Huge MLB Questions That Need Answers Before 2018 Opening Day

Opening Day is right around the corner and there are still some significant questions that need to be answered around the MLB landscape.

From key injuries and roster decisions to divvying up playing time and setting the batting order, the preseason work is never finished until that first pitch signals the start of a new season.

So before teams break camp, let's take a run through 10 huge MLB questions that still need answering before Thursday.

5 Key Injury Questions (American League)

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Player: 1B Yuli Gurriel, Houston Astros

Injury: Recovery from left hand surgery

Due Back: Mid-April

Replacement Plan: The versatile Marwin Gonzalez will likely take over as the everyday first basemen while Gurriel is sidelined. That opens up playing time for Derek Fisher and Jake Marisnick in left field.

Player: 2B Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox

Injury: Recovery from left knee surgery

Due Back: May

Replacement Plan: Bringing back Eduardo Nunez on a one-year, $6 million deal gives the Red Sox a viable everyday option at second base until Pedroia returns. Once he's back, Nunez will return to a super-utility role.

Player: SP Danny Salazar, Cleveland Indians

Injury: Right shoulder inflammation

Due Back: April

Replacement Plan: Salazar was battling with Josh Tomlin and Mike Clevinger for the final two spots in the Cleveland rotation when camp began. His injury just brings some clarity to that situation.

Player: SP Ervin Santana, Minnesota Twins

Injury: Recovery from right middle finger surgery

Due Back: late April

Replacement Plan: The Twins have added Jake Odorizzi and Lance Lynn this offseason to join Jose Berrios and Kyle Gibson in the starting rotation. The club will use a four-man rotation until Santana returns.

Player: SS Troy Tulowitzki, Toronto Blue Jays

Injury: Bone spur in right foot

Due Back: April

Replacement Plan: The Jays acquired Aledmys Diaz from the St. Louis Cardinals as a buy-low contingency plan for the oft-injured Tulowitzki. He'll break camp as the starting shortstop, with fellow offseason addition Yangervis Solarte also capable of manning the position.

5 Key Injury Questions (National League)

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Player: OF Michael Conforto, New York Mets

Injury: Recovery from left shoulder surgery

Due Back: May 1

Replacement Plan: The real decision for the Mets will come once Conforto returns. For now, it will be Yoenis Cespedes in left field, Jay Bruce in right field and some combination of Brandon Nimmo and Juan Lagares in center field.

Player: SP Anthony DeSclafani, Cincinnati Reds

Injury: Left oblique strain

Due Back: TBD

Replacement Plan: It looks like the Reds will trot out Homer Bailey, Luis Castillo, Sal Romano and Tyler Mahle for the first four spots in the rotation, with Amir Garrett lining up to fill the No. 5 starter spot once the need arises. Robert Stephenson, Jackson Stephens and Cody Reed are also still in big league camp.

Player: 2B Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals

Injury: Recovery from right knee surgery

Due Back: April

Replacement Plan: The Nats brought back the versatile Howie Kendrick on a two-year, $7 million deal, and he spent years as an everyday second baseman before moving into a utility role. Fellow reserve Wilmer Difo could also see time at second base.

Player: 3B Martin Prado, Miami Marlins

Injury: Recovery from right knee surgery

Due Back: April

Replacement Plan: Prado's injury opens the door for prospect Brian Anderson to break camp as the everyday third baseman. The 24-year-old has a .988 OPS with four doubles and four home runs this spring.

Player: 3B Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers

Injury: Fractured left wrist

Due Back: TBD

Replacement Plan: The Dodgers will likely slide Logan Forsythe over to third base, with Chase Utley and Kike Hernandez splitting time at second base until Turner returns. Chris Taylor is also an option at the keystone.

Where Will the Top Remaining Free Agents Sign?

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

At the start of the offseason, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports ranked his top 80 free agents.

A whopping 13 of those players remain unsigned less than a week from the start of the season:

• 10. RP Greg Holland
• 50. SP John Lackey
• 51. 3B Yunel Escobar
• 57. DH Matt Holliday
• 59. SP R.A. Dickey
• 60. 1B Mark Reynolds
• 65. OF Jayson Werth
• 67. OF Melky Cabrera
• 70. IF Brandon Phillips
• 72. SP Scott Feldman
• 75. OF Jose Bautista
• 78. OF Andre Ethier
• 80. RP Trevor Rosenthal

While a lot of these guys are past-the-prime former standouts who are likely headed for retirement, the slow-moving market for Greg Holland has been shocking.

Granted, he slumped down the stretch last year with a 7.58 ERA over the final two months. Some of that was undoubtedly the result of him still building up his arm after missing the 2016 season to Tommy John surgery, and in the end, he still posted a 3.61 ERA and an NL-high 41 saves overall.

Mark Reynolds (105 OPS+, 30 HR) can still be a solid part-time player or power bat off the bench, while Scott Feldman (92 ERA+, 111.1 IP) has value as an innings-eating depth starter or swingman out of the bullpen.

Which Notable Out-of-Option Players Will Be Exposed to Waivers?

Associated Press

Ryan Merritt

Roster crunch time is coming and, as always, there are a handful of intriguing out-of-options players occupying the roster bubble.

Here are a few notables who could be hitting the waiver wire:

1B Jesus Aguilar, Milwaukee Brewers

The additions of Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain will likely push Ryan Braun to first base—at least on a part-time basis—and that could wind up pushing Jesus Aguilar off the roster entirely.

In his first extended MLB action last season, the 27-year-old posted a 114 OPS+ with 16 home runs and 52 RBI in 311 plate appearances.

However, as an offense-only platoon player, he is expendable.

RHP Wilmer Font, Los Angeles Dodgers

Wilmer Font has pitched just seven innings at the MLB level in his career.

The 27-year-old had an excellent season at Triple-A Oklahoma City last year, going 10-8 with a 3.42 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 178 strikeouts in 134.1 innings.

He looks like the front-runner for the long relief role, and more than a few teams would be ready to pounce if he did become available.

LHP Ryan Merritt, Cleveland Indians

Ryan Merritt made a name for himself in 2016 when he took the ball in Game 5 of the World Series and tossed 4.1 scoreless innings.

The 26-year-old has been excellent in limited MLB action, posting a 1.71 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 31.2 innings over the past two seasons.

He still looks like a safe bet to win a spot in the Cleveland bullpen, but a 9.31 ERA in 9.2 innings this spring is a reason for pause.

C/1B/OF Blake Swihart, Boston Red Sox

Once viewed as the catcher of the future and a potential future star, Blake Swihart has not developed as hoped for the Boston Red Sox.

He's still just 25 years old, though, and he's posted an .898 OPS with seven doubles and three home runs this spring.

It's unclear exactly how much playing time he'll see, but his defensive versatility does give him a chance to carve out a part-time role.

How Will the Los Angeles Dodgers Divvy Up Playing Time in Their Outfield?

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

The Los Angeles Dodgers once again have a crowded outfield situation to sort out.

Chris Taylor has earned the everyday job in center field, and the same goes for Yasiel Puig in right field.

That presumably leaves three spots on the roster for the following players:

• Matt Kemp: 47 PA, .302/.340/.628, 6 XBH (4 HR)
• Joc Pederson: 49 PA, .178/.245/.311, 4 XBH (1 HR)
• Trayce Thompson: 37 PA, .306/.324/.444, 3 XBH (1 HR)
• Andrew Toles: 46 PA, .302/.304/.581, 7 XBH (2 HR)

The struggling Pederson still has minor league options, so sending him to Triple-A is an option.

Meanwhile, Kemp looks to have played his way onto the roster after coming over from the Atlanta Braves in a move that was motivated by little more than salary-shuffling.

There's also the question of how prospect Alex Verdugo fits into the picture.

The 21-year-old hit .314/.389/.436 with 37 extra-base hits at Triple-A last year, and he hit .324/.361/.618 with six extra-base hits in 36 plate appearances before being optioned to the minors this spring.

At least one more player from that above group of four figures to be optioned to the minors, and the other three could be looking of their shoulders if Verdugo gets off to a hot start in the minors. 

Who WIll Close for the Texas Rangers?

Matt York/Associated Press

There are always a handful of closer battles around the league each spring.

However, those battles rarely include a two-time Cy Young winner looking to start the second act of his MLB career.

In an offseason where more than a few productive veterans were forced to settle for a minor league deal, the Texas Rangers gave Tim Lincecum a one-year, $1 million that could be worth an additional $5 million in incentives.

That's quite a leap of faith for a 33-year-old who last pitched in 2016, when he ran up a 9.16 ERA in nine starts with the Los Angeles Angels.

Lincecum won't be ready for the start of the season, but he figures to get a chance at a high-leverage role once he hits the active roster. The closer's job is not out of the question down the road.

For now, it will be someone from the trio of Jake Diekman, Alex Claudio and Keone Kela taking the ball in the ninth inning, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

Who Will Be the No. 5 Starter for the Washington Nationals?

John Bazemore/Associated Press

A.J. Cole

With Joe Ross expected to miss the 2018 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, there's a hole that needs to be filled at the back of the Washington Nationals rotation.

And for a team with serious title aspirations ahead of Bryce Harper's free agency, it's one of the most important position battles in the majors.

Prospect Erick Fedde has already been optioned to the minors.

That leaves A.J. Cole as the front-runner, while non-roster veterans Edwin Jackson and Tommy Milone are also still in camp.

The X-factor here is Jeremy Hellickson, who was signed to a minor league deal on March 16.

While he likely won't be ready the first time a No. 5 starter is needed, he might be the best bet to lock down that spot on the staff for the duration of the season.

When Will Ronald Acuna Reach the Majors?

B51/Mark Brown/Getty Images

Ronald Acuna is ready for the majors.

Just look at the damage he's done over the past calendar year:

• Regular season: 139 G, 612 PA, .325/.374/.522, 60 XBH (21 HR), 44 SB
• Arizona Fall League: 23 G, 99 PA, .325/.414/.639, 12 XBH (7 HR), 2 SB
  
• Spring training: 16 G, 52 PA, .432/.519/.727, 5 XBH (4 HR), 4 SB

Yet he's already been optioned to minor league camp.

That's life in today's MLB, where a few weeks in the minors can buy another year of team control, and it just makes financial sense to play the waiting game.

Don't expect Acuna to be down for long, though.

The 20-year-old has nothing left to prove in the minors, and the Atlanta Braves are looking to take another step forward in the rebuilding process.

Who Bats Leadoff for the Chicago Cubs?

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

Ian Happ

Dexter Fowler was a steady on-base threat for the Chicago Cubs out of the leadoff spot during the club's World Series run in 2016.

His departure in free agency left a revolving door at the top of the lineup, and the drop-off in production from the No. 1 spot was staggering:

Jon Jay (51), Ben Zobrist (40), Kyle Schwarber (36), Anthony Rizzo (14), Ian Happ (8), Jason Heyward (4), Albert Almora Jr. (3), Javier Baez (2), Willson Contreras (2) and Matt Szczur (1) all started at least one game batting leadoff.

So who will break camp in that role this season?

The front-runner appears to be the switch-hitting Happ, who is batting .333/.417/.810 with five home runs and 10 RBI this spring.

Almora could also be an option against left-handed pitching, as he posted an impressive .342/.411/.486 line in 125 plate appearances against southpaws last year.

Is Shohei Ohtani Ready for the Big Leagues?

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No player entered spring training with more hype then Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani.

However, the Los Angeles Angels' new two-way star has been a two-way bust:

• Hitting: 3-for-28 (.107 BA), 0 XBH, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 9 K
• Pitching: 2.2 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Might those early struggles be enough for the Angels to consider sending the 23-year-old to the minors for a bit of seasoning?

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, that's not something the team is considering:

"Ohtani will be on the Angels' opening-day roster, two high-ranking Angels executives told USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity since no roster decisions need to be revealed until March 29. He's tentatively scheduled to pitch their third game of the season, March 31, against the Athletics at Oakland Coliseum. He also is scheduled to be in their opening-day lineup as their starting DH."

Sounds like he'll be thrown into the fire.

If the Angels hope to reach the postseason after a busy offseason of roster improvements, they're going to need Ohtani to play up to his potential.

Regular-season stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, while spring stats come via MLB.com.