Carlos Martinez Named Opening Day Starter

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Carlos Martinez was named the team's Opening Day starter on Friday. He'll take the ball on March 29 in New York to take on the Mets. It'll be Martinez's second straight Opening Day start. He has some nice upside this season, but comes with a bit of risk. The 26-year-old […]

Kole Calhoun to Benefit from Ballpark Change

The Los Angeles Angels are lowering the yellow home run line in right field from 18 feet to eight feet. That will benefit the left-handed swinging Kole Calhoun, while also changing how he plays the position considerably. StatCast estimates that this change would have added 17 more home runs last season, with 11 of them […]

Nelson Cruz Smacks First Spring Home Run

Seattle Mariners designated hitter Nelson Cruz snapped an 0-for-14 streak to begin spring training with his first home run on Friday. Cruz went 2-for-2 in the game and scored two runs for his first hits of the preseason. The early funk is nothing for fantasy owners to worry about when it comes to a veteran […]

Shohei Ohtani Roughed up

Los Angeles Angels starter Shohei Ohtani was roughed up in a spring training start on Friday. He surrendered six runs in three innings, striking out six but also hitting two batters and walking one. His fastball sat between 92-95 mph but was erratic. He was facing the Tijuana Toros, a Mexican League team with only […]

Gordon Beckham Making Case To Make Mariners Roster

Seattle Mariners infielder Gordon Beckham is doing all he can to make the Opening Day roster and is currently hitting everything in sight. Through 19 preseason at-bats, Beckham has 10 hits with four extra-base hits and is slashing .526/.625/.842. The once highly-touted prospect is looking to make the team on the merits of his defense […]

So Far, So Good For Gerrit Cole

Houston Astros starting pitcher Gerrit Cole is off to a promising start through three preseason starts. The big-game pitcher was acquired from the Pirates in the offseason and has allowed only one run through 8 2/3 innings pitched with eight strikeouts in spring training. Cole won 19 games in 2015 with a 2.60 ERA but […]

Drew Pomeranz Has Another Pain-Free Throwing Session

Just like on Wednesday, Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Drew Pomeranz (forearm) played catch and was pain-free on Thursday, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. Pomeranz threw from 90 feet with no issues. Manager Alex Cora does not want to rush Pomeranz back to action, so he could not commit to Pomeranz being on the […]

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 […]