While we're only a week away from Opening Day, MLB rosters are far from finalized. Injuries can occur, free agents can be signed at any moment, and players still have a bit more time to make one final impression.
With all of this in mind, here are some position battles worth keeping an eye on for the next few days and the predicted winner of said competitions.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Shortstop
The candidates: Konnor Griffin, Nick Gonzales
Easily the most intriguing position battle of the bunch is the Pittsburgh Pirates' starting shortstop job. Seemingly everyone wants to see Konnor Griffin, MLB's top prospect, crack the Opening Day roster, and he's got a shot at doing so. He's leading the Pirates with four spring training home runs, and has hit the ball hard whenever he's made contact.
Unfortunately, while he's hit into some tough luck, Griffin is hitting just .194, having gone 7-for-36 with 10 strikeouts. The tools are there, but is he ready? Will the Pirates start him in the majors when Nick Gonzales, his primary challenger, is hitting over .400 this spring?
There's no doubt in my mind that Griffin will be the better player in 2026, but keeping him down for the first couple of weeks at least allows them to keep him for an extra year while getting him some valuable Triple-A experience. After all, Griffin has only 21 games of experience at Double-A and hasn't played above that level. He'll be up most of the year, but probably not on Opening Day.
The winner: Nick Gonzales
New York Mets: Right field
The candidates: Carson Benge, Mike Tauchman, Brett Baty, Tyrone Taylor
The battle for the New York Mets' starting right field job has been fierce all spring, and actually included MJ Melendez until recently when he was demoted to Triple-A. This one will go down to the wire, but it's looking like the most inexperienced player in the group has a leg up.
That's right - Carson Benge, a 23-year-old with no MLB experience, should be seen as the favorite to be the right fielder on Opening Day. Benge has arguably been the best hitter in the Mets' lineup this spring, and is tied for the team lead with 13 hits. He's hit over .400, has consistently hit the ball hard, and not to mention, he's stolen a base and impressed defensively.
It's not as if the players Benge has been competing with haven't been putting up a fight. In fact, I think all four of these players will make the team. Brett Baty will play all over the diamond, Mike Tauchman can play some right field and DH, and Tyrone Taylor is the fourth outfielder. Still, David Stearns made it clear that Benge would be given every opportunity to make the team this spring, and all he's done is run away with the job.
The winner: Carson Benge
Boston Red Sox: No. 5 starter
The candidates: Johan Oviedo, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early
The Boston Red Sox might have the deepest rotation in the sport, with three pretty clear MLB-caliber starters battling for the No. 5 spot in the staff behind Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray and Brayan Bello. What makes this competition even more compelling is that all three starters have pitched well this spring.
Pitcher | Spring training ERA |
|---|---|
Connelly Early | 1.59 |
Johan Oviedo | 1.59 |
Payton Tolle | 2.53 |
All three of these pitchers have made at least four appearances, so it's not as if the sample size is microscopic, either. I could see the Red Sox going with any of the three as a result of how well they've pitched.
Ultimately, I do think Oviedo has a leg up on the competition due to the sheer fact that he's the most experienced of the group. Oviedo has parts of five years of big league experience, while Tolle and Early have combined for 11 appearances (seven starts) in the majors. Both Tolle and Early, two of the sport's best pitching prospects, figure to pitch a lot for Boston, and one might even make the bullpen, but as far as the rotation is concerned, that's Oviedo's spot to lose.
The winner: Johan Oviedo
Los Angeles Dodgers: Second base
The candidates: Hyeseong Kim, Miguel Rojas, Santiago Espinal, Alex Freeland
The Los Angeles Dodgers are stacked almost everywhere you turn, but Tommy Edman's injury has them shorthanded at second base. Edman shouldn't be out for too long, but he's been ruled out for Opening Day, giving several players a chance at earning the starting nod.
We know that Miguel Rojas and Santiago Espinal will make the team, and Alex Freeland is one of the Dodgers' top prospects, but Hyeseong Kim should be viewed as the favorite to start at the keystone. Sure, Kim's WBC showing was rough, but he swung the bat well before leaving to play for Korea, and he's gone 4-for-10 since returning.
What gives Kim the leg up is that he's a left-handed bat, so there's a good chance he'll be in the lineup most of the time against right-handers. Rojas and Espinal will still play, especially against lefties, but Kim has the most upside of that trio, and the clear platoon advantage on most nights.
The winner: Hyeseong Kim
Atlanta Braves: Designated hitter
The candidates: Eli White, Dominic Smith, Ben Gamel
As frustrating as it is to see the Atlanta Braves get decimated by pitching injuries once again, Jurickson Profar's season-long suspension might be even more irritating. As underwhelming as the depth options are on the starting pitching front, finding an internal replacement for Profar is incredibly difficult, especially with Sean Murphy beginning the year on the IL.
Mike Yastrzemski will play left field most of the time, but the DH spot is up for grabs. The Braves could use veteran Eli White in left field and Yastrzemski at DH, or choose to DH a bat-first veteran like Dominic Smith. Neither of these options are great, but Smith should probably be the favorite.
His spring training hasn't been quite as impressive as a guy like Ben Gamel, who is probably also in this mix, but he had a .750 OPS in 2025 and a .779 mark against right-handed pitching. That'll play, particularly in the lower third of the order. White will make the tem, and there's a chance Gamel will as well, but Smith has played his way into earning the majority of the DH at-bats against righties.
The winner: Dominic Smith
Philadelphia Phillies: Backup catcher
The candidates: Rafael Marchan, Garrett Stubbs
It feels like Andrew Painter has all-but wrapped up the No. 5 starter spot in the Philadelphia Phillies' rotation, but one roster spot that's yet to be decided is the backup catcher position. J.T. Realmuto will start five or six games a week, but whether Rafael Marchan or Garrett Stubbs start the other one or two remains to be seen.
This competition is especially intriguing because both candidates are out of options, so the Phillies risk losing the loser to waivers, and it's not as if either option has been great this spring. With all of that being said, Marchan should be the favorite.
Not only was he the Phillies' backup all of last season, but he's simply a better player and is also six years younger. It's more likely that Marchan will get picked up off waivers than Stubbs, which only adds to this decision. It's possible they choose to roster both of these catchers - the Phillies have played Stubbs at other positions this spring - but as far as the backup catcher spot is concerned, it's Marchan's battle to lose.
The winner: Rafael Marchan
Texas Rangers: No. 5 starter
The candidates: Kumar Rocker, Jacob Latz
The Texas Rangers' rotation can be really good when healthy. A rotation featuring Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore and Jack Leiter is tough to beat. The fifth starter spot is up for grabs, though, with two possible options.
The more exciting option is Kumar Rocker, once one of MLB's top prospects, but the safer option is Jacob Latz. Neither of these pitchers have been stellar this spring, but the MLB track records are vastly different. Rocker had a 5.74 ERA in 14 starts last season, while Latz had a 2.84 ERA in 33 appearances (eight starts) for Texas.
You tell me which pitcher looks more MLB-ready based on that. Rocker has a higher ceiling, and should be the first man up in the event of an injury (and could even be a long reliever on Opening Day), but whether they use Latz as a traditional starter or as a follower behind an opener, he should occupy the team's final rotation spot.
The winner: Jacob Latz
Seattle Mariners: Shortstop
The candidates: J.P. Crawford, Colt Emerson, Leo Rivas
It looked as if one of the second base or third base jobs was up for grabs entering this spring, but Cole Young's play has all but secured him the starting role at the keystone for the Seattle Mariners, with Brendan Donovan shifting over to the hot corner. Shortstop, however, could be up for grabs, thanks to an untimely J.P. Crawford injury.
Crawford is dealing with a shoulder injury, and manager Dan Wilson says his Opening Day status is uncertain. If Crawford is healthy enough to play, he'll be the shortstop, but if not, there's a good chance that either Colt Emerson or Leo Rivas will win that job.
Emerson would be the more exciting pick, and he's come along strong after a slow start, but Rivas is the one with big league experience and is likely to make the team either way. Plus, assuming Crawford's injury isn't severe, the Mariners probably don't want Emerson playing for just a couple of weeks before going back down to Triple-A. If Crawford isn't ready, it's probably Rivas who will be in there on Opening Day.
The winner: Leo Rivas (if J.P. Crawford isn't healthy)
Minnesota Twins: No. 4 and No. 5 starters
The candidates: Mick Abel, Zebby Matthews, Taj Bradley
The starting rotation, which was supposed to be the Minnesota Twins' biggest strength this season, is in a bit of a rough spot now that Pablo Lopez is out for the year and David Festa is set to begin the year on the IL. With that being said, these injuries have created multiple vacancies. Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober are locks, but who else is there?
Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober are locks, but who else is there? Simeon Woods-Richardson is likely to be the No. 3 starter, but the final two spots are up for grabs. Ultimately, I think the Twins will give Taj Bradley a shot, given that they traded Griffin Jax, a high-end reliever, to acquire him, and the No. 5 spot could come down to how pitchers have looked this spring.
Pitcher | Spring training ERA |
|---|---|
Mick Abel | 1.35 |
Zebby Matthews | 5.73 |
To be fair, Matthews has only made two starts this spring, but Abel has been one of the best pitchers in the sport in spring training. Abel has allowed just two runs on nine hits in 13.1 innings, striking out 17 batters and issuing one walk. I don't know whether Abel will throw enough strikes in the big leagues, but he's done it all spring long. Matthews will pitch a lot in the majors, but Abel's strong spring gives him the clear leg up.
The winners: Taj Bradley, Mick Abel
Detroit Tigers: Shortstop
The candidates: Kevin McGonigle, Javier Baez, Zack McKinstry
Konnor Grifffin has been the talk of spring training, but Kevin McGonigle has been even better. He has a whopping .447 OBP with a .990 OPS this spring, and that isn't even including his impressive showing against the Dominican Republic in a pre-WBC exhibition game. He has proven he's MLB-ready.
With that being said, the Detroit Tigers have other starting-worthy options in Javier Baez and Zack McKinstry, who they could easily turn to. Neither Baez nor McKinstry have had strong springs, but both have clear track records of MLB success. That's appealing for a team in win-now mode.
Still, McGonigle has too much upside to ignore, and is clearly ready right now. I've gone back and forth on this, and even predicted the Tigers would start him in Triple-A earlier this week, but I'm not sure what else he has to prove at this point.
The winner: Kevin McGonigle
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