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,... Read More
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... Read More
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... Read More
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... Read More
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... Read More
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... Read More
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... Read More
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... Read More
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... Read More
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... Read More
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... Read More
Ozzie Albies Launches Home Run Wednesday
Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. The home run marked Albies' first hit of the spring. He enters 2021 as one of the top-two second basemen being drafted along with DJ LeMahieu. Despite a wrist injury that sidelined him for... Read More
Zach Davies Solid In Spring Debut
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Zach Davies was solid in his spring debut Wednesday as he threw two scoreless innings while walking one and striking out two in an 8-8 tie with the Seattle Mariners. Davies was a solid return piece in the Yu Darvish trade after posting a 2.73 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 63 strikeouts... Read More
LJay Newsome Struggles In Spring Debut
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Ljay Newsome didn't have his best stuff Wednesday, allowing two runs on four hits to the Cubs, with one strikeout and one walk. His outing could have looked considerably worse if not for some sparkling defense by Jake Fraley in right field. Newsome looks to be eighth or ninth on the... Read More
Anthony Rizzo Homers Wednesday
Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo had a solid day at the plate Wednesday, going 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in an 8-8 tie against the Seattle Mariners. The home run was Rizzo's first hit in five at-bats to begin the spring, but he should settle in as March continues. Rizzo was also hitting... Read More
Chris Flexen To Make Spring Start Friday
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Chris Flexen will take the mound Friday for his Mariners debut. Flexen, who spent years in the Mets minor league system shuttling between the big-league and Triple-A clubs, found considerably more success in 2020 after signing with the Doosan Bears of the KBO. Flexen dominated in Korea, posting a 2.74 FIP... Read More
James Paxton Impresses In Simulated Game
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton asked out of Wednesday's start against the Cubs, instead preferring to work on his secondary pitches in a simulated game. Catcher Tom Murphy, Paxton's battery mate for the three-inning outing, was heard saying that Paxton looked the best he has so far this spring. Paxton is looking to bounce... Read More
Shohei Ohtani Goes Yard Wednesday
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Shohei Ohtani had a great day at the plate Wednesday as he went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run and a walk in a 6-2 win over the Texas Rangers. The home run was an absolute mammoth shot to dead-center and marks the beginning of a hot spring for Ohtani, who... Read More
Jack Reinheimer Clubs Two-Run Homer
Seattle Mariners utility man Jack Reinheimer knocked a two-run shot over the left center field fence in the ninth inning of Wednesday's Cactus League matchup against the Cubs to tie the score at eight. In camp as a non-roster invitee, Reinheimer is off to a good start in spring training, but he faces an uphill... Read More
Eloy Jimenez Shows Patience Wednesday
Chicago White Sox outfielder Eloy Jimenez had a solid day at the plate Wednesday by going 1-for-1 with a run scored and two walks in a 6-5 loss to the Royals. The two walks are a welcomed sign from Jimenez as he only managed a walk rate of 5.3% in 2020. That being said, he... Read More
Trea Turner Goes 1-For-2 Wednesday
Washington Nationals shortstop Trea Turner went 1-for-2 with a double in Wednesday's loss to the Miami Marlins. Turner has now recorded a hit in his first three spring training games to begin 2021. What is most interesting is that the Nationals appear to be following through with their plan of hitting him in the middle... Read More
Jose Ramirez Goes Hitless Wednesday
Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez went 0-for-3 in Wednesday's bout with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ramirez has gotten off to a rocky start this spring as he is now 0-for-6 with two strikeouts through his first six at-bats. Ramirez will likely rebound as he gets back into the groove of baseball activities and is a... Read More
Zach Plesac Struggles In Spring Debut
Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Zach Plesac struggled in his spring debut Wednesday by allowing three earned runs and only striking out two across two innings pitched. The main blow came off a Christian Walker two-run shot in the first inning. Expectations are high for Plesac as he enters his third season in the big leagues... Read More
Jackie Bradley Jr. Signs With Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a contract with outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. The outfielder is slated to sign a $24 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, according to reports. The Boston Globe reported that the 31-year-old free agent will sign a two-year deal with a player option after the first season. The center fielder... Read More
DJ Stewart Hits Second Home Run Of Spring Wednesday
Baltimore Orioles outfielder DJ Stewart had another nice day at the plate in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Braves, going 1-for-3 with a solo home run. Stewarts' fourth-inning shot off of Carl Edwards Jr. was his second of the spring. The 27-year-old hit a poor .193 in 2020, but did have seven HR. With Anthony... Read More
Austin Hays Fighting For Starting Role
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays had a special day at the plate in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Braves, going 2-for-3 with a single, a two-run home run, and a stolen base. The HR was Hays' first of the spring and came in his first game playing in front of his infant son, Levi, who... Read More
Kike Hernandez Continues Hot Spring
Boston Red Sox second baseman Kike Hernandez continued to hit the ball well this spring on Wednesday, going 2-for-2 with two doubles and a walk. Hernandez has now reached base seven out of eight times this spring, making a strong first impression after signing with Boston for two years and $14 million dollars. Hernandez is... Read More
Corey Kluber Shines On Wednesday
New York Yankees starting pitcher Corey Kluber turned in a strong performance on Wednesday, tossing two perfect innings with three strikeouts. Somewhat encouragingly, Kluber's multi-year velocity decline appears to have plateaued as his sinker sat at 91.1 mph on Wednesday, roughly in line with last season's 91.5 mph mark. Fantasy managers shouldn't take much away... Read More
Heath Fillmyer Added On Minor League Deal
The Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a minor league deal with free-agent right-hander Heath Fillmyer on Wednesday, according to sources. The 26-year-old last pitched for the Kansas City Royals in 2019 and will give the Snakes some pitching depth as they enter the 2021 regular season. Fillmyer allowed 20 earned runs in 22 1/3 innings over... Read More
Tim Locastro Tests Positive For COVID-19
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Tim Locastro tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday night and will be out for 10 days unless there has been a false positive, according to manager Torey Lovullo. Locastro is feeling good and currently has no symptoms. The 28-year-old is expected to have a decent-sized role for the team this year, either... Read More