J.D. Martinez Will Debut Next Week

According to Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald, Boston Red Sox outfielder J.D. Martinez is acclimating quickly and is expected to debut next week. “His routine got messed up the last four or five days and it was the first day he hit in four or five days, so we want him to get back... Read More

Marco Hernandez Returns To Camp

Boston Red Sox infielder Marco Hernandez returned to camp Tuesday after his second shoulder procedure in a year, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. A week ago, Hernandez returned to Boston after doctors determined that pins put in his shoulder last May needed to be removed. The initial report was Hernandez would return when he was... Read More

Tyler Thornburg Scheduled For Bullpen Session

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Tyler Thornburg (shoulder) is scheduled for a bullpen session Wednesday, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. This will be Thornburg's first bullpen session since having thoracic outlet surgery in June 2017. “Big day for him,” manager Alex Cora said. Thornburg never had an opportunity to pitch in 2017 due to... Read More

Taijuan Walker Wants To Redeem Himself

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Taijuan Walker wants an opportunity to redeem himself from his performance in Game 1 of the Division Series, according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. In that game, Walker lacked the consistency he displayed all season; he allowed four runs in the first inning. In his first season in Arizona,... Read More

Steven Souza Jr. Committed To Goals

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza Jr. is committed to certain goals in his first season with the team, according to Jody Jackson of Fox Sports Arizona. Continuing a method he first used in 2017, Souza will write down his goals that he hopes to achieve this season and stash them to review once the season... Read More

Archie Bradley Shows His Velocity

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Archie Bradley has already demonstrated the velocity that he hopes to maintain throughout the 2018 season. He admitted to having inconsistencies in past seasons that began even in spring training. However, in a game situation on Saturday, Bradley's first pitch was 95.1 mph. Afterwards, his 17-pitch outing only increased in speed,... Read More

Paul Goldschmidt's Plan Includes Time Off

According to Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt will get more days off this year, as reported by Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Goldschmidt has played 155 games or more four out of the last five seasons. He is well known for his durability. As Goldschmidt has turned 30, the manager seems intent... Read More

J.D. Martinez's Contract Has Opt-Outs And Protection

Outfielder J.D. Martinez and the Boston Red Sox have officially signed the agreed-upon contract of five years and $110 million. According to Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston, the contract was delayed by a medical issue in 2017 -- a sprained Lisfranc ligament in right foot -- and he has three opt-outs as well as... Read More

Robbie Ray To Build Upon Strong Resume

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Robbie Ray believes that last year's performance was more of a floor than one of his best years, according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Ray was second in the majors with 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings and third in hits per nine. Ray impressed with 218 strikeouts for the... Read More

Jake Lamb Fine After Hit On Ankle

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb (ankle) was hit on his right ankle by a line drive, according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Indians infielder Erik Gonzalez hit a line drive with an exit velocity of 114 mph. Lamb stated he was fine and did not appear to have any issues. We will... Read More

J.D. Martinez Press Conference Still On Hold

Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal has reported that there is still no news on the physical nor impending press conference of Boston Red Sox outfielder J.D. Martinez. "I'm not concerned. My concern is with the guys here," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. Until we hear more about the exact holdup, we will just... Read More

Marco Hernandez Experiencing More Pain

According to Jen McCaffrey, Boston Red Sox infielder Marco Hernandez (shoulder) had to return to Boston due to discomfort in his left shoulder. Doctors determined Hernandez needed to have the pins removed that were inserted into his shoulder last May. "He was doing everything fine and he felt weak or he was sore and it... Read More

Blake Swihart Not Named As Starter Or Backup Catcher

According to Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora has stated that Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez are his catchers. This news means that Blake Swihart has lost another opportunity to win a starting position. Through process of positional elimination, Swihart will be relegated to a utility role. Thus far... Read More

Eduardo Rodriguez Begins Throwing

According to Jen McCaffrey of masslive.com, Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (knee) will be throwing his first side session on Monday. Rodriguez is recovering from knee surgery in October. He has had various knee issues every year. Hopefully, this surgery will resolve it for good and keep Rodriguez on the mound. When healthy, Rodriguez has... Read More

Steven Wright's Investigation Moves Toward A Conclusion

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Steven Wright met with MLB and the investigation into his arrest for domestic assault may soon be concluded, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. Wright was arrested in December 2017 for an argument with his wife. The Tennessee court retired it for one year, meaning it will be... Read More

Blake Swihart Might Need A New Venue

Boston Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart is following a plan that manager Alex Cora and the staff has prepared to make him more versatile and improve the chances of Swihart getting more playing time. However, now might be the perfect opportunity for the Red Sox to trade Swihart, according to Evan Drellich of NBC Sports... Read More

J.D. Martinez Deal Waiting On Physical

According to Christopher Smith of masslive.com, there will not be a press conference Thursday to officially announce the signing of outfielder J.D. Martinez by the Boston Red Sox. The reason is the physical has yet to be completed. There is no additional word regarding any specifics that the physical is causing the holdup. Smith also reported that... Read More

Yasmany Tomas Might Not Make Roster

According to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic, Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Yasmany Tomas looks to have a hard time securing a roster spot, let alone a spot in the starting lineup. The acquisitions of outfielders Steven Souza Jr. and Jarrod Dyson secured the most likely spots Tomas could play in the outfield. Among 12 other... Read More

Blake Swihart's Plan For Playing Time

Boston Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart continues to be the focus of attention and efforts to get more playing time. Manager Alex Cora said that Swihart will focus on catching, outfield and designated hitter for the near future. There is no time yet for Swihart to get repetitions in the infield. "Versatile enough that you... Read More

Alex Cora Not Concerned About Lineups

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is not concerned with the particulars of lineup construction based on splits, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. Cora is not concerned with splitting up righties and lefties and doesn’t plan to get carried away with batter/pitcher matchups if it’s a small sample. With this news, there... Read More

Andrew Benintendi Success Stems From Summer Break

Boston Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi has already accomplished in his rookie year what many players fail to reach in their entire career; he joined the 20 homers and 20 steals club. Benintendi attributes his sudden rise to stardom to an offseason before his sophomore season at the University of Arkansas. "I didn't play summer... Read More

Chris Owings Will Roam The Whole Field

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Chris Owings will get plenty of playing time this year, according to manager Torey Lovullo. "He’s going to walk all over the diamond and impact the game at a different angle at different times throughout the course of the season." The agenda seems to be getting him repetitions at all the... Read More

Blake Swihart Gets Work At Other Positions

Boston Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart will get work at positions other than catcher, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. The Red Sox continue to try to find ways to get Swihart's bat into the lineup. This will prove tough since the lineup is stacked with offensive contributors. The current plan is for... Read More

Rafael Devers Gets MVP Instruction

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has been getting expert instruction from Mike Lowell, a former World Series MVP, according to Jen McCaffrey of masslive.com. There is no question about Devers' bat. In 222 at-bats, Devers hit 20 home runs and had a slash line of .283/.338/.482. The point of this expert assistance was... Read More

Dustin Pedroia Doing Baseball Activities

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia (knee) started taking grounders from his knees Tuesday. Pedroia had offseason knee surgery, and demonstrating an ability to actually conduct activities from his knees is a good sign. He is currently expected to return in May. Pedroia spent much of the 2017 season dealing with injuries but still had... Read More

Nicholas Castellanos (3B/OF, DET) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers & Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target ~80 CURRENT ADP: 103 ANALYSIS: The Detroit Tigers offense is aging and showed a significant drop-off from their 2016 season. In 2017, while most of the roster was struggling, Nicholas Castellanos was the lone bright spot as he continued to improve his offensive ability. Castellanos had a .272 average with 26 home runs and... Read More

Blake Swihart Working With Catchers

Boston Red Sox catcher/outfielder Blake Swihart is working with the catchers Monday, which is the first day of full-squad workouts, according to Jen McCaffrey of Masslive.com. Swihart was groomed as a catcher, but concerns with his defensive ability led him to change positions to left field. However, an injury forced an end to that experiment in 2016.... Read More

Eduardo Nunez Goes Beyond Normal Signing Procedures

Infielder Eduardo Nunez has officially signed with the Boston Red Sox. He went beyond the normal physical to demonstrate not only his health, but how much he enjoyed playing for the team. According to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox had to be more diligent in ensuring Nunez's health due to knee injuries... Read More

Three Up, Three Down – 2018 First Base Prospects

Power. Nothing else defines the first base position more than pure, raw power. If you have it, you better display it in abundance or there will be concerns. If you are smaller in stature, there will be concerns. If your talent is just hit tool, there will be concerns. If your defense is lacking, there... Read More

Taijuan Walker Hopes Humidor Helps

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Taijuan Walker hopes the humidor helps him this year, but he is not sure, according to Nick Piecoro of Arizona Central. “It’s pretty easy to get a grip with the fastball, but the hardest thing for me is getting a grip with the curveball,” Walker said. “If that (the humidor) is... Read More