
Brian McCann Hitless Thus Far In Spring Training
Houston Astros catcher Brian McCann is still looking for his first hit through 14 spring at-bats. This shouldn't set off too many alarms for the veteran catcher with 263 career home runs, but it is reasonable to ask how much the 34-year-old has left in the tank. He failed to hit more than 20 home […]

Jake Marisnick Needs To Cut Down On The Strikeouts
Houston Astros outfielder Jake Marisnick is getting every opportunity to earn more playing time this season for the defending champions. Marisnick is a fantastic center fielder and flashed some power last season, slugging 16 home runs through only 230 at-bats. Marisnick is off to a decent start this spring, hitting .292, but the strikeouts continue […]

Jose Altuve Already Picking Up Where He Left Off In 2017
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve is hitting .412 through 17 at-bats with a couple weeks left in Spring Training. It doesn't matter whether it's the preseason, regular season, postseason or a game on Mars. Altuve will hit no matter where he is it seems. The Astros regulars are beginning to get more at-bats now […]

Buster Posey Gets Cortisone Shot
San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (ankle) received a cortisone shot, which helped calm down inflammation in his ankle. Posey also took an MRI exam, which ruled out anything serious. Posey is hoping he is good to go now and was in Friday’s lineup, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored.

A.J. Puk's Solid Game Adds To Opening Day Intrigue
Oakland Athletics top pitching prospect A.J. Puk had a very good spring training game Friday against the Brewers. He pitched three clean innings and struck out two but also gave away two free passes. John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that when asked if Puk would be on the season-opening roster, manager Bob Melvin […]

Dallas Keuchel Vows There Will Be No World Series Hangover
Houston Astros starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel declared that his defending champs are "not the Cubs" and there will be no World Series hangover. This was in reference to the 2016 World Champion Chicago Cubs playing .500 baseball for the entire first half of the season in 2017. Keuchel believes that the Astros, simply "have better […]

Nate Jones And Joakim Soria In Contention For White Sox's Closer Role
Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria is not ready to name the team's closer. The battle seems to be between relief pitchers Nate Jones and Joakim Soria, but Renteria said he won’t hesitate to use the best guy for the right situation. For now it appears it will be a mix-and-match situation between the two, […]

Evan Longoria Dealing With Sore Heel
San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria (heel) was scratched from Friday’s lineup. There is no update yet on how he suffered the injury and how long he will be sidelined. For the first time in his career, Longoria will be wearing a uniform that isn’t a Tampa Bay Rays one, and he should put […]

Chris Sale Looks To Be In Midseason Form In Spring Debut
Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale demonstrated his dominance, even in his first spring game against the Marlins. Sale struck out five batters through four innings, only allowing one run on two hits, and also did not walk a single batter. In his first and only appearance thus far, the methodical regimen to progress his […]

Luiz Gohara Injured During Fielding Drills And Will Miss Scheduled Start
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Luiz Gohara (ankle, groin), who was coming back from a groin injury, got hurt again. He sprained his left ankle while covering first base. The team is waiting for X-ray results, but he's definitely not going to be starting on Sunday. Depending on how bad it is, this may open the door […]

Erasmo Ramirez To Play Catch After Shutdown
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Erasmo Ramirez (shoulder) will finally begin to play catch after being shut down from throwing in mid-February, per MLB beat writer Greg Johns. Ramirez suffered a mid-lat injury and was immediately prohibited from throwing. Ramirez was certainly a candidate to crack the starting rotation this season for the Mariners after posting a […]

Felix Hernandez Has Positive Day Throwing
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez (forearm) took positive steps playing long toss off flat ground for consecutive days, per mlb.com. There is no timetable for his return after taking a line drive off of his forearm in his first Cactus League outing of the spring but is making progress. This type of freak injury should […]

Eddie Rosario Feeling Better
Minnesota Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario told reporters on Friday that his sore right triceps is feeling better. The outfielder has not been throwing of late due to soreness in the muscle. He has been cleared to resume all baseball activity as of Friday but he isn't quite sure when he will be back in the […]

Logan Morrison Getting Better But Will Miss Friday, Saturday
Minnesota Twins first baseman/designated hitter Logan Morrison (gluteus) is on the road to recovery after straining his glute on Wednesday while sliding in a spring training game. Morrison told manager Paul Molitor that he is improving, but the team plans to be cautious with Morrison and will most likely hold him out of action on […]

Zach Britton May Bump Up Rehab Schedule
Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton (Achilles), who hurt himself in December and was looking at a possible July return, has now circled May on his calendar. He's progressing well and is having his protective boot removed next week. Britton is optimistic and wants to start throwing sometime soon. In the interim, make sure you have […]

Caleb Joseph Drives In Run Against Blue Jays
Baltimore Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph, who drove in one of the team's five runs on Friday, has been having a hot spring. He has to, because right now he's got three other backstops breathing down his neck to be the starter -- Chance Sisco, Andrew Susac and Austin Wynns. So far, Joseph hasn't blinked, as he's hitting […]

Dominic Smith Expected To Play On Sunday
New York Mets first baseman Dominic Smith has been out of action due to an injured right quadriceps, but he’s expected to return on Sunday. Smith has seen only one at-bat in the Grapefruit League this spring ,which is obviously not a good start after entering spring training in a competition with fellow first baseman […]

Mark Trumbo Making Way Back From Injury
Baltimore Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo (quadriceps) is feeling better, according to manager Buck Showalter. There's no definite timetable, but surely the Orioles hope that Trumbo can be back in time for Opening Day. Right now, first baseman Pedro Alvarez has been given the DH duties and while his power can be enticing, he's also not much of a […]

Kevin Gausman Throws Four-Inning Sim Game
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Kevin Gausman threw 65 pitches in a four-inning simulated game. He's just keeping sharp in between spring training starts, especially with the team having a lot of minor leaguers in camp, though those numbers are slowly being culled each week.

Charlie Blackmon Likely Moving Back To Leadoff Spot
The Colorado Rockies experiment with outfielder Charlie Blackmon at the No. 3 spot appears to be over with the signing of Carlos Gonzalez, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. Gonzalez will most likely bat fourth or fifth, presumably where third baseman Nolan Arenado and shortstop Trevor Story were going to hit. Leaving Blackmon in the three-hole […]

Miguel Castro Goes Three Innings In Spring Debut
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Miguel Castro, who had knee tendinitis and back pain, had a pretty successful first actual start of the Spring. He'd pitched a "B" game before. Castro gave up a run and struck out one while walking two. With Gabriel Ynoa now out for at least two weeks with his shin splints, […]

Walker Buehler To Make First Cactus League Start Saturday
Los Angeles Dodgers top pitching prospect Walker Buehler (back) will make his first Cactus League start on Saturday. He's been slowly ramping up his throwing activities due to a sore back but seems ready to go. Buehler didn't fare very well in limited bullpen action last season in the majors, but has flown through the minors […]

Carlos Gonzalez Finalizes Contract With Rockies
Updating a previous report, free-agent outfielder Carlos Gonzalez has re-signed a one-year contract worth $8 million with the Colorado Rockies, according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. The already crowded outfield consisting of David Dahl, Charlie Blackmon, Gerardo Parra and Ian Desmond will be even more crowded than before. This signing hurts the value of first […]

Adrian Gonzalez Is Feeling Good Right Now
New York Mets first baseman Adrian Gonzalez may not be producing at the plate in spring training thus far, but it’s certainly not for lack of health, according to Gonzalez. Gonzalez has been participating in a new warmup routine this spring, one that’s designed to help his back. If you recall, back injuries limited Gonzalez […]

Jeurys Familia Enduring Dead-Arm Phase
New York Mets reliever Jeurys Familia is currently enduring a dead-arm phase, but not to worry -- according to Familia, his arm feels this way every year in spring training as he grows accustomed to throwing every day. His arm currently feels “tight,” which makes sense given Familia’s dreadful appearance against the Nationals on Thursday. […]

Luis Robert Still Limited
Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert (thumb) remains limited with inflammation in his left thumb. Robert suffered the injury when he slid into second base on Wednesday and had trouble with it during batting practice on Thursday. Robert is one of the team’s top prospects, but is a few years away from making an impact […]

White Sox Hope Eloy Jimenez Will Play Sunday
Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria said he is “hoping” top prospect and outfielder Eloy Jimenez (knee) will play on Sunday. Jimenez only has one at-bat this spring, but the club has been taking it easy with Jimenez and this was never considered a serious injury. Jimenez is slated to start the 2018 season in […]

Adalberto Mondesi, Bubba Starling Still Sidelined
Kansas City Royals second baseman Adalberto Mondesi (shoulder) and outfielder Bubba Starling (oblique) both remain sidelined in camp. Mondesi will not throw for the next five days, while Starling will be out for a while and is a candidate to open the year on the disabled list, according to manager Ned Yost. Neither player really […]

Erasmo Ramirez Could Be Cleared To Throw Saturday
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Erasmo Ramirez (shoulder) will meet with a team doctor Friday and could be cleared to play catch Saturday. Manager Scott Servais isn't ruling Ramirez out to open the year as the fifth starter, but with off days, the M's won't need a fifth starter until mid-April. Because of that, the Mariners […]

Christian Villanueva Adding First Base To His Resume
San Diego Padres third baseman Christian Villanueva will play first base Friday as he fights for a roster spot. The Padres third baseman was also recently linked to taking repetitions at shortstop. His versatility could supplement a bat that's hitting .435 with three homers and 11 RBI in 23 spring at-bats (1.465 OPS). If he makes […]