Juan Soto Not In Lineup For Second Straight Game Wednesday

Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto (illness) was out of the lineup for the second straight game on Wednesday after reporting that he felt "a little ill," according to MASN's Mark Zuckerman. According to Zuckerman, Soto was scheduled to have the day off on Tuesday and was set to return to the lineup Wednesday before he was […]

MacKenzie Gore, Ryan Weathers Have Shot At Opening Day Roster

San Diego Padres pitching prospects MacKenzie Gore and Ryan Weathers both have legitimate shots to crack the Opening Day roster. While both southpaws are viewed long term as starters, both could fill swing roles with reliever Matt Strahm (knee) out and the Friars down to one left-hander in the bullpen. Furthermore, starter Dinelson Lamet (elbow) is […]

Joey Votto Tests Positive For COVID-19

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto has tested positive for COVID-19, according to C. Trent Rosencrans of The Athletic. The Reds had announced earlier in the day that Votto was being placed on the injured list with an undisclosed ailment, but Rosencrans reports that Votto has allowed the team to announce his diagnosis through official […]

Fernando Tatis Jr.'s Return To Lineup Is Imminent

San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (illness) completed a full workout Wednesday and should return to game action Thursday or Friday. The 22-year-old star had battled a non-COVID bug earlier this week but appears close to full strength. After posting a 150 wRC+ across his first 629 big league plate appearances with 39 homers […]

Tommy Edman Gets Two Hits On Wednesday

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Tommy Edman hit in the leadoff spot for Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Washington Nationals. He went 2-for-3 with a double, raising his spring batting average to .429 and his OPS to 1.038. With former starter Kolten Wong now with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cardinals will have Edman starting at […]

Jack Flaherty Tosses Four Innings On Wednesday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Jack Flaherty threw four solid innings in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Washington Nationals. In his four innings, Flaherty allowed two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out four. The outing dropped Flaherty's spring ERA to 9.00. He'll be on the mound for the Cardinals on […]

Jurickson Profar Dealing With Groin Tightness

San Diego Padres infielder/outfielder Jurickson Profar (groin) is dealing with groin tightness but should return Thursday. The utilityman has missed three games but had amassed a hit and three walks in 10 spring plate appearances. The 28-year-old flourished in his first season in San Diego, posting a .278/.343/.428 slash with seven homers and steals apiece […]

George Kirby Arrives At Mariners Camp

Seattle Mariners pitcher George Kirby has arrived at spring training as a non-roster invitee. The sixth-ranked prospect in the Mariners system, Kirby is known for his command. In his single professional season in 2019 at Low-A ball, Kirby threw 23 innings across eight starts and nine appearances without walking a single batter. He did record […]

Mariners Could Use Mitch Haniger, Dylan Moore To Lead Off

Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger and second baseman Dylan Moore are both candidates to be used in the top spot in the lineup, in addition to expected everyday leadoff hitter J.P. Crawford. Haniger, who is leading off in Wednesday's spring training game, was already expected to be in the top third of the order, but […]

Jorge Guzman Dealing With An Elbow Issue

Miami Marlins top prospect starting pitcher Jorge Guzman (elbow) is dealing with inflammation in his right elbow. Marlins General Manager Kim Ng also stated that Guzman could be out a while with the issue. Guzman wasn't expected to have a key role on the big league team this season, but it's certainly a hit to […]

Sixto Sanchez Behind Schedule

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sixto Sanchez is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Thursday. The young fireballer is behind schedule after a false positive COVID-19 test delayed his start at spring camp. The Marlins won't officially need a fifth starting pitcher until the third time through the rotation once the regular season starts, so […]

Drew Pomeranz Flexible On Bullpen Role

San Diego Padres reliever Drew Pomeranz doesn't care whether he is the team's designated closer. Since converting to a full-time reliever, the 32-year-old southpaw has been fantastic, including a 1.45 ERA and 40 percent strikeout rate last year. He also recorded four saves in 20 appearances. Padres manager Jayce Tingler indicates he'd prefer a "set […]

Carlos Carrasco Dealing With Elbow Soreness

New York Mets manager Luis Rojas stated on Wednesday that starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco has experienced some soreness in his elbow. Rojas indicated that it isn't much of a concern at this point and that Carrasco has felt similar soreness over the course of his career. The Mets stated that Carrasco will rest the next […]

Jose Alvarado Showing Strong Velocity In Spring Training

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado seems to have good velocity on his sinker as he prepares for his first season in Philadelphia. Alvarado is in the mix for late-inning work with fellow newcomer Archie Bradley and Hector Neris. Bradley is considered the favorite for the closer job, but manager Joe Girardi hasn't disclosed much […]

Ha-seong Kim Struggling With Contact

San Diego Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim has struggled to start spring training, recording just two hits with four strikeouts in 14 plate appearances. The 25-year-old joined the majors this offseason after seven excellent years in the KBO, culminating with a .306/.397/.523 line last season with 30 homers, 23 steals and 220 runs-plus-RBI in 138 contests. […]

Matt Chapman Leading Off On Wednesday

Oakland Athletics third baseman Matt Chapman will lead off and handle DH duties in Wednesday's Spring Training game against the Brewers. Chapman has been hitting well thus far in spring including blasting a homer to dead-center in Tuesday's contest. The A's have an opening at the top of their order after Marcus Semien left in […]

Jake Cronenworth Starting Hot In Spring

San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth is off to a .364/.417/.455 this spring across 12 plate appearances. The 27-year-old enjoyed a sensational rookie campaign, posting a .831 OPS while popping four homers, swiping three bags and tallying 46 runs-plus-RBI in 192 plate appearances. With the offseason addition of Korean infielder Ha-Seong Kim, Cronenworth's playing […]

Daniel Johnson Homers Twice in Cleveland Win

Cleveland Indians outfield prospect Daniel Johnson hit two home runs in three at-bats on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers. He's now 4-for-11 (.364) this spring in five appearances and is a dark-horse candidate to win a spot on Cleveland's opening day roster in 2021. Johnson is battling Jordan Luplow and Bradley Zimmer for playing time. […]

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Continues Hot Spring

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. continued his hot spring by going 1-for-2 with a run scored in Tuesday's 4-1 win against the Philadelphia Phillies. Gurriel Jr. is now 5-for-17 with a home run, two RBI, and three runs scored across his first five spring games. Gurriel Jr. played first base in this one and is expected to […]

Brendan Rodgers Homers, Doubles in Rockies Win

Colorado Rockies infield prospect Brendan Rodgers went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday. Rodgers is now 5-for-15 (.333) with two home runs through seven games. Originally a shortstop but blocked by Trevor Story, the young infielder has spent six games at second base and one game at […]

Bobby Bradley Slugs Two Doubles

Cleveland Indians first base prospect Bobby Bradley went 2-for-3 with two doubles on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers. He's now 4-for-13 (.308) this spring and all four of his hits have gone for extra bases with two doubles and two home runs. He's also driven in eight runs. The rookie first baseman appeared in 15 […]

Xander Bogaerts Expected To Be Ready For Opening Day

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (shoulder) said on a WEEI radio show that he expects to be ready for Opening Day, claiming that he feels "pretty close to 100 percent." Bogaerts has not played so far this spring due to a shoulder injury, but he is expected to take batting practice on Wednesday and be […]

Jon Lester's Energy Up After Surgery

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jon Lester is happy with his energy levels following the removal of one of his parathyroid glands this spring. Lester said he felt fatigued dating back to last season with the Cubs up until the surgery, so perhaps that partially explains his struggles in 2020, but 2019 didn't go so great […]

Michael Chavis Continues Strong Spring

Boston Red Sox first baseman Michael Chavis continued his strong spring with two more hits on Tuesday, raising his spring average and OPS to .429 and 1.429, respectively. There was a lot of buzz around Chavis upon his call-up, but most of that excitement has since been tempered due to an injury plagued, up-and-down 2019 […]

Tim Dillard Announces Retirement

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Tim Dillard has retired from baseball. The 37-year-old signed with the Rangers in December but was not invited to major league camp. He pitched parts of four seasons in the majors with the Brewers, last appearing in an MLB game back in 2012, when he made 34 appearances with a 4.38 […]

Alejandro Kirk's On-Base Streak at Three Games

Toronto Blue Jays rookie catcher Alejandro Kirk reached base for the third straight game with a single against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. He's now 2-for-5 this spring with an impressive BB-K of 1-0 in four games. Kirk is battling Reese McGuire for the second catching spot on the Blue Jays' opening day roster alongside […]

Nick Pivetta Impresses In Tuesday Start

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta had another strong outing on Tuesday, allowing just one run over three innings while striking out three. This follows up his promising debut last week, where his average fastball velocity was two and a half mph higher than it was last year. Pivetta looks to be the front-runner […]

Stephen Strasburg Sharp In Spring Debut

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg made his first start of spring training on Tuesday and allowed no hits in 1 2/3 innings with four strikeouts. Strasburg's own main takeaway was the strength of his fastball command. Spring is always a time for optimism but the continued signs that Strasburg is healthy after last year's […]

Josh Lowe Continues to Impress Rays

Tampa Bay Rays outfield prospect Josh Lowe went 2-for-3 on Tuesday afternoon against the Boston Red Sox. The 23-year-old is now 4-for-9 this spring with a stolen base and a BB-K of 1-3. Lowe has an intriguing combination of speed/power and could eventually develop into a 20-20 (HR-SB) player for the Rays. He spent 2019 […]

Dean Kremer Throws Three Shutout Innings

Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Dean Kremer did not allow a run over three innings against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. The right-hander struggled a bit with his command but allowed just one hit and one walk. It was a much better result than his first appearance of the spring that saw him allow three runs […]