MLB.com Feb. 23 projected lineups and rotations signal Triple-A depth concerns

George Valera opens the piece most at risk of swinging Triple-A rosters: MLB.com’s Feb. 23 projected lineups show Valera “would be opening the season with Triple-A Columbus though he will be heavily in the mix for Cleveland’s Opening Day roster,” positioning him as a depth piece who could be bumped up immediately and reshuffle Columbus’ outfield and DH roles.

That projection sits alongside manager strategy notes that change the calculus for depth. “Manager Stephen Vogt could stack his Opening Day lineup with lefties against the Mariners, whose rotation is full of right-handers,” the MLB excerpt states, while Cleveland’s projected rotation lists Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, Slade Cecconi and Joey Cantillo. Valera is specifically called a “prime candidate to bat second and play right field or DH if he makes the team out of camp,” which is the exact kind of roster hinge that makes Triple-A depth brittle in April.

Depth pressure isn’t limited to Cleveland. The Dodgers’ entry in the projections centers on a new bat identified only as “Tucker” and second-base mixes. “The Dodgers are still deciding where to insert Tucker, but it wouldn't be surprising if he batted as high as second. His addition significantly lengthens the lineup, down to Rojas, who should be part of the mix at second base with Tommy Edman (right ankle surgery) beginning the season on the IL.” Tommy Edman’s IL start with right ankle surgery immediately creates a short-term opening at second base and a Triple-A call-up possibility when the Dodgers make their first roster move.

Some rotation lists in the projections raise more questions than they answer. One block lists Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Emmet Sheehan and Roki Sasaki as a six-man collection of starters; the excerpt presents those six names and handedness exactly but does not attach the list to a specific team in the provided text, leaving uncertainty about whether that is a single-team plan or a merged projection.

Philadelphia’s page is clearer on matchup planning and rotation. The projected rotation lists Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker and Andrew Painter, and Manager Rob Thomson “said this offseason that he has considered some tweaks to the batting order for 2026.” The MLB excerpt continues, “That could mean flipping Harper and Schwarber to give the former a bit more lineup protection. As for the rest of the lineup, the Phillies figure to deploy Marsh against right-handed pitchers, and a right-handed hitter perhaps Otto Kemp against lefties.”

Positional juggling at the big-league level also funnels churn down to Triple-A. Bleacher Report’s Quick Thoughts note: “Expect Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve and Isaac Paredes to all play multiple positions on a semi-regular basis, rotating between second base (Altuve and Paredes), left field (Altuve and Alvarez) and designated hitter (Alvarez and Paredes) to account for the return of Carlos Correa as the everyday third baseman.” Bleacher Report adds outfield competition names heading to camp, Jake Meyers, Jesús Sánchez, Cam Smith and Zach Cole, all of whom represent players who could flip between big-league bench roles and Triple-A starts.

Team-by-team projected lineups in the extras underline immediate Triple-A consequences. Kansas City’s projected list names Maikel García, Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez and Nick Castellanos, and the Quick Thoughts call Castellanos a “good buy-low target” while noting Jonathan India and Michael Massey “had down years in 2025.” The Angels/Marlins block shows a projected alignment with Xavier Edwards, Jakob Marsee, Kyle Stowers, Agustín Ramírez and a fused entry “1B Kazuma OkamotoSS Otto Lopez” and highlights Jonah Heim’s 2025 line of “14 doubles, 11 home runs and 43 RBI in 124 games.”

Prospect watch notes feed the same Triple-A tension. Roxpile flags “Rockies prospect Zac Veen will be a player to watch this spring after a transformative offseason,” adding that “On Monday afternoon, he crushed a walkoff home run against the White Sox.” Roxpile’s starting rotation projection lists Kyle Freeland, Michael Lorenzen, Chase Dollander, Jose Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano and states “Freeland will likely start on Opening Day if healthy, while free agent additions Lorenzen, Quintana, and Sugano should create a more stable rotation than the team has had in recent years.” Roxpile also points to Dollander’s performance and “the team's plan for Feltner, who missed most of 2025 with injuries,” as storylines that could cascade to Albuquerque or Hartford depending on health.

The Feb. 23 projection exercise stitches specific lineups, matchup plans and injury notes into a clear Triple-A consequence: when George Valera, Zac Veen, Jake Meyers, Jesús Sánchez and others sit squarely on the bubble, every late scratch or IL placement like Tommy Edman’s propels a chain of call-ups and roster churn. For Triple-A managers and depth architects, these projections map the most likely early-season disruption and identify which clubrooms will scramble first.