New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (hand) continued his hitting progression in camp on Wednesday and took swings for the first time since his hamate bone surgery three weeks ago, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. There's still time for Lindor to be ready for Opening Day later this month, but nothing is guaranteed. The good news is that if Lindor isn't ready for the start of the 2026 regular season, he shouldn't be too far behind in making his season debut. If the 32-year-old five-time All-Star starts on the injured list, Vidal Brujan might be the favorite to make starts at the 6 in Queens in Lindor's absence for a bit. Lindor had his third straight season of 30-plus home runs in 2025 and also reached the 30-steal mark for the second time in the last three seasons. Despite potentially not being ready for Opening Day this year, fantasy managers should still treat him as a top-five shortstop.

Houston Astros left-handed closer Josh Hader (biceps) will throw off a mound early next week, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. It will be the first time that Hader has thrown off a mound in camp after reporting to spring training this year with left-biceps inflammation. The 31-year-old veteran has only been throwing off flat ground so far. Fantasy managers must remember that Hader also missed the last seven weeks of the 2025 season due to a left-shoulder strain, so the hard-throwing six-time All-Star is entering the 2026 season as a risk/reward fantasy closer. Even if he doesn't suffer any setbacks going forward, there's a good chance Hader won't be ready for Opening Day, which would open the door for Bryan Abreu to serve as Houston's closer early on. When healthy last year, Hader was still his dominant self, posting a 2.05 ERA and 0.85 WHIP with 76 strikeouts and 28 saves for the Astros.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (hand) will visit with a hand specialist on Thursday to determine the extent of his finger injury, manager Joe Espada told Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. A ground ball hit Pena on the ring finger of his right hand and damaged the nail area while playing for Team Dominican Republic on Wednesday. It was also reported that the 28-year-old suffered a small fracture in his finger, but he was sent for X-rays for further information. Pena wanted to remain in the game after the injury. It doesn't appear to be a very serious injury, but we'll know more about his status after he visits with the hand specialist. At the very least, Pena might be shut down from some World Baseball Classic games while his finger heals, but it sounds like he could still be in play for Opening Day in late March. If Pena misses time to begin the 2026 regular season, Carlos Correa would most likely shift over to shortstop, opening up playing time at third for Isaac Paredes.

Baltimore Orioles right-handed reliever Andrew Kittredge (shoulder) said his right shoulder is "just a little cranky," and he doesn't expect it to be a serious issue, according to Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun. Kittredge still expects to get back into Grapefruit League games before the end of camp. Manager Craig Albernaz said on Wednesday that the 35-year-old veteran probably wouldn't be ready for Opening Day in late March due to right-shoulder inflammation, so it's a bit contradictory. If anything, the O's will likely err on the side of caution with the veteran reliever to make sure he doesn't overdo it early on. When healthy, Kittredge is expected to be the eighth-inning setup man in front of new closer Ryan Helsley in Baltimore. Despite his age, he had a career-best 30.8% strikeout rate and career-best 5.3% walk rate in 2025. If Helsley were to falter like he did last year in New York, Kittredge would also be next in line for saves.