Betting

Paredes helped the Astros pull off a six-run comeback with a two-run double that got Houston on the board in the fifth. He also drew a walk and came around to score. Paredes first year with the Astros was a mixed bag, but the 27-year-old certainly has the skill set — and the right park for that skill set — to be a solid fantasy option in 2026.

López wasn’t intentionally holding back while averaging just 91.3 mph with his fastball this spring, but there was talk that he figured something out in his most recent bullpen session and that was clearly correct; he came in at 94.4 mph with his fastball tonight, leaving him 1.2 mph shy of his 2025 average. We still wouldn’t really want to count on him staying healthy, but the boost tonight makes him an option in mixed leagues in which he was passed over on draft day. He’ll face the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

If you watched Estévez this spring, you had a pretty good idea this was coming. The 2025 AL saves leader averaged 91.2 mph with his fastball tonight, down 4.7 mph from last year. His hardest pitch, at 92.3 mph, was actually the one Dominic Smith hit for the game-ending grand slam. Smith gave up four hits, all on hard-hit balls, and walked two while getting just one miss on 10 swings. He simply can’t serve as a major league closer until he gets some stuff back, and unless the Royals are blinded by loyalty, they should turn to Matt Strahm and Lucas Erceg, in either order, in the eighth and ninth. We’d grab Erceg first, but best not to write off Strahm. Both pitched scoreless innings tonight, with Strahm getting the seventh and Erceg working the eighth.

Wheeler, coming back from thoracic outlet surgery, threw 38 pitches. His velocity was down 2.5-3 mph from last year, which might or might not be a concern. If he was trying to throw as hard as he could and only came in at 92-94 mph, that would be a problem. But if he was just easing into things, being down 2-3 mph sounds about right. We will just note that last year, Wheeler averaged 95.9 mph with his fastball in his first spring outing, which was practically a match for the 96.1 mph he averaged during the season. Wheeler is due to make two more rehab starts before being reevaluated.

Robert played the hero in the 11th inning in a game where runs were at a premium. Down by one run with two runners on, he took Hunter Barco deep for a three-run blast to walk it off. He also drew a walk in the game. The 28-year-old outfielder is making a good first impression with his new club, going 3-for-8 over his first two games with two walks to one strikeout.

Burger is enjoying a good start at the dish. After going deep in Thursday’s opener, he went yard again Saturday with a two-run blast off Aaron Nola in the third inning. He later added a single in the eighth for his second hit of the game and fifth through two contests. Burger was limited to 103 games last season, but still managed 16 homers. There’s plenty of power here if he can stay off the injured list.

Lewis had a great day at the plate to lead the Twins to a win on Saturday. He took Kyle Bradish deep for a two-run blast to give the team the lead in the fifth inning, then drew a walk and stole second before scoring in the seventh. The home run and stolen base in this one put Lewis’s high fantasy ceiling on display if he can manage to stay healthy.

Langeliers continued his tear to start the season with a two-hit day against the Blue Jays, including a grand slam in the seventh inning to give the A’s the lead. It was already his third home run of the season after blasting two in Friday’s opener. The 28-year-old slugger is in for a big season.

Cease was outstanding in his debut with the Blue Jays. The 30-year-old right-hander dominated the A’s over five shutout innings before a walk and a double brought a run in to score in the sixth. Cease would end his day with one out in the inning at 90 pitches -- 61 for strikes. His fastball was sitting at 98.7 mph, up 1.6 mph from last season. He generated an incredible 24 whiffs to collect a dozen strikeouts, at one point striking out seven consecutive batters. Cease will look to follow his excellent start with a matchup against the White Sox in Chicago on Sunday.

Pérez tossed a scoreless first inning before giving up a solo homer to TJ Rumfield in the second. He hung a slider to Ezequiel Tovar in the fourth, who sent it over the left field wall for a two-run shot. The two home runs were the only blemishes on an otherwise impressive first start for Pérez as he generated an impressive 17 whiffs to strike out eight batters. The talented 22-year-old right-hander will draw the Yankees in New York for his next start on Friday.