Players with the most to prove for each team this spring

Full-squad workouts in Spring Training have begun, and there will be several players looking to prove themselves after injuries, underperformance or other factors put them in a more precarious position than they'd like to be entering the 2026 season.

Whether it's a former top prospect who has yet to make a sustained impact in the Majors, a veteran reliever looking to bounce back from a poor showing in 2025, or even a newly acquired slugger set to make his Major League debut after becoming a star in Japan, here's a look at one player from each team with the most to prove entering camp:

Jump to: AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West

American League East

Blue Jays: INF Kazuma Okamoto
Replacing Bo Bichette will require an effort from a half-dozen different players, but none more than Okamoto, which is an unfair expectation to thrust upon the Japanese star making the move to Major League Baseball. The Blue Jays gave Okamoto a four-year, $60 million deal, though, and it’s clear they believe in his ability to be an everyday big leaguer. Okamoto will need to adjust to MLB pitching quickly, and depending on how the Blue Jays deploy Addison Barger, Okamoto could see significant playing time at third base. On a roster that’s fairly set on the position player side, Okamoto is the ultimate variable here, capable of elevating this entire lineup if he carries over his long track record of success from Japan. -- Keegan Matheson

Orioles: OF Colton Cowser
After Cedric Mullins was traded to the Mets last July 31, Cowser took over as Baltimore’s primary center fielder. Now, the O’s believe Cowser is capable of handling the position on an everyday basis for a full season, hence why they didn’t acquire a starting center fielder this offseason and instead addressed the corner outfield spots and other areas of their roster. Cowser will not only need to prove he can continue to be a strong defender in center, but the 25-year-old is aiming for a bounce-back offensive season after hitting .196 with a .655 OPS in 92 games last season. -- Jake Rill

Rays: LHP Shane McClanahan
The Rays will manage expectations for McClanahan as carefully as they handle his workload, but it’s hard to deny the impact he could have on their rotation if he completes a healthy return to the mound. The left-hander was Tampa Bay’s unquestioned ace from the second half of the 2021 season until his most recent Major League start on Aug. 2, 2023. Tommy John surgery cost him the rest of ‘23 and all of ‘24, then a nerve issue in his left triceps kept him off the mound last year. The lefty came to camp with a clean bill of health and a new outlook on life, so all that’s left to do is pitch. -- Adam Berry

Red Sox: OF Kristian Campbell
Last year's AL Rookie of the Month in April went into such a deep slump offensively thereafter that he wound up at Triple-A for the rest of the season after getting optioned in June. There isn't a clear path for Campbell to the roster, so he will have to make a strong impression, particularly with his bat. Boston signed Campbell to an eight-year, $60 million extension in the first week of last season. -- Ian Browne

Yankees: OF Jasson Domínguez
Domínguez’s playing time dropped significantly in the second half last season, and with Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham returning to join Aaron Judge in the outfield, it’s unclear how the Yankees intend to find at-bats for Domínguez. Beginning the year with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is not out of the question. Manager Aaron Boone points out that Domínguez is still just 23 years old and could benefit from additional development time, especially in the outfield and against left-handed pitching. Domínguez will try to change that this spring. -- Bryan Hoch

AL Central

Guardians: OF Nolan Jones
Jones finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year Award voting in 2023 with the Rockies, but has dealt with injuries and offensive struggles the past two seasons. The Guardians reacquired their one-time top prospect last March, and he slashed .211/.296/.304 with five homers over 136 games in 2025. Cleveland believes in Jones' potential; it avoided arbitration with him in November (one-year, $2 million deal). But the club has a bevy of young outfielders vying for playing time this spring, and Jones will look to have a strong camp to begin putting last season behind him. -- Tim Stebbins

Royals: 2B Jonathan India
India’s struggles in 2025 are well documented, amplified by the fact that the Royals acquired him to be an on-base leadoff man for them and he finished the year with career lows in batting average (.233), on-base percentage (.323) and slugging percentage (.346). The Royals still tendered him a contract and agreed to an $8 million deal to avoid arbitration, staking their belief in a bounce-back year for the 29-year-old. The second base job is his to lose, but it’s still a prove-it year for India, not just to put his first season with the Royals behind him, but also because he’ll be a free agent at season’s end. -- Anne Rogers

Tigers: OF Parker Meadows
Meadows played only one game last Spring Training before a nerve issue in his right arm sidelined him until June. The lack of a traditional ramp-up showed in his struggles upon return, and just when he seemed to finally settle in, a quad strain cost him another month. Now healthy, Meadows has a chance to show he can be that all-around force he was in 2024. And he can do it before top outfield prospect Max Clark, in camp as a non-roster invite, has a chance to crack Detroit’s outfield later this season. -- Jason Beck

Twins: RHP Bailey Ober
Ober was Mr. Reliable for his first four seasons, then suffered through easily his worst campaign in 2025, as a hip injury threw his mechanics out of whack. He’s written in as the No. 3 starter, and he feels good about his hip and his delivery. But the Twins still need to see that Ober looks more like the 2023-24 version of himself than the pitcher who endured such a rough ‘25. -- Matthew Leach

White Sox: LHPs Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith
It isn’t so much about proving something for the top pitching prospects in the organization, as the White Sox know the talent this duo possesses and know they won’t be breaking camp with the team. They both had up-and-down 2025 campaigns, with some minor injury concerns included, but they both had outstanding offseasons to put them in place for a strong ‘26. Manager Will Venable wants them to develop solid routines across the diamond and weight room, with their debuts on the horizon this season. -- Scott Merkin

AL West

Angels: RHP Alek Manoah
Manoah was signed to a one-year deal worth $1.95 million after he didn’t pitch in the Majors in 2025 due to Tommy John surgery. But Manoah is healthy now and looking to recapture his form from early in his career with the Blue Jays, including being an All-Star in ‘22 and posting a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts. He’s competing for the fifth spot in the rotation and has plenty of upside, but has to prove he’s healthy and effective. -- Rhett Bollinger

Astros: 3B Carlos Correa
Correa returned to the organization that took him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2012, when he was traded from the Twins last July. The blockbuster deal came on the heels of the Astros losing third baseman Isaac Paredes to an injury that saw Correa make the move to third (All-Star Jeremy Peña is firmly entrenched at shortstop). Correa returned to his role as the unequivocal clubhouse leader, and the Astros are now shopping Paredes. The onus will be on Correa, 31, to stay healthy and give them middle-of-the-order run production. -- Brian McTaggart

Athletics: CF Denzel Clarke
Clarke showed why the A’s believe he is going to win multiple Gold Glove Awards with a number of highlight-reel catches last season. His offensive game, however, remains a question mark, as he hit .230 with a .646 OPS as a rookie. There were signs of improvement at the plate before a Grade 2 adductor strain cut his first Major League season short on July 20. Over his final 12 games, Clarke hit .333 with nine extra-base hits and a 1.006 OPS. His elite defense alone will keep him in the big leagues, but continued improvements as a hitter could make him a star. -- Martín Gallegos

Mariners: The right field platoon
This might stretch the parameters of this exercise, but because Luke Raley and Victor Robles are each coming off injury-plagued seasons -- and that they are the leading candidates for a timeshare at the same position -- their situations run parallel enough that they each have something to prove. Raley (oblique and back injuries) and Robles (fractured shoulder) missed significant time in 2025, after being two of Seattle's most productive players in '24. They will each make the '26 team, but there's no question that the roster's floor will rise mightily if they get back to form. -- Daniel Kramer

Rangers: RHP Kumar Rocker
The Rangers’ 2022 first-rounder broke camp with the big league club last season, but ultimately posted a 5.74 ERA across 64 1/3 innings and was shut down in mid-August to work on mechanical issues in Arizona. Now he’s in competition for the fifth-starter spot. Manager Skip Schumaker said he wants Rocker to go out and earn it this spring, but he’s got to prove that he’s still that guy with ace-like potential. -- Kennedi Landry

National League East

Braves: RHP Spencer Strider
Strider entered the 2024 season as one of baseball’s most electric pitchers. Two starts later, he underwent his second major elbow surgery in five years. Can he get back to being the guy who struck out 37.4 percent of the batters he faced from 2022-23? Or will he be more like he was when he returned in 2025 and recorded a 24.3 percent strikeout rate and a 4.45 ERA over 23 starts? -- Mark Bowman

Marlins: 3B Connor Norby
Norby, who was poised to serve as the club's Opening Day third baseman and become a breakout star in 2025, instead made three trips to the injured list and posted a 95 OPS+. This spring, he will be competing with Graham Pauley for the third base job while also getting some outfield reps. Which is the real Norby: The promising bat from the end of 2024 or the one constantly tinkering in '25? -- Christina De Nicola

Mets: RHP Kodai Senga
Last we saw Senga, the Mets had demoted him to Triple-A Syracuse following a poor run of big league results, which continued into the Minors. Despite a level of desperation in the Major League rotation, Senga never made it back. It's now been two consecutive years of injuries and inconsistencies for Senga, whose inability to correct issues quickly once they arise has exasperated Mets officials. The team looked into trading Senga this offseason but never found a partner. He has two years and $30 million remaining on his contract and, if the Mets want to extract more value from it, they'll need Senga to begin pitching better soon. -- Anthony DiComo

Nationals: C Harry Ford
After coming up in an organization where the catcher role was locked in by MVP finalist Cal Raleigh, Ford (Nationals' No. 2 prospect, No. 71 overall) has an opportunity for significant playing time with the Nationals. Ford, who was traded to Washington from Seattle in December, is in competition with Keibert Ruiz for the starting job. Ruiz has six years of Major League experience compared to Ford’s eight games, but Ruiz’s workload will be closely watched after he dealt with concussions last season. Ford, 22, will be tasked with getting to know the Nationals' pitching staff as well as Team Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic. -- Jessica Camerato

Phillies: RHP Aaron Nola
Nola went 5-10 with a 6.01 ERA in 17 starts last season. It was the highest ERA by a Phillies pitcher (minimum 90 innings) since Nick Pivetta’s 6.02 ERA in 2017. Bad seasons happen. But what made Nola’s troubles concerning is that he is 32, and he has thrown more innings and more pitches than anybody in baseball since 2017. Nola also is entering the third year of a seven-year, $178 million contract. They need him to bounce back, knowing Zack Wheeler is coming back from surgery, Jesús Luzardo and Taijuan Walker are free agents after the season and prospect Andrew Painter hasn’t thrown an inning yet in the big leagues. -- Todd Zolecki

NL Central

Brewers: CF Garrett Mitchell
Milwaukee’s first-round Draft pick in 2020 has been a five-tool talent when healthy, with a 112 OPS+, 23 stolen bases and 13 homers in 390 regular-season at-bats since 2022. The trouble has been staying healthy. He’s missed significant time with a knee injury (2021), an oblique injury (‘22), shoulder surgery (‘23), a fractured finger (‘24) and oblique and shoulder injuries in ‘25. The most recent shoulder injury required a repair of his previous repair, and ended Mitchell’s 2025 season in June. He reached arbitration eligibility this past offseason and signed for $950,000, positioning the 27-year-old to enter another year as the frontrunner to be the everyday center fielder. -- Adam McCalvy

Cardinals: OF Jordan Walker
The Cardinals have said Walker’s spring numbers don’t matter as much as simply seeing him take good at-bats. And he likely has a starting spot in St. Louis’ outfield no matter what. But after producing a 68 OPS+ and a 30.7% strikeout rate over his past two seasons (574 plate appearances), there is some pressure on the Cards’ former No. 1 prospect to implement his offseason work -- including changes to his swing and setup in the batter’s box -- and show that he can be the feared slugger that this lineup sorely lacks. -- Brian Murphy

Cubs: RHP Porter Hodge
The 24-year-old Hodge emerged as a trusted late-inning arm as a rookie in 2024, logging a 1.88 ERA in 39 appearances and collecting nine saves. The hard-throwing righty looked poised to become a fixture at the back of games for Chicago, but injuries and command woes plagued his ‘25 campaign. Hodge had a 6.27 ERA in 36 games last year for the Cubs between stints on the injured list and stops with Triple-A Iowa. This spring, he will be looking to earn a spot in the Opening Day bullpen and offers an X-factor of sorts as the North Siders enter ‘25 with a rebuilt relief corps. -- Jordan Bastian

Pirates: C Henry Davis
When the Bucs took Davis with the top pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, they were as excited about his bat-to-ball ability as they were his power bat. He has struggled at the plate though, particularly last season, when he slashed .167/.234/.278. That’s not all on Davis, who also couldn’t gain much momentum when splitting lineup time with two other catchers (Joey Bart and Endy Rodríguez). Davis is easily the best defensive catcher out of the quartet currently in camp (also Rafael Flores Jr.), and if he can get hot at the plate like the Pirates believe he’s capable of doing, it would go a long way toward claiming a more full-time role in the lineup. -- Dawn Klemish

Reds: 2B Matt McLain
After being one of the club's best hitters as a rookie in 2023, McLain saw his entire 2024 season wiped out by left shoulder surgery because of a Spring Training mishap. Although healthy in '25, he struggled most of the season and was dropped from second in the lineup to the bottom portion. Because he's a strong defender and baserunner who plays hard, manager Terry Francona stuck with McLain last season and he's expecting him to be part of his 2026 lineup. But the Reds would like to see what McLain can do offensively now that he's two full years removed from his surgery. If successful, he would fit nicely back in the No. 2 spot in the order. -- Mark Sheldon

NL West

D-backs: OF Jordan Lawlar
Selected sixth overall in the 2021 MLB Draft as a high school shortstop, Lawlar has been up to the big leagues a few times but for a variety of reasons has not gotten an extended period of consistent playing time. Now with injuries to outfielders Corbin Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and the trade of Jake McCarthy, Lawlar will get an extended look this spring in the outfield. With a good spring, he could open the season with plenty of playing time and a chance to show what he can do. -- Steve Gilbert

Dodgers: LHP Tanner Scott
Scott's first season of a four-year, $72 million deal did not go well, as he posted a 4.74 ERA with an MLB-worst 10 blown saves. He did not warm up during the NL Wild Card Series or NL Division Series before being removed from the postseason roster following a procedure to treat a lower-body abscess. If Scott can bounce back, it will create quite the 1-2 punch at the back end of the bullpen with new closer Edwin Díaz. -- Sonja Chen

Giants: RHP Hayden Birdsong
Birdsong opened the 2025 campaign in the Giants’ bullpen and pitched so well that he ended up forcing his way back into the rotation by late May. But the 24-year-old right-hander inexplicably lost his command after that, struggling to a 6.17 ERA over 10 starts before being optioned to Triple-A Sacramento at the end of July. Birdsong ended up spending the rest of the season in the Minors, but the Giants are banking on a return to form from him this spring. If he can get into the strike zone more consistently, Birdsong could raise the ceiling of the Giants’ pitching staff by a considerable margin. -- Maria Guardado

Padres: RHP Matt Waldron
The race for spots at the back of the Padres' rotation is wide open. But Waldron will need to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season and is out of options, meaning he’d be exposed to waivers if he doesn’t make the team. Waldron isn’t a traditional knuckleballer who throws the pitch almost exclusively. He’s struggled to balance his knuckleball/fastball/slider mix. When he does, he’s proven he can be effective in the big leagues. But it’s been a while since he has, and Waldron may be running out of time in San Diego. -- AJ Cassavell

Rockies: RHP Ryan Feltner
Feltner finished 2024 with a flourish -- a 2.75 ERA with a .227 batting average against in his final 15 starts. Last season was marred by back and right shoulder injuries. After the shoulder issues cropped up, Feltner finished 0-2 with a 4.75 ERA in just six Major League starts. Had the Rockies kept things the same after going 43-119, an argument could be made for Feltner as the No. 2 starter. The team has added free-agent signees Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano. But if a healthy Feltner clicks with a new set of pitching coaches and performs to his capabilities, he will have a prominent spot in what figures to be a better rotation. -- Thomas Harding