Tyler Glasnow, Tampa Bay Rays - Tyler Glasnow still has yet to report to Rays camp and the reason so far is undisclosed. Not exactly the best news for the Rays with the season just under two weeks away from that one head of their three-headed monster has yet to report. Glasnow dealt with a forearm injury for most of last season but returned at the end of the year and was just as dominant as he was over the first month of the season. He's a great option in fantasy this year once again, but it seems less likely that he'll be there for opening day and it could take some time getting him to five or six-inning outings. If there's a team equipped to handle this situation though it's the Rays and their ability to manage a pitching staff extremely well. This could potentially get Ryan Yarborough a spot in the rotation to at least start the season.
Willy Adames, Tampa Bay Rays - Willy Adames could be a great value in drafts as he's still going extremely low but has a lockdown on the SS job in Tampa. Adames' average exit velocity also bounces all over, typically hovering around 86-87 MPH but spiking as high as 91 MPH in June followed by an 85.5 MPH average exit velocity in July. His average exit velo as a whole took a slight jump last year, as did his average launch angle compared to his rookie season. There might be a small risk that Wander Franco is going to take over the SS job at some point but it's highly unlikely that it'll happen this year, so Adames is a solid MI option for the shortened 2020 season.
Adam Duvall, Atlanta Braves - Adam Duvall has diabetes but confirmed to reporters Saturday that he has every intention to play this season. Diabetes qualifies him as "High-Risk" so there's still a chance he opts out, but as of right now he's ready to roll. Duvall might find his way into more at-bats with Nick Markakis opting out of the season and the Braves seeming set on using Marcell Ozuna at DH this year. Duvall could get work in LF this year and he has enough pop to make him interesting in full-time at-bats, and while he doesn't steal many bags he does run well and could provide some run productions in the Braves strong lineup.
Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves - Austin Riley is the other player along with Duvall that should see an uptick in playing time with Markakis opting out. Riley is in a battle at third base with Johan Camargo and could also see time in LF and at 1B depending on how Freddie Freeman responds from his battle with COVID-19. Riley had some major strikeout issues in the second half of last year but when he made contact, there was damage. Riley posted a .459 wOBAcon and had an average exit velocity of just under 90 MPH. A 13.9% barrel rate is also extremely good and his Barrel/PA was 50th in baseball (minimum 150 BBE) and that was just one spot behind Juan Soto. When Riley makes contact great things happen but he needs to significantly get his swing and miss issue under control to get there.
Cole Hamels, Atlanta Braves - After dealing with a shoulder injury at the end of spring training, Cole Hamels is now dealing with some tricep tendonitis and it's going to shut him down for at least a week. This likely rules Hamels out for the beginning of the season and opens up another spot in the Braves rotation for one of their young starters. Kyle Wright threw well enough in the spring to grab one of the available spots and with Felix Hernandez opting out of 2020, Bryse Wilson and Sean Newcomb likely have the inside track to the other available spot. Ian Anderson is also lurking for the Braves and should make his debut at some point this season.
Jonathan Lucroy, Boston Red Sox - Jonathan Lucroy has been taking some grounders at first during this summer camp session. With Lucroy currently only on the 60-man roster and not the 30-man active roster, he's still not worth looking at right now. Lucroy hasn't posted a wRC+ over 80 since 2016 and his power has gotten completely erased with his best ISO over the last three years coming last year (.123). At his peak, Lucroy was also able to chip in a few steals here and there but also only has two steals across the last three seasons.
Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs - Anthony Rizzo was able to participate in infield drills on Saturday, one step closer to getting him back to full strength. Manager David Ross says that the team is admittedly being cautious with Rizzo to make sure he is fully ready to go for the season opener. So far there hasn't been anything to suggest that opening day is in doubt. Rizzo has been extremely consistent and last year he posted the highest xBA of his career and the second-highest xwOBA of his career as well. He's as safe as they come at the position assuming that his back is good to go.
Gavin Lux, Los Angeles Dodgers - Gavin Lux reported to summer camp late for undisclosed reasons but he's expected to start in the Dodgers' intrasquad game on Sunday. Lux is penciled in as the everyday second baseman, but a large part of his value could hinge on where exactly he falls in the lineup. Hitting towards the top of the lineup, mostly ahead of Cody Bellinger and Justin Turner, will provide him with a fantastic chance to score a lot of runs but the lineup is also so deep that hitting towards the back could mean that Mookie Betts may just be the one who brings him around.
Yasiel Puig, Free Agent - The Baltimore Orioles have expressed interest in Yasiel Puig and have reportedly offered him a contract. Weirdly, a player like Puig is still out there on the market, but him going to Baltimore could lead to some solid power numbers thanks to their home park. The Orioles are going to be bad, really bad, but Puig still could turn in a solid fantasy season in the heart of the lineup. He should be able to provide power and stolen bases even if the RBI could be hard to come by.
Scott Kingery, Philadelphia Phillies - Scott Kingery passed the two required COVID tests after his positive test and has been cleared to rejoin the Phillies. Kingery posted a solid season last year with 19 homers and 15 stolen bases. Under those solid counting, stats are a mess though... Kingery was in the 33rd percentile for exit velocity and in the 30th percentile for xwOBA. Kingery does run extremely well, but his stolen base upside is hindered by a 6% BB% and a 29% K%. With Kingery's speed he could put up a 15 stolen base season but he'll need to either significantly improve his plate discipline or start hitting the ball harder to consistently get one base more often.
Cam Gallagher, Kansas City Royals - While Cam Gallagher isn't fantasy relevant, the news regarding him certainly is as he was tested for COVID and then played in the team's intrasquad game only to later find out he tested positive for COVID. This is concerning for everyone on the Royals with how easily it spreads and the fact he was likely in contact with multiple players during the game. The Royals will be a camp we need to keep eyes on over the next week or so as we get closer and closer to the season starting up.
Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees - Aroldis Chapman tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday and is symptomatic according to the Yankees. Chapman obviously won't be around the team for a while and will need to pass the required two tests to rejoin the team. With the season starting in just under two weeks Chapman may not be able to return for opening day for the Yankees and it sounds like Zack Britton would be the most likely fill in for him. Being a reliever, it should take Chapman long to get ramped up once he returns to the team.
Yoenis Cespedes, New York Mets - Yoenis Cespedes has dealt with a ton of leg and ankle injuries over the last year but he's reportedly looking great in camp and has said that he'll be ready for opening day. The DH coming to the NL this year is outstanding news for Cespedes as it'll keep him in the lineup more often while taking pressure off his legs without having to play the field. He's worth a flier later in drafts at this point because at worst he's a late-round pick you can move on from early.
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees - While Aaron Judge said the other day that he's certain he'll be ready for opening day, he's now going to miss at least Sunday's intrasquad game with a stiff neck. Aaron Boone said that it's nothing major at this point, but we're always going to be a bit leery with Judge injury news because of the issues he's run into over the last year with his health. Right now it doesn't sound like there's any reason to be overly worried about him, but we'll see how it progresses as the week goes on.
Masahiro Tanaka, New York Yankees - Some great news came for Masahiro Tanaka on Saturday as he was able to play catch. Tanaka is dealing with a concussion after being hit by a line drive off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton and his availability for the start of the season is up in the air at this point. He's reportedly doing extremely well in his recovery and can do all his off the fieldwork as usual, and has played catch a few times this week.
