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
1 week agoBaltimore Orioles infielder Jordan Westburg (elbow) left Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Toronto Blue Jays early after being hit by a fastball on his left elbow. He initially stayed in the game to run the bases but was eventually removed from the contest in the next inning. It's unknown if Westburg went for X-rays on his elbow, but he was wearing a guard on the same arm that was hit. We'll pass along any more information on the 25-year-old's injury when it becomes available, but for now, fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day. In his first year in the big leagues with the O's in 2023, the 25-year-old hit .260/.311/.404 with three homers and 23 RBI in 68 games. Playing time could once again be an issue for Westburg, and he needs to improve his plate discipline heading into his first full season in the majors in 2024.Source: The Baltimore Banner - Andy Kostka
1 week agoSt. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras drove in three runs as part of a two-hit effort on Tuesday in Grapefruit League action against the Miami Marlins. All three of the veteran's RBI came on a second-inning double that cleared the bases. He also singled to lead off the second inning in which the Cardinals scored seven runs while knocking around Marlins starter Yonny Chirinos. Contreras is now hitting .259 with a .730 OPS this spring but has yet to homer, albeit with four doubles on his resume. He hit .264 with 20 home runs and 67 RBI across 125 games last season. He carries with him a high fantasy floor, slugging at least 20 home runs in each of his last five full seasons while he also offers some speed at the catcher position with six stolen bases last season, tied for third among big-league catchers.Source: MLB.com
1 week agoBoston Red Sox right-hander Kenley Jansen (back) will not pitch on Tuesday and is still dealing with back tightness, according to manager Alex Cora. Jansen was scratched on Monday but was originally scheduled to pitch on Tuesday with four more spring outings in mind. He has mad just one spring outing on March 15 and allowed three earned runs on two homers across just 2/3 of an inning. Cora said the veteran is running out of time to be ready for Opening Day. "He's running out of time," the manager said. "We still have time, but we're running out of time." The Red Sox open the regular season on March 28 in Seattle. Jansen posted a 3.63 ERA in the 2023 season, the second-worst mark of his 14-year career while his 27.7% K% was the worst mark of his career.Source: Alex Speier
1 week agoLos Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel (back) is not playing on Tuesday and remains day to day. He is reportedly feeling better and could return to the club's lineup on Wednesday versus the Giants. The 22-year-old was scratched on Monday after feeling something in his back while stretching for a bull but was told by trainers the issue isn't serious. "There's a possibility tomorrow he'd probably be back in the lineup. A possibility. Don't hold me to that fact if you don't see him in there," Angels skipper Ron Washington said. Schanuel is hitting .244 with one homer, one steal, and four RBI across 45 plate appearances so far in Cactus League action after debuting with a .275 average with one homer and a healthy 15.2% BB% across 132 plate appearances with the Angels in 2023, reaching the majors just a couple of months after being drafted 11th overall in June.Source: Jeff Fletcher
1 week agoAtlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider is set to start on Opening Day on March 28 versus the Philadelphia Phillies opposite Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler. It's the first of what should be many Opening Day nods for the right-hander who comes into the 2024 season as the top fantasy starting pitching option available. Strider worked to a 3.86 ERA across 32 starts in the 2023 season but also paced the big leagues with 281 strikeouts, 44 more than second-place Kevin Gausman (237). Additionally, he also posted a 2.85 FIP and a 2.86 SIERA, suggesting he was much better than his surface ERA suggests. Strider should be the first pitcher off the draft board in all formats in 2024.Source: Justin Toscano
1 week agoThe Houston Astros do not plan on pivoting to free-agent left-hander Jordan Montgomery after failing to land Blake Snell in free agency. It was recently reported that the club was in heavy pursuit of Snell but that came to a conclusion when the two-time Cy Young winner landed with the Giants on a two-year deal on Monday. As a result, Montgomery becomes the best free agent available after he worked to a 3.20 ERA across 32 starts in the 2023 season, including a tidy 2.79 ERA across 11 starts with the Rangers following a trade-deadline deal from the Cardinals. He also tossed a 2.90 ERA in 31 postseason frames, helping lead Texas to its first World Series in franchise history a season ago.Source: Jim Bowden