Updated Opening Day roster predictions

March 28th, 2021

Veterans, rookies, non-roster invites and everyone in between have spent Spring Training trying to earn a coveted roster spot for Opening Day on Thursday.

So who holds the inside track for each of those 26-man roster spots? Rosters aren't officially set, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take our best shot. Below are Opening Day roster predictions made by MLB.com’s beat writers for each of the 30 clubs.

American League East

Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be on the roster, of course, but will he be at first base or back at third? More >

Orioles: Do veteran arms Félix Hernández and Matt Harvey have enough left in the tank to crack the O's starting rotation? More >

Rays: Which optioned pitchers impressed enough to ensure they'll be called up to the Majors at some point this season? More >

Red Sox: Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Andrew Benintendi are gone. Who will join Alex Verdugo, Hunter Renfroe and Franchy Cordero in Boston's outfield mix? More >

Yankees: Who will win the remaining bullpen spots on the Opening Day roster? More >

AL Central

Indians: Will Triston McKenzie open the season in the starting rotation or in the bullpen? More >

Royals: Greg Holland had a tremendous 2020 campaign after returning to the Royals. Will Wade Davis be able to carry over a strong Spring Training to achieve similar success after struggling elsewhere? More >

Tigers: Miguel Cabrera has a spring to his step this spring. How much first base will Miggy play in 2021? More >

Twins: The Twins have their Opening Day roster set except for two positions. More >

White Sox: The White Sox have some big prospects everybody is watching in camp: 22-year-old slugger Andrew Vaughn (MLB's No. 14 prospect), fireballing reliever Garrett Crochet (No. 56) and the returning Michael Kopech (No. 39). More >

AL West

Angels: With Dexter Fowler joining the club and allowing Jo Adell to get more seasoning in the Minors, which outfielders will make the big league club? More >

Astros: Yordan Alvarez's knee is the thing to keep an eye on -- if the 23-year-old slugger is healthy and back to normal, his bat returning to the Astros lineup could be the biggest X-factor in baseball this year. More >

Athletics: The key players in A's camp include star pitching prospect A.J. Puk, returning from shoulder surgery, and second baseman Jed Lowrie, returning to Oakland in an attempt to recover his old All-Star form after missing almost all of the last two seasons due to injury. More >

Mariners: Left field is the club’s biggest question among position players, with recently acquired prospect Taylor Trammell making a strong impression in camp. More >

Rangers: Newcomers Khris Davis, Nate Lowe and David Dahl could play big roles in the Rangers lineup, and the same goes for Kyle Gibson, Dane Dunning, Mike Foltynewicz and Kohei Arihara in the rotation. More >

NL East

Braves: Who will take the fifth turn in the rotation when it first comes around? More >

Marlins: Will Miami go with a four- or five-man starting rotation to start the season? How many outfielders will the club carry? More >

Mets: Who rounds out the starting rotation with Carlos Carrasco sidelined to open the season? More >

Nationals: With Stephen Strasburg hurt last year and Joe Ross electing not to play in 2020, will the Nats go with an opener early on to manage the workload? More >

Phillies: Who will be the starter in center field come Opening Day? More >

NL Central

Brewers: Milwaukee’s projected Opening Day roster looks much the same as it did at the end of the 2020 season -- with two very notable exceptions on the right side of the infield, and one in the outfield with the addition of Jackie Bradley Jr. More >

Cardinals: St. Louis didn’t strike a big league deal until the end of January, but it made the most of its limited shopping. Both the Cardinals’ infield and outfield will have a different look as compared to four months ago. More >

Cubs: An offseason of marked change for the North Siders is finally at an end. Plenty of familiar faces are still on the Cubs roster, despite months of trade rumors, with a handful of newcomers looking to vault Chicago back to the top of the Senior Circuit. More >

Pirates: Pittsburgh could have a lot of moving pieces during what figures to be a transition year, but right now the best battles appear to be at shortstop, center field and the back of the rotation. More >

Reds: Nearing the end of Spring Training, the bullpen mix remains fluid. Which relievers will be in the 'pen come Opening Day? More >

NL West

D-backs: Arizona is pretty much set with its Opening Day roster, but a lone bullpen spot has yet to be won. More >

Dodgers: Los Angeles lost a ton of familiar faces to free agency, and yet it still appears to have one of the Majors’ best 40-man rosters. Perhaps the most turnover came in the bullpen, which led the Majors in relief ERA a year ago. More >

Giants: It appears the bullpen competition will come down to the wire as the Giants prepare to head north. More >

Padres: Yes, the Padres own one of MLB’s most complete rosters after a tremendous offseason. The biggest question marks probably lie in the rotation with Dinelson Lamet’s health -- and which youngster (MacKenzie Gore, Ryan Weathers or Adrian Morejon) is up next should Lamet go down with an injury. More >

Rockies: Will the Rockies go with Connor Joe after his great spring performance or Ben Bowden to ensure there's a lefty in the bullpen? More >