MLB News Updates, March 9: Shohei Ohtani looks like a No. 1 pick, and more from spring training to note for fantasy baseball

· Yahoo Sports

Every week, we will update fantasy baseball managers with all the MLB news they may have missed as we make our way through spring training and get closer to Opening Day.

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Currently, Shohei Ohtani (the hitter) is the No. 2 overall pick based on ADP in Yahoo Leagues. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has very narrowly edged him out for the title of 1.01, but you can imagine that they’re a lot closer than those numbers indicate.

But if do-everything-superstar’s first game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic is any indication, some folks might be rethinking taking Judge over Ohtani.

The reigning NL MVP was the fuel in the Samurai’s 13-0 mercy rule victory over Chinese Taipei, going 3-for-4 with 5 RBI and 1 run scored, including a huge grand slam that began the rout for Japan (it scored 10 runs in the second inning alone). He followed that up with another home run in Japan’s next game. The unicorn has been integral to Japan’s undefeated start.

The World Baseball Classic is entering Round 2, but it seems Ohtani is already ready for the season, both in fantasy and reality. And speaking of WBC performances …

Like the Japanese, the Dominican WBC team is also undefeated, buzzsawing through their first two opponents in opening pool play. A large part of that offensive explosion to start things off has been Junior Caminero; you could make the argument that the 22-year-old has been DR’s MVP through two games. Caminero is 4-for-7 with two home runs and 6 RBI, batting a ferocious .571/.625/1.429.

In his first full season of MLB play, Caminero was a revelation last year, hitting 45 homers and driving in 110 runs — and there’s still room for him to grow.

The main thing keeping Caminero’s ADP from ballooning is that the Rays will be returning to their offense-suppressing park this season, after playing out 2025 at Steinbrenner Field. Some regression is to be expected, but it behooves fantasy managers to continue to watch Caminero’s performance during the WBC; he might be growing and maturing before our eyes.

Continuing with the WBC, Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña will be unable to play for his country, as the Dominican suffered a fracture in the top of his right ring finger. The injury occurred during the historic exhibition game in the Dominican Republic between the DR’s WBC unit and the Detroit Tigers. He’s expected to miss at least two weeks, but there’s also a chance he won’t be ready to join the Astros’ starting lineup on Opening Day.

Peña is coming off a career year, and before the injury was our consensus 67th-ranked player. He’s currently coming off the board at pick 84, according to Yahoo ADP. It remains to be seen if the injury pushes him down further, making him a potential bargain in the later rounds.

We’re holding our collective breaths over Hunter Greene, who will be held out of throwing until March 10 after reporting elbow stiffness in his throwing arm. He was set to receive an MRI on Friday, March 6.

Most of us recall that Greene had Tommy John surgery in 2019, and he’s dealt with injuries in his young MLB career. That said, Greene has all the stuff to be an elite starter in MLB as one of the hardest throwers in baseball. He only pitched 107 and 2/3 innings in 2025, but when he was out there, he was GOOD.

Green is currently being drafted as the 10th starter in Yahoo leagues, so we’ll have to monitor his MRI results and subsequent treatment closely. For what it’s worth, Andrew Abbott (180 ADP) has been named the Reds’ Opening Day starter.

Jac Caglianone has been making waves during spring training thus far, as he hit a double against the D-backs that was a whopping 120.2 mph off the bat.

Read that again — that’s ONE-HUNDRED-AND-TWENTY MILES PER HOUR. That’s the kind of feat that opens your eyes, especially when it’s a 23-year-old rookie doing it. In fact, only seven hitters in the Statcast era have hit a ball that hard: Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ronald Acuña Jr., Giancarlo Stanton, Oneil Cruz and Gary Sánchez.

That’s some powerful company. In fact, Caglianone is off to a raucous start to the spring, slashing .400/.550/.733 with a 1.283 OPS and a home run in 15 at-bats.

Caglianone was overmatched in his first taste of MLB action in 2025, but there wasn’t enough of a sample size to truly make a verdict. There’s also no guarantee he makes the Royals’ Opening Day roster, much less their starting lineup. But Caglianone comes with pedigree, having once been a part of the Royals’ impressive set of hitting prospects who have debuted in the past few seasons. He also had a pair of 30-homer seasons in college, back in 2023 and 2024. If he keeps smoking the ball as he has thus far in exhibition action, he just might be a shrewd stash in the final round of fantasy drafts.

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