Betting

Skenes scattered one hit and three walks, requiring 65 pitches (36 strikes) to navigate four shutout frames in his final spring tune-up. The 23-year-old reigning NL Cy Young Award winner kicks off the season on Thursday with a challenging road tilt against the Mets at Citi Field. He’s one of the top three pitchers off the board in the first or second round of every fantasy draft this spring.

The decision to jettison Kremer after a solid showing in spring training and the World Baseball Classic signals that Baltimore will go with Zach Eflin as the final member of a five-man, season-opening rotation. The 30-year-old righty led the Orioles with 171 2/3 innings over 31 appearances (29 starts) last year, which provides some insight into how much the club overhauled their rotation this offseason. He’s unlikely to spend too much time at Triple-A since Baltimore is eventually going to move to a six-man rotation, like most teams in the current era, after a couple weeks to build in extra rest for their starters.

Espada told reporters that Peña took swings on Friday and will do so again this weekend. The 28-year-old shortstop hasn’t officially been ruled out for next week’s season opener. It would be Carlos Correa taking over at shortstop if he requires a brief trip to the injured list. He’ll need to progress to taking on-field batting practice before he’s cleared to return to game action. There should be a clearer picture concerning his availability in the coming days. This decision might come down to the wire.

Fuentes has been one of the biggest revelations in the Grapefruit League this spring, compiling a sublime 17/0 K/BB ratio across nine perfect innings over three appearances, thanks mostly to a revamped slider. The wrinkle fantasy-wise here is that the hard-throwing 20-year-old rookie has made Atlanta’s season-opening roster as a reliever, not a traditional starter. That means José Suarez is likely going to wind up with the fifth spot in the rotation with Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), Hurston Waldrep (elbow) and Joey Wentz (knee) on the shelf. The stuff should play up in shorter bursts out of the bullpen, which makes Fuentes an intriguing addition for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues. It wouldn’t be surprising if he made a handful of spot starts or eventually moved into the rotation full-time.

Crawford will be officially added to Philadelphia’s active roster in advance of next week’s season-opener. The 22-year-old top prospect will open the season as the Phillies’ starting center fielder after batting .334/.411/.452 with seven homers and 46 steals in 112 games at the Triple-A level last year. His stolen base potential gives him immediate relevance in deeper fantasy formats, although he’s likely to bat near the bottom of the order at the outset of the season, which limits his realistic across-the-board ceiling. He’s a talent worth rostering in deeper leagues.

Cora made it official that Mayer will open the regular season as Boston’s starting option at the keystone. The 23-year-old top prospect is likely to cede some playing time to Andruw Monsterio and Isiah Kiner-Falefa against left-handed starters, but will get the bulk of the playing time at the keystone. Cora went out of his way to tell reporters on several occasions that Mayer would have to earn the starting job this spring, so this certainly qualifies as a vote of confidence in the former fourth-overall selection from the 2021 MLB Draft. His immediate fantasy appeal is limited to deeper mixed leagues and AL-only formats. If he can stay healthy, he’s one of the more intriguing young talents in the game capable of hitting double-digit homers with a respectable batting average and a handful of stolen bases.

It’s been a rough couple months for Campbell, who opened last year as Boston’s starting second baseman and signed a eight-year, $60 million long-term extension just six days into the season. He hit a rough patch after a strong start to his rookie campaign and was demoted to the minors for good by mid-June after hitting .223/.319/.345 with six homers and two steals across 67 games. The 23-year-old former top prospect struggled this spring, hitting just .220 (9-for-41) with one homer and an 11/2 K/BB ratio over 18 Grapefruit League contests, and was never really in the mix to break camp in the big leagues. There’s certainly enough talent here to envision Campbell re-emerging as an impactful fantasy contributor at some point in the future. He’ll spend some time back in the minors working to re-discover the swing and approach that made him one of the top prospects in baseball entering last season.

Mayo adds that the two sides have discussed a potential nine-year deal worth more than $100 million. Griffin, the consensus top prospect in baseball, was the talk of the Grapefruit League earlier this spring and remains in the mix to break camp as Pittsburgh’s starting shortstop. The 19-year-old phenom would become just the 18th teenage position player to reach the majors in the past 40 years, and only the sixth since 2005, according to Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper. He would be the first to debut on Opening Day since Ken Griffey Jr. back in 1989. A long-term agreement would remove any financial obstacles to him starting the year in the big leagues. His sky-high power/speed combo following a 20-homer, 60-steal campaign in the minors last year gives him one of the highest ceilings of any player available outside the early rounds of fantasy drafts this spring.

The 22-year-old infielder started a 10-run uprising in the second inning with a solo shot off of Logan Allen. He then drew a walk and rode home on a two-run blast by Victor Robles later in the inning. Young also delivered a two-run double in the third that increased the M’s lead to 14-4. He also put the exclamation point on the victory with a two-run bomb off of Matt Festa in the sixth inning. He’s having a terrific spring, hitting .294 (15-for-51) with six homers, 18 RBI and three stolen bases.

The hamstring issue has plagued the 28-year-old outfielder throughout the spring and it’s possible that this setback could wind up costing him Opening Day. Prior to exiting, Stowers had been 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored. Look for the Marlins to provide another update on his status on Saturday.