MLB Spring Training has developed a reputation as a glorified vacation, a way for players and fans to go through the motions and catch some sunshine ahead of the long season to come. But while that might be true for some stars, there are plenty of players for whom everything is on the line over the next few weeks of exhibition games.
Plenty of roster spots and position battles are going to be decided in Florida and Arizona. And for some big names, their very futures in the league are up for grabs if they don't get off to a hot start.
OF Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals
From pretty much the moment he was drafted in the first round out of Georgia's Decatur High School, Walker seemed ticketed for stardom — an anticipation that only grew after he posted a .276/.342/.445 slash line with 16 homers across 117 games as a 21-year-old rookie in 2023. But despite all the hype, and the prodigious physical gifts that come with being 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, Walker has seen the holes in his game exposed to ruthless effect over the last couple of years, posting a .595 OPS and losing playing time as a result.
A rebuilding year under new president Chaim Bloom has given Walker one last chance, and the Cardinals certainly don't want to give up on a 23-year-old who hits the ball as hard and runs as fast as he does. But at a certain point, that potential has to turn into production. If Walker is still beating the ball into the ground and struggling in the outfield this spring, it might be time to call it.
OF Jasson Dominguez, New York Yankees
Dominguez finds himself in a similar situation, a former top prospect who received irresponsible amounts of hype as a teenager and has flashed MLB potential at times but has been unable to carve out a regular role for himself. The main difference here is that, unlike St. Louis, the Yankees are very much trying to win now — and they already have three locked-in outfielders in Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham.
Dominguez can't hit left-handed pitching, so he's not a platoon option, and his at times disastrous defense makes him hard to trust late in games. He posted an OPS above league average last season, and the power/speed combination is real. But he has nowhere to play in New York, and unless he can show this spring that he's capable of covering up the glaring holes in his game, the Yankees might need to sell low on him so they can bring in a better fit for their bench.
DH Masataka Yoshida, Boston Red Sox
Boston's somewhat inexplicable decision not to trade either Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu has left Yoshida in a bind. With Ceddanne Rafaela's defense a must in center and Roman Anthony not leaving the lineup any time soon, it's hard to figure out exactly how he's going to get at-bats — and that's before Triston Casas' return from knee surgery gets thrown into the mix as well.
It seems clear at this point that the Red Sox don't believe in Yoshida as an everyday player, and given his defensive struggles and his miserable 2025 season, it's not hard to see why. If he tears the cover off the ball in spring, Boston might still be able to find a trade partner for him. But he's running out of time to prove that he has a future on an MLB roster with two more years left on his contract.
DH Mark Vientos, New York Mets
What a difference 18 months or so can make. In the fall of 2024, Vientos looked like a cornerstone of the Mets' future, following up a breakout regular season by posting a .998 OPS across 13 playoff games. He was finally tapping into the prodigious power that had made him a top prospect, and his defense at third base had at least improved enough to make him passable given his bat.
And then it all fell apart. Vientos went through the season from hell in 2025: Not only did he put up a sub-.300 OBP and a below league average OPS, but he struggled so mightily in the field that New York had to stop playing him there entirely. Then David Stearns went out this offseason and added two more infielders in Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette.
It's hard to get the memory of 2024 out of our heads, but it's also possible that the league adjusted to Vientos and he was unable to adjust back. If he can't start the spring looking like the guy he was a couple of years ago, New York has already signaled that they're ready to move on.
C Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
Okay, so the stakes for Rutschman aren't quite as high as the names above him on this list; he's going to continue serving as a starting catcher for the foreseeable future. The only question is whether that will be in Baltimore or elsewhere — and the answer likely depends on how quickly, or if, Rutschman can get back to being the hitter he was during his All-Star campaigns in 2023 and 2024.
Rutschman has just two years of arbitration remaining before he hits free agency. It's still an open question whether Samuel Basallo can stick behind the plate defensively, but if he keeps hitting the way he did as a rookie, the O's are going to give him every chance. If Rutschman gets back to being a two-way star and MVP candidate, Baltimore likely can't afford to move on from him. If he's merely good rather than great, though — a 100 OPS+ bat rather than 125 — his future may lay elsewhere.
RHP Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins
Since winning NL Cy Young honors in 2022, Alcantara has: struggled through an injury-plagued 2023 season that eventually ended in Tommy John surgery, missed all of 2024 while recovering from said Tommy John surgery, and posted the third-worst ERA in baseball in 2025 among qualified starters.
Really, how sure are we that there's still a frontline starter in here? The $21 million option the Marlins hold on him for 2027 now seems very far from a sure thing, and if he can't start looking a lot more like his old self this season, it's unclear who's going to take a chance on him in free agency. He showed glimpses of that last year; if he can prove this spring that his once-dazzling changeup has returned, Miami might finally be able to convince a contending team to bite.
LHP Tanner Scott, Los Angeles Dodgers
In the span of just a year, Scott has gone from evidence of the Los Angeles Dodgers ruining baseball to potential afterthought. That's what happens when you post a 4.74 ERA and start giving up so many homers that your team essentially refuses to give you the ball in October — despite being desperate for bullpen help.
Life comes at you fast when you're a high-leverage reliever. One moment you're on top of the sport, the next something slips and you seemingly can't get anybody out. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Scott gets back to looking like his All-Star self and emerges as an ideal setup man to Edwin Diaz. Of course, it's also possible that he doesn't, and the Dodgers use their financial might to cut him loose without even feeling the sting.