Pitchers and catchers may not start reporting to camp for another five weeks, but as we count down the days until spring training begins, we can at least look forward to the remaining free agents over the winter finding new homes, as well as the announcement of each team’s list of non-roster invitees (NRIs) to big league camp. And if we’re lucky, some other big operation might fail.
Whatever happens, our Opening Day tracker will continue to be updated with every player reporting to a major league camp, as well as their projected roster status.
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Here’s a quick primer on who will be in major league camp, what happens when rosters are cut to 26 players, and how our tracker can help you keep up between now and Opening Day.
Who’s in Major League camp?
The full team consists of each team’s entire 40-man roster and a group of non-roster invitees. A non-roster invitee must be added to the 40-man roster if he breaks camp with the major league club.
What happens when a player is officially out of the running for a spot on the Opening Day roster?
If a player on the 40-man roster does not make the team, he is optioned to the minors; guests not on the list are reassigned. These players will continue to prepare for next season in minor league camp. However, that doesn’t completely rule out their participation on the Opening Day roster. Circumstances can change, usually due to injuries, and a player can be brought back after being sent off.
Many players who sign a minor league free agent contract during the offseason have a clause in their contract that allows them to opt out by a certain date (or multiple dates in some cases). If the player believes he has a better opportunity elsewhere, he can request his release if he is not added to the 40-man roster by the official waiver date.
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What happens when a player gets injured?
If a player on the 40-man is not healthy enough to start the season on the opening day roster, he must be placed on the major league injured list (7 days, 10 days, 15 days, or 60 days). ). The team can open a spot on the 40-man roster by placing a player on the 60-day IL.
An invitee not on the roster cannot be placed on the Major League Injured List. They would instead be reassigned to the minors and placed on the minor league injured list once the season began.
How to use the Opening Day Roster Book
Along with a player’s expected Opening Day status, the tracker includes expected plate appearances or innings pitched, age, position, service time and remaining options. Those with a tan background in the name column are part of the 40-man roster; those with a white background – non-listed invitees or those in the 60-day IL – are not.
For players who are not on the scheduled Opening Day roster, their status is listed as prospect for lineup, bench, lineup/bench, rotation, bullpen, or rotation/bullpen. Some prospects are in major league camp just for the experience and not competing for a roster spot. I don’t differentiate between those prospects and those with a chance of making the roster. Until they are reassigned to minor league camp, they are listed as candidates to make the Opening Day roster.
There are 10 options available in the Expected Opening Day Status drop-down menu:
- Full spring training roster: All major league players.
- Expected 26-man roster: My current opening day roster projections.
- 40-man roster
- NRI out of 26 men expected: There are currently only four players on this list, but that number is likely to increase substantially as veteran free agents begin to settle for minor league contracts and as spring training injuries occur and opportunities open up. Last season, there were more than 40 non-roster invitees whose contracts were purchased before Opening Day.
- Not on expected roster/Still in camp
- Still in the field
- Guests not on the list: To date there are 122 guests not on the list included in the list. That number probably represents about 15% of the total NRIs who will report to the Major League field. At some point in the next few weeks, teams will release an official list of invitees not on the roster. As of now, those included have been announced by the team or reported by a beat writer as being invited to big league camp. The expectation is that most players with major league experience who sign a minor league contract will be invited off the roster.
- No longer in the field: Players who have been optioned, reassigned, released, or placed on the injured list.
- Wound: Players who have been placed on the minor league injured list, expected injured list, or expected injured list.
- Limited list: Players currently on the restricted list are not officially in camp and are only included in the Tracker if there is a chance they will be activated before Opening Day.
FanGraphs members can export data to the tracker by clicking “Download Excel Workbook (.xlsx)” at the top right of the page.
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