Bailey Falter In Line For Fifth Rotation Spot

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Bailey Falter currently seems to have the best shot at the team's fifth rotation spot with Andrew Painter (elbow) dealing with a tender throwing elbow, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. The 25-year-old had a solid 2022 season serving mostly as a starter, going 6-4 in 20 appearances (16 starts) with a 3.86 […]

Andrew Painter Unlikely To Make Opening Day Roster

The Philadelphia Phillies did not provide any update on starting pitcher prospect Andrew Painter's (elbow) sore right elbow Monday. The 19-year-old felt some tenderness and went for tests last Friday. While the No. 6 overall prospect did have a shot to make the Opening Day roster, it now seems highly unlikely that that will come […]

Greg Jones To Begin Playing Outfield

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Greg Jones is expected to begin playing outfield this week. The 24-year-old has played shortstop almost exclusively since being drafted in the first-round by the Rays in 2019. Despite that, it sounds like he'll make a move to the outfield with Wander Franco serving as the shortstop in Tampa Bay. Manager […]

Spencer Howard Dealing With Arm Fatigue

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Spencer Howard (arm) was scheduled to take the ball during Monday's Grapefruit contest against the Colorado Rockies. However, that didn't happen due to the fact Howard was dealing with arm fatigue. The expectation is that Howard should be able to take the mound within the next few days, assuming he doesn't […]

Oswald Peraza Misses Monday's Game

New York Yankees shortstop Oswald Peraza (foot) was held out of Monday's Grapefruit matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates. There is no need for fantasy managers to panic here. It sounds like Peraza is dealing with a minor foot issue, so the team decided to hold him out of this game. The Yankees don't want to […]

Justin Turner Released From The Hospital

Boston Red Sox third baseman Justin Turner (face) has been released from the hospital. The 38-year-old was hit in the face by a pitch during Monday's Grapefruit contest against the Detroit Tigers. He was helped off the field with a trainer and taken to a nearby hospital. Luckily, Turner doesn't appear to be dealing with […]

Jose Quintana Could Begin Season On Injured List

New York Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana (rib) is in danger of missing time after suffering an injury during Sunday's Spring Training contest. The left-hander has been diagnosed with a small stress fracture on his fifth rib on his left side. He has withdrawn from the World Baseball Classic due to this injury. The 34-year-old […]

Shortstop Draft Sleepers, Targets, Avoids - 2023 Fantasy Baseball

2023 fantasy baseball rankings analysis to help win your drafts! Our top fantasy baseball shortstop draft sleepers, draft targets and draft avoids. Anthony Aniano analyzes RotoBaller's 2023 fantasy baseball shortstop rankings to find SS draft values that can be sneaky later-round picks. He breaks down and compares the ADPs of five different MLB players - […]

Edmundo Sosa Fine After Being Hit By Pitch

Philadelphia Phillies infielder Edmundo Sosa (forearm) said he's OK after being hit by a pitch on his right forearm in the Grapefruit League game on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles. He's just dealing with a little tightness after leaving the game early as a precaution. The Phillies figure to use the 27-year-old as a utility […]

Juan Soto Expected To Be Fine For World Baseball Classic

San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto (calf) is expected to be fine and able to play in this year's World Baseball Classic for Team Dominican Republic. Soto has dealt with some minor left calf tightness recently in spring training, but he has returned to the Cactus League lineup and is expected to report for the […]

Hunter Brown Struggles With Command

Houston Astros starting pitcher prospect Hunter Brown struggled in his second start of the spring on Monday. The teams top prospect got through the first inning with just a single allowed, but opened the second frame with three walks and was yanked for reliever Ty Buttrey. Buttrey would in turn allow all three inherited runners […]

Masyn Winn Shows Patience On Monday

Hitting first for the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, shortstop prospect Masyn Winn went 0-for-2 with a strikeout and a pair of walks. Winn has been off to a nice start this spring with six hits over his first 15 at-bats. He has also scored four runs to go along with a homer, two RBI […]

Tink Hence Strikes Out Two In Relief

St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospect Tink Hence worked a scoreless frame in Monday's victory versus the Houston Astros. The right-hander allowed a free pass, but also struck out two on the afternoon. Hence, 20, has rapidly climbed Top-100 boards over the past year and for good reason. Hence was 0-1 with a shiny 1.38 ERA […]

Yordan Alvarez Could Swing By The Weekend

Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown said on the team's radio broadcast on Sunday that outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (hand) will take some swings "maybe by next weekend." Soreness in Alvarez's left hand, which is also something he dealt with last year, has prevented him from swinging the bat in spring training to this point. […]

Kyle Hendricks Throws First Bullpen Session

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) threw his first bullpen session on Monday since getting injured last July. Hendricks was able to air it out on Monday and said afterwards that he was feeling great. Despite the positive session, he is about a month behind and is expected to open the year on the […]

Chris Sale Goes Two Scoreless Innings In Spring Debut

Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale (wrist) allowed two hits and struck out two in two scoreless innings in his Grapefruit League debut against the Detroit Tigers on Monday. It was a nice spring debut for the 33-year-old starting pitcher. He is healthy in camp, but the Red Sox were bringing him along slowly after […]

Andrew McCutchen Is Fine

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen (hand) is fine after he was hit by a pitch in Grapefruit League action on Sunday against the Minnesota Twins, and his removal from the contest was purely precautionary. McCutchen is no longer in his prime, but he's expected to be Pittsburgh's starting right fielder to open the 2023 season […]

Justin Turner Hit In Face By Pitch Monday

Boston Red Sox third baseman/designated hitter Justin Turner (face) was hit in the face by a pitch from Detroit Tigers pitcher Matt Manning in Grapefruit League play on Monday. Turner was immediately gushing blood while going down onto the dirt, but he was able to stand up and walk off the field while being escorted […]

Tony Gonsolin Injures Ankle Monday

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tony Gonsolin (ankle) appeared to roll his left ankle during a drill in spring training on Monday. He spent time with the training staff before heading back into the clubhouse. It's unclear exactly how serious the ankle injury is, but we should have an update either later on Monday or […]

Joely Rodriguez To Pitch This Week

Boston Red Sox left-hander Joely Rodriguez (shoulder) will pitch in a Grapefruit League game this week. Rodriguez isn't behind in camp, he's just being careful after having shoulder surgery in the offseason. The 31-year-old southpaw reliever had a 4.47 ERA (3.23 FIP), 1.35 WHIP and career-high 57 strikeouts in 50 1/3 relief innings over 55 […]

Andrew Velazquez Starting In Center Field Monday

Los Angeles Angels infielder Andrew Velazquez is starting in center field and batting ninth in the team's Cactus League contest on Monday against the Cleveland Guardians. Most of Velazquez's major-league experience has come on the infield, but the 28-year-old needs to become more versatile if he wants to stick on the major-league roster. In a […]

Nick Ahmed Returns To Lineup Monday

Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed (forearm) is back in the Cactus League lineup on Monday against the Kansas City Royals, starting at shortstop and batting sixth in the lineup. This will be Ahmed's spring debut after he missed some time in camp with right forearm inflammation. The 32-year-old veteran was limited to just 17 games […]

Steven Okert Makes Third Spring Appearance Sunday

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Steven Okert (triceps) made his third Grapefruit League outing on Sunday in a 4-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox, striking out one in a scoreless inning of work. So far in spring training action, the 31-year-old left-hander hasn't allowed a run in his three innings of work while striking out […]

Ryan Thompson Makes Spring Debut

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Ryan Thompson (triceps) made his Grapefruit League debut on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles and walked one in a scoreless inning of work in relief. Thompson ended the 2022 season on the 60-day injured list due to right triceps inflammation, but he's healthy now and should be just fine for the […]

Leody Taveras Has Low-Grade Oblique Strain

Texas Rangers outfielder Leody Taveras (oblique) has a "low-grade" left oblique strain, according to general manager Chris Young. It sounds like Taveras will be ready in a couple of weeks and he isn't being ruled out for the Opening Day roster. Young spoke highly of Bubba Thompson's ability to contribute, even if his defense is […]

Jack Flaherty Starting Against Astros Monday

St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Jack Flaherty (calf, illness) is making the Grapefruit League start on Monday against the Houston Astros. Flaherty has been dealing with a minor calf issue and was scratched from his scheduled spring debut on Sunday with flu-like symptoms. The 27-year-old starter is expected to go around three innings in his first […]

Dylan Carlson Serving As DH On Monday

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson (arm) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting second in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Houston Astros and right-handed starter Hunter Brown. Carlson is on a no-throw program through at least Monday after suffering from arm fatigue in spring training recently. The 24-year-old switch-hitter could be […]

Three Picks At Each Position - Expensive, Value and Cheap Players for Fantasy Baseball

If I had the time and approval, I could come here every single day and give you hard-hitting data analysis. We could learn all kinds of stuff and do all kinds of speculating and projecting, getting very into the granular data. I do that from time to time on here, but I'm not so egg-headed […]

Noteworthy Hitting Leaders (Pull%) - Statcast Review for Fantasy Baseball

After diving into the xBA and xSLG leaderboards last week, I'm continuing my look at Statcast metrics by turning our eye to the Pull% leaderboard. We'll go through some of the leaders in the hopes of not just giving you Statcast numbers but explaining how I believe those numbers impact the projections I have for […]

Orelvis Martinez Blasts First Homer Of Spring

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop prospect Orelvis Martinez went 1-for-2 with a three-run homer on Sunday versus the Philadelphia Phillies. Martinez, 21, has now gone 2-for-6 in a small sample size this spring. Traditionally a shortstop, Martinez suited up at third base and that could potentially be his long-term position with shortstop Bo Bichette locked up […]