MLB Player News

Milwaukee spent $600,000 on this 2006 second-round pick, but watched him hit only .240 over 420 minor league games. Brewer was obviously miles away from becoming an actual Brewer, as his myriad tools never fully developed.

The move is now official. Pepiot’s unexpected season-opening trip to the injured list creates an opportunity for effectively wild poster candidate Joe Boyle to enter Tampa Bay’s rotation. The 28-year-old righty isn’t expected to require an extended absence, but fantasy managers should anticipate him missing at least a few weeks given the nature of the injury. It’s unlikely the Rays will rush him back and risk any setbacks.

This always seemed like the most likely outcome after Lodolo didn’t seem to be brimming with optimism after playing catch on Tuesday at American Family Field in Milwaukee. The 28-year-old southpaw won’t require a lengthy absence at the outset of the regular season but he’ll need at least a handful of minor league rehab outings to build up his pitch count and stamina. Top pitching prospect Rhett Lowder, who will start on Sunday against the Red Sox to open the season, seems like the clearest beneficiary from Lodolo’s departure from Cincinnati’s rotation mix since he’ll have a much clearer path to consistent innings, which gives him some fantasy appeal as a streaming option in shallow mixed leagues.

Passan adds that the long-term contract agreement, which ostensibly buys out Crow-Armstrong’s four remaining arbitration-eligible seasons and two additional free agent years, could be worth up to $133 million through performance-based escalators. The 23-year-old center fielder blossomed into a legitimate fantasy star last season, cobbling together a magnificent 31-homer, 35-steal breakthrough campaign. He’ll be at the epicenter of Chicago’s long-term roster build and projects as a perennial early-round selection in fantasy drafts as he approaches his physical prime.

Hanifee’s departure at the conclusion of spring training means Enmanuel De Jesus and Brant Hurter secure the final two spots in Detroit’s season-opening bullpen. The 27-year-old righty made a career-high 54 relief appearances for the Tigers last year, finishing with a solid 3.00 ERA and 40/14 K/BB ratio across 60 innings of work.

It’s flown completely under the radar, but Bauers has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball this spring, batting .462 (18-for-39) with seven big flies in 15 games. The 30-year-old corner outfielder will open the regular season in a strong-side platoon role, finding at-bats between several spots.

The most important variable for fantasy managers is that Harrison made it through an 82-pitch relief outing without a recurrence of the blister issue that cut short his previous start. The 24-year-old former top pitching prospect has looked outstanding this spring for Milwaukee, posting a sparkling 20/4 K/BB ratio across 14 innings of work. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats as he opens the regular season with a home matchup against the Rays on Monday evening.

Sproat let it eat in his final appearance of the spring, averaging a crisp 96.3 mph on his sinker, while generating nine swinging strikes and allowing just four baserunners over five frames. The 25-year-old has taken advantage of his opportunity with the Brewers and will break camp in their starting rotation. He’ll kick off the regular season with an extremely tasty home matchup against the rebuilding White Sox on Sunday afternoon, making him a worthwhile streaming option for fantasy purposes, even in shallow mixed leagues.

It was extremely encouraging to see Burns completely dialed in after a mostly forgettable spring that left fanatsy managers with more questions than answers. He generated 13 swinging strikes and topped out at 99.8 mph on his four-seam fastball, limiting Milwaukee’s formidable lineup to just four hits, including a solo homer from Jake Bauers. More importantly, he didn’t hand out a free pass in this one and got hit pitch count up to 68 (53 strikes). The 23-year-old top pitching prospect will kick off the season with an extremely favorable home matchup against the division-rival Pirates on Monday night.

Hoskins will be officially added to Cleveland’s active roster prior to Thursday’s season-opener against the Mariners after making the club as a non-roster invitee this spring. The 33-year-old figures to see opportunities against left-handed pitching between first base and DH at the outset of the year.

Messick put together a strong performance this spring to break camp in Cleveland’s season-opening rotation and offers enough upside to warrant rostering in shallow mixed leagues as a low-risk flyer. The 25-year-old lefty doesn’t miss a ton of bats, but he boasts outstanding control and posted a strong 2.72 ERA — 3.06 xERA — and 38/6 K/BB ratio across 39 2/3 innings over seven starts as a rookie last year. He’s in line to take the ball on Sunday against the Mariners for his season debut.