The 10 best stories on 2026 Opening Day rosters

Opening Day is all about joy and optimism for everyone around baseball. But for these 10 players below, Opening Day this year meant a little something extra.

Here is a look at some of the best feel-good stories on 2026 Opening Day rosters.

Carter Baumler learns he's a Major Leaguer -- during a mound visit
You know those videos that MLB clubs share on social media of the moment when a player learns he is heading to the big leagues? All of those are awesome. Even though we seem to see more and more of them every year, they are just heartwarming. But you've probably never seen a player learn that he's made the Majors during an actual game. That is, until you see how Baumler received word.

After getting past the first two hitters he faced during a Spring Training game on Monday, the Rangers reliever saw manager Skip Schumaker heading toward the mound. Baumler thought that was odd since he hadn't faced the requisite three hitters yet. But his skipper didn't come with a hook; he brought good news: Baumler had made the team. You could tell from all the smiles that this wasn't your usual mound visit.

Orioles' Anthony Nunez goes from the pros to college and back to the pros
Nunez thought in 2021 that his pro career might be over. A 29th-round Draft pick out of high school by the Padres in 2019, Nunez went 2-for-19 in six games at Single-A in '21 before he was released by San Diego that summer. But he still wanted to play ball. So, Nunez decided to go to school.

An NCAA eligibility rule allowed Nunez to play at the college ranks with a Division II, Division III or NAIA program. Nunez ended up at Division II Tampa, where he won a national championship. Thanks to his strong arm as a third baseman, Nunez also became a two-way player in 2024 and started to earn attention from MLB clubs as a pitcher. He signed with the Mets that year and eventually landed in Baltimore as a part of last season's Cedric Mullins trade.

Now the Orioles' No. 25 prospect, Nunez earned a spot in The Show after tossing five scoreless innings with six strikeouts and no walks during Spring Training.

Didier Fuentes is MLB's youngest pitcher on an Opening Day roster since 2019
No pitcher had a better spring than Fuentes. He retired 39 of the 43 batters he faced. He opened by retiring 26 of 27, with the only outlier reaching on a hit-by-pitch and then being thrown out trying to steal. So, you could say Fuentes began Spring Training by authoring the equivalent of a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts.

That kind of performance is good enough to earn anyone a spot on an Opening Day roster. But, oh, did we mention that Fuentes is 20 years old? He was born one year after the Tigers drafted Justin Verlander! Atlanta's No. 3 prospect made his MLB debut last June, but he is the youngest pitcher to make an Opening Day roster since 19-year-old pitcher Elvis Luciano with the 2019 Blue Jays.

With no pro experience past Single-A, Spencer Miles is a Blue Jay
Everyone on this list has a pretty fascinating story, but Miles' journey to the Majors is especially unique. The right-hander has pitched a total of 14 2/3 innings as a professional ballplayer, and none of them have come beyond Single-A. After he was a fourth-round Draft pick of the Giants in 2022, he underwent back surgery that cost him all of 2023. Miles did everything he could to get back on a mound the following year but lasted only 7 1/3 innings in the Arizona Complex League before Tommy John surgery knocked him out for the rest of 2024. Miles then didn't pitch last year until he threw 8 2/3 innings in the Arizona Fall League.

However, Miles and his powerful five-pitch mix were selected by the Blue Jays in December's Rule 5 Draft, and he made their roster after striking out 11 batters in 9 2/3 innings this spring. He said it was "a little surreal" to know that he could call himself a Major Leaguer after two major surgeries and such little game action over the past three years. To end up on the roster of the defending American League champions has to feel like a bonus.

Jedixson Paez goes from High-A to the Majors with White Sox
In that Rule 5 Draft link above, you'll notice that the White Sox made Paez the No. 2 pick after he was left unprotected by the Red Sox. He is now Chicago's No. 19 prospect. In terms of competition level as a pro, Paez is only slightly ahead of Miles; he didn't make it past High-A before debuting with the White Sox on Opening Day against the Brewers. Granted, his 22-year-old tallied significantly more innings down on the farm (307 2/3). But to go from High-A to the Majors is quite the leap. Even Félix Hernández -- Paez's role model and Venezuelan countryman -- didn't do that.

Cade Winquest makes the cut as rare Rule 5 pick by the Yankees
Winquest's story stands out because of the team that selected him. The Rule 5 Draft dates back to 1892, making it older than the Yankees' franchise. Heck, it's older than the American League. New York has made only eight Rule 5 picks in its storied history and hadn't made any for 14 years until it took the right-handed Winquest, a former Cardinals farmhand, in the most recent edition. The 25-year-old is now officially a Bronx Bomber and if he gets into a game, he'll be just the third Rule 5 pick to do so for the Yanks.

Rays ace Shane McClanahan ready to return after almost 1,000-day absence
McClanahan got drilled on the left side of his body by a comebacker during a simulated inning on Wednesday. How did the left-hander feel about that scary moment? "It's a privilege," he said afterward.

McClanahan is just happy to be healthy and back on a mound. He is slated to make his season debut Tuesday against the Brewers. It will be the two-time All-Star's first Major League appearance in 973 days. In between, he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 and then suffered a freak injury to a nerve in his left triceps last spring that sidelined him for the entire season. It has been a long time since we've seen the McClanahan who was a Cy Young contender and one of the best starters in the AL. But if his spring results are any indication -- 2.08 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 13 innings -- that version might still be stored up in his left arm.

Andrew McCutchen's decorated career continues with Rangers
A fire still burns inside MLB's active leader in games played. The 39-year-old McCutchen admitted that as February rolled into March, he thought he wasn't going to be playing ball in 2026. But then the Rangers came calling, signing the 18-year veteran to a Minor League deal on March 6, and he responded with a .429 average and a 1.270 OPS in nine spring games. The five-time All-Star batted fifth for the Rangers on Opening Day in Philadelphia, his 2,263rd game in the bigs. He also picked up his 2,267th career hit, third-most among active players.

Lance McCullers Jr. makes first Opening Day roster since 2021
McCullers knows he could be nearing the end of his career. Heading into his final season under contract, the 32-year-old sounds content with what he has accomplished. It's a career that's had high peaks (2017 All-Star appearance and two World Series titles) and low valleys (injuries cost him all of 2023 and '24). No matter what happens, McCullers speaks like a person who is ready for whatever the future holds for him, whether it's baseball or otherwise.

What's in McCullers' immediate future is a scheduled start against the Red Sox on Monday. He won a spot in Houston's rotation following his first healthy offseason since 2020-21. He was able to start that following season on time, but a flexor tendon injury suffered in a 2021 postseason game was the start of an arduous four-year stretch for McCullers, one that featured only 103 regular-season innings pitched.

That's all in the past now.

Jared Oliva gets back to the Majors after five-year wait
While McCullers went five years between Opening Day roster spots, Oliva had to wait just about that long to make it back to the bigs. The fleet-footed outfielder played 26 games with the Pirates from 2020-21. That was the extent of his time in the Majors. He then spent the next four years toiling in the Minors, spending time with the Angels, Mariners and Brewers organizations. The California native latched on with the Giants in January and carved out a spot as a reserve outfielder for San Francisco after hitting .375 and stealing 14 bases in 20 Cactus League games.

“It's amazing what this game can kind of reward you with if you just keep your head down and keep working," Oliva said after learning that he had made the club.