Kolten Wong Locked Into Leadoff Spot

Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Kolten Wong figures to see quite a few first pitches this season, as he has hit leadoff in every game he has appeared in this spring. He will almost surely open the regular season at the top of the order against right-handed starters, and he may do the same against southpaws, […]

Freddy Peralta Earns Spot In Rotation For Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta has been named the Brewers' fifth starter to begin the regular season, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. Peralta made just one start for the Brewers last year, but he'll begin the year in the rotation after a strong spring performance. The right-hander has made three Cactus League appearances (one start), […]

Christin Stewart To Begin Season At Triple-A

Detroit Tigers outfielder Christin Stewart was optioned to Triple-A Toledo earlier this month. Stewart has split his past three years primarily between Triple-A and the Tigers. He's shown some significant power upside at Triple-A. Over 125 games with Toledo in 2018, he mashed 25 home runs and had a .488 slugging percentage. Stewart appeared in […]

JaCoby Jones Struggling Through Spring Action

Detroit Tigers outfielder JaCoby Jones has had a rough spring training so far. Over 42 at-bats, he's slashing .119/.213/.286 with two home runs and 14 strikeouts. Jones figures to open the year as the Tigers' starting center fielder, but he has more competition for playing time this year than he did last year. The Tigers […]

Robbie Grossman Having Solid First Spring With Tigers

Detroit Tigers outfielder Robbie Grossman signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the team this offseason. After two straight years with the Oakland Athletics, Grossman now finds himself within a weaker batting order in Detroit. Run production will be lower for Grossman on a per-at-bat basis, but he should see a more featured spot in […]

James Karinchak Will Split Save Opportunities To Begin Season

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher James Karinchak will be splitting save opportunities between a trio of pitchers to begin the season. Cleveland will use a committee of Karinchak, Emmanuel Clase, and Nick Wittgren for save chances this season, manager Terry Francona told MLB.com. "The other thing we talked to them about is because there are so […]

Joe Jimenez Optioned To Triple-A

The Detroit Tigers have optioned relief pitcher Joe Jimenez to Triple-A Toledo. Jimenez had a rough spring. He pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed six hits, three walks and five runs (three earned) while striking out six. Jimenez had two solid years in a row for the Tigers in 2018 in 2019, earning an All-Star […]

Emmanuel Clase Will Be Part Of Closer Committee In Cleveland

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase will get save opportunities this season. The Indians will use a committee of Clase, James Karinchak, and Nick Wittgren for save chances this season, manager Terry Francona told MLB.com. Clase had a 4.32 ERA this spring with 11 strikeouts and no walks in 8.1 innings. Karinchak entered spring as […]

Jose Urena To Be Tigers Fourth Starter

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jose Urena will be the fourth starter in the team's rotation to start the year. His first start will come when the Tigers open up a three-game series with the Minnesota Twins on Monday, April 5. Urena had a solid spring overall, posting a 1.93 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 14 […]

Bryan Garcia To Have Prominent Role In Tigers Bullpen

Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Bryan Garcia figures to be one of the team's top set-up men to start the 2021 season. Gregory Soto is slated to be the Tigers' primary closer, but Garcia could be next in line if Soto falters. Garcia has pitched 6 1/3 innings this spring, posting a 4.26 ERA and 2.05 […]

Jakob Junis Adds Cutter To Pitching Arsenal

Kansas City Royals pitcher Jakob Junis has added a cutter to his arsenal and has been throwing it a lot this spring. Junis has leaned heavily on his slider and four-seam fastball over his career. He threw his slider 46.2% of the time in 2020 and threw his four-seamer 34.8% of the time. In addition […]

Jackson Kowar Likely To Begin 2021 At Triple-A

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Jackson Kowar was reassigned to the Royals' minor league camp last week. He is expected to begin the 2021 season at Triple-A Omaha. Kowar struggled with the Royals this spring. He made six appearances and pitched 11.2 innings, posting a 10.80 ERA and 2.23 WHIP while striking out 10. The […]

Jesse Hahn Set For Prominent Bullpen Role

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Jesse Hahn had the best year of his career in 2020. Over 18 appearances and 17.1 innings, he posted a 0.52 ERA and 0.69 WHIP while averaging 9.9 K/9. Hahn was a starter over the first four years of his MLB career with the San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics. […]

Scott Barlow Effective In Spring Action

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Scott Barlow has had a solid spring with the team. He's pitched 6 2/3 innings over seven appearances and has allowed three hits, five walks and two earned runs while striking out 11. Barlow yielded only 2.7 BB/9 in 2020, so hopefully the walks will go down once the season […]

Mike Minor Eager For Season To Start

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Mike Minor told reporters after his final spring star that he is "ready to have the games count." Minor made his final spring start against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. He went five innings and allowed five hits, three walks and two runs (only one earned) while striking out six. […]

Victor Reyes Goes 2-for-3 Monday

Detroit Tigers outfielder Victor Reyes went 2-for-3 with a run scored in Monday's 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees. Reyes is now 9-for-31 with four RBI and one stolen base this spring. While Reyes was leading off in this one, it seems likely he could split some time in the outfield since the Tigers […]

Gregory Soto Eyes Closer's Role

Detroit Tigers pitcher Gregory Soto, a former starter, has embraced the bullpen but he wants to be the club's closer. However, manager A.J. Hinch stated that he would not announce a closer until at least opening day. Soto, a lefty, had a solid spring with just two runs allowed in 6.2 innings and a K-BB […]

Pete Fairbanks In Line For High-Leverage Innings

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Pete Fairbanks' spring got off to a terrible start thanks to a nasty case of food poisoning but he's in line for some key innings out of the bullpen in 2021. He was limited to just three games in the spring due to the illness but the long-term injury to Nick […]

Jeimer Candelario Having A Solid Spring

Detroit Tigers first baseman Jeimer Candelario has been one of the team's best hitters this spring. Over 44 at-bats, he's slashing .341/.388/.432 with three walks and only six strikeouts. He's yet to hit a home run, but he has two doubles and a triple. Candelario hit just .203 during a rough 2019 season, but he […]

Craig Kimbrel Finishes Strong, Looks For Bounce-Back Season

Chicago Cubs reliever Craig Kimbrel had a rough month as shown by his 12.15 ERA in seven games but he ended the spring on a high with two strikeouts over an inning of work on Monday. The right-hander allowed nine earned runs in his first three appearances but none over his final four. His fastball […]

Ryan O'Hearn With Five Home Runs This Spring

Kansas City Royals first baseman Ryan O'Hearn has had a solid spring for the team. He's tied with Jorge Soler and Hunter Dozier for the team-lead in home runs with five. He's slashing .209/.306/.628 and he has six RBI and eight runs over 43 at-bats. O'Hearn will likely only make a few starts each week […]

Nick Senzel Returns To Lineup Monday

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Senzel (groin) returned to the lineup on Monday, going 1-for-2 in a 5-5 tie against the Seattle Mariners in Cactus League play. Senzel had missed the previous three Cactus League games with a mild groin strain but it appears that he will be fine for Opening Day on Thursday. Senzel has […]

Tejay Antone Makes Roster As A Key Reliever

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Tejay Antone (groin/hip) has made the team's Opening Day roster. Antone has missed the past few weeks with a groin and hip injury but he will be healthy enough to be a key piece of the bullpen when the regular season begins. Antone has not appeared in a Cactus League game since […]

Edward Olivares To Serve As Reserve Outfielder In 2021

Kansas City Royals outfielder Edward Olivares has only had 12 at-bats so far this spring, but he's made the most of them. He's gone 3-for-12 with two doubles and a home run. Olivares, who turned 25 this month, was acquired by the Royals in the 2020 trade that sent Trevor Rosenthal to the San Diego […]

Tyler Naquin Makes Roster

The Cincinnati Reds purchased the contract of outfielder Tyler Naquin from Triple-A, assuring that the veteran will make the team's Opening Day roster. The former Cleveland Indian turned in an excellent spring for his new team, hitting .310 with three homers and seven RBI. Naquin is expected to operate as an extra outfielder for Cincinnati […]

Nicky Lopez Optioned To Triple-A

The Kansas City Royals have optioned second baseman Nicky Lopez to Triple-A. Lopez had a tough spring with the team. Over 34 at-bats, he slashed .118/.231/.147 with 13 strikeouts and only one extra-base hit, a double. Lopez was projected to be the team's primary second baseman this year, but now it appears as if Whit […]

Andrew Benintendi Has Five Doubles This Spring

Kansas City Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi has appeared in 17 games so far this spring. Over 40 at-bats, he's slashing .225/.340/.350 with three RBI and five runs. He has five total extra-base hits, all of which have been doubles. He's yet to homer this spring. He's shown solid plate discipline as he's walked seven times, […]

Zach Pop Earns A Spot On The Opening Day Roster

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Zach Pop has earned a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. Pop was a Rule 5 selection by the Diamondbacks, then traded to the Marlins. Per Rule 5 draft rules, he'll need to be offered back to his original team, the Orioles, if he does not remain on the active roster […]

Paul Campbell Makes The Opening Day Roster

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Paul Campbell made it on the Marlins Opening Day roster. Campbell was a Rule 5 selection from the Tampa Bay Rays, so unless he gets hurt, he'll need to remain on the active 26-man roster all year or be offered back to the Rays. Campbell earned his spot by pitching to […]

Adam Wainwright Wraps Up His Spring On Monday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Adam Wainwright pitched just 2 2/3 innings in Monday's Grapefruit League game. He was scheduled to pitch just three innings anyway, but ended up being taken out after allowing two runs on three hits and a walk after 47 pitches. Wainwright is set to pitch the second game of the […]