5:27 BB:K. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression at Triple-A as he should contend for an MLB debut later this summer.

Athletics infield prospect Max Muncy has made the Opening Day roster. Muncy is considered the No. 7 best prospect in the system on MLB Pipeline. The former 25th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft spent most of the 2024 campaign at the Triple-A level and will now make his MLB debut. Last summer, Muncy posted a solid .277/.374/.491 slash line with 11 doubles and eight home runs across 50 contests. During this stretch, the Thousand Oaks HS product swiped four bags and held an 18:50 BB:K. During spring training, Muncy posted a .289 AVG with one round-tripper. With top second baseman Zack Gelof (hand) set to undergo surgery and miss a significant portion of the campaign, fantasy managers should expect Muncy to compete for a starting role early in the season. He will likely split time at the keystone alongside Max Schuemann and Luis Urias. He is worth adding in all AL-only formats before Opening Day.

Philadelphia Phillies outfield prospect Justin Crawford will open the season at the Triple-A level. After posting an impressive .364/.462/.364 slash line during spring training, Crawford was rewarded with a promotion to the minor leagues. Last season, the No. 3 ranked prospect in the Philadelphia system began the campaign with High-A before moving up to Double-A. Across 70 games at High-A, the former 17th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft posted a .301/.349/.438 slash line with 27 stolen bases. Then, at Double-A, Crawford continued to swing a hot bat as he posted a strong .333/.380/.455 slash line with 11 doubles and 15 swiped bags. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression at Triple-A as he should contend for an MLB debut later in 2025.

The Detroit Tigers signed outfielder Manuel Margot, the 30-year-old journeyman from the Dominican Republic, after the Milwaukee Brewers released him on Saturday. Margot is a career .254 hitter and will now play for his fifth MLB team since being called to the big leagues in 2016. Margot provides a safety net and consistent floor for Detroit and will join outfielders Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Wenceel Perez, and Parker Meadows (arm). Meadows was recently shut down from throwing and will miss some time, so the Tigers' signing of Margot was likely a proactive approach to add some outfield depth. For fantasy purposes, Margot can be left on the waiver wire and picked up if he flashes a hot stretch where he can help fantasy managers in points leagues if they deal with some injuries to their outfield.

On Sunday, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced that pitching prospect Will Warren made the Opening Day roster and will make his first start on April 1 versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. Warren, getting his first taste of MLB, is a 25-year-old drafted by the Yankees in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB draft. Warren has had a respectable spring training, logging 19 innings, a 4.19 ERA, 4.57 FIP, and an 8.84 K/9. The Yankees have been struck with the injury bug, losing their ace Gerrit Cole (elbow) for the year and Luis Gil (lat) for at least the first three months of the season. This opens the door for Warren and allows him to show he belongs in the big leagues. Fantasy managers can stay away from Warren for the time being until he showcases some consistency in his first few starts.