Ryan Merritt on the Roster Bubble

Cleveland Indians pitcher Ryan Merritt is on the roster bubble this spring and might have a hard time cracking the 25-man roster coming out of Spring Training. Merritt is out of options, which may complicate things, as Cleveland would risk losing him without any compensation if they choose not to carry him on the Opening […]

Young Padres Infielders Learning From Freddy Galvis

San Diego Padres shortstop Freddy Galvis is embracing his role as a mentor for young San Diego ballplayers. Touted prospects like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Javier Guerra will soak in Galvis' tutelage as they plan to usurp his job. Galvis forecasts as the Friars opening day shortstop, but the rapid development of the next generation […]

Angels Trade For Jabari Blash

The Los Angeles Angels acquired outfielder Jabari Blash from the New York Yankees in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Blash hit just .213 with five home runs and 16 RBI last year for the Padres. He has some pop in his bat but likely won't be anything more than a […]

Brad Hand Set To Be Unorthodox Closer

MLB.com reports the San Diego Padres will use closer Brad Hand in various situations rather than limiting him to the ninth inning. Hand's primary gig will still be slamming the door, but matchups and game circumstances may require his services earlier. A former starter, Hand appeared in several multi-inning outings last season and will still […]

Chris Owings Will Roam The Whole Field

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Chris Owings will get plenty of playing time this year, according to manager Torey Lovullo. "He’s going to walk all over the diamond and impact the game at a different angle at different times throughout the course of the season." The agenda seems to be getting him repetitions at all the […]

Javier Baez Can Earn More Plate Appearances With Better Plate Discipline

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez can earn more at-bats this season if he improves his strike zone, draws walks and uses the whole field. Baez is one of the more exciting players in the game today due to his light-tower power and strong defense, but he has still struggled […]

Wil Myers Believes He's Stronger And Faster In 2018

Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports San Diego Padres outfielder Wil Myers put on over 20 pounds in the offseason, increasing his playing weight to 224. Despite the gain, Myers thinks he's both faster and stronger. This could be an iteration of the classic "best shape of my life" maxim, but fantasy owners could take […]

Mark Melancon Expected To Be 100 Percent By The End Of Spring

Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that San Francisco Giants closer Mark Melancon (forearm) is expected to be 100 percent by the end of spring training. Melancon had a rough debut with the Giants in 2017, as he dealt with injuries and disappointed on the field. The closer underwent surgery in September to […]

Cubs Impressed By Yu Darvish

After throwing a 25-pitch session on Tuesday, many Chicago Cubs players and manager Joe Maddon were very impressed with starting pitcher Yu Darvish. Darvish recently signed a six-year deal with the Cubs and said, “it seems like I fit naturally with the team.” Darvish was the prized free agent in regards to starting pitchers and […]

Ben Zobrist Remains Out

Chicago Cubs infielder/outfielder Ben Zobrist (back) remains sidelined for workouts. Zobrist has been absent all week with a back issue. Manager Joe Maddon seems to be playing it slow with the veteran and said “he’s fine.” Aside from daily leagues or an injury to Javier Baez or Ian Happ, Zobrist shouldn’t hold much fantasy value […]

Joe Kelly Fine After Being Hit In BP

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Joe Kelly (shin) went for precautionary X-rays after being hit in the shin by a batted ball in batting practice Wednesday, but he is fine. Coming off a terrible 2016 season, Kelly bounced back by posting a 2.79 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 52 strikeouts in 58 innings for the Red […]

Gleyber Torres Will Battle For Starting Second Base Position

Gleyber Torres, the top prospect in the New York Yankees farm system and the No. 5 prospect in all of baseball, will do battle for the starting position at second base this spring. This news came from general manager Brian Cashman in light of the club’s acquisition of infielder Brandon Drury from the Arizona Diamondbacks. While Torres, […]

Brandon Guyer Has an MRI on His Left Wrist

Cleveland Indians outfielder Brandon Guyer had an MRI done on his left wrist on Wednesday. Guyer "tweaked" his wrist in the outfield on Tuesday and will be examined on Thursday in order to determine the next course of action. While there's nothing official yet, it sounds like Guyer might be facing an extended absence. Set […]

Pirates Ink Michael Saunders To Minors Deal

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free-agent outfielder Michael Saunders to a minor league deal Wednesday. Saunders was an All-Star in Toronto in 2016, but he fell off big time last year, hitting just .237/.312/.429 with 14 home runs and 38 RBI in 333 at-bats. Add Saunders to the list of players competing for playing time in […]

Michael Conforto May Be Out Longer

New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto (shoulder) dislocated his shoulder last year and required September surgery, and Dr. A of Inside Injuries said that a normal recovery timetable for his type of surgery would be seven to eight months. From a medical standpoint, the chances of Conforto being ready to return in April seems to be […]

Cleveland Signs Carlos Torres

The Cleveland Indians signed free-agent pitcher Carlos Torres to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training. Torres is 35 and seems almost certain to serve as Triple-A depth, at best. He posted a 4.21 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP in 72 2/3 innings last season in Milwaukee. He can be used as […]

Corey Seager To DH This Weekend

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (elbow) will serve as the designated hitter in spring games Friday and Saturday. He's currently still progressing through his throwing program, and the Dodgers are playing it cautious with him early in camp. Despite dealing with elbow issues late in 2017, Seager still managed to finish the year hitting […]

Ronald Torreyes To Battle For Second Base Spot

With the arrival of infielder Brandon Drury to the New York Yankees, the competition for third base has become slightly clearer. For Ronald Torreyes, this also appears to make things clearer, as he seems set to focus on competing for the starting job at second base. According to general manager Brian Cashman, the Venezuelan will now mainly focus […]

Chris Taylor Will Also Play Shortstop And Second In 2018

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained on Wednesday that outfielder Chris Taylor will get repetitions at shortstop and second base, in addition to manning the outfield in 2018. The Dodgers have a recovering Logan Forsythe penciled in at second, and shortstop Corey Seager was hurt late last season. So Taylor, along with Kike Hernandez, will serve as […]

Brandon Drury To Focus On Third Base

While New York Yankees infielder Brandon Drury’s ability to play both second and third base has been well documented, the prevailing thought was that he would settle at third base with the New York Yankees. This, of course, is considering the fact that top shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres is poised to take over at second. On […]

Julio Urias Throwing From 75 Feet

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias (shoulder) said in a spring training clubhouse interview with Sports Net L.A.'s Alanna Rizzo that he remains optimistic about his recovery from shoulder cap surgery. He says he's throwing from 75 feet and looks forward to throwing from the mound again. However, he also stressed that he hasn't been given a […]

Alex Wood Now Throwing Out Of The Stretch

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times that starting pitcher Alex Wood is throwing out of the stretch more this spring in order to "simplify his delivery." The move is undoubtedly designed to increase Wood's longevity after losing gas down the stretch last season. He broke out in 2017 by […]

Juan Lagares To Frequently Lead Off This Spring

The New York Mets do not have a “traditional” leadoff hitter on their current roster. With outfielder Michael Conforto out until at least May 1, the team just might believe the player most likely to hold down the fort, Juan Lagares, is the man to sit atop the lineup for now. As such, they plan […]

Mets Skipper: Zack Wheeler Is A Starting Pitcher

Earlier Wednesday, reports began to surface that New York Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler was to start the season in the bullpen. Now, comments directly from Mets manager Mickey Callaway arguably puts some water on that fire: “He’s definitely a starting pitcher,” Callaway said. While that may sound contradictory to the earlier news, it may […]

Andrew Miller Returns to Camp

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller (flu) returned to camp on Wednesday. Miller had missed the previous two days of practice with the flu. As he has been in recent years, Miller remains one of the top relief pitchers in baseball, but his fantasy value is limited by his role. He's a must-own in holds leagues, […]

Elvis Andrus Sits Again Due to Back Spasms

Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus (back) will take the day off again with back spasms on Wednesday. The Rangers star stated that "it's just too cold for me" and won't participate in team workouts. For fantasy owners, there does not appear to be any lingering concern or long-term issues, so consider Andrus still safe from a […]

Kolten Wong Turns To Yoga In Quest To Improve In 2018

St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong has turned to yoga in hopes to improve in 2018. Manager Mike Matheny said, “I think he’s one of those guys who wants to take his game to another level.” Wong is coming off a year in which he had both ups and downs but still produced a respectable […]

Stephen Gonsalves Hoping To Emerge As Twins Fifth Starter

Minnesota Twins left-hander Stephen Gonsalves is widely regarded as the team's top pitching prospect. Heading into the season, MLB.com ranks the young lefty as the Twins' No. 3 prospect overall and top minor league pitcher. The 23-year-old was dominant in Double-A during the 2017 season, posting a 2.68 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 87 innings […]

Anthony Rizzo Won’t Lead Off In 2018

When asked if leading off was a possibility for Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo in 2018, he replied with “no.” It’s no surprise, as Rizzo remains one of the better middle-of-the-order hitters in all of baseball. Rizzo should be targeted in the top 20 to top 25 this year and should be able to maintain […]

Blake Swihart Gets Work At Other Positions

Boston Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart will get work at positions other than catcher, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe. The Red Sox continue to try to find ways to get Swihart's bat into the lineup. This will prove tough since the lineup is stacked with offensive contributors. The current plan is for […]