Fantasy Baseball Spring Training News and Notes for 3/6/16

Chase Utley Will Be Available on Opening Day

The 'slide heard around the world' has now been banned, enforced by what's being considered the "Utley Rule," but Utley himself will remain unscathed. Major League Baseball will not suspend Utley for his controversial slide that broke Ruben Tejada's leg during game two of last year's National League Division Series. The veteran will begin the season backing up Howie Kendrick at second base.

Utley, now entering his 14th year in the big, has long since displayed the power and speed he did all those years in a Phillies uniform. Utley is outside of the top 30 of fantasy second baseman ranked by RotoBaller. Unless he revitalizes his career in the beginning of the season, there really is no reason to roster Utley, specifically in standard 10-12 mixed leagues. Enrique Hernandez also looms in the background, the third year second baseman who showed promise last season, hitting seven home runs and posting a .307 batting average in only 76 games.

Hyun-Jin Ryu Still Waits to Resume Throwing 

Ryu, who tallied 28 wins combined in two years prior to missing all of 2015, will not be ready to join the Dodgers pitching staff until May. Ryu was supposed to throw a bullpen session this past weekend, but the workout was postponed likely because of the shoulder discomfort he felt after his last session in late February. It's still unclear when Ryu will begin throwing off of a mound again, but manager Dave Roberts is still optimistic about his return.

"He's going to play catch," Roberts said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "And then shortly thereafter, he'll jump back on a mound."

This puts heavier fantasy emphasis on the Dodgers middle of the rotation guys, like Scott Kazmir and Alex Wood, those who will need to back up Clayton Kershaw in order to keep up with the rising San Fransisco Giants and improving Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West. Wood and Kazmir's value has also increased with the recent injury to other starter, Brett Anderson, who is expected to miss three to five months because of a bulging disk in his back. Kenta Maeda, the 27 year old rookie from Japan should be given a look as well in later rounds, as he, Kazmir, and Wood are well inside the top 100 of RotoBaller's starting pitcher rankings.

Billy Hamilton Scratched From Cactus League Game on Friday

After having arthroscopic surgery on the shoulder that forced him to miss most of August and September in 2015, Hamilton has too been setback as last season's injury continues to linger. Hamilton's name was not penciled into the lineup Friday after serving as the team's designated hitter on Wednesday. Weeks before, Hamilton expressed that his shoulder still wasn't 100 percent, and now it's only a matter of time before he can get back on the field.

Despite his subpar .274 on-base percentage from last season, Hamilton managed to steal 57 bases in a shortened campaign, while stealing 56 the year prior. There is still a tremendous amount of risk picking Hamilton for those with drafts set to take place within the next week or so. He is a huge steals threat, but will need to cut down on the strikeouts and boost the base on balls to be considered a stable fantasy outfielder.

But first, he has to get healthy. The next guy in line on Cincinnati is Scott Shebler, whose 36 career at-bats makes it difficult to even include him in this blurb. The Reds take the field every day this week so the status of Hamilton could very well be updated tomorrow or the day after.

Jorge Mateo and Aaron Judge: Future Fountain of Youth in New York

When most of your team's top hitters, or top money-makers, arrive to spring training clutching two pieces of hardware, a bat and a cane, it's comforting to watch prospects produce early in the preseason. Jokes aside, the Yankees definitely need to get younger. Jorge Mateo and Aaron Judge will certainly help them do that.

Alongside likely backup catcher Gary Sanchez, Mateo and Judge are parts of New York's prospective future formula to reclaiming success in the Bronx. The top two Yankees prospects both went deep during New York's Grapefruit League game against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Mateo also provides incredible speed to his young repertoire while Judge is simply a beast, who casted a shadow over his teammates as they congratulated him after going yard.

Unfortunately with the depth at both the shortstop and outfield positions, Mateo and Judge could potentially see another year in the minors. However, their fantasy values might see a boost if either are called up throughout the season or make the 25-man roster.

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