Angels Won't Stop Shohei Ohtani From Running

Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon said that he has no plans to limit the amount of stolen bases that designated hitter Shohei Ohtani attempts this year. "Honestly," Maddon said, "whatever he wants to do." The two-way superstar and 2021 American League MVP will have the green light to run after stealing a career-high 26 […]

Mike Trout In The Lineup Thursday Night

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (illness) is in the starting lineup on Opening Day on Thursday and is hitting second against Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez. Trout sat out of the team's final two spring training games with a stomach bug, but the 30-year-old superstar is back in the lineup for the first game […]

Bradley Zimmer Traded To The Blue Jays

The Cleveland Guardians traded outfielder Bradley Zimmer to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for pitcher Anthony Castro. He lost the starting right field job to Steven Kwan, and with Josh Naylor (leg) set to return to action soon, the Guardians decided to move on from Zimmer. The 29-year-old will provide depth for a loaded […]

Reid Detmers To Start Friday, Patrick Sandoval Pushed Back

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Reid Detmers will start the second game of the season as he and Patrick Sandoval have swapped rotation spots, according to Jeff Fletcher. Fletcher noted that Sandoval was fatigued, but not injured, so manager Joe Maddon is giving the lefty a few more days to rest. That will set Sandoval […]

Austin Nola Leading Off For Padres On Opening Day

San Diego Padres catcher Austin Nola is in the leadoff spot in the first lineup of the season released by new manager Bob Melvin. The 32-year-old backstop crushed left-handed pitching in a small sample size last season as he posted an .821 OPS in 75 plate-appearances versus southpaws. With the Padres set to face left-hander […]

Shane Bieber Effective In No-Decision On Opening Day

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber allowed one run across 4 2/3 innings in an Opening Day start against the Royals. Bieber threw just 72 pitches as manager Terry Francona said starters will likely piggy-back with relievers early in the season as pitchers continue to build up their pitch counts after a shortened Spring Training. […]

Duane Underwood Jr. Injures Hamstring Thursday

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Duane Underwood Jr. (hamstring) was removed from the game on Opening Day with right hamstring discomfort, according to Jason Mackey. Underwood Jr. wasn't much of a fantasy option to begin with as he is buried in the pecking order for saves in Pittsburgh behind more experienced relievers. With a stint on […]

Kyle Hendricks Fans Seven On Opening Day

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks allowed one run across 5 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts in a no-decision on Opening Day. In a matchup versus reigning Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, it was the soft-tossing Hendricks piling up K's as the Milwaukee bats came out cold on a chilly afternoon in Chicago. Fantasy managers […]

Yankees And Aaron Judge Still Negotiating Contract Extension

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and his agent are still negotiating a contract extension with the team on the eve of Opening Day, according to Bryan Hoch. Judge has stated that he will not negotiate a new contract during the season and will play under arbitration this season if no deal is reached by […]

David Robertson Nails Down Opening-Day Save

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher David Robertson pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Opening Day to earn his first save of 2022. The veteran righty pitched around a one-out single by Willy Adames by striking out Christian Yelich and inducing a game-ending groundout by Andrew McCutchen. Robertson is long removed from being an elite option in […]

Corbin Burnes Allows Three Runs In No-Decision

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Corbin Burnes allowed three runs on four hits across five innings pitched in a no-decision versus the Cubs on Opening Day. All of the damage against Burnes came off the bat of light-hitting shortstop Nico Hoerner, who launched a line-drive three-run homer to give Chicago the lead. Aside from the homer, […]

Daulton Varsho Leading Off On Opening Day

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder/catcher Daulton Varsho is serving as the team's leadoff hitter on Opening Day against right-hander Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres. Varsho is starting in center field for the game. This is an ideal scenario for Varsho from a fantasy perspective. The 25-year-old is catcher-eligible in fantasy leagues, but should be seeing […]

Ke'Bryan Hayes Leaves Opener With Hand Injury

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes (hand) was removed in the first inning of the team's Opening Day game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Hayes appeared to have injured either his hand or wrist while attempting to make a diving catch in the field. Diego Castillo entered the game to take over for Hayes. Hopefully […]

Marcell Ozuna Hitting Cleanup On Opening Day

Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna is slotting in as the team's cleanup hitter in his return to the diamond for Opening Day. The Braves are set to host right-hander Tyler Mahle and the Cincinnati Reds for the game. Ozuna has gone 3-for-9 with a home run and six RBI over his career against Mahle. This […]

Aristides Aquino Batting Second In Season Opener

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Aristides Aquino is starting in right field and batting second in the team's season opener against left-hander Max Fried and the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. Nick Senzel and Tommy Pham are rounding out the starting outfield for the team with Tyler Naquin starting the season on the bench. The right-handed Aquino had […]

Brandon Nimmo To Test His Neck Prior To Thursday's Game

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo (neck) is preparing to test his stiff neck through some on-field work ahead of Thursday's season opener against the Washington Nationals. Mets beat writer Anthony DiComo states that Nimmo is feeling better today and that there appears to be a chance that Nimmo will be in the starting lineup, […]

Twins Likely To Use Six Starters To Begin The Year

The Minnesota Twins will likely use six starting pitchers in the team's first time through the rotation, according to the team's president, Derek Falvey. The team then plans to figure out a more permanent starting pitching strategy after that. The Twins acquired starting pitcher Chris Paddack on Thursday and he will fill out the six-man […]

Max Scherzer Gets The Green Light To Start Friday

New York Mets starting pitcher Max Scherzer (hamstring) is officially set to start the team's second game of the year against the Washington Nationals on Friday. The three-time Cy Young winner has been dealing with right hamstring tightness lately. However, according to Scherzer himself, he was able to pass all of the team's tests ahead […]

Mickey Moniak To Miss Six Weeks With Hairline Fracture

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Mickey Moniak (wrist) has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his wrist. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Moniak is expected to miss the first six weeks of the season. This is an extremely tough break for Moniak on many accounts. The former first overall pick suffered the injury in his […]

Josh Donaldson To Lead Off In Yankees Debut

New York Yankees third baseman Josh Donaldson will be the team's leadoff hitter in his debut in Yankees pinstripes on Friday as the team takes on Nathan Eovaldi and the Boston Red Sox. Manager Aaron Boone had been discussing Donaldson as a potential leadoff hitter this spring, so it's not much of a surprise that […]

Taylor Ward Dealing With Groin Strain

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward (groin), who was placed on the 10-day injured list to begin the season, is dealing with a left groin strain. It's unclear how serious the injury is or when Ward suffered the injury. Ward likely would have been in the Opening Day lineup on Thursday night against the Houston […]

Tommy Pham Hitting Third On Opening Day

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tommy Pham is starting in left field and batting third on Opening Day on Thursday against Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried. Pham really struggled in his two seasons with the San Diego Padres, slashing .226/.335/.370 with 18 home runs, 61 RBI, 87 runs scored and 20 stolen bases in 686 plate appearances […]

Matt Olson Hitting Second In Braves Debut

Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson is hitting second in his Braves regular season debut on Opening Day on Thursday against Cincinnati Reds right-hander Tyler Mahle. Olson has a great matchup on Opening Day to make some noise immediately for his new team. He has big shoes to fill in Atlanta, but the 28-year-old left-handed […]

Red Sox Won't Have A Set Closer

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he won't have a set closer to start the season, but he would like right-hander Matt Barnes to pitch himself back into the ninth-inning role. Barnes' fastball velocity was down in camp, and the team believes they discovered a mechanical flaw that led to the drop in velocity. […]

CJ Abrams Officially Makes Opening Day Roster

The San Diego Padres officially announced that shortstop prospect CJ Abrams has made the Opening Day roster, selecting his contract from Triple-A El Paso on Thursday. Abrams begins on the 28-man roster with star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. (wrist) on the 60-day injured list. Abrams impressed in spring training, hitting .324/.359/.514 over 37 at-bats in […]

Luis Castillo, Mike Minor Placed On Injured List

The Cincinnati Reds officially placed starting pitchers Luis Castillo (shoulder) and Mike Minor (shoulder) on the 10-day injured list on Thursday. Right-hander Lucas Sims and infielders Jose Barrero and infielder Donovan Solano were also put on the IL to kick off the season. Castillo is dealing with a sore shoulder and will miss the start […]

Myles Straw Leading Off For Guardians

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Myles Straw is starting in center field and batting leadoff on Thursday against Kansas City Royals right-hander Zack Greinke. Straw doesn't have much power -- five career home runs in four major league seasons -- but he has 46 career stolen bases in 256 games and was a nice speed target in […]

Pirates Sign Jake Marisnick To Majors Deal

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed free-agent outfielder Jake Marisnick to an undisclosed major league deal on Thursday. Marisnick was released by the Texas Rangers earlier this week, and he will provide the Pirates with outfield depth with both Anthony Alford (wrist) and Greg Allen (hamstring) on the injured list to begin the season. Marisnick hit just […]

Ke'Bryan Hayes Signs Eight-Year Extension

The Pittsburgh Pirates and third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes agreed to an eight-year, $70 million contract extension that includes a team option for a ninth season on Thursday, according to sources familiar with the situation. Hayes, who suffered a minor ankle injury in spring training, is batting third on Opening Day on Thursday against St. Louis […]

Andrew Vaughn Will DH On Friday

Chicago White Sox outfielder Andrew Vaughn (hip) will serve as the designated hitter and bat eighth on Opening Day on Friday against Detroit Tigers left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. Vaughn dealt with a hip pointer injury in camp but will be good to go for the first regular season game on Friday. The 24-year-old returned to spring […]