With injuries to Detroit Tigers outfielders Austin Meadows (arm), Matt Vierling (shoulder) and Wenceel Perez (back), the team's plans at center field remain a question mark heading into Opening Day on Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Detroit recently signed veteran Manuel Margot, but manager A.J. Hinch indicated the tam plans to use him mostly in a corner-outfield spot. Riley Greene, Ryan Kreidler and Javier Baez are all options to see time in center field to begin the season. Baez started a spring training game in center on Saturday, but he has appeared in the outfield in the majors just four times in his 11-year career. The 32-year-old Puerto Rican infielder has tanked offensively since joining the Tigers in 2022, culminating in a poor .184/.221/.294 slash line with a .516 OPS, six homers, 37 RBI and eight steals in 80 games last year. Fantasy managers can continue to avoid Baez in mixed leagues.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Tuesday that catcher Austin Wells will hit leadoff on Opening Day on Thursday against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Freddy Peralta. Wells has been hitting leadoff against right-handers in Grapefruit League play this spring and has been swinging a hot bat, going 16-for-43 (.372) with six home runs, two doubles, 12 RBI and 11 runs scored in 15 spring games. The 25-year-old former first-rounder (28th overall) in 2020 out of the University of Arizona will surely be hitting lower in the batting order against lefties, but opening the year as the team's leadoff hitter is surely a boost to his fantasy value in 2025. In his first full season in the Bronx in 2024, Wells slashed .229/.322/.395 with a .718 OPS, 13 homers and 55 RBI in 115 games. Fantasy managers should consider him a low-end No. 1 starting catcher.

Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager (calf) is out of the team's exhibition contest on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals for the second straight day after he was held out on Monday due to a minor calf injury. Manager Bruce Bochy said on Monday that he's not worried, but this does raise some concern about Seager's status for Opening Day on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox. Josh Smith is starting at shortstop and batting seventh against KC on Tuesday. Seager, a 30-year-old former first-rounder, has always had injury concerns, dating back to his days with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has played over 150 games with the Rangers once in his three seasons with the team, but it hasn't kept him from reaching the 30-homer mark in each of the last three years. The five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time World Series MVP is still a top-10 fantasy shortstop.

As expected, Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (neck) is back at third base and is batting fifth in Tuesday's exhibition contest against the Kansas City Royals. As a precautionary measure, Jung was pulled early from Monday's game against the Royals due to neck stiffness, but the fact that he's back in action a day later means he will be fine for Opening Day on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox. The 27-year-old former eighth overall pick in 2019 out of Texas Tech is a big injury risk for fantasy managers, but he has plenty of power upside in a good lineup after he hit 23 homers and drove in 70 in just 122 games in his first full major-league season in 2023. Jung struggled at the plate in Cactus League action, going 10-for-49 (.204) with a homer, two doubles, an RBI and 16 strikeouts in 20 games played.

Kansas City Royals utility man Cavan Biggio is expected to break camp with the team, according to MLB.com's Anne Rogers. Biggio is starting at first base for Tuesday's exhibition game against the Texas Rangers and should then be selected to the 40-man roster to round out the team's bench. The 29-year-old could be an option to see some playing time at first base in KC if Vinnie Pasquantino (hamstring) opens the year on the injured list. Otherwise, he'll be a bench option for the Royals in his first year with the team. Biggio played for the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves last year and hit a combined .197/.314/.303 with a .617 OPS, five home runs and 19 RBI in 78 games played. At best, he's a bench stash in deep AL-only leagues, but he just hasn't lived up to the hype as a former top prospect of the Blue Jays.