MLB Player News

Mastroianni was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays last month. The 26-year-old spent the majority of 2011 in the minors, batting .268/.353/.377 with three homers, 36 RBI, 34 stolen bases and a .730 OPS between Double- and Triple-A. He could get a taste of the big leagues at some point in 2012 but is an unexciting talent.

Imai recorded 12 swinging strikes and averaged 95.8 mph on his four-seam fastball, topping out at 98.5 mph in his spring finale at Daikin Park. He threw 51 of 79 pitches for strikes. The 27-year-old has done a nice job mixing speeds and locations this spring and looks like he’ll offer enough strikeout potential to be impactful in all fantasy formats. There are going to be a wide range of opinions on his immediate fantasy value, but Imai is easily a top 50-60 range starter entering the year. He’ll make his major-league debut on Sunday against the division-rival Angels.

We don’t have any Statcast data since this contest took place at Double-A Hammons Field but May turned in a strong performance in his final tune-up before opening the season in St. Louis’ rotation. The 28-year-old figures to take the ball this weekend against the Rays at Busch Stadium. His immediate fantasy appeal is strictly limited to deeper formats until he strings together a handful of quality outings.

It’s a bit perplexing Detroit is taking things down to the wire on the McGonigle decision since all signs point to him being the club’s starting third baseman for Thursday’s season opener against the Padres. The 21-year-old’s upper-echelon hit tool gives him a chance to be an extremely impactful fantasy contributor right away. There should be an official announcement from the team at some point in the near future.

Rogers was diagnosed with a concussion last week following a mishap during a training drill. The 30-year-old backstop will be ready for Thursday’s season opener against the Padres. He’ll serve as a backup to starter Dillon Dingler this season.

It became a foregone conclusion once pitching prospect Payton Tolle was optioned to the minors that Early and Oviedo will have roles with the Red Sox. It’s a bit unclear which one is going to land the final spot in Boston’s rotation and who will be pitching out of the bullpen. Early offers significantly higher fantasy upside based on his impressive late-season cameo last year but he’s also more likely to head back to the minors once Ranger Suárez and Brayan Bello are fully stretched out.

Barnes was in Mets camp as a non-roster invitee this spring and wound up hitting .313 (5-for-16) in eight games. There simply wasn’t role for him with the club since Francisco Alvarez, Luis Torrens and Hayden Senger are all healthy.

There simply isn’t a spot of Alcántara on Chicago’s season-opening roster, even with Seiya Suzuki (knee) heading to the injured list. The 23-year-old prospect offers an intriguing power/speed blend, but he’s been incredibly streaky at the highest level, which has made it tough for him to carve out a permanent role. He could wind up getting another shot if the whole Matt Shaw outfield experiment winds up backfiring.

Osuna and Helman come up short on bids to break camp in the big leagues with the Rangers going with Ezequiel Duran and Andrew McCutchen in reserve roles. Osuna got into 63 games as a rookie last year and has the look of a reserve outfielder. Helman is a gritty jack-of-all-trades utility specialist with plenty of defensive versatility. He should get another look in the near future.

Perkins failed to land a spot in the Athletics’ bullpen mix this spring after posting a 4.00 ERA and 7/7 K/BB ratio across nine innings of work in Cactus League action. The unheralded 26-year-old compiled a solid 4.19 ERA — 3.63 xERA — and 37/18 K/BB ratio over 38 2/3 innings in the big leagues last year.

Hoglund missed time earlier in camp with a back issue after ending last year on the injured list with a knee sprain. The 26-year-old righty will likely head to Triple-A Las Vegas once he completes a rehab assignment.