Remember some guys: Presenting the 2026 all-non-roster invitee team

Many players in Spring Training can rest easy knowing that they will be on their team's active roster come Opening Day. They just want to stay healthy and gear up for the grind of a 162-game season.

But for many others, nothing is guaranteed. Every at-bat, every inning pitched in February and March is a chance to show that they deserve one of those coveted roster spots.

That's the case for the players below. Some have been All-Stars. Some were top prospects. One has a legitimate case for Cooperstown. But as non-roster invitees this year, they can't rest on their past accomplishments; they have to prove in camp that they still belong in the Majors.

Here is a position-by-position overview of the most notable non-roster invitees who are fighting for a job this spring.

Catcher: Mitch Garver, Mariners
Garver boasted a 123 OPS+ through 450 MLB games and was coming off a big season with the World Series champion Rangers when he inked a two-year deal with Seattle during the 2023-24 offseason. However, he slashed .187/.290/.341 and had an 85 OPS+ over the next two years and fell into a backup role while Cal Raleigh blossomed into an MVP candidate.

After lasting on the free-agent market into mid-February, Garver is now competing to stay in that role with the Mariners. He'll have to best Andrew Knizner and Jhonny Pereda -- both of whom are on Seattle's 40-man roster -- for the gig.

First base: Rhys Hoskins, Guardians
Although Hoskins hasn't been quite the same offensive force since missing the entire 2023 season with a torn ACL in his left knee, he can still be a plus at the plate when healthy. He bopped 26 homers in 131 games for the 2024 Brewers and recorded 12 homers along with a 108 OPS+ with Milwaukee last year despite missing nearly two months due to a sprained left thumb. The Guardians need that kind of pop after they finished at the bottom of the American League in slugging percentage (.373) and OPS (.669) last season and made no other significant lineup additions.

Honorable mentions: Ty France, Padres; Nathaniel Lowe, Reds; Trey Mancini, Angels

Second base: Cavan Biggio, Astros
Biggio was on our 2025 list of notable NRIs and did make the Royals' Opening Day roster, playing in 37 games before being released in July. A former high-ranking prospect with the Blue Jays, Biggio has a pedestrian .223/.339/.373 line through seven Major League seasons split between four teams. However ... a Biggio possibly playing second base for the Astros? Uh, we've seen that before. Cavan can also handle the outfield, much like his Hall of Fame father did during a latter portion of his 20-year career. Another cool father-son link? Cavan is sporting the No. 4 in camp, just as Craig did when he debuted with the Astros in 1988.

Honorable mentions: Brandon Drury, Royals; Keston Hiura, Dodgers

Shortstop: Paul DeJong, Yankees
The National League Rookie of the Year runner-up with the Cardinals in 2017 and an All-Star two years later, DeJong has been a subpar offensive player (80 OPS+) in six seasons since he went yard 30 times for St. Louis in 2019. That span includes an ugly 30.4% strikeout rate. He batted .228 with a .642 OPS with the Nationals in 2025 and was limited to just 57 games due to a fractured nose he sustained when he was hit by a pitch in April. Yet with Anthony Volpe out for at least the first month of the regular season as he recovers from October surgery on his left shoulder, DeJong could be a decent fill-in at shortstop. He also saw time at first base, second base and third base last year with Washington.

Honorable mention: Orlando Arcia, Twins

Third base: Jeimer Candelario, Angels
Anthony Rendon won't play this season, and the re-signed Yoán Moncada has a lengthy injury history, so Candelario has a clear opportunity to help the Angels at third base. He produced at least 3.0 WAR in 2021 and '23, leading to a three-year, $45 million contract from the Reds following that latter year. But Candelario has accrued minus-1.0 FanGraphs WAR since. Last season was especially rough when he went 9-for-80 with 29 strikeouts and was hampered by a lower back injury before Cincinnati released him in June. The 32-year-old will try to turn his career around in another red uniform.

Honorable mention: Nick Senzel, Dodgers

Outfield: Michael Conforto, Cubs; Jarred Kelenic, White Sox; Jhonkensy Noel, Orioles
A 2025 World Series champion, a former elite prospect, and a 24-year-old with awe-inspiring raw power make up this squad's outfield.

Although Conforto got a ring last year with the Dodgers, he was left off of Los Angeles' postseason rosters after slashing .199/.305/.333 across 486 regular-season plate appearances. It was a surprising fall for a hitter who was 15% better than league average at the plate in 2024 with the Giants and posted a 134 OPS+ from 2017-20 with the Mets. With his big league future uncertain entering 2026, Conforto recently said he feels like a prospect as he prepares for an 11th season in the bigs.

Speaking of prospects, few had a higher ceiling than Kelenic just a few years ago. MLB Pipeline's No. 4 prospect entering 2021, Kelenic has shown flashes of brilliance -- he racked up 37 extra-base hits through 90 games with the 2023 Mariners before breaking his left foot that July -- but following a trade to the Braves, he recorded a .680 OPS and a 30.4% strikeout rate over the past two seasons. Kelenic's MLB career seems to be at a crossroads at just 26 years old.

Noel can make your jaw drop when his bat meets the ball at the perfect point. It's just a matter of finding a way to do that consistently. After smashing 13 home runs in 67 games during his 2024 rookie season, Noel hit six homers in 69 games last year to go along with a meager .480 OPS and a 34% K rate. The Guardians designated "Big Christmas" for assignment in December, and he was soon claimed off waivers by Baltimore. It's a low-risk move that could pay off handsomely if the young slugger can put it all together.

Honorable mentions: Mark Canha, Rangers; Dylan Carlson, Cubs; Randal Grichuk, Yankees; Eloy Jiménez, Blue Jays

Designated hitter: Mike Tauchman, Mets
Ty France, who won a Gold Glove at first base last year, was a close call here, but Tauchman gets the nod at DH because we have to make room for his above-average bat.

Consider this: Only 10 players have recorded at least 350 plate appearances, a .350 on-base percentage and a 100 OPS+ in each year since 2023. One is Tauchman. Here are the other nine: Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, Freddie Freeman, Ketel Marte, Rafael Devers, Corey Seager and William Contreras. That's some nice company. Tauchman is off to a strong start this spring as he vies for a spot in the Mets' outfield. His recent production at the plate and serviceable defense should be good enough for the eight-season veteran to land a job somewhere.

Starting pitcher: Walker Buehler, Padres; Martín Pérez, Braves; Marco Gonzales, Padres; Aaron Sanchez, Royals; Triston McKenzie, Padres
Buehler was considered a top-five starter in MLB just four years ago. But since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022 and missing nearly two years of game action, the once-dynamic right-hander has logged a 5.10 ERA, a 1.53 WHIP and a poor 7.4% strikeout-minus-walk rate over 201 1/3 innings. The former Dodger is competing for a spot with the rival Padres and hoping to build on his finish to last season, when he produced a 2.12 ERA over his final six starts split between the Red Sox and Phillies.

Gonzales and McKenzie are essentially in competition with Buehler (among others) to claim the one opening at the back of San Diego's rotation. The 34-year-old Gonzales was the Mariners' Opening Day starter from 2019-21. He tossed 203 innings in 2019 and 183 innings in '22. A soft-tossing left-hander, he was packaged along with Kelenic in Seattle's trade with the Braves in 2023 and was then shipped to Pittsburgh two days later. A left forearm muscle strain limited Gonzales to just 33 2/3 frames with the Pirates in 2024. He underwent left flexor tendon surgery that September and was out of affiliated ball for all of '25.

Right elbow and shoulder injuries derailed McKenzie's once-promising career with the Guardians. After striking out 136 batters in 120 frames in 2021 and then registering a 2.96 ERA across 191 1/3 innings the following season, the slender right-hander has produced a 5.46 ERA through just 97 1/3 innings over the past three years. The former first-round Draft pick is only 28 years old, so he's a worthwhile lottery ticket for a Padres team that lacks rotation depth.

The Braves' rotation is already being tested by spring injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep. That opens the door a little wider for Pérez, who was an All-Star in 2022 and won the World Series with the Rangers in '23. The 34-year-old southpaw put up a 3.54 ERA last year with the White Sox, but he made it through only 56 innings because of left elbow inflammation and a strained left shoulder.

We are a full decade removed from when Sanchez was one of the top starters in the junior circuit. He went 15-2 for the Blue Jays with an AL-best 3.00 ERA and finished among the top 10 in Cy Young voting. His career since has been dominated by injuries, but the Royals present him with a chance to get back to The Show for the first time since 2022. Sanchez opened eyes during the Dominican Winter League this offseason, recording a 1.55 ERA across eight starts (46 1/3 innings) and earning Pitcher of the Year honors.

Honorable mention: Carlos Carrasco, Braves

Relief pitcher: Craig Kimbrel, Mets; Liam Hendriks, Twins
This team's bullpen holds a possible future Hall of Famer in Kimbrel, whose 440 saves rank fifth on the all-time list. His 2.58 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 14.0 K/9 rate over 821 2/3 innings aren't too shabby either. Kimbrel's career has experienced more valleys than peaks over the past handful of seasons, but his short stint with the Astros in 2025 -- 16 K's and three earned runs allowed in 11 innings -- showed that the 37-year-old has some gas left in the tank.

• Vying for 17th season, Kimbrel experiments with new pitch in 1st Mets outing

While Kimbrel is attempting to get into a big league game for a 10th team, Hendriks has headed back to where it all began with the Twins. He was signed by Minnesota as an amateur free agent in 2007 and made his MLB debut with the club in 2011. Hendriks logged a 6.06 ERA over the next three seasons while operating mostly as a starter before the Twins designated him for assignment after the 2013 campaign. The three-time All-Star is working his way back from surgery on his right elbow last September, but considering what he has already overcome to continue playing baseball, it would be foolish to doubt his chances of cracking Minnesota's roster.

Honorable mentions: Chris Devenski, Pirates; Michael Fulmer, Giants; James Karinchak, Braves; Jonathan Loáisiga, D-backs