Much of my work with RotoWire is spent on MLB player news, scouring Twitter and other outlets for all the latest happenings around baseball. It means I constantly have my finger on the pulse of what's going on, from the small news items to the large ones and everything in between.

I thought it would be fun to rehash some of the more recent developments and determine whether it's Notable for fantasy or just Noise.

Note: This is not a comprehensive list. If you are curious about something that's not below, feel free to leave a question in the comment section or hit me up on X at @RyanPBoyer and I'll do my best to answer.

Jarren Duran Looking at Platoon?

Notable or Noise: Noise

For most of the offseason, it has seemed like only a matter of time before the Red Sox traded Duran as a way to free up some of the logjam in their outfield. But here we are, pitchers and catchers having already reported to some spring training sites, and Duran remains with Boston. At this point, it now seems more likely than not that Duran will remain in Boston, but will he do so as something less than an everyday player?

Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com thinks it's a distinct possibility, tweeting Monday that Duran and Roman Anthony are likely to swap back-and-forth between left field and designated hitter against right-handers, with the left-handed-hitting Duran a candidate to head to the bench versus southpaws. Meanwhile, manager Alex Cora reiterated Monday that the Red Sox want Wilyer Abreu to get an opportunity to be an everyday player in right field.

Cotillo's tweet about Duran being on the long side of a platoon appears to be more informed speculation than him reporting on something he's explicitly heard from the team. For what it's worth, my colleague and Red Sox fan Todd Zola has expressed doubt that it would come to fruition. I tend to agree with Todd's assessment, which is why I've placed this one in the "noise" bucket.

Duran is not a good hitter against lefties. He slashed .211/.260/.340 with a 27.3 percent strikeout rate versus southpaws in 2025 (compared to a .277/.363/.488 line and 23 percent strikeout rate against righties) and he's hit only .232/.284/.336 with a 26.9 percent strikeout rate off left-handers in his career (while hitting .279/.344/.494 with a 23.4 percent strikeout rate versus right-handers). When examining those numbers, a platoon makes sense. But then we get into what the alternatives are.

The most straightforward option to start over Duran against lefties is Nate Eaton, who chief baseball officer Craig Breslow singled out Monday. Eaton was in the lineup both times the Red Sox faced a lefty in last year's wild-card series loss to the Yankees, though that was in place of Abreu. The 29-year-old is a right-handed hitter but was better against righties (119 wRC+) than lefties (89 wRC+) during a 41-game sample in 2025. Breslow also mentioned Kristian Campbell as a right-handed outfield option. While it would not be a surprise if Campbell forced the issue with a strong spring training, it seems far likelier that he'll head back to Triple-A Worcester, where he will be a full-time outfielder and seek more consistency with the bat.

Another option that would send Duran to the bench versus lefties would be putting Anthony in left field, Romy Gonzalez at DH and Caleb Durbin, Isiah Kiner-Falefa or Andruw Monasterio at second base. I suspect this is the likelier scenario than Eaton or Campbell playing left field, but I'm not sure it has legs, either, at least not over the long term.

Duran started 36 of 45 games (80 percent) against left-handed pitching last season, and in five of those nine he didn't start, he entered mid-game. Cora sitting Duran more often against tougher southpaws is possible, but I have a hard time envisioning a strict platoon. I won't be altering Duran's placement in my rankings based on Monday's news.

Jasson Dominguez Ticketed for Triple-A?

Notable or Noise: Notable

The Yankees will bring back their entire starting outfield in 2026 after Trent Grisham accepted a one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer and Cody Bellinger was re-signed to a five-year, $162.5 million deal. That's good news, as those two combined with Aaron Judge formed the most productive outfield trio in baseball in 2025.

But where does that leave Dominguez?

Possibly at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, it sounds like.

Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reported last week that the Yankees could indeed send Dominguez to the minors to play every day rather than keeping him on the big-league roster in a part-time role. Jon Heyman of the New York Post went even further, writing that "barring something unforeseen," Dominguez will be headed to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Dominguez was reasonably productive in 2025, slashing .257/.331/.388 with 10 home runs and 23 stolen bases over 123 regular-season contests. However, his wRC+ of 103 was dwarfed by Grisham (129 wRC+), Bellinger (125 wRC+) and Judge (204 wRC+). Additionally, the switch-hitting Dominguez has a career wRC+ of 55 against left-handed pitching and draws poor ratings for his defense in left field, so it became difficult to justify ever playing him over the aforementioned trio (or Giancarlo Stanton and his 158 wRC+ at designated hitter). Dominguez made only four starts last September and none in the playoffs.

General manager Brian Cashman has acknowledged that he considered sending Dominguez to the minors last season but ultimately decided against it because of the threat he presented off the bench. Cashman and manager Aaron Boone have stopped short of saying Dominguez will begin the 2026 season in the minors, with Boone noting last week that "we have a long time to go between now and the first spring training game, and certainly Opening Day." Cashman did note, however, that Dominguez lost developmental time due to the COVID season and Tommy John surgery, adding that, "I think there's still the area for [saying], 'Just go let him play.'"

In other words, the Yankees know there is no point in committing to Dominguez's role right now, but they also know that, unless injury forces their hand, the 23-year-old is probably better off getting regular reps at SWB.

Dominguez's ADP in NFBC drafts over the past month is 232.3, and there's a wide range with a min pick of 160 and max pick of 333. I expect Dominguez to start going closer toward that latter number moving forward, as long as the Yankees don't run into health issues. He is just a Stanton injury away from regular at-bats, though, and the tennis elbow Stanton dealt with in both arms last season is still something that will have to be managed. So, while a path remains for Dominguez to be a viable redraft producer in 2026, he will need some things to break his way.

Evan Carter is Healthy and Aiming for 30 Steals

Notable or Noise: Noise

Carter spoke with Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News in late January and had some interesting things to say. One was that he finally feels healthy after injuries sabotaged him the last two years. He played only 45 games for the Rangers in 2024 due to a stress reaction in his lower back, and in 2025 he was limited to 63 contests with the big club because of quad, back and wrist issues.

"I feel like I've been kind of telling myself that I feel good in the past," Carter said. "I actually feel really good right now."

There is something to be said for a player being able to go through their normal offseason routine instead of having to rehab injuries. Carter also noted that he worked with Rangers hitting coaches Justin Viele and Eric Dorton over the winter and has been hitting balls in the batting cages harder than he ever has (whether that was actually measured or is just a feel thing, I don't know).

Another coach Carter is excited to work with is new first base coach and former teammate Travis Jankowski. Carter believes Jankowski – who retired with 104 career stolen bases – will be able to coax more out of him as an outfield defender and also a base stealer. Although Carter boasts elite wheels – he ranked in the 90th percentile in sprint speed in 2025 – he has attempted only 21 stolen bases in 131 career games. His goal is to swipe 30 bases during the 2026 campaign.

Carter stole 28 bases in 2022 and 26 bases in 2023 in the minors, and he finished with 20 in 2025 over just 88 contests between the majors and minors. In between, he managed just two steals in 45 contests in 2024 while battling back problems. In other words, he is a capable base stealer, if he's able to stay on the field. "If" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that last sentence, of course.

Swiping 30 bags does appear to be within Carter's skill set, and it's clear he has the motivation to do it (and we've seen over the years that simply having the desire to run more carries a lot of weight). For what it's worth, the Marlins ranked in the middle of the pack at 18th in stolen bases when now-Rangers manager Skip Schumaker was in the dugout. Whether Schumaker plays it fast and loose with the green light on the basepaths remains to be seen.

Whether Carter has the ability to rack up stolen bases is less of a question than whether he will actually be on the field to do it. Carter's back problems have been chronic, as he dealt with them off and on throughout the minors, as well. He is feeling good now, which is great, but the back issues could rear their ugly head at any time.

The good news is that, even if you're dubious of Carter's chances of staying healthy, it basically costs you nothing to find out if he can prove you wrong. Carter's NFBC ADP over the past month sits at 300.7, and he will be going undrafted in most 12-team formats. You can go ahead and take a shot on the 23-year-old and have no qualms about cutting him loose if he gets hurt again in April.

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