The 2024 baseball season has finally arrived! With Spring Training underway, here’s how each club’s lineup and starting rotation are currently expected to look on Opening Day.
This lineup will change daily based on pitching matchups, creating regular reps for Cavan Biggio and Danny Jansen — who could begin the season on the injured list after fracturing his right wrist bone. The only real constant here should be Bichette and Guerrero, around whom the rest of the lineup will orbit.
The top four are locked and loaded, ready to run it back after a remarkable season. Alek Manoah appeared to be on track to grab the fifth spot in the rotation but hasn’t pitched in a game since Feb. 27 due to right shoulder soreness. Francis looks primed to take that position with his strong Spring Training performance.
Injuries to Kyle Bradish (right UCL strain) and John Means (left elbow recovery) have delayed their timetables this spring, creating room for depth pieces Wells and Irvin to make the rotation out of camp.
The loss of outfielder Josh Lowe (right oblique strain) has shaken up this group a bit. Newcomer Amed Rosario will be a factor, especially against left-handers, and there will be plenty of at-bats to go around for left-handed-hitting outfielder/second baseman Richie Palacios and right-handed-hitting infielder Curtis Mead.
This group has changed dramatically over the past year due to trades (Tyler Glasnow), last season’s injuries (Shane McClanahan, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen) and now a mid-spring right pec strain for young starter Taj Bradley. That will test the Rays’ depth, and they could get creative by shuffling in bulk-inning arms like Tyler Alexander or Chris Devenski to hold down a spot until Bradley (or former top prospect Shane Baz, back from Tommy John surgery) rejoins the rotation. Jake Odorizzi could lock down the fifth spot if he proves he’s up to game speed after signing a late-spring Minor League deal with the Rays, but keep an eye on Waguespack, who has impressed in camp with improved velocity and a four-pitch mix.
Devers and Casas should be the linchpins of the offense, and having Story for a full season should help offset the loss of free agents Justin Turner and Adam Duvall. Valdez will be the primary fill-in early in the season for Vaughn Grissom, who has a left groin strain.
The indefinite loss of Lucas Giolito due to a right elbow injury will hurt a rotation that lacks experience. It is now more important than ever that the young core led by Bello takes a step forward.
Though manager Aaron Boone said that his first choice was to have DJ LeMahieu occupy the leadoff spot, LeMahieu may not be ready for Opening Day after sustaining a significant bone bruise on his right foot on March 16. With Oswald Peraza also set to begin the year on the injured list, the Yanks may be in the market for a third baseman.
With Cole set to miss at least a month due to a right elbow injury, the Yanks’ depth will be tested earlier than expected. Cortes will draw his first Opening Day start on March 28 in Houston. Yankees people raved about how Warren bounced back after being let down by his defense in a March 17 start against the Red Sox, and the rookie may be able to lock up a rotation spot with a strong finish to camp.
This will have to serve as the placeholder until the Guardians determine who will fill out their outfield, but the order of the top half of the lineup is all but locked in.
This was supposed to be the one aspect of Cleveland’s roster with no doubts. But now that Gavin Williams will be a few weeks behind, playing catch up from elbow discomfort this spring, the Guardians need to figure out who their fifth starter will be. The top two options appear to be Carrasco or Tyler Beede. There’s no clear-cut leader in this race, so we’ll default to Carrasco for now, but the job is certainly up for grabs.
The Royals believe their offense will significantly improve with Pasquantino back healthy after shoulder surgery last season, giving Witt more protection at the top of the lineup, and Renfroe also adds more pop to a lineup that needed it last year.
Lugo and Wacha are the newcomers and top of the rotation, with a lot on their shoulders, but just as important in 2024 is how Singer and Ragans improve — and the Royals have much more and better depth following the signings this offseason. The fifth starter spot is still up for debate, with competition among Lyles, Alec Marsh, Daniel Lynch IV and Angel Zerpa.
Detroit’s lineup is deeper with Canha, acquired via trade, and Keith, the team’s No. 2 prospect. There are still some questions about who leads off, but Vierling started 43 games there last year.
The Tigers have six starters for what is expected to be five spots, creating a competition between Olson and Matt Manning. One could end up piggybacking with Mize, who hasn’t pitched in the Majors since April 2022, having undergone Tommy John surgery later that year.
With Kansas City having named left-handed pitcher Cole Ragans as its Opening Day starter, the platoon-heavy Twins are sure to flip away from the lineup they’ll use for much of the season and insert as many right-handed hitters as possible. Santana has led off against lefties this spring, but manager Rocco Baldelli indicated that could change.
Louie Varland projects to be one of the Twins’ five best starters this season, but he could fall victim to a roster crunch, as he can be stashed in the Minors as depth while the newly acquired DeSclafani cannot.
This group should be much better defensively, but the question remains as to how much they can produce together with the bats. Robert Jr. is one of the best all-around players in the game, and Moncada, Jiménez and Vaughn have the talent for strong years.
There’s certainly a different look to the White Sox rotation, with Dylan Cease traded to the Padres and Michael Kopech moved to the bullpen, potentially becoming the team’s closer. Crochet will be viewed as a starter for ‘24, but with 73 innings total on his resume, the left-hander will be watched carefully across the season. Crochet certainly is not a rotation lock but has looked as dominant as any Cactus League starter during the past month.
The Angels still could add to that mix and have to decide on a leadoff hitter, and Rengifo could get a look there, although Schanuel excelled in that role in September because of his ability to get on base.
The Angels will go back to a five-man rotation after utilizing a six-man with Shohei Ohtani. All five spots are considered locks, barring an injury or a new acquisition.
This figures to be one of the deepest lineups in baseball, with Diaz taking over as the starting catcher. The top seven batters in the lineup can match up with anybody, and a resurgent Peña could only lengthen the lineup further.
Justin Verlander and José Urquidy are set to begin the season on the IL, which puts the Astros at the limit of their starting pitching depth. Verlander should face hitters soon while he continues his build-up, and Urquidy left early from his recent start with right elbow soreness and was diagnosed with a forearm muscle strain. The next man up is Blanco, who has looked good this spring. Brandon Bielak is being built up as a starter, too, and likely makes the team in the bullpen. Injured starters Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia are due back midsummer.
The A’s will likely carry six outfielders on their Opening Day roster and deploy each player based on matchups, which means Lawrence Butler and Seth Brown also figure to get plenty of at-bats.
The top four rotation spots are considered locks while the final slot is likely to come down to a Spring Training battle with several candidates in play.
There are quite a few platoon options for manager Scott Servais to operate with, but a lineup that was way too boom-or-bust last season, particularly with a sky-high strikeout rate, should be improved.
A five-man group that made nearly every start from June on last year will return intact — and perhaps most remarkable is that the front office was able to keep the group together despite being a clear area of strength to trade from.
When healthy, this is very similar to the one Bruce Bochy utilized during the postseason en route to the World Series, with the lone difference being the loss of Mitch Garver at designated hitter. Foscue, the club’s No. 6 prospect, could make his big league debut on Opening Day at that spot.
With Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and the recently signed Tyler Mahle all delayed until at least the summer with varying injuries, the Rangers’ rotation at the moment is headed by the veteran Eovaldi, who is likely to be the Opening Day starter.
This is essentially the same lineup that produced one of the most productive seasons in MLB history last year.
Fried and Strider are legit Cy Young candidates. Morton and Sale might no longer fit that category, but both still have the potential to be difference-makers.
The lineup is nearly identical to the one the Marlins used once they acquired Bell and Burger, minus slugger Jorge Soler (who signed with the Giants) and plus Anderson, who along with Arraez gives Miami two former batting champions. The DH role will be a rotation.
Left-hander Braxton Garrett (general left shoulder soreness) and right-handers Edward Cabrera (right shoulder impingement) and Eury Pérez (elbow soreness) are sidelined with injuries, which has the rotation in flux. The fifth spot could be anyone from swingman Hoeing to non-roster invitee Yonny Chirinos.
While the top half of this lineup is full of players with track records, the bottom half is not. The Mets in particular need breakout seasons from youngsters Baty, Alvarez and Vientos in prominent roles.
A shoulder injury will keep ace Kodai Senga out for most if not all of April, opening a spot for someone else to join the Opening Day rotation. Megill is a frontrunner to take that spot, but he’ll need to hold off Joey Lucchesi and José Butto in camp.
The Nationals found success last season with the speedy duo of Abrams and Thomas at the top of the order. They are looking to boost their offensive production in 2024, and hope new additions Gallo and Rosario can help spark that.
Gray got the nod for his first career Opening Day start. The veteran southpaw Corbin will follow in the No. 2 turn. There is still a battle in camp between Williams and Zach Davies for the fifth spot.
Rob Thomson’s already been asked a billion times about who’s hitting leadoff in 2024. Schwarber? Turner? Stott? He always mentions the Phillies’ winning record with Schwarber in the top spot, which indicates he still wants him there.
The Phillies’ rotation had an MLB-best 17.7 fWAR last season, which is a big reason why they re-signed Nola to a seven-year, $172 million deal in November. They think they found some decent depth behind Sánchez with Spencer Turnbull, Kolby Allard, Max Castillo, Nick Nelson and others competing for the opportunity to step up if somebody suffers an injury.
“The best hitters hit the most,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy likes to say. That should mean Yelich, Contreras, Adames and now Hoskins, the four cornerstones of the NL Central champs’ 2024 lineup. But the big question is: Will Chourio, the No. 2 prospect in baseball, be the Opening Day center fielder?
For the first time in years, this group doesn’t include Corbin Burnes or Brandon Woodruff, with Burnes traded to Baltimore and Woodruff rehabbing from shoulder surgery. Peralta is locked in for Opening Day, but after that, the rotation is open. Wade Miley will be the No. 2 when he’s ready, but that might not be the start of the season. Hall, part of the return package for Burnes, is the most exciting candidate for a back-end role.
The Cards are hopeful of big bounce-back seasons from Goldschmidt and Arenado and monstrous breakout years from Nootbaar, Donovan and Walker. If Winn can handle big league pitching, it gives the club a chance to put its best defensive team on the field.
The Cards gave Gray $80 million in guaranteed money to be their ace, and they think his toughness and fiery nature will be contagious. A strong rebound from Mikolas and good health for Lynn, Matz and Gibson could hold the keys to the season.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell prefers to keep the DH as a rotation of players, and Tauchman is one option against righties. Chicago also has Patrick Wisdom as a versus-lefties fit for first base or DH.
Steele is locked in as the Opening Day starter. With righty Jameson Taillon (lower back) expected to open on the IL, the foursome of Smyly, Wicks, Javier Assad and Hayden Wesneski are all in the mix for the last two rotation vacancies.
Cruz’s return to the lineup cannot be overstated, because if he’s on time and making contact, he has a chance to be one of the most dangerous power-and-speed leadoff hitters in a similar vein of Ronald Acuña Jr.
There’s still time for another pitcher to grab the No. 4 or 5 spot or for the Pirates to acquire an additional arm to fill the back end, but the top three have virtually secured spots barring injuries.
Expect a lot of day-to-day changes to this lineup. The Reds like to change their lineup often depending on the daily matchups.
Injuries took a toll on the Reds rotation last season. If Montas can return to his 2021 form, when he made 32 starts for Oakland, this group looks a lot tougher for hitters.
It seems unlikely that the D-backs will go with Pederson against left-handers so someone such as Emmanuel Rivera will likely fill that role, which would require them to change the order as Rivera will hit lower in the lineup.
The first three spots in the rotation are set, while Pfaadt’s performance in the postseason makes him the frontrunner when it comes to the fourth spot. The fifth spot will be a real battle with Henry, Ryne Nelson, Slade Cecconi and Bryce Jarvis among those competing.
The Dodgers will continue to play around with this lineup throughout the season, but this isn’t a bad start, huh? Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he still doesn’t know how he’ll line up his three superstars. That decision will come at some point in the spring.
Walker Buehler and Emmet Sheehan will both begin the season on the injured list, which opened up a spot for Stone to potentially grab the fifth starter’s spot.
Between Lee, Soler and Chapman, the Giants have added three everyday players who should help stabilize a lineup that has lacked continuity in recent years.
With Alex Cobb, Robbie Ray and Tristan Beck expected to open the season on the injured list, the Giants will be leaning heavily on a converted reliever (Hicks) and three relatively unproven arms (Harrison, Winn and Black) to cover a ton of innings early in the season and provide stability behind Webb.
Merrill seems poised to become the youngest Opening Day center fielder in Padres history, having only moved to the position full-time a few weeks ago. The lone remaining lineup competition is for the third-base opening with Machado opening the season at DH following elbow surgery. Rosario, Graham Pauley and Tyler Wade are in the mix.
The addition of Cease gives the Padres the front-line replacement for Blake Snell that they’d been searching for. It also bumps King, who had an excellent spring, into the No. 4 spot, with an ongoing competition among Brito, Randy Vásquez and Matt Waldron for the final place.
The Rockies are trading speed at the top of the lineup for on-base ability, and are alternating left- and right-handed hitters through the first six spots to make it more difficult for opposing teams to match up out of the bullpen.
Lambert is in competition for one of the five spots, while lefty non-roster invitee Ty Blach could make the team as a swingman.