New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone expects designated hitter/outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and his elbows to be "good to go" when he arrives at spring training, according to the New York Daily News' Gary Phillips. Boone typically slow-plays getting the oft-injured Stanton into games in camp, which should especially be the case this spring after the 36-year-old veteran had his 2025 season debut delayed until mid-June due to serious tennis elbow in both of his arms. Reports surfaced last week that Stanton's elbows will need to be managed again this year, but as of right now, everything looks good. He only played in 77 regular-season games last year, but he had a strong .273/.350/.594 slash line, .944 OPS, 24 home runs, and 66 RBI. Injuries seem inevitable with the right-handed slugger, as are plenty of strikeouts, but the power remains.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) could start throwing live batting practice in a couple of weeks and might graduate to Grapefruit League action by the end of spring training, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. Cole had Tommy John surgery with an internal brace last March and didn't pitch at all in 2025. The 35-year-old veteran and former American League Cy Young winner has been throwing since last August, though, and he could be ready to make his 2026 debut in late May or early June, barring setbacks along the way. Cole, a six-time All-Star, will obviously be a pretty big injury risk for fantasy managers this year, especially since his stuff was down in 2024 before he was sidelined. It's a pretty big stretch to expect Cole to immediately recapture his 2023 form when he returns from a long layoff this year.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that right-handed reliever Daniel Palencia is his closer, according to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. Palencia said he learned to be more calm and confident after some failures last year, but overall, he was great at the back end of Chicago's bullpen. The 26-year-old Venezuelan had a career-best 2.91 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 22 saves, 61 strikeouts, and 16 walks in 52 2/3 innings out of the bullpen in the regular season. Palencia lost the closing role to Brad Keller late last year after dealing with a shoulder injury, but Keller is now gone, and Palencia has a chance to take a step forward in 2026. He was able to break out last year by dropping his walk rate from 13.8% his first two MLB seasons to 7.4% last year. Palencia is one of the hardest-throwing relievers in the game with nasty stuff, but he'll need to throw strikes to stave off regression.

Despite the return of first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year deal, New York Yankees first baseman/catcher Ben Rice should see the majority of playing time at first base in 2026, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. "I think Benny's going to definitely be planning to get the bulk of the playing time over there. And I'm definitely fine with whatever role they need me to [do]," Goldschmidt said. The Yankees said early in the offseason that Rice would play "a lot" against left-handed pitchers, but the return of Goldy complicates things at first base. Goldschmidt had a .981 OPS against southpaws in 2025, so he should play often at first in those situations. Rice, meanwhile, could give Austin Wells a break behind the dish against lefties. As long as Rice swings the bat like he did last year (26 home runs in 138 regular-season games), fantasy managers shouldn't have to worry about his playing time. Rice is a top-10 fantasy first baseman at RotoBaller.