Clayton Richard Expected To Start Opening Day

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Clayton Richard turned in his best spring tune-up on Friday, hurling four innings of shutout ball with one strikeout. Although Padres manager Andy Green wouldn't confirm, the calendar aligns Friday's start with Opening Day. Richard is widely expected to get the ball against the Milwaukee Brewers to start the season. […]

Paulo Orlando Out 3-6 Days

Kansas City Royals outfielder Paulo Orlando (hamstring) will be out three to six days with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, according to manager Ned Yost. Injuries and poor play hurt Orlando in 2016, as he hit a putrid .197 with two homers, six RBI and one steal in only 39 games. Lorenzo Cain leaving in […]

Mike Moustakas Could See Time At First Base

Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost said he could give third baseman Mike Moustakas a look at first base in spring training. It would be another way to get infielder Cheslor Cuthbert some playing time. It's an interesting proposition, as Moose would be more valuable to fantasy owners if he added first base eligibility, but […]

Greg Bird Struggling Mightily At The Plate

Last season, New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird enjoyed a monstrous Spring Training, hitting .451 with eight home runs and 15 RBI in 51 plate appearances. He appeared set for a terrific season with the Yankees, but he actually suffered a terrible opening month of the season before losing most of the year with […]

Giancarlo Stanton Crushes First Home Run Of Spring

Taking on his former division rival in the New York Mets on Saturday, outfielder Giancarlo Stanton took a couple of healthy hacks. In the first inning, he smashed a foul ball that struck the window of a press box. Later, he connected on a two-run home run, his first in a New York Yankees uniform. […]

Jon Gray Labors With Control Issues

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jon Gray is using his spring training to try to develop a changeup, but the biggest takeaway so far is that his control isn't ready for the regular season yet. Gray was rocked by the Indians on Friday as he regularly left pitches up and out over the plate. Gray is […]

Trevor Story Continues To Demolish Spring Training

Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story has been on a tear this spring, racking up an 1.118 OPS so far. After his sophomore season came up short in the contact department, Story has focused on being more patient at the plate, at least for him. Story led the National League in strikeouts last year, so his […]

Raimel Tapia Faces Uphill Battle To Playing Time

Colorado Rockies outfielder Raimel Tapia already had a battle on his hands to get regular playing time, but the re-signing of Carlos Gonzalez has made it dramatically more difficult for the 24-year-old. Tapia has had a solid spring so far, triple slashing .265/.306/.412, but the likes of Charlie Blackmon, Gerardo Parra, Ian Desmond, and Gonzalez […]

Hector Neris Gives Up First Runs Of Spring

After a strong first four outings to start spring training, Philadelphia Phillies closer Hector Neris struggled Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays, taking a loss. The 28-year-old allowed three runs on three hits, also striking out two during his brief outing. Prior to Saturday's loss, Neris appeared in four games, allowing just two hits and […]

Vince Velasquez's Spring Keeps Trending Upward

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Vince Velasquez had his second consecutive positive outing Saturday for the Phillies this spring. Taking on the Tampa Bay Rays, the 25-year-old fired four shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out two. This follows his outing against the Minnesota Twins on Monday that saw him toss two shutout innings. While Velasquez’s […]

Christian Arroyo Looking Good In Spring Training

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Christian Arroyo has been looking good so far in the spring. Manager Kevin Cash says he will see time at second, third and short. The position that he should see the most time at is third base, which will be his "primary" position, according to Cash. It is uncertain if Arroyo […]

Nathan Eovaldi Looking Good So Far In Spring Training

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi has looked good so far in spring training. In previous occasions, his fastball has been impressive and in this outing, his breaking ball was "electric" and he had a "really good day" overall. He has talent but has been erratic so far in his career. In 2014, he […]

Derek Dietrich To Play In The Outfield For Miami, Could Also Bat Leadoff

Derek Dietrich is ready to take on full-time outfield duties for the Miami Marlins as the team debuts a brand new outfield once the season begins. Primarily a versatile infielder, the departures of Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton have forced Miami to shift some of its most flexible players to different positions. Dietrich's offense […]

Brad Ziegler Still On Track To Be Marlins Closer

Relief pitcher Brad Ziegler is still expected to be the Miami Marlins closer when the season starts, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. The veteran Ziegler is close to 40 years old and is coming off one of the worst seasons he's ever had. In 2017, Ziegler finished with 10 saves but also blew five, […]

Starlin Castro Enjoying Quality Spring

Miami Marlins second baseman Starlin Castro is having a solid Spring as the former New York Yankee inches closer to his Marlins regular season debut. After coming to Miami via the Giancarlo Stanton trade, Castro made headlines for saying he wanted to be traded. He has since changed his tune, and the Marlins will need […]

Erasmo Ramirez Plays Catch Saturday

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Erasmo Ramirez (shoulder) played catch Saturday for the first time since he was shut down three weeks ago, and manager Scott Servais said there's still a chance that Ramirez could be in the rotation by the time the team needs a fifth starter in mid-April. After returning to Seattle midseason last […]

Tyler Anderson Shaky Against Brewers

Colorado Rockies left-handed starting pitcher Tyler Anderson pitched three innings, giving up four runs (three unearned), five hits and two strikeouts in the 9-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. Anderson's game started out rough after shortstop Brendan Rogers made an error on a fielder's choice, allowing Ryan Braun to score and Domingo Santana to advance to […]

Mookie Betts Is Having A Spring To Forget

Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts is struggling to get into a rhythm this spring. Thus far, Betts has one hit in 19 at-bats, with his one hit coming on Thursday. While many disregard spring numbers as unimportant, Betts surely wants to make sure he improves upon his 2017 batting average (.264). Getting consistent quality results […]

Greg Holland an Option for Rangers Closer?

In an article from Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, it is reported that the Texas Rangers have considered signing free-agent reliever Greg Holland to bolster their bullpen ahead of the 2018 season. The move would make sense, as Texas has yet to name a closer. Currently, incumbent Alex Claudio is expected to start the season […]

Xander Bogaerts Getting Aggressive At The Plate

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts has seemingly bought into new manager Alex Cora's intent of being more aggressive at the plate. Thus far, Bogaerts is 9-for-18 at the plate in spring training with five runs, one home run and three runs batted in. More importantly, he is driving the ball and has an on […]

Corey Knebel Tweaks Knee

Milwaukee Brewers closer Corey Knebel (knee) slipped on a wet mound in Cactus League action Saturday and slightly tweaked his left knee, according to manager Craig Counsell. However, Counsell said the injury wasn't serious, and they removed Knebel for "precautionary" reasons. It looks like Knebel dodged a bullet here, but it's something worth keeping an […]

Mike Trout Goes 3-for-3 with Home Run

Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout broke out of his spring training slump on Saturday. After starting 1-for-14, Trout hit two line drive singles and a home run on Saturday. While there is obviously no doubt about taking Trout with the first or second pick in all fantasy formats, it is nice to see […]

Ryan Braun Not Comfortable At First Base

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun, who was playing left field in spring training Saturday, said he's "not remotely comfortable" playing at first base yet. Given Milwaukee's plethora of outfielders in 2018, the team would like Braun to move to first base and share time with Eric Thames. Injuries always remain a concern for Braun, too, […]

Daniel Mengden Roughed Up On Saturday

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Daniel Mengden gave up six runs in four innings against the Rangers. Mengden came on in relief on Saturday and was not effective at all. He did strike out four batters and walked one. Mengden is almost assured of a starting spot in the rotation after his performance at the end […]

Nelson Cruz Scratched Saturday

Seattle Mariners outfielder Nelson Cruz (illness) was scratched from the spring lineup Saturday because he wasn't feeling well. Cruz will be fine. He managed to hit .288 with 39 home runs, 119 RBI and a .549 slugging percentage in 556 at-bats for Seattle last year and will once again be a strong fantasy consideration, even […]

Alex Dickerson Opts For Rehab Over Surgery

San Diego Padres outfielder Alex Dickerson (elbow) will attempt to rehab his sprained UCL instead of opting for Tommy John surgery. While the former will keep him out through at least April, the latter would've ended his season before it started. Surgery is still on the table if he doesn't show improvement. Steamrolled by injuries […]

Travis Jankowski Cranks Two Homers

San Diego Padres outfielder Travis Jankowski went yard twice on Saturday against the Indians. Prior to Saturday's eruption, Jankowski was hitting .182 and on the outside looking in at a competitive San Diego outfield. Jankowski, 26, has played sporadically in three seasons with the Padres but did steal 30 bases in 2016. While his speed […]

Jorge Bonifacio Suspended 80 Games

Kansas City Royals outfielder Jorge Bonifacio has been suspended for 80 games following a positive performance-enhancing drug test. Bonifacio was penciled in to be Kansas City's opening day right fielder after a surprisingly solid rookie season last year, and he had been a bit of a dark-horse fantasy asset. The re-signing of third baseman Mike Moustakas […]

Lance Lynn Signs One-Year Deal With Twins

The Minnesota Twins and right-hander Lance Lynn have agreed on a one-year, $12 million guaranteed deal. Lynn, who spent his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals, had been rumored to be negotiating with the Twins over the past week while the Twins were making no secret about their desire to add another arm to […]

Evan Longoria Doesn’t Expect To Miss Time With Ankle Soreness

San Francisco Giants third baseman Evan Longoria (ankle) said on Saturday that he is day-to-day with left ankle joint soreness. Longoria was a last minute scratch prior to Friday’s game. Longoria said that he’s dealt with plantar fasciitis in the same foot but does not know if it’s related to his current issue. The good […]