3 Up, 3 Down: Injury News to Top RDBL Free Agents Opening of Camp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmEUecPODz4

Spring training camps officially opened yesterday, and while pitchers and catchers reported with optimism, several RDBL front offices were greeted with far less comforting headlines. Two of the top available free agents — Corbin Carroll and Francisco Lindor — are already dealing with significant injuries, immediately altering early draft-board conversations. With the March 22 auction looming, uncertainty at the top of the player pool matters with the potential to push even more money to "sure things" like Juan Soto and Tarik Skubal.

This is the first installment of a weekly 3 Up, 3 Down — tracking real-time value movement across the RDBL landscape.

Jared Jones (2/$1), Maltese Falcons

Jones is back healthy and throwing as camps open after missing last season following Tommy John surgery. Prior to the injury, he flashed frontline upside with mid-90s velocity and swing-and-miss stuff, and he is expected to slot back into the Maltese Falcons rotation for GM Gary Falzon. The Falcons invested at just $1 for Jones last year, making this one of the more intriguing upside arms on the board entering 2026. A full, healthy spring immediately boosts his value trajectory and gives Falzon a huge shot in the arm in the vaunted Peninsula Division.

Austin Riley (3/$48), Honolulu Hammerheads

Riley took live batting practice Wednesday and appears to be facing no restrictions entering camp after undergoing core-muscle surgery last August. He missed most of the final two months of 2025 due to a lower abdominal strain, but prior to that had reestablished himself as a middle-of-the-order force. Though two straight injury-shortened seasons have dented his durability reputation, he won’t turn 29 until April and still carries 30+ homer upside. With the Honolulu Hammerheads potentially declining a $48 option on Riley, his health clarity could make him one of the most fascinating value swings of the spring.

Chase DeLauter (1R/$1), Meinert Hops

DeLauter is pushing for Opening Day activation with the Meinert Hops and GM Garrett Shelley and will work in both center and right field during camp. Since being drafted in the first round in 2022, injuries have limited him to just 138 minor league games, including only 42 last season after core muscle surgery in March and wrist surgery in July. When healthy, however, he has produced an .888 career OPS in the minors and profiles as a middle-of-the-order bat. If he stays on the field this spring, his stock will rise quickly.

OF Corbin Carroll (Free Agent)

Carroll will miss significant time this spring after suffering a broken hamate bone, an injury that often impacts power even after return. He’s coming off a 2025 season where he hit 28 home runs, stole 32 bases, and scored 96 runs while again serving as Arizona’s offensive catalyst. The timing is brutal, as early spring reps are critical for hitters recovering from hand injuries. Even if he’s ready for Opening Day, expectations for immediate slug production have to be tempered.

Carroll was rated as the second best RDBL Free Agent outfielder and third best available player overall in the recent Free Agent Power Rankings. The star outfielder is fresh off his rookie deal with the Alamo Short Stacks.

SS Francisco Lindor (Free Agent)

Lindor is being evaluated for a stress reaction in his left hamate bone, and surgery would likely sideline him roughly six weeks. In 2025, he delivered 31 home runs, 22 stolen bases, 102 runs scored, and 94 RBI across 158 games — another elite, durable campaign. His value has always been tied to consistency and availability, and this creates the first real question mark around both. Even a short absence could alter early-season momentum as this injury typically comes with a delayed return of power even after the player is back on the field.

Lindor ranked as the top available shortstop in the RDBL FA Power Rankings while sitting 4th overall. He just wrapped up a $34 contract with the Nashville Aristocrats and was expected to receive a healthy bump over that figure on Draft Day.

Jackson Holliday (3R/$5), Nashville Aristocrats

Holliday is also dealing with a hamate issue as camps open, putting his early spring progression on pause. Holliday was greeted with a harsh introduction to the big leagues upon his arrival to Baltimore in 2024, but he made major strides in his sophomore season, finishing with 17 homers and 17 steals across 649 plate appearances. Perhaps most impressively, Holliday trimmed more than 11 percentage points off his strikeout rate, bringing it to 21.6% after he looked a bit overmatched as a rookie.

He still has a ways to go given that he was still below league average by many statistical measures last season, but Holliday is just 22 years old, so he has time. The son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft, Jackson embodies the word "pedigree." Another step forward could come quickly for the second baseman, and it could be a similar step forward to his last though it might start in mid-April as opposed to Opening Day.