1 week agoBaltimore Orioles second base prospect Connor Norby went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Toronto Blue Jays. Norby was the designated hitter on Tuesday, but the second baseman has also seen time all over the infield this spring. The 23-year-old had a late start to spring with side soreness, but has been productive over his 24 at-bats with a healthy .292 batting average and three RBI. Norby spent 2023 in Triple-A Norfolk where he hit .290 with 21 homers, 92 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 138 games. Norby is another impressive prospect that the Orioles have in their franchise, but with no clear opening for him on the diamond, he is likely to open 2024 in Triple-A. Even with an injury to a member of the O's infield, it would be no guarantee he'd be the first man up. Although he offers good power at second base, he may need to be dealt to have value in 2024.Source: MLB.com
1 week agoBaltimore Orioles outfield Colton Cowser continued his strong spring by going 1-for-4 with a solo home run versus the Toronto Blue Jays in Tuesday's Grapefruit League contest. Cowser is now hitting a robust .364 with five home runs, 10 RBI, one stolen base and nine runs scored in 37 at-bats. Cowser is one of the Orioles best prospects, but does not have a clear path to everyday playing time at the moment and the club may prefer that he gets everyday at-bats on the farm than be a platoon player in the big leagues. The 24-year-old has a very patient eye at the play and that is a good sign for young players, but he did struggle in his big-league debut in 2023 with a .115 batting average to go along with four RBI in 61 at-bats. If an injury should occur in the outfield, Cowser will be the biggest beneficiary, but without a clear path to playing time, his best value remains in dynasty formats.Source: MLB.com
1 week agoTexas Rangers infield prospect Justin Foscue went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Tuesday's Cactus League contest versus the Oakland Athletics. Foscue, 25, is now hitting .275 with one homer, four doubles and five RBI in 40 at-bats. Foscue was brought up as a second baseman, but has played both corner infield positions this spring and that can help increase his chances of breaking camp with the World Series champs. In Triple-A Round Rock this past season, Foscue hit .266 with 18 home runs, 31 doubles, four triples, 84 RBI, 14 stolen bases and 94 runs scored in 122 games. The former first-round pick does not possess much power which limits his game, but has a knack for making contact and getting on base. Without much power or opportunity at the moment, Foscue can remain on the waiver wire in all formats.Source: MLB.com
1 week agoColorado Rockies catcher/infielder Hunter Goodman went 1-for-1 with a solo home run in Tuesday's Cactus League contest versus the Seattle Mariners. Goodman has hit two homers with six RBI this spring, but overall has struggled with a measly six hits in 31 at-bats. The catcher hit .259 with 34 homers and 111 RBI in 410 at-bats between Double-A and Triple-A in 2023, which earned him a late-season promotion to the big-league squad. Upon his promotion, the 24-year-old struggled with 1 homer and 17 RBI over 70 at-bats. Formerly a catcher, the Rockies have tried to transition Goodman to both corner infield positions and the outfield. Goodman will begin the year in the Triple-A Albuquerque, but he should get a second in the big leagues at some point this year with the Rockies in a clear rebuild and needing to see which young talent will be with the club in the long term. For now, Goodman can safely remain on the waiver wire.Source: MLB.com
1 week agoSan Francisco Giants right-hander Alex Cobb (hip) will make his Cactus League debut on Friday against the Chicago Cubs and will throw three innings. Cobb was initially expected to return around midseason after he underwent surgery on his hip last October, but the 36-year-old veteran has made excellent progress this offseason and now might be able to join San Fran's starting rotation just a few weeks into the year. Cobb made his spring debut in a minor-league game last Saturday and struck out five in two scoreless innings. He's still going to open the year on the injured list, but Cobb now becomes a more attractive matchup-based streaming option in 2024. However, health issues probably aren't going to go away for a pitcher that was far too hittable in 2023.Source: San Francisco Chronicle - Susan Slusser
1 week agoHouston Astros right-hander Jose Urquidy (forearm) said he's hopeful that he can resume throwing after a break of 10 to 15 days. He said his MRI exam showed inflammation but no structural issues with his elbow ligament. It's great news that Urquidy doesn't have any damage to his ligament, but he'll obviously be forced to start the 2024 season on the injured list and he could miss the first month of the year. The 28-year-old appeared in only 16 games (10 starts) for Houston during the regular season in 2023, too, so the injuries have piled up for him of late. There was already limited fantasy upside to begin with, so managers in mixed leagues can look elsewhere. With Justin Verlander (shoulder) also opening the year on the injured list, the Astros' starting rotation will be lacking in depth to open the season.Source: Houston Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
1 week agoBaltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that infielder Jordan Westburg (elbow) is fine after being removed from the Grapefruit League game early on Tuesday versus the Toronto Blue Jays after he was hit by a pitch on his left elbow. Even if Westburg is held out for another day or two, he should be just fine for Opening Day on March 28 against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. The 25-year-old made his major-league debut in 2023 and saw sporadic playing time while slashing .260/.311/.404 with three home runs, 23 RBI and four stolen bases in 228 trips to the plate over 68 games. He should see more playing time in 2024 in a stacked Baltimore lineup in his first full year in the majors. Westburg's plate discipline isn't the greatest, but his power/speed combination makes him attractive as a middle-infield option in deep-mixed fantasy leagues.Source: MASN Sports - Roch Kubatko
1 week agoChicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ (hamstring) is back in left field and is batting sixth in the lineup for Tuesday night's Cactus League game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It's Happ's first game back on defense since straining his hamstring in spring training on Feb. 29, although he had returned to game action on Sunday as the designated hitter. The 29-year-old will be fine for Opening Day on March 28 and will be Chicago's regular left fielder after hitting .248/.360/.431 with 21 home runs 84 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 158 games a year ago. The former ninth overall pick in 2015 out of Cincinnati made his first career All-Star appearance in 2022 and offers a solid floor as a No. 3 outfielder for fantasy managers. Happ has cleared the fences 20-plus times in two of the last three seasons.Source: Chicago Cubs
1 week agoRight-hander Shane Bieber has officially been named the Cleveland Guardians' Opening Day starter on March 28 against the Oakland Athletics on the road. It will be Bieber's fifth straight Opening Day start for Cleveland. The 28-year-old former fourth-round pick in 2016 out of Santa Barbara is a two-time All-Star and former American League Cy Young winner in 2020, so it shouldn't be surprising that he's getting another Opening Day nod. It's a fantastic matchup, too, so he should be in all fantasy starting lineups in single-year leagues. Bieber dealt with elbow issues last year and made only 21 starts, finishing with the second-highest ERA of his career at 3.80 (3.87 FIP). There were a lot of worrying trends from Bieber last year, and although he should no longer be considered a fantasy ace, with better health he should be able to be a solid No. 3 fantasy starter in a weak division.Source: The Associated Press - Tom Withers
1 week agoLos Angeles Angels second baseman Luis Rengifo (hamstring) left the team's Cactus League game in the first inning on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds with a trainer with what looked to be a hamstring injury after running to first base. The severity of Rengifo's injury is unknown at this time, but we'll provide any updates as they come along. With the start of the regular season just nine days away, the 27-year-old could be in danger of missing the start of the regular season. When healthy, Rengifo is penciled in to be the Halos' primary second baseman, although his modest power and speed doesn't give him much upside for fantasy managers competing in mixed leagues. If Rengifo is forced to miss time to open up the year, Michael Stefanic figures to be the first man up to benefit from playing time at the keystone in Anaheim.Source: MLB.com - Rhett Bollinger
1 week agoCincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that second baseman Matt McLain (shoulder) and outfielder Jake Fraley (groin) should both be fine. McLain was scratched from Monday's Cactus League lineup due to left-shoulder soreness, while Fraley was removed from the game early after fouling a pitch off a sensitive area. McLain is scheduled to be back in the spring lineup on Wednesday, but the Reds may give him another day just to be safe. The 24-year-old has played in just five Cactus League games this spring due to an oblique injury that he also dealt with last year. But he should be ready for Opening Day on March 28 and is going to be the Reds' starting second baseman. Fraley has mixed-league value in the strong-side of a platoon because he mashes right-handers.Source: The Athletic - C. Trent Rosecrans
1 week agoNew York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil (biceps) is making his Grapefruit League debut on Tuesday night versus the St. Louis Cardinals, starting at second base and batting cleanup. The Mets have held McNeil out of big-league spring training action up to this point as he was dealing with left-biceps soreness earlier in camp that was related to the partial tear of his UCL from last year. The 31-year-old left-handed hitter will continue to serve as New York's starting second baseman, which gives him fantasy value in mixed leagues, but outside of a solid batting average floor, McNeil doesn't contribute all that much. McNeil is ranked as RotoBaller's No. 29 fantasy second baseman after slashing a disappointing .270/.333/.378 with 10 home runs, 55 RBI, 10 steals and 75 runs scored in 585 at-bats in 2023.Source: Newsday - Tim Healey
1 week agoHouston Astros right-hander Jose Urquidy (forearm) won't throw "for a while" after being diagnosed with a right-forearm strain on Monday, according to manager Joe Espada. Urquidy is obviously going to begin the 2024 season on the injured list and could miss a good chunk of the first of the season, if not the entire year, depending on whether he needs surgery on his arm. Houston's starting rotation is going to be undermanned to begin the year, with future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander (shoulder) also set to start the year on the injured list as he works his way back from right-shoulder issues. Urquidy wasn't a fantasy factor in mixed leagues to begin with, but now he can also be avoided in AL-only single-year leagues.Source: Houston Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
1 week agoThe Boston Red Sox are now hoping that closer Kenley Jansen (back) can pitch in a Grapefruit League game on Thursday. After being scratched from spring training action on both Monday and Tuesday with lower-back tightness, Jansen won't attempt to pitch in aread more...
1 week agoBaltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that right-hander Kyle Bradish's elbow is responding "well right now" to throwing in camp. Bradish "might have spun a couple breaking balls" but he has mostly been throwing fastballs. The 27-year-old resumed throwing off a mound last week as he tries to recover from a partially torn UCL that he was diagnosed with earlier this spring. Bradish had a mini breakout for the Orioles in 2023, and his fantasy profile was trending up heading into the 2024 campaign before suffering his elbow injury early in camp. With the possibility of needing Tommy John surgery down the road this year if rest and recovery don't work, it makes Bradish a pretty risky fantasy commodity. There's no timetable for his 2024 debut, but he should at least be expected to miss the first month of the season.Source: The Baltimore Banner - Andy Kostka