Spring training games have now been underway for a little less than a week, and that means the excitement of baseball being back on televisions during the daytime, endless stats to pore over at the end of each night, and countless storylines to keep an eye on.
Some of the most interesting spring stories have to do with a handful of jobs that are still up for grabs. While most players show up to spring knowing what their role will be with their club to begin the year and are simply looking to get back into the swing of things, a handful of others show up fighting for their starting role on the team. For these players, every at-bat or inning pitched becomes magnified, as we, along with their respective clubs, try to figure out if they will become a valuable real-life and fantasy starter, or simply a reserve who we can remove from our radar.
As you settle back into your stat-checking spring training routine, these are the most important position battles to be keeping an eye on in the American League.
Boston Red Sox OF – Ceddanne Rafaela vs. Wilyer Abreu (among others)
The Red Sox entered spring training with a ‘good’ problem (if there ever is one) in their outfield – they have too many starting-caliber players. Roman Anthony is certain to start in the heart of the order on Opening Day, and is already a top-70 hitter worth grabbing rather early in drafts. It would also be difficult to imagine Jarren Duran lingering on the bench, even if Boston does follow through with the rumors of moving him to a nearly full-time DH. He remains a top-75 hitter either way.
The rest of the field, however, is a mixed bag and looks wide open based on performance.
2025 Stats (587 PA): .254 AVG | .295 OBP | .414 SLG | 16 HR | 63 RBI | 84 R | 20 SB
A potential 20-20 hitter and flat-out premier defender, the 25-year-old from Curaçao should maintain his spot in the lineup so long as his bat does not fall off a cliff. The winner of an American League Gold Glove Award last season for his dazzling defense in center field, Rafaela is a natural athlete who signed with the Red Sox all the way back in 2017 at the age of 16. He has won several Defensive Player of the Year awards in the minors as well, so that part of his game is clearly no fluke.
Whether or not Rafaela can remain a relevant fantasy asset with his bat, however, does remain to be seen. He went through a month-long stretch in the middle of last season in which he was one of the better 2B-eligible hitters in any fantasy league, but then his production fell off a cliff to end the year.
As can be seen by his Process+ rolling average, his quality contact skills (fortunately) and poor decision-making skills (unfortunately) both stayed fairly consistent throughout the year, but his power disappeared right before the start of August and never returned.
Look for whether Rafaela shows up this spring as a mostly singles hitter or if he has shown signs of providing the pop once again. If it’s the latter, he should shoot up your draft board as a mid-round steal.
2025 Stats (417 PA): .247 AVG | .317 OBP | .469 SLG | 22 HR | 69 RBI | 53 R | 6 SB
With the way that Wilyer Abreu was swinging the bat through the first 100 or so games of the 2025 season, a right calf strain is likely the only thing that prevented him from a 30 home run season. 25, at the least, was certainly in the cards.
If given 500 at-bats this season, Abreu has the potential to be a sneaky top-75 hitter. That’s a big ‘if’, though, which leaves this one worth monitoring. The Red Sox preferred to play Abreu in a platoon situation even when he was healthy last season, so their deployment of him is certainly something to monitor in the beginning weeks of the season.
Fantasy Relevance
Either Rafaela or Abreu could find themselves inside the top-75 hitters at the end of this season, or both could find themselves off of fantasy rosters and headed towards irrelevance. The gap between both players’ floor/ceiling is rather large, which makes reaching for either player inadvisable. If they happen to fall to you at decent value, though (mid-round for Rafaela, late-round for Abreu), then there are certainly worse players to take a chance on.
Masataka Yoshida and Kristian Campbell also need to be mentioned here. Neither player may be on the Opening Day roster, with Yoshida potentially a trade target and Campbell potentially being sent to the minors for further time to develop. Yoshida is no longer fantasy relevant, but Campbell remains a player worth keeping an eye on. Many fantasy players likely moved on from him after his prolonged struggles last season, but the tool set is still there for a potential breakout. At the very least, keep him on your watchlist.
Cleveland Guardians OF – Chase DeLauter vs. George Valera
The Cleveland Guardians hope that their top prospect, Chase DeLauter, is ready to take a starting spot in the outfield and remain there for years to come, but it is not yet a sure thing that he will be an everyday player due to previous health concerns.
2025 Stats Minors* (177 PA): .264 AVG | .379 OBP | .473 SLG | 7 HR | 24 RBI | 39 R | 1 SB
Derailed by injuries for much of last season, Chase DeLauter strung together a decent, shortened campaign in the minors before being called up for his MLB debut in an unusual spot – the American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers. He recorded only one hit in six at-bats, but was able to enter the off-season with the first taste of big league action under his belt and his health finally intact.
DeLauter is widely regarded as Cleveland’s No. 1 prospect and is frequently listed within the top-50 MLB prospects. He was drafted in the first round in 2022 and is thought to be a key part of Cleveland’s future core, with the ceiling being a power hitter with above-average contact skills. The ball jumps off his bat when he is healthy, capable of posting exit velocities northwards of 110 mph. He has had trouble staying on the field, though, so it will be interesting to see if the Guardians are willing to throw him out there every day from the jump or start him off in more of a platoon-type situation. The latter would clearly dramatically lower his fantasy potential.
2025 Stats (41 PA): .220 AVG | .333 OBP | .415 SLG | 2 HR | 5 RBI | 7 R | 0 SB
George Valera is not a player on many people’s radars, but he was the No. 1 prospect in the Cleveland system back in 2022 and was supposed to be a major part of their future until he ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee during the 2024 season. He was removed entirely from the prospect rankings in 2025, which was looked at as mostly a rehab year for the young outfielder. Now Valera is healthy and hoping to finally make his mark with the club.
Still only 25 years old, Valera was signed as an international free agent with the Cleveland organization all the way back in 2017. His path to major-league playing time has been tremendously long, and his story is an easy one to root for. His path to fantasy relevance is likely even longer, though, as he will have to not only win an Opening Day job but prove that he can handle major league pitching, something we have very little data for at the moment. Given his previous pedigree, though, he is worth adding to your watchlist.
Fantasy Relevance
DeLauter’s ceiling makes him worth a pick in the later rounds of drafts, while Valera is simply one to watch for now. Nolan Jones should also be mentioned here. The 27-year-old former second-round pick set the fantasy world on fire in 2023 with his 20 home runs in only 106 games for the Colorado Rockies, along with a .297 average. We have not seen any semblance of that version of Jones since, however, as his power disappeared and his strikeouts have piled up. The Guardians are hoping they can unlock a more “free” version of the lanky athlete, though, and remain optimistic that he can be a contributor.
Tampa Bay Rays Closer – Griffin Jax vs. Garrett Cleavinger
Longtime closer Pete Fairbanks is no longer with the team, leaving a hole at the closer position in Tampa that will likely be filled by committee unless someone grabs a firm hold of the job.
2025 Stats (66 IP): 1-7 | 4.23 ERA | 99 K | 1.29 WHIP | 28 Holds | 0 Saves
Jax has the clear potential to take the Tampa Bay job this season and lock it down, despite his lack of history as a closer. He excelled with the Rays across 20 innings of relief last year after coming over from an up-and-down tenure in Minnesota. The dream scenario here is that Tampa can do what they have done with so many other pitchers in the past, and iron out the remaining wrinkles to produce a dominant, under-the-radar arm. As mentioned, Jax clearly has the underlying stuff to make it happen.
His PLV of 5.42, 3rd among all MLB relievers, is supported by his entire arsenal, not just one pitch.
While the sweeper is his featured weapon of choice, with an absurd CSW rate of 42.3%, not a single one of his four main pitches grades out poorly. Count on the Rays to figure out the best way to put together these ingredients and unlock a more effective version of Jax.
2025 Stats (61.1 IP): 2-6 | 2.35 ERA | 82 K | 0.95 WHIP | 21 Holds | 2 Saves
The 31-year-old veteran lefty was excellent for Tampa last season, posting a career-best 2.35 ERA with a high strikeout rate despite having an arsenal that does not jump off the page in terms of underlying PLV metrics.
Cleavinger mostly features a slider/sinker combination, with the slider being the better of the two pitches (5.04 PLV and a measly .197 average against). He also featured a sweeper about 11% of the time that had fantastic underlying metrics (5.31 PLV and an even tinier .054 average against), and it will be interesting to see if he increases its usage this year as a way to maintain that impressive CSW rate.
Fantasy Relevance
Both Jax and Cleavinger belong on rosters in any fantasy format that doesn’t have a super shallow bullpen. As long as you aren’t strictly chasing saves, both relievers should provide valuable contributions. Edwin Uceta is also in the mix here to get some saves, but he will likely be third on the totem pole. He is another arm to watch in holds leagues, though, as he also has an elite whiff rate and high-strikeout potential.
