Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly's (back) live batting practice session in camp on Saturday was scratched due to mid-back tightness, and he will undergo testing in the next 24 hours, manager Torey Lovullo told Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. It's an ominous sign for a 37-year-old veteran, but we'll know more about the severity of his injury soon. Kelly began the 2025 campaign in Arizona before being traded to the Texas Rangers to close out the season. He was better with the D-backs in 22 starts, posting a 3.22 ERA (3.58 FIP) and 1.06 WHIP with 121 K's and 38 walks in 128 2/3 innings. In Texas, he had a 4.23 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 46:10 K:BB in 10 starts. Kelly knows how to command the baseball, but he lacks a ton of fantasy upside because of his lack of strikeout upside, and home runs have also been an issue. Depending on the severity of his back injury, he could fall off the radar in mixed fantasy leagues entirely entering the 2026 regular season.

The Minnesota Twins announced that right-hander Joe Ryan (back) was scratched from his start in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Boston Red Sox due to lower-back tightness on his right side, according to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. We'll have a better idea of the severity of Ryan's back injury in a day or two, but hopefully it's nothing serious enough to put him on the injured list to start the 2026 season, especially after the Twins already lost ace Pablo Lopez (elbow) for the season due to Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old finally stayed healthy through the 2025 season and made 30 starts, going 13-10 with a career-best 3.42 ERA (3.74 FIP), 1.03 WHIP, and a 194:39 K:BB in a career-high 171 innings pitched. Despite not lighting up the radar gun, Ryan induces plenty of whiffs and has excellent control. As long as his back injury doesn't jeopardize the start of his 2026 season, Ryan should be viewed as a top-20 fantasy starting pitcher.

The Los Angeles Dodgers claimed outfielder Jack Suwinski off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, a source told Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Suwinski could be back on waivers before the start of the 2026 regular season, as he's out of minor-league options and is likely to face an uphill battle to make the Dodgers' Opening Day roster out of spring training. The 27-year-old center fielder has hit under .200 in his four big-league seasons in Pittsburgh and slashed just .147/.281/.253 with a career-worst .534 OPS, three home runs, 10 RBI, 15 runs scored, seven steals, and 57 strikeouts in 178 plate appearances over a career-low 59 games in 2025. Suwinski has decent plate discipline, but he has simply been overmatched by big-league pitchers, especially the last two seasons. If he sticks around with the Dodgers, he'll provide minor-league outfield depth at Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Once a former top prospect with the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn was demoted to Triple-A while still with the White Sox organization in the middle of 2025. A mid-season trade to Milwaukee provided the 27-year-old with a second chance, and he took advantage of the opportunity. Across 254 plate appearances with the Brewers, Vaughn hit .308/.375/.493 with nine home runs, 46 RBI, and 26 runs scored. With a career 46.5% hard-hit rate, Vaughn has always carried intriguing underlying numbers, so the change of scenery may have been all he needed to unlock his potential. Heading into 2026, Vaughn should have a chance to lock down the starting first base job in Milwaukee. While he's not a speed threat, Vaughn has the chance to provide fantasy managers with four-category production and comes at a reasonable average draft position of pick 284.