Spring Training Job Battles: American League Update

For a refresher, here are the job battles from the AL West, AL Central and AL East I wrote about over the past few weeks. Now, it's time for an update on some of those situations and others that have cropped up.

Editor's note: the number in parenthesis is the player's NFBC ADP since 3/1

Baltimore Orioles

Shortstop/Second Base: Jordan Westburg (78), Jackson Holliday (204), Ramon Urias (744)

Gunnar Henderson's (intercostal) Opening Day availability seems close to a coin flip. If he's not quite ready, the Orioles' plan here seems pretty straightforward, with Holliday sliding over to shortstop and Urias taking over at second base. Urias has an injury of his own with a tight hamstring but is expected to be ready to go for the opener. Westburg is also an option to see reps at second if Henderson is out.

Fifth Starter: Cade Povich (561), Albert Suarez (706)

Unfortunately, an opening in the Orioles' rotation was created by an injury to Grayson Rodriguez, who appears likely to miss at least the first month or so of the season with right elbow inflammation. Suarez was valuable in a swingman role for Baltimore last season, making 24 starts and eight relief appearances while collecting a 3.70 ERA. He might be first in line to fill in. However, the 24-year-old Povich could make more sense if the O's are expecting a long-term absence for Rodriguez.

Boston Red Sox

Third Base/Designated Hitter: Rafael Devers (38), Alex Bregman (102), Masataka Yoshida (627)

Devers finally reversed course in his insistence that he would not be a full-time designated hitter, saying he'll do whatever the team asks of him. The Red Sox have not yet committed to him as their DH, at least not publicly, but it's clear that's where this is headed. Bregman, meanwhile, has yet to play second base this spring and will open the year at his familiar third base spot. Yoshida is still ramping up his throwing program as he returns from shoulder surgery and is likely to begin the season on the injured list. He could be looking at a reserve role when he returns, although Boston's needs might have changed by then and Yoshida also presumably will be ready to play the outfield at that point.

Second Base: Kristian Campbell (306), David Hamilton (495)

Campbell has looked rough at the plate and in the field for most of camp, but he's been trending up of late and is seeing increased reps at second base. The top prospect looks to have emerged as the favorite to land this gig. Hamilton has had the best spring of this trio but looks to be in line for a utility role at the beginning of the season. Vaughn Grissom was considered perhaps a slight frontrunner to start at the keystone upon entering spring training, but he was sent to minor-league camp this week.

Closer: Liam Hendriks (294), Aroldis Chapman (322), Garrett Whitlock (650), Justin Slaten (573)

Hendriks entered Red Sox camp seemingly as the favorite to open the season as the team's closer, but he's struggled this spring. Chapman has offered his usual display of swing-and-miss and wildness during Grapefruit League play, but his stuff still plays and it looks for now like that will be enough to land him the ninth-inning job. Whitlock has pitched the best of the group in yielding just one unearned run with a 7:0 K:BB in four innings, but manager Alex Cora might prefer reserving him for multiple innings. Chapman's leash will be short, if he does indeed emerge with the gig.

Fourth Starter/Fifth Starter: Richard Fitts (568), Quinn Priester (718), Sean Newcomb (751), Cooper Criswell (N/A)

The Red Sox' rotation depth will be tested early on in the season, as Brayan Bello (shoulder), Kutter Crawford (knee) and Lucas Giolito (hamstring) will all be sidelined. (Patrick Sandoval will also be out until the second half while continuing his internal brace procedure rehab.) Fitts has probably been Boston's best pitcher this spring not named Garrett Crochet and seems to be a heavy favorite along with Priester to break camp in the rotation. Non-roster invitee Newcomb has also thrown his hat into the ring with a strong camp.

New York Yankees

Fifth Starter: Will Warren (411), Carlos Carrasco (739)

Since the initial AL East battles article was published, the Yankees have lost Gerrit Cole for the season due to Tommy John surgery and Luis Gil for several months due to a right lat strain. Yikes. Marcus Stroman will slide into one of the spots, but the second one remains up for grabs between Warren and Carrasco. Warren has been probably the Yankees' best pitcher this spring and a week or so ago he seemed like a shoo-in for the final spot. However, the 37-year-old Carrasco has pitched well himself and now looks to have edged ahead in the competition. Carrasco getting the nod would mostly be about retaining depth, as Warren can be sent to the minors. It's possible both of these guys will be needed in the Opening Day rotation if Clarke Schmidt (shoulder) isn't quite ready.

Third Base: Oswaldo Cabrera (677), DJ LeMahieu (723), Oswald Peraza (745)

LeMahieu is hurt again, this time with a strained calf that will result in an IL stint. Cabrera is the odds-on favorite to see most of the playing time at third base while LeMahieu is out, and he might very well not give the job up. Peraza is out of minor-league options and should see a decent number of reps at the hot corner as well, particularly if manager Aaron Boone wants to keep the defensively versatile Cabrera bouncing around.

Designated Hitter: Ben Rice (559), Dominic Smith (746), Trent Grisham (749)

Rice has been one of the most impressive hitters during Grapefruit League action, slugging four home runs while consistently making hard contact. He's seen action at catcher, too, but with Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) looking at a long-term absence, Rice appears set to focus mostly on DH moving forward, with some first base mixed in. The Yankees also figure to use the DH spot to give Aaron Judge and others a breather, with Grisham handling the outfield those days.

Tampa Bay Rays

Fifth Starter: Drew Rasmussen (258), Zack Littell (532), Joe Boyle (668)

The Rays want to move Rasmussen back into the rotation this season and Littell has earned a rotation spot with his solid work over the last season-and-a-half. However, with president of baseball operations Erik Neander adamant that the club will not use a six-man rotation, there appears to be only one spot for two guys. That doesn't even include Boyle, who has at least thrust himself onto the periphery of the competition with his nice showing this spring. Rasmussen certainly offers a higher ceiling than Littell, but with how little he's pitched over the last two seasons, perhaps some sort of piggyback situation is in order.

Toronto Blue Jays

Left Field/Center Field/Designated Hitter: Anthony Santander (83), Will Wagner (660), Alan Roden (666), Joey Loperfido (684), Davis Schneider (731), Addison Barger (725), Jonatan Clase (739), Nathan Lukes (749), Myles Straw (750), Steward Berroa (N/A)

Santander will obviously fill one of the slots above (not center field), and we're still waiting to find out whether Daulton Varsho (shoulder) will be ready for Opening Day. Varsho has looked great at the plate this spring, but he's not cleared to play defense yet and the Blue Jays don't want to carry him on the roster if he can only DH. That could leave Loperfido to handle center field, or he would play left field if Varsho is ready. The offensively challenged but defensively gifted Straw has had a nice camp and could form the short side of a platoon in center with Loperfido. Roden has turned heads this spring and looks ready for a chance at the big-league level, but it seems likelier he'll get a little more time at Triple-A Buffalo first.

Chicago White Sox

Shortstop: Josh Rojas (700), Chase Meidroth (706), Brooks Baldwin (742), Jacob Amaya (751)

Colson Montgomery was sent back to Triple-A Charlotte last week, eliminating him from this competition. Amaya has seen the most action at shortstop for the White Sox this spring, although Meidroth's playing time there has ticked up of late and he's also been used often in the leadoff spot. Meidroth offers intriguing on-base skills but might be stretched defensively at shortstop. Rojas has been seen as the everyday second baseman and that's probably still where he ultimately settles in, but he's dabbled some at short this spring. He's also recovering from a hairline fracture in his toe but could avoid the IL. Baldwin has hardly played shortstop this spring, so it doesn't seem he's under real consideration here.

Catcher: Korey Lee (663), Kyle Teel (681), Edgar Quero (698)

Teel and Quero are back in minor-league camp, which is no surprise since they weren't given much run at catcher this spring. We're sure to see one or both of those guys extensively this season, but for now the catcher position still belongs to Lee, with Matt Thaiss expected to back him up.

Closer: Mike Clevinger (596), Justin Anderson (740), Fraser Ellard (748)

After camp opened, the White Sox agreed to a minor-league contract with Clevinger, who has been a starting pitcher for 91 percent of his appearances during his eight major-league seasons. And now, less than a month later, he appears to have emerged as the favorite to close games for the Southsiders. The odds that Clevinger will be healthy and effective and get enough save chances on a bad White Sox team to matter in fantasy aren't very high, however. Anderson and Ellard loom as alternatives.

Cleveland Guardians

Second Base: Juan Brito (724), Tyler Freeman (739), Gabriel Arias (740)

Brito has clubbed a team-high four home runs this spring but is hitting under .200 overall. Arias hasn't been much better, but he's out of minor-league options and looks like the favorite to start at the keystone by default. Freeman has had easily the best camp of the above trio offensively, but the Guardians might prefer to keep him flexible and moving around the diamond. This starting job could change hands multiple times and seems ripe for Travis Bazzana to take it over at some point this summer.

Right Field: Jhonkensy Noel (513), Will Brennan (726), Johnathan Rodriguez (733), Angel Martinez (749), Daniel Schneemann (749)

The left-handed hitting Brennan and right-handed hitting Noel are the top two in the pecking order here, but Noel should be in line for more than a short-side platoon and perhaps even the bulk of the starts. Noel offers immense power but also tons of swing and miss, and he's currently sitting on an ugly 18:0 K:BB this spring. The Guardians were probably counting on Chase DeLauter to grab ahold of this gig sooner rather than later, but unfortunately he's hurt again and won't be an option until at least June or so following hernia surgery.

Fifth Starter: Triston McKenzie (634), Joey Cantillo (657), Logan Allen (740), Slade Cecconi (742), Kolby Allard (N/A)

McKenzie is out of minor-league options, so he's going to be on the team. It would make sense to throw him into the fifth spot to see if he can rediscover what he had in 2022, but "Sticks" has had a rough spring, so the Guardians might hide him in long relief instead. Allen entered spring training probably fourth at best in the pecking order here but has had easily the best spring of this group. Something else to keep an eye on is the status of Luis L. Ortiz. He had seemingly been a lock for the rotation, but major control problems during Cactus League action could have the club rethinking things.

Detroit Tigers

Third Base: Zach McKinstry (679), Javier Baez (722), Andy Ibanez (749)

After the Tigers lost out on the Alex Bregman bidding, they appeared set to go with Jace Jung as their primary third baseman at least against right-handed pitching. However, Jung didn't have a good camp and was sent out earlier this week. Matt Vierling (shoulder) also isn't an option, which leaves the underwhelming trio above to man the hot corner. McKinstry is the presumed favorite to see the bulk of the reps since he's the left-handed bat, but manager A.J. Hinch figures to do plenty of mixing and matching.

Right Field/Designated Hitter: Kerry Carpenter (184), Spencer Torkelson (473), Justyn-Henry Malloy (737)

Vierling's absence also affects the right field situation. Wenceel Perez is expected to slide over to center field to cover the loss of Parker Meadows (arm), and Carpenter appears in line for more outfield reps as a result. That opens up more time at designated hitter for Torkelson and/or Malloy, both of whom have had great camps. Meadows' absence seems like it will be briefer than Vierling's, so Perez could slide back into right field relatively early on in the season.

Fourth Starter/Fifth Starter: Jackson Jobe (244), Casey Mize (401), Kenta Maeda (688), Keider Montero (743)

Both of these spots seem pretty well settled. Jobe entered spring training as the clear favorite for the No. 4 spot and has done nothing to lose that standing. Meanwhile, Mize has been arguably the Tigers' most impressive pitcher during Grapefruit League action and looks like a fairly safe bet for the fifth slot. Maeda has also had a nice camp and has shown a bit more velocity, but he's currently dealing with an illness that's set him back a bit.

Closer: Jason Foley (329), Tyler Holton (585), Beau Brieske (612), Tommy Kahnle (709), Will Vest (740)

No one expects Hinch to name a closer before Opening Day, and he probably isn't going to name one at any point during the season, either. We have all five of these guys projected to record at least one save this season, with Foley leading the way with 16. I like Brieske the best as a deep-league dart throw, but I'm not terribly interested in investing anything into this situation.

Kansas City Royals

Fifth Starter: Kris Bubic (335), Daniel Lynch (732)

Lynch made this battle into a conversation with a strong showing this spring, but Royals manager Matt Quatraro tipped his hand when he had Lynch make a couple relief appearances this week. That means Bubic is the fifth starter, which was the expected outcome all along. He's one of my favorite late-round targets.

Closer: Carlos Estevez (223), Lucas Erceg (223)

As long as Estevez is healthy — and it appears he is over his early-spring back issue — he should open the season as the Royals' closer. Quatraro might never anoint him with the title, but it's generally a good idea to follow the money and Estevez is making a closer-like $22 million over the next two seasons. Erceg is worth rostering, too. He's probably better than Estevez, should see the occasional save chance and might overtake the role eventually.

Minnesota Twins

Second Base/Third Base: Willi Castro (219), Jose Miranda (483), Brooks Lee (539), Edouard Julien (700)

Another Royce Lewis (hamstring) injury has opened up playing time on the Twins' infield. Lee looks like the favorite to see most of the reps at third base while Lewis is out, while Castro could man second base most days. Manager Rocco Baldelli doesn't want to bolt the defensively versatile Castro down to one position, though, so expect Julien to also see action at the keystone. Both Julien and Miranda are firmly in the mix for designated hitter reps. Miranda can also handle third base, although it doesn't seem the Twins are anxious to deal with his poor defense there.

Fifth Starter: David Festa (435), Zebby Matthews (549), Simeon Woods Richardson (603)

This battle has been decided, as Festa and Matthews were both recently optioned to Triple-A St. Paul, cementing Woods Richardson into the fifth slot. Woods Richardson is worthy of opening the season in the rotation based on his solid work last season, but he's also probably the least talented arm of the three above. Expect both Festa and Matthews to make plenty of starts for Minnesota this season.

Houston Astros

Right Field: Cam Smith (432), Chas McCormick (571)

There's been conflicting information on what Smith's real chances are of breaking camp as the Astros' everyday right fielder. It would certainly be a gamble, given that he has 32 games of pro ball under his belt and had never played right field until this month. Of course, sticking Jose Altuve in left field is also a gamble and one Houston has made. Even if Smith does begin the season back in the minors, he should be in the majors sooner rather than later.

Second Base: Mauricio Dubon (578), Brendan Rodgers (669)

Neither Dubon nor Rodgers have done much offensively this spring, which would seem to be more of an issue for Rodgers — who is on a minor-league contract — since he seemingly would need to outplay Dubon to earn the spot. I suspect if manager Joe Espada had his druthers he would keep Dubon in a utility role, and maybe that happens, but Rodgers is running out of time to impress.

Los Angeles Angels

Second Base/Shortstop: Luis Rengifo (166), Christian Moore (623), Kevin Newman (732), Tim Anderson (735), Kyren Paris (750)

Newman looks to be locked into the shortstop job until Zach Neto (shoulder) is ready, and he might be the favorite to play second base after that. Yoan Moncada (thumb) hopes to avoid the injured list, but if he can't, Rengifo is likely to handle third base, with Anderson perhaps the favorite to start at second base in that instance. If Moncada is ready, Rengifo could see the bulk of his playing time at second base. Moore is still in the running for the second base gig, but he probably needed to have a great spring, and that hasn't happened.

Fifth Starter: Reid Detmers (448), Jack Kochanowicz (730)

Chase Silseth was sent down earlier this week, reducing this battle to two. Both Detmers and Kochanowicz have acquitted themselves well during Cactus League play, and whoever loses out on the fifth spot could open the season in the bullpen. Three of Detmers' five appearances this spring have come out of the bullpen, so it's possible Kochanowicz is the favorite here.

Sacramento Athletics

Left Field: Seth Brown (635), Miguel Andujar (670)

The Athletics appear poised to hand the left field job to Andujar, with some starts at designated hitter also mixed in on days Brent Rooker plays the outfield. Andujar has been impressive this spring and was solid in limited work with the A's last year, albeit without much power. Brown looks like the fallback option, garnering the occasional start versus right-handed pitching between the corner outfield spots, first base and DH.

Fifth Starter: Mitch Spence (678), Joey Estes (747)

The Athletics announced earlier this week that Estes will open the season as their fifth starter and Spence will be utilized in a long relief role. It had seemed like a virtual toss-up, and Estes' leash figures to be pretty short.

Seattle Mariners

Second Base: Dylan Moore (434), Ryan Bliss (671)

Moore came into Mariners camp seemingly as the heavy favorite to win the second base job. However, of late it seems as though the club would prefer to keep him in a super utility role. That line of thinking could be spurred in part by the play this spring of Bliss, who has been one of the club's better hitters and showed a steady glove. Bliss has some fantasy potential — particularly in the speed department — if he's awarded a regular role.

Designated Hitter: Mitch Garver (531), Mitch Haniger (732)

Garver avoided any broken bones when he was hit by a pitch in the hand recently and has returned to Cactus League play. He's tied for the team lead with three home runs this spring. Meanwhile, Haniger is battling a shoulder issue and it's not clear whether he will be ready in time for Opening Day. Seemingly working against Garver here is that he's in line to open the season as Seattle's No. 2 catcher, which could deter manager Dan Wilson from using him too extensively at designated hitter.

Texas Rangers

Center Field: Evan Carter (274), Leody Taveras (616)

Carter has done very little at the plate this spring, which reportedly had the Rangers mulling sending him to the minors to begin the season. It's possible that still happens, but Carter seems to have allayed concerns with how he's looked lately. Carter will be the primary center fielder if he is indeed carried on the Opening Day roster, with Taveras getting some starts against left-handers and serving as a fourth outfielder.

Fourth Starter/Fifth Starter: Kumar Rocker (331), Jack Leiter (467), Patrick Corbin (750)

The Rangers' rotation has taken some injury hits, but at least one of them hasn't been to Jacob deGrom. Jon Gray is out until at least late May with a fractured wrist, while Cody Bradford is down indefinitely with a sore pitching elbow. The result is that Rocker and Leiter should both open the season in the Texas rotation, although the club brought in depth this week with the signing of Corbin to a major-league deal. Corbin is expected to enter the rotation once he's ready, but he will need a little time to get ramped up. Tyler Mahle was also banged up recently with a sore forearm, but he returned to action earlier this week.