COL •
2 months ago
Dollander pitched well, and allowed just three hits. Two of those hits were solo homers by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jason Heyward, but still a very strong second-career start for the 23-year-old. Unfortunately, the Rockies gave him a goose egg for support, so it’s his first ever loss. Dollander will face the Nationals in Colorado over the weekend.
CLE • 2B
2 months ago
Arias’s OPS is up nearly 300 points (.589 to .878) the last two days. He still hasn’t demonstrated much ability to hit for average, and he’s only a modest steal threat, so it wouldn’t seem to be time to pick him up in mixed leagues. Still, the Guardians will take what they can get after declining to sign a veteran stopgap for second base over the winter.
CLE •
2 months ago
He gave up just one hit, a Vinnie Pasquantino solo shot in the fourth. Ortiz very nearly threw away his spot in the Guardians rotation with a 10.13 ERA and 14 walks allowed in 18 2/3 innings this spring, and he had an 8.44 ERA through his first two regular-season starts, so he definitely needed this. He’ll still need to do it a couple of more times before he’ll again be someone to consider in mixed leagues. He’s due to face his old teammates in Pittsburgh next time out.
CLE •
2 months ago
This sure seems a lot more like the shaky Clase of 2023 than the one who posted a 0.61 ERA last year. He’s already given up more earned runs (six) in seven innings this year than he did in 74 1.3 innings (five) last season. He’s allowed at least three hits in four of his seven appearances. During the regular season last year, he never once gave up more than two hits in an appearance.
LAA • DH
2 months ago
Trout kicked off the scoring with a two-run single against Astros rookie starter Ryan Gusto in the opening frame. He was also involved in a bizarre play in the second inning where a fan appeared to dislodge a ball from his glove when he reached out into the seats in foul territory down the right-field line. The 33-year-old fantasy stalwart is tied for the major-league lead with six round-trippers in 14 games and his plate skills have been extremely impressive so far. If he can stay remotely healthy, he’s going to deliver a true bounce-back season for fantasy purposes.
HOU • 3B
2 months ago
Paredes went deep for the second straight contest on Saturday night, taking Angels reliever Ryan Zeferjahn deep into the iconic Crawford Boxes. He was one of the few bright spots on a night where the Astros mustered just three hits combined and didn’t record one until Yordan Alvarez doubled with two outs in the sixth inning.
LAA • 1B
2 months ago
Schanuel still has some serious work to do from a launch angle standpoint, but he’s definitely making harder contact this season through his first handful of games. The 23-year-old first baseman tattooed a no-doubter to right field against Astros starter Ryan Gusto in the fourth inning for his first big fly of the season. We’re not forecasting a full-fledged breakthrough, but there have been some encouraging signs in his batted ball and swing speed data.
LAA •
2 months ago
Jansen got the call to guard a three-run lead in the final frame and needed just 17 pitches (11 strikes) to end it. He got Christian Walker to pop up before giving up a single to Jeremy Peña, which made things interesting. He coaxed a harmless fly out from Yainer Diaz before freezing Jake Meyers on a called third strike to end it.
LAA •
2 months ago
Anderson carried a no-hitter into the middle innings before giving up a double to Yordan Alvarez with two outs in the sixth. He finished with six strikeouts and also handed out four free passes. He’ll bring a respectable 2.87 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 15/10 K/BB ratio across 15 2/3 innings (three starts) into a home outing on Friday against the red-hot Giants.
HOU •
2 months ago
Gusto got the call to help out Houston’s injury-ravaged rotation and filled in admirably, limiting the Angels to just four hits and one walk over four frames. He struck out six and threw 72 pitches (48 strikes) in his first career start. He’ll presumably take the ball on Friday against the Padres, but that isn’t exactly official yet.
CIN • SS
2 months ago
De La Cruz took Pirates starter Andrew Heaney deep with a no-doubter to left field in the third inning for his second career grand slam. It was his third round-tripper of the season and wound up being his lone hit in four at-bats in a relatively low-scoring contest at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. The 23-year-old X-factor is still striking out close to 30 percent of the time, but it won’t make a significant difference for fantasy purposes, especially if his elite power/speed combo remains intact.
PIT • RF
2 months ago
Canario took Reds lefty Andrew Abbott deep in the fifth inning for his first big fly of the season. The 24-year-old top prospect appears poised to get an extended opportunity this season with the Pirates, but he’s off to a bit of a slow start, hitting .125 (2-for-16) through seven games.
CIN •
2 months ago
Pagán got the call from Reds manager Terry Francona to protect a three-run lead in the final frame and needed just 14 pitches (eight strikes) to set down the lower-third of Pittsburgh’s lineup in rapid succession. The 33-year-old veteran has picked up three saves over the last five days and appears firmly in the mix with Tony Santillan to handle Cincinnati’s closing duties.
CIN •
2 months ago
Abbott struck out five and issued a pair of walks in his season debut after missing the early portion of the regular season making his way back from last year’s shoulder injury. He carried a shutout into the fifth inning before coughing up a solo blast to Alexander Canario, which represented the lone tally against him. He’ll square off against the Orioles on Friday in his next outing.
PIT •
2 months ago
Heaney looked sharp through two frames before giving up a double, hitting a pair of batters, and serving up a grand slam to Elly De La Cruz in the third inning. He finished with six strikeouts and only issued two walks. He’s posted a solid 3.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 18/4 K/BB ratio across 18 innings (three starts) to open the year. He’ll face the Nationals on Thursday in a home matchup.
FLA • 3B
2 months ago
Norby figures to only require a handful of additional rehab games to get back up to speed before returning to Miami’s lineup after opening the year on the shelf with an oblique strain. Barring something unexpected, he should be ready to return at some point next week.
MIL •
2 months ago
Woodruff topped out at 95.1 mph and threw 66 pitches (44 strikes) in his first minor league outing since undergoing shoulder surgery prior to last year. It was a positive sign to see the velocity where it needs to be, only a couple ticks (roughly three mph) lower than pre-surgery levels, but he only generated five swinging strikes in this one. The 32-year-old should be ready to make his long-awaited return to Milwaukee’s starting rotation by late April or early May.
HOU •
2 months ago
McCullers threw 42 of 61 pitches for strikes and only allowed a pair of baserunners over four frames. The 31-year-old righty is trending towards making his long-awaited return to Houston’s rotation for the first time in a couple years by the end of April.
CHC • PH-1B
2 months ago
It’s an opportunity for Turner to make an appearance at the hot corner, potentially for the final time in his career, at Dodger Stadium. The 40-year-old has been mostly limited to first base this season in his Cubs debut, hitting .222 (4-for-18) with three RBI in eight games. It’ll be rookie Matt Shaw taking a seat on Saturday night.
Source: MLB.com
CHC • P
2 months ago
Rea represents the most logical choice to replace an injured Justin Steele (elbow) in Chicago’s starting rotation. However, he’s the least exciting from a pure fantasy standpoint. It’ll likely be Javier Assad (oblique) taking this spot once he’s ready to return. There’s very limited streaming appeal here for fantasy managers outside of NL-only formats, especially against the Dodgers juggernaut of a lineup.
Source: Maddie Lee
ATL • C
2 months ago
Murphy has started four of the five games since his return from the injured list and has looked good at the plate. After drawing a walk in the second inning, he led off the seventh with a solo homer off Manuel Rodríguez to put the Braves on the board. The 30-year-old backstop then slugged his second homer of the game to tie things in the eighth off Hunter Bigge, his third homer over four games.
ATL • CF
2 months ago
Harris got on base with a single to lead off the game and stole second before he was left stranded. He came through for the team in a big spot late, taking Cole Suler deep for a go-ahead two-run blast that would ultimately win the game for Atlanta. The 24-year-old outfielder now has two homers and one steal on the season while hitting .231/.250/.385 across 58 plate appearances.
ATL •
2 months ago
Iglesias was called on to close things out with a two-run lead over the Rays. He served up a solo homer to Jonathan Aranda, but held on to convert his second save of the season.
ATL •
2 months ago
Smith-Shawver surrendered a solo homer to Junior Caminero in the first inning. He got into some trouble in the third, walking a run in with the bases loaded before escaping the jam with two straight strikeouts. The 22-year-old right-hander settled in for three more scoreless innings, striking out seven in his best start in the early season. He’ll draw a matchup against the Twins in Atlanta on Friday.
LAD • DH
2 months ago
The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya adds that Ohtani threw fastballs and splitters exclusively in his latest side session. The 30-year-old two-way superstar remains without a definitive timetable to return to pitching in game action and hasn’t progressed to facing hitters yet in live batting practice. It seems unlikely that he’s going to be ready until sometime in the second half, if it happens at all.
Source: Fabian Ardaya
FLA • 1B
2 months ago
Mervis put the Marlins on the board with a solo homer off Trevor Williams to lead off the second inning. The 26-year-old first baseman is taking advantage of his playing time against right-handed pitching, slashing .281/.333/.656 with four homers and eight RBI over 36 plate appearances.
FLA •
2 months ago
After Anthony Bender pitched in two of the last three days and taking the blown save on Friday, Faucher was summoned to close it out in the ninth with a one-run lead against the Nationals. He worked a clean frame, striking out the final batter for his first save of the season. Despite his early struggles, Faucher could work his way into the closer role in Miami given the lack of options on the team.
FLA •
2 months ago
Alcantara had faced the minimum through three scoreless innings before giving up three runs on three hits and two walks before recording an out in the fourth. Two hits and a walk in the sixth made it four runs for the Nationals before Alcantara’s day was done 87 pitches. It wasn’t the sharpest day for the 29-year-old right-hander as he walked four and struck out just one batter. Miami did give him the run support to come away with the win. He’ll take on the Diamondbacks in Miami on Thursday.
BOS •
2 months ago
The rally never should have started; Chapman got ahead of Luis Robert Jr. 0-2, dotted the corners with the next two pitches only to see them called balls and eventually walked him. A stolen base and a single later, the game was over. It’s the first run Chapman has allowed in six innings for Boston.
