Xander Bogaerts Makes Spring Training Debut

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (ankle) made his first appearance of the spring and finished 0-for-2 at the plate with two strikeouts, while batting third in the lineup against right-handed starting pitcher Ivan Nova and serving as the designated hitter in Wednesday's 13-9 loss against the Tigers. Bogaerts was delayed at the start of […]

Chris Sale Not Expected To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (elbow) is not expected to undergo Tommy John surgery at this point, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. It was discovered Monday that Sale experienced elbow soreness after a live bullpen session he threw on Sunday, leading the 30-year-old to an MRI and second opinion by Dr. James […]

Frank Schwindel Homers Twice Against Red Sox

Detroit Tigers first baseman Frank Schwindel hit two home runs on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox. He hit a two-run homer in the first inning off Jeffrey Springs and another two-run homer in the sixth inning off Heath Hembree. Schwindel signed a minor league deal with the Tigers last May after being released by the […]

Aaron Judge To Undergo More Testing On Shoulder

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (shoulder) underwent more testing on his shoulder on Wednesday. Judge experienced shoulder discomfort early in spring training and has yet to see game action. Manager Aaron Boone did not elaborate on the specifics of Wednesday's tests, and with Judge already ruled out for Opening Day, it seems increasingly unlikely […]

Raisel Iglesias Allows Two Runs Wednesday

Cincinnati Reds closer Raisel Iglesias allowed two runs in one inning in a 6-6 tie with the Chicago Cubs in Cactus League action on Wednesday. Iglesias allowed two hits and struck out one in the frame. The rough outing raises Iglesias' ERA to 10.80 this spring. Iglesias struggled at times in 2019, posting a 3-12 […]

Oscar Mercado (OF, CLE) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~85-100 CURRENT ADP: ~116 overall ANALYSIS: Oscar Mercado flashed his dual-threat ability in his 2019 rookie campaign by slashing .269/.318/.443 with 15 HR, 54 RBI, 70 R, and 15 SB. He managed to do this in 438 at-bats after getting called up in the middle of May. What can he do with […]

Chris Taylor Suffers Recovery Setback

Los Angeles Dodgers utility man Chris Taylor (shoulder) encountered a setback in his recovery process, and he will not play until he is back to 100 percent health, according to manager Dave Roberts. The team does not consider the ailment to be a long-term issue, and Taylor may be available for Opening Day. The 29-year-old's […]

Cody Bellinger Will Return To Lineup On Thursday

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger (back) will return to Cactus League action on Thursday. The 24-year-old has been resting since Sunday with a knot in his back, but he is back to feeling normal. Fantasy owners can breathe easier, knowing that Bellinger is at full health heading into the 2020 season. Expect the All-Star […]

J.D. Davis (3B/OF, NYM) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~140 CURRENT ADP: ~160 overall ANALYSIS: After the Houston Astros sent their former third-round pick to the Big Apple last offseason, J.D. Davis did nothing but thrive in his first season in the National League. He finished his campaign sporting a shiny .307/.369/.527 slash line with 22 HR, 65 R, and 57 […]

Max Kepler (OF, MIN) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target ~110 CURRENT ADP: ~133 overall ANALYSIS: Many have been waiting for Max Kepler to break out since his first full season in the big leagues in 2016. While he had some decent production through his first three seasons, he finally was able to get over the hump and officially break out in […]

Mike Foltynewicz (SP, ATL) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target ~190 CURRENT ADP: ~210 overall ANALYSIS: With an ADP of 204, Foltynewicz is on average currently the 78th pitcher being drafted overall despite being one year removed from a 13 win, 2.85 ERA season. That’s largely in part to him following up his big 2018 with a terrible start to 2019 which saw […]

Nelson Cruz (UT, MIN) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Target ~40s CURRENT ADP: ~86 overall ANALYSIS: Many people let Nelson Cruz fall in drafts because he can only slot into the UTIL spot, but you can make DH-only work when it’s Cruz. His Statcast profile is painted red from wall to wall, with 99th percentile exit velocity and the best xSLG of […]

Felix Pena Doubtful To Be Ready By Opening Day

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Felix Pena (knee) is doubtful to be ready by Opening Day. Manager Joe Maddon intimated as much as Pena continues his rehab after tearing his ACL last season. It is unclear, when healthy, what role Pena will have this season but served as an opener on multiple occasions last season. Pena's […]

Tommy La Stella Scratched From Lineup

Los Angeles Angels second baseman Tommy La Stella (back) was scratched from the lineup on Wednesday. La Stella is dealing with back stiffness and the team is taking a cautious approach with Opening Day still weeks away. The Angels are counting on La Stella to be their leadoff man this season and jump-start a revamped […]

Martin Maldonado Targeting Friday For Return

Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado (thumb) hopes to return to the diamond by Friday. The veteran catcher took a foul tip off his thumb and is dealing with some swelling after aggravating it later in the game. If this was the regular season, Maldonado certainly could play through the injury. But the team is taking […]

Yordan Alvarez Out The Rest Of The Week

Houston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez (knee) will be sidelined the next three to four days with soreness in his knee. The second-year phenom admitted to reporters that it has been bothering him for a few days and is only 2-for-12 in the early parts of spring. Alvarez won the AL Rookie of the Year award […]

J.D. Davis Appears On Track For Opening Day

New York Mets infielder/outfielder J.D. Davis (shoulder) believes that he will be ready for Opening Day. Davis, who took full swings during batting practice on Wednesday, is ahead of schedule in his return from a jammed left shoulder. The Mets appear intent on getting Davis into the lineup as much as possible during the season. […]

Steven Matz To Pitch Saturday

New York Mets starting pitcher Steven Matz (illness) threw a side session on Wednesday, after being sent home early Tuesday due to an illness. Originally scheduled to pitch on Friday in Grapefruit League play, Matz will now start on Saturday. Matz is currently in a competition with Michael Wacha for the Mets fifth rotation spot. […]

Jed Lowrie Still With No Timeline To Appear In Games

New York Mets infielder Jed Lowrie (leg) still has no timeline to appear in Grapefruit League games due to lingering left leg injuries. Although he is fully participating in drills, he is sporting a large brace on his left leg that is preventing him from getting into games. Lowrie missed nearly all of last season […]

Matt Adams To Resume Baseball Activities

New York Mets first baseman Matt Adams has passed all of his additional cardiac testing. Adams will return to the Mets spring training facility on Thursday and resume full baseball activities on Friday. Adams hit just .226 with a .741 OPS, 20 home runs and 56 RBI in 111 games for the Nationals in 2019. If […]

Yasmani Grandal Returns

Chicago White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal (calf) is expected to catch a few innings on Friday versus the Cubs. Grandal had been sidelined with a strained left calf and caught three innings in a “B” game and had two plate appearances on Wednesday versus the Reds. Grandal should be one of the first catchers off […]

Austin Wynns Scratched From Lineup Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles catcher Austin Wynns will not play Wednesday after being hit in the groin by a foul ball several days ago, per MLB.com's Joe Trezza. This is a precautionary measure to ensure that he is fully healed before taking the field again. Consider him day-to-day going forward.

Yandy Diaz (1B/3B, TB) - Fantasy Baseball Draft Sleeper

BALLER MOVE: Draft target ~260 CURRENT ADP: ~297 overall ANALYSIS: The Tampa Bay Rays took a chance when they traded for Yandy Diaz last year after he spent two years developing in Cleveland with partial playing time. In 2019, Diaz slashed .267/.340/.476 with 14 HR, 53 R, 38 RBI, and a 10.1% walk rate, despite missing 83 […]

Jose Iglesias Has Quad Cramp, Hopeful To Play Thursday

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Wednesday that shortstop Jose Iglesias is dealing with a quad cramp, per MLB.com's Joe Trezza. It is hopeful that Iglesias will return to the lineup on Thursday, so the cramp does not sound severe. The 30-year-old posted a .288/.318/.407 slash line with 11 home runs, 59 RBI, and six […]

Aroldis Chapman Expected To Make Spring Debut Friday

New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman had been scheduled to make his spring debut on Wednesday, but the 32-year-old has had his debut pushed back to Friday. The Yankees opted to have Chapman throw a bullpen session on Wednesday instead of entering the game against the Phillies, and the team insists that Chapman is fully […]

Jorge Alfaro Cleared for Activities

Miami Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro (oblique) has been cleared for activities and will begin doing, "some hitting, catching, etc." The report states that this will be a process that will take some time, but the team remains hopeful that Alfaro will be ready for Opening Day. If Alfaro starts the season on the injured list, […]

Freddy Galvis Dealing With Quad Tightness

Cincinnati Reds shortstop Freddy Galvis was scratched from Wednesday's Cactus League game with left quad tightness. Galvis was originally slated to serve as the team's designated hitter in the contest. Utility man Derek Dietrich will instead operate as the team's DH against the Chicago Cubs. There is no indication as to the severity of Galvis' […]

Danny Santana Still The Center Field Favorite

Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward told reporters on Wednesday that outfielder Danny Santana is likely to get most of the playing time in center field to start the 2020 season. The team said earlier this year that they were hoping to get prospect Nick Solak comfortable at the position to maximize Santana's utility around the […]

Adeiny Hechavarria Still Dealing With Sore Oblique

Atlanta Braves infielder Adeiny Hechavarria (oblique) is still dealing with some tightness in his left oblique, but he may return to Grapefruit League action over the weekend. The team does not believe it is an ailment that will keep the 30-year-old out for an extended amount of time. Nevertheless, Hechavarria is only worthy of fantasy consideration […]

Eric Skoglund Dealing With Arm Tenderness

Kansas City Royals pitcher Eric Skoglund (arm) hasn't seen any action since Feb. 21, and manager Mike Matheny told reporters that Skoglund is still dealing with some arm tenderness. There is no timeline at this point, but obviously pitchers with arm issues are not something fantasy owners should be chasing. Skoglund was limited to just […]