MLB spring training: 10 positional battles ahead of Opening Day, including Braves starter, Yankees leadoff man

The 2025 MLB regular season is fast approaching and teams around the league will use these next few weeks to evaluate their players and eventually finalize their Opening Day roster. Spring training games don’t count, but they do matter. For many players, this spring training is their best opportunity to win a big-league roster spot. It might be their only opportunity.

With that in mind, let’s break down 10 important position battles taking place this spring, with an emphasis on teams aiming to reach the postseason. These are hardly the only position battles this spring — lots of teams are sorting out their bench and auditioning guys for the last spot in the bullpen — but they’re arguably the most important.         

We could add a few more names to this position battle like Davis Daniel, Dylan Dodd, and Hurston Waldrep. Point is, the Braves need to fill two rotation spots behind Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, and Spencer Schwellenbach to begin the season. Spencer Strider is working his way back from last April’s UCL surgery, so one of these two jobs is temporary, but he won’t be in the Opening Day rotation. Atlanta has to figure out who’s giving them innings at the back of the rotation.

“We’ve lost free agents, no doubt about it, but we have some people we are going to give opportunities to,” POBO Alex Anthopoulos told Fox 5 Atlanta after the team opened spring training. “Strider and (Max) Fried are not the same, but we lost Strider for last year, and we had the best ERA in the game. And we lost Fried now, but Strider comes back. We lose Charlie Morton. Can Grant Holmes take that opportunity and be that guy? We think he’s certainly got a chance to do that.”

Holmes, a 28-year-old rookie a year ago, was a revelation last season, throwing 68 ⅓ innings with a 3.56 ERA and strong under-the-hood numbers. He made seven starts and 19 relief appearances. Anderson was so impressive as a rookie in 2020, but he took a step back in 2021, and another in 2022, then he blew out his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery. Now 26, Anderson has not pitched in MLB since 2022, though he fared well enough when healthy in Triple-A last year (3.96 ERA in 52 ⅓ innings). Elder has backslid since making the All-Star Game in 2023. Smith-Shawver had a 4.85 ERA in 21 Triple-A starts in 2024.

The frontrunners: It will almost certainly be Anderson and Holmes, both of whom are out of minor-league options and must pass through waivers to go to Triple-A. If waived, both are locks to get claimed. Anderson and Holmes will get the first crack at rotation spots this season. Elder and Smith-Shawver (and Daniel, Dodd, Waldrep, et al) will get their moment. Inevitably a need will arise later this year. But, on Opening Day, minor-league option status suggests Anderson and Holmes will be the guys.

The Cubs traded Isaac Paredes for Kyle Tucker, which was a great move, though it did create uncertainty at the hot corner. That uncertainty was ratcheted up a notch when Alex Bregman went to the Red Sox. It’s hard to see the Cubs swinging a Nolan Arenado trade with the Cardinals, and not only because they are historic rivals. Arenado is not especially attractive at this point in his career given his age, contract, and declining performance. Justin Turner could factor into the third base mix, though he’s started only 11 games at the hot corner the last two years, and isn’t a full-timer at the position at this point in his career. 

Clearly, the long-term answer is Shaw, Chicago’s top prospect. The 2023 first-round pick reached Triple-A last season and slugged 21 homers with 31 stolen bases. The questions are a) is Shaw big-league ready after only 35 Triple-A games, and b) are the Cubs willing to start his service time clock? I don’t think service time is an issue. You don’t trade for one year of Tucker only to play service time games with your top prospect in April. Workman, a Rule 5 Draft pick, is an interesting sleeper at the hot corner.

“I think he knows it’s come fast for him,” POBO Jed Hoyer told USA Today about Shaw recently. “He’s in the 2023 draft and has moved really quickly. Ultimately, spots on the team are earned. He knows that. He’s got a great head on his shoulders, so I don’t think any of that stuff bothered him. He’s here to play well, and we’ll see what happens.”

Frontrunner: Assuming his oblique injury is as minor as the Cubs say, I think it has to be Shaw right now. He is the most talented player in the third-base mix and I don’t think the Cubs will turn to lower upside options like Berti and Workman just to play service time games with Shaw. If Shaw falls on his face in spring training, the Cubs will pivot. And if he has a dreadful start to the regular season, they can send him down and regroup. Right now though, I think Shaw is the team’s internal Plan A at the hot corner.

There are a few others at least in the conversation here (Chase Petty, Connor Phillips, Lyon Richardson, etc.). It’s a deep group, deep enough that new manager Terry Francona was asked about possibly using a six-man rotation to begin the season. “It sounds good maybe in theory. I don’t know if it works as well. At least personally, I’d prefer to stay where we are,” he told MLB.com. Lowder, it should be noted, was slowed by elbow soreness a few weeks ago. Tests came back clean, though the Reds will be cautious.

“I just wasn’t recovering great (from throwing sessions), especially for it to be January. I feel great now. Ready to go,” Lowder told the Cincinnati Enquirer after reporting to camp. “… The timeline might be slower, but I’m feeling great to go. I don’t know the exact details of the buildup, what it’s going to look like, but it shouldn’t be too crazy. Nothing’s crazy wrong.”

Hunter Greene, Nick Martinez, and Brady Singer are locked into rotation spots and Andrew Abbott is the heavy favorite to get one as well. That leaves the No. 5 spot to everyone else and this will be one of those position battles that does not end in spring training. Whoever wins the job in camp will have to perform well to keep it, because the Reds have several other viable starters they can plug in. Competition is good and healthy, and the Reds will have a lot of it this spring (their first base situation is unsettled too).

Frontrunner: I have to think it’s Lodolo. They’ll be careful with Lowder, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 draft, following his January elbow scare, and neither Ashcraft nor Spiers distinguished themselves last year. Lodolo’s dealt with several nagging injuries the last few years and he had a 4.76 ERA in 115 ⅓ innings when healthy last season, but he’s arguably the most talented player in this position battle with Lowder sidelined. I think Lodolo gets the first opportunity.

Whoever wins Cleveland’s second base job in spring training will only keep the seat warm for Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick in last summer’s draft. The Guardians did not bring Bazzana to major-league spring training as a non-roster invitee, so he won’t have a chance to win the job on Opening Day. It’ll fall to one of the gentlemen above, or Angel Martínez, who had time with the big-league team last season. This job is open because the Guardians traded Andrés Giménez in the offseason.

“We don’t have a front runner. We don’t have an idea or a pipe dream, so to speak,” manager Stephen Vogt told MLB.com last month. “We want to see what guys can do. That’s the group of Arias, Freeman, Martínez, and Schneemann. Juan Brito will be in that mix as well. For us, it’s how do we get the best mix?”

There is no replacing Giménez’s defense. Arias is probably the best defender in this group, not that the others are slouches. Freeman and Schneeman spent time in the outfield last season because that was the only way to get them in the lineup, though neither stood out at the plate. I’m sure Cleveland would like some offense out of second base before Bazzana arrives. When he will arrive, I do not know, and the Guardians might not know either. Surely they hope it’s sooner rather than later.

Frontrunner: I think Brito is the best candidate for the job and likely to win it. The 23 year old came over from the Rockies in the Nolan Jones trade and he slashed .256/.365/.443 with 21 home runs and very strong contact and plate discipline numbers in a full season at Triple-A last year. He’s not a tippy top prospect, but Brito has an interesting skill set (switch-hitter, some power, good plate discipline, adequate defense) and he proved himself in Triple-A last summer. He did everything he needed to do.

Kansas City’s second base job will factor into their left field situation. India and Massey are career second basemen and both have expressed a willingness to play left field, the position Melendez played most of last season. Nelson Velázquez, who is out of minor-league options and is a natural righty platoon partner for Melendez, could be in this mix as well. There’s also the DH spot. The Royals do not project to have a set DH, and figure to rotate players through that spot all season.

“That’s going to be our biggest challenge of spring training,” GM J.J. Picollo told MLB.com earlier this month. “Jonathan and Michael Massey both said they’re willing to play left field, which is great, but they’re both infielders, so we need to see them out there in the outfield and see how they move around and figure out what’s the best combination for us.”

This isn’t so much a “position battle” as it is “we have to figure out the best alignment.” India, Massey, and Melendez will all be in the lineup (Melendez against righties, at least). Does it make the most sense to put India at second, Massey in left, and Melendez at DH? Massey at second, India at DH, and a Melendez/Velázquez platoon in left? Let’s not forget Joey Wiemer either. The former Brewer offers defense and athleticism, and the righty power Kansas City’s outfield lacked in 2025.

Frontrunner: India and Massey in left field is a nice idea, but the bet here is those two share second base and DH duties, with Melendez and Wiemer handling left field. Despite an obvious need, the Royals did not add an outfield bat this offseason, and I’m not sure the juice will be worth the squeeze if they put India and Massey out there. Especially when the DH spot is available. To put it another way, play the infielders on the infield and the outfielders in the outfield. Occam’s Razor and all that.

This position battle is much more complex than it appears. With Willy Adames now in San Francisco, the Brewers could slide Gold Glove second baseman Brice Turang over to shortstop, keep Joey Ortiz at third base, and use Dunn and/or Durbin at second base. Or they could keep Turang at second, move Ortiz to short, and go with Dunn or Durbin or someone else at the hot corner. I think Turang will stay at second and Ortiz will play shortstop, but that is just my guess. This is all far from set in stone.

“We already have a bunch of thoughts on it and a bunch of opinions on it,” manager Pat Murphy told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the infield earlier this month. “I think (Ortiz and Turang) can both be very, very good at short, and those questions will be answered early in spring training. Not about how they play in spring training. Just coming to the conclusion of what we think is best for the overall infield. There’s a lot of other factors involved instead of just those two. How other guys play, and that type of thing.”

There is an Adames-sized hole in the lineup, but the Brewers do have enough bodies to plug in the infield. Turang and Ortiz will be there somewhere for sure. Maybe it’s Turang at second and Ortiz or short, or Turang at short and Ortiz at third, but they’ll be there. Dunn, Durbin, Monasterio, and whoever else are competing for the other infield spot. Whichever way the Brewers go, expect them to stick with that alignment. They won’t juggle Turang and Ortiz between multiple positions.

Frontrunners: A Dunn/Durbin platoon makes the most sense and they are natural platoon partners (Dunn is a lefty hitter, Durbin a righty). They both fit best defensively at second base, but when you have two premium defenders like Turang and Ortiz, it makes sense to put them up the middle, so figure Turang stays at second and Ortiz moves to shortstop. Monasterio fits best as a utility guy and fallback plan than as a regular. It sort of feels like the Brewers will be in the mix for an infielder at the trade deadline, no? 

Can we add Royce Lewis to his battle? He worked out some at second base over the winter, though it sounds like the Twins will keep Lewis at third, and go with some combination of the above at second. Castro is a super utility guy who can and will play all over — last year he became the first player ever to play 25-plus games at five different positions — and there appears to be room on the roster for both Julien and Lee. This is a battle for playing time more than a battle for a roster spot.

“As we sit here right now, we don’t have one player that I’m going to say, ‘Yeah, the guy is going to get 600 plate appearances over at second base,'” manager Rocco Baldelli told the Pioneer Press earlier this month. “We might. It might turn out like that, but we have a few guys that we can turn to.”

Julien had a great rookie season in 2023, slashing .263/.381/.459 with 16 home runs in 109 games. He slipped to .199/.292/.323 in 2024 and was demoted to Triple-A at one point. If 2023 Julien returns in 2025, it will be hard to keep him out of the lineup even if his glovework leaves something to be desired. Lee was the No. 8 pick in 2022 draft. He’s a natural shortstop, but with Carlos Correa at short and Lewis at third, the left side of the infield is accounted for. Second base may the only way to get Lee into the lineup regularly.

Frontrunner: Is it a cop-out to say this could be a platoon? Julien is a lefty hitter, Lee a switch-hitter who was better against lefties than righties in the minors in 2024, so they’re natural platoon partners (on paper). The Twins could also use Lee as a defensive replacement for Julien in the late innings. This feels like one of those battles that isn’t a really battle, and there will be plenty of playing time for both Julien and Lee (and Castro).

It’s sort of remarkable the Yankees employ the best hitter in the world (Aaron Judge) but do not have anyone who can reliably get on base in front of him. Even last season, it was not until mid-August that Gleyber Torres grabbed the leadoff job and ran with it. He is with the Tigers now. Volpe led the Yankees with 76 starts at leadoff last year. Give the Yankees a truth serum and I think they’d tell you they want Volpe to be the guy, but he has a career .288 on-base percentage and that’s just not going to cut it.

“I don’t know. We’ll see. I really don’t,” manager Aaron Boone said recently when asked who will hit leadoff. “You could throw out six or seven names and I’d go, ‘I could see that.’ So that’s where I’m at right now on it. It could end up being a shared thing where vs. left, vs. right situation. Hopefully it kind of smacks us over the head and becomes very clear at some point. I really don’t have someone in mind necessarily as that’s who it’s going to be.”

An outside-the-box leadoff candidate: Judge. He’s the best hitter in the game, so put him atop the lineup and give him the most at-bats. Judge hit leadoff 34 times in 2022, including in 23 of the team’s final 24 games, so the Yankees are not opposed to leading him off. For now, it doesn’t seem like the Yankees want to do that to begin 2025. They’ll work through the other options on the roster, including Chisholm and LeMahieu, who both have previous leadoff experience. Domínguez, New York’s top prospect, has been floated as a leadoff candidate too. 

Frontrunner: Gosh, I really don’t know. Force me to pick one player and I’ll say Volpe because the Yankees love him and want him to be the guy, though I can’t say I’m confident in him getting the job on Opening Day. A Chisholm/Volpe platoon might be the best approach to begin the season. Unless Domínguez or Volpe really breaks out in 2025, it’s not hard to see the leadoff spot becoming a revolving door for the Yankees this summer.

Despite playing in a winnable division, the Mariners had a disappointingly inactive offseason. Last year’s second baseman, Jorge Polanco, was re-signed to play third base, and last year’s third baseman, Josh Rojas, was replaced by no one in particular. Well, no, the Mariners did sign Donovan Solano, though he is primarily a first baseman at this point in his career. Rather than be aggressive and improve the roster around the AL’s best rotation, Seattle’s front office laid low for reasons I do not understand (it was money).

“I think first crack at the everyday second base job will be Dylan Moore,” GM Justin Hollander told My Northwest earlier this month. “Ryan Bliss will mix in, Leo Rivas will mix in. We’ll see some Cole Young in spring training this year at both second and short.”  

Young is one of Seattle’s top prospects and he should make his MLB debut sometime later this season. Later this season is not Opening Day though, and the Mariners will need someone(s) to hold down second base in the interim. Moore is a strikeout-prone utility guy. Bliss hit .269/.377/.456 with 50 stolen bases in Triple-A last year, though big-league pitchers threw the ball by him consistently during his cup of coffee. Rivas is another low-power speed threat. Not the most inspiring group, I must say.

Frontrunner: Hollander said it himself. The first crack is likely to go to Moore. That’s probably the way to go. The strikeouts are an eyesore — Moore has fanned in close to 30% of his career plate appearances — though he is the best defender of this bunch, he’s stolen at least 21 bases three times in the last four years, and he can put a mistake in the seats. It seems like the Mariners hope to get two to three good months out of whoever they put at second base before Young arrives.

David Robertson, José Leclerc, and Kirby Yates ranked 1-2-3 on the Rangers in relief appearances last year and all three became free agents after the season. Leclerc signed with the Athletics and Yates with the Dodgers, though Robertson remains unsigned. It does not sound like a reunion is in the works, however. The Texas relief crew has a new look — it’s possible their Opening Day bullpen will include eight relievers acquired since the end of last season — and now they must sort out the late innings. (They even floating using starter Jon Gray as the closer, though it’s hard to see that happening.)

“I have not (settled on a closer), but we will as we get a little deeper in spring, as we look at our situation in the bullpen,” manager Bruce Bochy told MLB.com recently. “We have some open spots down there, including a high leverage situation. It can be by committee. (Martin’s) an option. He’s a good option too. Early on we’ll be looking at the teams we’re playing, the pockets that they have. We might want to get the matchups we want. So by no means are we getting locked in on any roles right now. I think we’re going to stay flexible with that.”

Bochy has proven himself to be a bullpen maestro, particularly in the postseason, so not having a defined closer on the first day of spring training is hardly worrisome. In fact, baseball is gravitating away from the set closer, and using relievers in the best matchup situations regardless of innings. If you have a lockdown ninth-inning guy, like the Rangers did with Yates last year, great. It makes things a lot easier. It’s not a necessity though. Not when you have someone like Bochy running things.

Frontrunner: Martin has to be the pick here. He’s been terrific the last few seasons — Martin has walked 16 batters unintentionally in 195 innings the last four years, and managers love closers who throw strikes — and is the most veteran member of the bullpen. Bochy is great at mixing and matching, though he’s shown a willingness (if not a preference) throughout his career to let one guy take the closer’s job and run with it. Whoever has this job on Opening Day could keep it all year, as long as they perform.