Arizona

Diamondbacks

Elbis, 22, was only added to the 40-man roster because they didn’t wanna risk losing the 6-foot-1 right-hander to the Rule 5 Draft. He could make appearances for the Diamondbacks by the end of 2025, but not likely in a fantasy-relevant role.

That is, of course, if this game is able to be played as there is a good chance a few games get banged due to rain Friday. Regardless, it’s great to see that the 24-year-old is back in the lineup after missing time with tightness in his lower back. There’s no reason to think he won’t be ready for the regular season.

Hampson got the Diamondbacks on the board with a game-tying two-run single off of Jhonathan Díaz in the second inning. He then scampered home later in the inning as Josh Naylor was caught stealing second base. The versatile 30-year-old is off to a nice start in his bid to land a spot on the Diamondbacks’ Opening Day bench, hitting .316 (6-for-19) with four RBI and a stolen base.

The 36-year-old right-hander also walked a pair of batters in the ballgame while striking out three. Despite the parade of baserunners against him, the only damage came on a two-run single by Samad Taylor in the second inning. Kelly has had mixed results through his first two spring starts, posting a 4.15 ERA, 1.85 WHIP and a 5/3 K/BB ratio across 4 1/3 innings.

As a team, the Diamondbacks were only able to muster five total hits against Tanner Bibee and company. McCarthy led off the game with a single and took second on a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, but the D’Backs couldn’t cash him in. He also worked Bibee for a walk in the third inning and went down on a swinging third strike against Emmanuel Clase in the fifth. McCarthy is having a nice spring so far, hitting .320 (8-for-25) with five runs scored, one RBI and a stolen base.

The right-hander punched out three batters on the night and didn’t issue a free pass. Nelson pitched around a one-out double by Jose Ramirez in the opening inning to avoid any damage, striking out Steven Kwan and Lane Thomas in the frame. The only damage done against him came on a solo blast by Bo Naylor to lead off the second inning. Nelson generated three whiffs on 51 pitches on the night, registering a CSW of 27 percent. Unfortunately for Nelson (and for fantasy managers), it looks like he’ll be squeezed out of the spot in the team’s Opening Day rotation unless injury strikes between now and then.

The 24-year-old superstar was removed from Sunday’s Cactus League contest due to tightness in his lower back. It sounds like it was more of a precautionary measure than anything though, and the fact that he’s already swinging a bat again definitely bodes well for his status moving forward. He should have no trouble getting ready in time for Opening Day.

Persistent health issues have prevented Moreno from reaching his lofty fantasy ceiling over the past few years, but his talent remains undeniable. The 25-year-old backstop represents a borderline top-15 option at catcher for fantasy purposes, which makes him a fringe mixed-league option, but one of the better second catchers out there.

Pfaadt surrendered six hits but managed to keep the ball in the yard during his second Cactus League outing. He struck out two and only handed out one free pass. The 26-year-old righty averaged 93.8 mph on his four-seam fastball and leaned heavily on both his sweeper and sinker during his one. He underperformed his advanced metrics in the run-prevention department last season, but hasn’t posted elite strikeout rates at the highest level, which limits his potential fantasy ceiling. He’s a top-60 range starting pitcher for fantasy purposes at the moment.

Naylor has gotten off to a sizzling-hot start this spring, batting .412 (7-for-17) with one RBI through six contests out in Arizona. We’re forecasting some pullback in the home run department during his Diamondbacks debut, but Naylor will come off the board this spring as a top-100 overall selection and a top-10 first baseman from a fantasy standpoint.