Garrett Whitlock Makes Opening Day Roster

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced on Friday morning that reliever Garrett Whitlock will make the team's Opening Day roster. Whitlock, who was acquired from the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft this offseason, has been the team's feel-good story of the spring. He has allowed just one run in nine innings, striking out […]

Christian Vazquez Not Seriously Injured

Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez (eye) appears to be fine after getting hit in the face during a Thursday practice. Vazquez was scratched from Thursday's game with what the team called "an eye contusion and laceration under his left eye." Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that the team expects Vazquez to be ready for […]

Eduardo Rodriguez Will No Longer Start On Opening Day

Boston Red Sox ace Eduardo Rodriguez (arm) was scratched from his first-ever Opening Day start with what manager Alex Cora described as a "dead arm." Rodriguez missed the entire 2020 season with myocarditis resulting from COVID-19, but he has looked strong this spring, striking out 15 hitters and walking just two in his four starts. Cora […]

Paolo Espino, Luis Avilan Could Open Games

Washington Nationals pitchers Paolo Espino and Luis Avilan could be used as openers this season. Manager Davey Martinez is worried about putting too many innings on pitcher Stephen Strasburg, who only threw five innings in 2020, and potential fifth starter Joe Ross, who threw zero. It doesn't sound like Strasburg or Ross would be used […]

Victor Robles Bats Ninth Thursday

Washington Nationals outfielder Victor Robles, who has been leading off for most of the spring, hit ninth on Thursday. It was not on account of his spring performance, currently .273/.353/.591, but manager Davey Martinez seems to like the idea of using Robles as the proverbial "second leadoff hitter." This is of course bad news for […]

Leody Taveras, Eli White Make OD Roster

Texas Rangers outfielder Leody Taveras and utility player Eli White have both made the club's opening day roster. The switch-hitting Dominican is expected to be the regular centerfielder. He has produced a .736 OPS but with a modest BB-K of 1-9 in 13 spring games. Last season in the majors, Taveras had a 93 wRC+ […]

Rafael Devers Slump Continues, Goes Hitless Thursday

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers continued his recent cold streak on Thursday, going 0-for-2 in a 7-4 Red Sox loss. Over his last six games now, Devers is hitting 2-for-15 with one RBI, one walk and four strikeouts, as he lowers his spring triple slash line to .182/.234/.409 in 17 games. This sluggish […]

Julio Rodriguez Has Two Hits, Timetable Accelerating

Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base on Thursday. While a lot of the hype has been about Jarred Kelenic this spring, the 20-year-old Dominican native is now 10-for-30 (.333) with two home runs, three steals, and a BB-K of 6-10 this spring. Rodriguez has seen his development […]

Manny Machado Goes Hitless In Padres Win Thursday

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado continued his spring slump on Thursday, going 0-for-2 with a walk, one RBI and a run scored in the Padres' 11-10 victory over the Rangers. Machado has gone hitless in his last three games now, as he has lowered his spring slash line to .235/.293/.324 with three doubles, […]

Cody Bellinger Snaps 0-For-8 Skid Thursday

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger snapped an 0-for-8 slump on Thursday, finishing 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in the Dodgers' 5-2 victory over the Cubs. He's only appeared in seven games this spring, but he has not looked as good as managers would have hoped to see, slashing .167/.211/.389 with a […]

Mookie Betts Goes 1-For-3 In Dodgers' Win Thursday

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts went 1-for-3 with a single in a 5-2 Dodgers victory on Thursday. While not bad, the bat has cooled off a little for Betts over his last five games, as he is hitting 3-for-12 with a double, two strikeouts and two runs scored in that span. Coming off a […]

Jose Altuve Homers Thursday

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Thursday's 3-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Altuve has been cold this spring as he is now just 10-for-46 with two home runs, five RBI, and zero stolen bases. It has been a rough spring for Altuve and that isn't […]

Casey Mize Makes A Statement, Strikes Out Nine Batters

Detroit Tigers starter Casey Mize struck out nine Toronto Blue Jays hitters on Thursday. Perhaps just as important, the rookie hurler did not allow a walk and threw 55 of his 72 pitches for strikes (76%). He gave up two runs on five hits over four innings of work. Prior to Thursday, Mize had walked […]

Ronald Acuna Jr. Continues Slow Spring, Goes Hitless Thursday

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. continued what has been a sluggish start to the year on Thursday, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the Braves' 5-2 win over the Rays. Acuna is now 1-for-13 with a home run, two RBI, two runs scored, two walks and five strikeouts over his last five games, as […]

Brandon Belt Hopeful He'll Be On Opening Day Roster

San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt (heel) felt good in his start on Thursday, and is hopeful he'll be ready to be on the Opening Day roster, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Making just his second appearance of the spring as he recovers from offseason surgery to remove bone chips […]

Steven Matz Induces 11 Ground-Ball Outs

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Steven Matz struggled a bit with his command but he still held Detroit Tigers batters to two runs over 5.1 innings on Thursday. The veteran lefty allowed six hits with two walks and three strikeouts. After being stung hard by the home run in 2020 (4.11 HR/9) with the New York […]

Travis Shaw Fine After Early Exit Thursday

Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw (leg) was removed as a precaution on Thursday after being hit by a pitch, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. According to manager Craig Counsell, Shaw had a bruise after being hit by a pitch in his first plate appearance, and after it showed signs of swelling they removed him […]

Alek Manoah Sees Value Rise, Strikes Out Four More

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah was overpowering again on Thursday against the Detroit Tigers. The former first-round pick struck out four batters over two no-hit, shutout innings. He's now struck out 15 of the 24 batters that he's faced this spring thanks to his 95-97 mph fastball and power slider. He's allowed just one […]

Alec Bohm Day-To-Day After Early Exit Thursday

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (groin) is considered day-to-day after exiting Thursday's game early, according to Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Manager Joe Girardi said the move was "precautionary" as Bohm was removed in the fourth inning with tightness in his left groin. Bohm made his major league debut in 2020, where he […]

Jonathan India Scores Once

Cincinnati Reds infielder Jonathan India went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in a 9-4 Cactus League loss to the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. India continues to stake his claim on the open second base job in Cincinnati, hitting .333 with two homers, nine runs, five RBI, and a steal in 39 […]

Jose De Leon Fans Seven In Start

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Jose De Leon continued to rack up the strikeouts, although it wasn't all good news in his Cactus League start against the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. De Leon allowed seven runs over four innings of work while striking out seven. The veteran hurler cruised through the first three innings before giving […]

Michael Lorenzen Expects To Return Soon

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Michael Lorenzen (shoulder) is confident that he will be able to return to the field soon. Lorenzen is dealing with a slight strain in his right shoulder but he could be back in time to not miss a regular-season start. "We can get creative with it. If there's a start here that […]

Miguel Rojas Gets Three Hits On Thursday

Miami Marlins shortstop Miguel Rojas had a great game in Thursday's Grapefruit League matchup against the Washington Nationals. Rojas started and hit ninth, going 3-for-3 with a home run, two singles, two RBI, and two runs scored. His home run was a two-run shot in the fifth inning and Rojas is now batting .323 with […]

Garrett Cooper Hits A Home Run On Thursday

Miami Marlins first baseman/outfielder Garrett Cooper had a nice game on Thursday in Grapefruit League play against the Washington Nationals. Cooper got the start in right field and went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in the third inning. He's hitting a robust .382 with a 1.064 OPS in the spring and should see somewhat […]

Daniel Ponce de Leon Walks Six On Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals right-handed pitcher Daniel Ponce de Leon got the start in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros. He ended up throwing 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on five hits but walking six and only striking out three. He's put up a 4.76 ERA in spring and still has a chance […]

Jazz Chisholm Steals Three Bases On Thursday

Miami Marlins infielder Jazz Chisholm played well in a Grapefruit League game against the Washington Nationals on Thursday. Jazz got the start at second base in the leadoff spot in the batting order. He went 1-for-1 with two walks and two runs scored. He stole three bases as well. Jazz is now hitting .273 with […]

Nick Neidert Tosses Four Strong Innings On Thursday

Miami Marlins pitcher Nick Neidert pitched well on Thursday in a Grapefruit League game against the Washington Nationals. Neidert was scheduled to pitch four innings in relief and did just that, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out five. Neidert seems like he'll end up in second place in the […]

Sixto Sanchez Works Into The Fourth Inning On Thursday

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sixto Sanchez got the start in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Washington Nationals. Sanchez ended up pitching 3 1/3 innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk while striking out three. Sixto got his pitch count up to 61, with 45 of them strikes. Sanchez will be a […]

Austin Hays Continues Impressive Spring Thursday

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays had another monster day in Thursday's 10-9 win over the Pirates, going 3-for-4 with a double, a triple, and a three-run home run. He also threw out two runners at home plate. The 25-year-old has put together a stellar spring, slashing .409/.447/.750 with three HR, 11 RBI, and two stolen […]

Franchy Cordero's Opening Day Status To Be Updated Soon

Originally expected to start the season on the injured list, Boston Red Sox outfielder Franchy Cordero now has a real chance to be on the Opening Day roster. Cordero, who was acquired in the Andrew Benintendi trade, was a late arrival to spring training after contracting COVID-19, but he has gotten three hits in his […]