Lucas Giolito Pleased With First Outing Of The Spring

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito felt like he's "right where he needs to be" after his first start of the spring on Tuesday. Giolito allowed one run in two innings while recording four punch-outs in a tie against the Rangers. Chicago's projected Opening Day starter noted that he made an effort to throw […]

Scott Kingery Homers In Spring Training Game Thursday

Philadelphia Phillies infielder/outfielder Scott Kingery hit a solo home run to lead off Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. Kingery is trying to earn a starting job after batting just .159 in 36 games last season. Kingery had severe symptoms during a battle with COVID-19 last July and also missed time with a shoulder […]

Joe Musgrove Debuting For Friars Friday

San Diego Padres starter Joe Musgrove is staged to start Friday against the San Francisco Giants in his spring debut. Acquired in the offseason from the Pittsburgh Pirates, the 28-year-old posted a career best campaign in a shortened 2020 season. Across eight starts, Musgrove registered a 3.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and fantastic 33 percent strikeout […]

Shogo Akiyama Back In Camp

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama (personal) will return to camp on Thursday after being away since last Friday to tend to personal matters. Akiyama will have to go through COVID-testing protocols and test negative for the virus before he can take the field. The 32-year-old hit .245 with seven steals for Cincy in 2020 and […]

Julio Urias The Front-Runner For Fifth Rotation Spot

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias is the front-runner to lock up the fifth rotation spot after a week of spring games. Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Trevor Bauer and David Price are all locks for the rotation. The 24-year-old went 3-0 with a 3.27 ERA in 11 outings (10 starts) in 2020 after fighting injuries […]

Nick Castellanos Still Sidelined Thursday

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos (finger) is not in the lineup as the team gets ready to take on the Kansas City Royals in Cactus League action on Thursday. Castellanos was scratched from the lineup on Tuesday with a sore right middle finger and remained sidelined on Wednesday. The team tentatively hopes to have him […]

Odubel Herrera Homers In Spring Training Game Thursday

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera homered in Thursday's spring training game versus the Yankees. Herrera hit a moonshot off Deivi Garcia to lead off the bottom of the second inning after gunning down a runner at the plate to end the top of the frame. Herrera's presence in Phillies camp has been controversial following his […]

Joe Maddon Would Like David Fletcher To Steal More Bases

Los Angeles Angels second baseman David Fletcher is one of manager Joe Maddon's favorite players because he's a throwback and gritty player who makes elite contact, gets on base by any means necessary and is a top defender at the keystone. But Maddon would like if it Fletcher became "more of a base-stealing threat" in […]

Max Stassi Not Ready For Games

Los Angeles Angels catcher Max Stassi (hip) isn't ready to appear in Cactus League games after having left hip surgery after the 2020 season, but he is taking part in full workouts and is getting close to making his spring training debut. Barring a setback, Stassi is expected to be ready for the start of […]

Angels Being Flexible With Jaime Barria

Los Angeles Angels right-hander Jaime Barria threw a simulated game on Wednesday instead of seeing action in a Cactus League game. The Angels are waiting to see if Barria will be given an extra year of minor league options because of the shortened season in 2020. If he is out of options, he'll make the […]

Andrew Knapp To See Expanded Role In 2021

Philadelphia Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp will see an expanded role this season, even when J.T. Realmuto is healthy, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Knapp has been working as the team's top catcher as Realmuto deals with an injury, though reports indicate Realmuto is still on track for Opening Day. Knapp is a light-hitting backup catcher […]

Brandon Marsh Being Held Out With Arm Injury

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Brandon Marsh (arm), ranked by MLB Pipeline as the team's top prospect, has been held out of playing defense for precautionary reasons with a minor arm injury. Marsh has still been able to serve as a designated hitter and is expected to be in the lineup on Friday. The 23-year-old left-handed […]

Trevor Bauer Flashes Elite Upside To Begin Spring

Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Trevor Bauer posted two scoreless frames with two strikeouts in his first appearance with L.A. While there was considerable pomp around his free agency, fantasy managers shouldn't lose sight of the production that the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner has compiled. Many have pointed to Bauer's 3.90 career […]

Dylan Bundy With Nice Spring Debut

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Dylan Bundy picked up right where he left off from last year's breakout season, as he tossed two scoreless innings against the Rangers in his spring debut on Wednesday. Bundy had a 3.29 ERA in 11 starts in his first season with the Angels in the shortened 2020 season, and […]

Salvador Perez 2-For-5 With A Homer In First Three Spring Games

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez is off to a solid start to spring training. He's started three of the team's first four games, hitting clean-up twice and third in the order once. Over those three games, he's 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a walk. The Royals did a good job bolstering their […]

Whit Merrifield To Be Royals Everyday Right Fielder In 2021

Kansas City Royals outfielder Whit Merrifield has shown off his versatility throughout his MLB career. He's made 184 career starts in the outfield and 379 career starts at second base. About half of his career outfield starts have been in right field. This year, that percentage appears likely to go up immensely. The Royals plan […]

Mookie Betts Set To Be Catalyst For Dodgers Order In 2021

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts continued his elite fantasy output during the 2020 year, his first as a Dodger. Now he enters '21 with a baseline of expectation, having finished second in National League MVP voting last year. Having kicked off Cactus League play 1-for-4 with a double, Betts is expected to be a […]

Tyler Anderson Strikes Out Three in Pirates Debut

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Tyler Anderson made his debut with the team on Thursday, allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts over two innings against the Atlanta Braves. Anderson signed a one-year deal with the Pirates last month after spending 2020 with the San Francisco Giants, where he went 4-3 with a 4.37 […]

Griffin Canning To Make Spring Debut Thursday

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Griffin Canning will make his spring debut Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Canning performed respectably in 2020 by posting a 3.99 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 56 strikeouts across 56 1/3 innings pitched. He will be part of an Angels six-man rotation in 2021, so his innings will likely be limited, […]

Colin Moran Batting Cleanup Thursday

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Colin Moran is batting cleanup Thursday against the Atlanta Braves. Moran will look to stabilize himself and become the anchor in the middle of the Pirates' order in 2021 after they traded away Josh Bell during the offseason. Moran's strong suit comes against right-handed pitching as he slashed .252/.338/.512 with nine home […]

Framber Valdez May Require Season-Ending Surgery

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez (finger) may require season-ending surgery to repair his fractured ring finger, according to Jon Heyman. If the surgery is required, there is a strong belief that Valdez could miss the entire 2021 campaign. This would be devastating news for Valdez and the Astros after he pitched so well in 2020 […]

Nate Pearson Dealing With Groin Strain

The Toronto Blue Jays' top pitching prospect Nate Pearson (groin) suffered a Grade 1 groin strain in his last outing, according to general manager Ross Atkins. The injury news is a tough blow for the Jays rotation, which was already considered the weakest area on the team. Pearson missed time last year due to a flexor […]

Fantasy Baseball Strategy with John Fish - Benched with Bubba (Episode 349)

Bubba (@bdentrek) is joined by John Fish (@Fish2483). They will recap the recent Fantasy Baseball news, discuss John's NFBC portfolio, tons of NFBC draft strategies for different formats, post 200 ADP debates, and much more. Be sure to subscribe to the Benched With Bubba Podcast, part of RotoBaller Radio's Podcast Network. Like and Subscribe to the RotoBaller channel on […]

Lorenzo Cain Dealing With Quad Tightness

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain is battling a minor quadriceps injury early on during spring training, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports. According to a source familiar with the team, Cain's injury is described as "tightness" and considered "very minor." The Brewers could bring Cain along slowly while he manages the injury, especially after he played […]

Shed Long Jr. Being Held Back By Shin Injury

Seattle Mariners infielder Shed Long Jr. (shin) is still not quite 100 percent after undergoing surgery on a stress fracture in his shin last September. Manager Scott Servais reported that Long will be out at least a few more days before seeing game action. Long had a frustrating season in 2020, struggling mightily to the […]

Matt Manning Strong in Spring Debut, Could Help Tigers in 2021

Detroit Tigers pitching prospect Matt Manning provided two innings of shutout baseball against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. Along with striking out one batter, the right-hander induced three ground-ball outs. He succeeded against multiple big-league hitters, including Andrew McCutchen and Jean Segura. Manning spent 2019 in double-A but was injured with a strained forearm for […]

Alek Manoah's Timetable Accelerating?

Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Alek Manoah struck out four Yankees batters in Wednesday's 4-1 loss. Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 260 pounds, the right-hander was up to 97 mph and whiffed numerous big-league hitters including Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres. The former first-round pick from 2019 hasn't officially pitched above A-ball due to the pandemic […]

Dominic Smith Making Spring Debut On Thursday

New York Mets outfielder/first baseman Dominic Smith will be making his Grapefruit League debut on Thursday against the Nationals. Smith will be batting third as the Mets' designated hitter. In 2020, Smith broke out with a .316/.377/.616 slash line, 10 home runs, and 42 RBI. He finished tied for second in the National League with […]

Nationals Need More From Victor Robles

Washington Nationals outfielder Victor Robles would be the team's ideal leadoff hitter, but his career .320 on-base percentage won't really cut it in such a role. Nationals hitting coach Kevin Long is looking for Robles to "progress and get better" to the point where he is capable of the "things that a good leadoff hitter […]

J.D. Martinez Solid On Wednesday

Boston Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Wednesday's 14-6 rout of the Minnesota Twins. Martinez has started the spring hot as he is now 4-for-8 with five total bases in his first three games. Martinez is coming off a down year where he slashed just .213/.291/.389 […]