Fantasy Baseball Spring Training News and Notes from 3/17/16

Yasiel Puig and the Los Angeles Dodgers Can Now Breath Easy

As reported last week, Yasiel Puig was the next target of MLB's Domestic Violence Policy. However, Puig will not be suspended, as the league has decided to take no action against the Dodgers outfielder.

"The Office of the Commissioner's investigation did not uncover any witness who supported the assault allegation; both Puig and his sister denied that an assault occurred; and the available video evidence did not support the allegation. Thus, barring the receipt of any new information or evidence, no discipline will be imposed on Puig in connection with the alleged incident," a statement written by the MLB, according to MLB.com.

Puig was informed of the good news right after hitting his first home run this spring. With the potential suspension now in his rearview, Puig can return to focusing solely on baseball. Despite being prone to injury, there should be no hesitation in drafting Puig around the sixth to seventh round of mixed league drafts. Puig tiptoes around the top 20 of RotoBaller's outfielder rankings.

Lance McCullers to Start Season on DL  

An MRI revealed no serious damage to McCullers' sore right shoulder, but the pain was enough for the Houston Astros to shelve their young pitcher come Opening Day. McCullers will start the season on the DL, although is not expected to miss an extended amount of time, according to ESPN.com.

At 22 years old, the Astros are wise to be cautious with their future star. As a rookie last season, McCullers posted a 3.22 ERA, six wins, and 129 strikeouts over 22 starts. Now that he will miss his first couple of starts, the fantasy value of those around him see a slight boost.

The acquisition of Doug Fister in the offseason now proves to be even more valuable, while the race for Houston's final rotation spot has been settled. Dallas Keuchel, Collin McHugh, Scott Feldman, and Mike Fiers will round out the pitching staff, all of whom are solid fantasy options.

McCullers still holds plenty of fantasy worth, but will likely drop to later rounds of drafts.

Juan Nicasio Strikes Out 10 

In his most recent start this past Wednesday, Nicasio fanned 10 of the 14 Baltimore Orioles he faced over four innings of work. This extends the 29-year-old's spring scoreless run to 10 straight frames. The Pittsburgh Pirates were already impressed with Nicasio prior to him hitting the decade-mark on Wednesday, dropping 3 million on the hard-throwing righty in the offseason.

Formerly with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Colorado Rockies before that, Nicasio desperately needed to bounce from Coors Field. Once that happened, his relocation to Los Angeles translated to success. Out of the bullpen, he picked up 14 holds, 65 strikes out and posted a 3.86 ERA in 56 appearances; his first ERA below 5.00-plus in over three seasons.

Nicasio is ranked outside of RotoBaller's top 100 starting pitchers, but will likely serve fantasy lineups better as a reliever. The Pirates don't seem to have a rotation spot for him, but could utilize him better in a bullpen role. Keep an eye on Nicasio earlier in the season before picking him up. He shouldn't be drafted but could very well provide a solid amount of holds to deeper mixed leagues.

Johnny Peralta Returns From Thumb Surgery Rocking a Cast

First, Yadier Molina had surgery on his thumb. St. Louis Cardinals starting shortstop Jhonny Peralta was next. Although, there was one small, yet giant, difference between both of their returns to the ball club. Peralta carried some extra hardware with him, a cast wrapped around his thumb while his arm was held up by a sling. Molina's thumb was cast-free.

Peralta is coming off a very productive, 17 home runs and 71 RBI, campaign with the Red Birds, and is ranked inside RotoBaller's top 20 of fantasy shortstops. Peralta played two spring training games, picking up two hits in four at-bats, before being sidelined with the injury. Now, the veteran shortstop will have to wait 10 to 12 weeks before returning to the field. His return date is estimated to be around the end of May, early June.

The Cardinals are now observing Jedd Gyorko, Aledmys Diaz, and Greg Garcia at shortstop. Gyorko is the most fantasy-relevant of the three, and will see a boost in value if he inherits the starting gig. The Cardinals have also expressed interest in Reuben Tejada, according to ESPN.com, who was recently released by the New York Mets.

Peralta can now be avoided in all drafts.

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