MLB Player News

He’ll take the roster spot of Geoff Blum, who was released. Wheeler, 24, was hitting .351/.388/.572 with 15 home runs and 90 RBI through 93 games at the Triple-A level this year. He isn’t known for his glove, but Diamondbacks could take the hit defensively at third base since they’ve been hurting for production there. Give him a spin in NL-only leagues.

Break out the bubble wrap. With three weeks left in spring training we’ve seen everything we need to from Yelich already. The 34-year-old veteran figures to come at a discount as a utility-only option in fantasy drafts this spring, especially considering his checkered health history. His 150 games last year were his highest single-season total since 2022. There’s a strong possibility last year was the high-water mark from a production standpoint but forecasting 20 homers and at least 15 stolen bases doesn’t seem outlandish.

Cabrera scattered two hits and one walk while finishing with a pair of strikeouts.

The game was close initially, with the Rockies actually leading 4-3 after four, but Team USA took over from there. Aaron Judge, Alex Bregman, Will Smith and Paul Goldschmidt also homered for the U.S. Buxton opened the game on the bench in favor of Pete Crow-Armstrong, who went 2-for-3 with two steals, but it seems like he’ll be Mark DeRosa’s primary choice in center field during the tournament.

Kershaw gave up a homer to Mickey Moniak on an 87-mph fastball. The retired left-hander’s velocity today was down about two mph from last year, which doesn’t bode very well for him getting key outs in the WBC. Ironically, because Kershaw was pulled before completing the fourth inning today and Team USA took the lead for good in the top of the fifth, the victory in this one went to Rockies minor leaguer Carson Skipper, who Team USA borrowed in case any of its pitchers couldn’t finish their assignments.

Freeland is a little behind because of back spasms, but aside from a big miss to Aaron Judge that was rightfully rocketed 453 feet out to left field, he looked good today. He should still have time to stretch out to at least five innings before the season starts.

It won’t count towards his spring training stats but Stewart delivered another impressive showing, walloping a no-doubter to right field that gave Cincinnati a commanding nine-run advantage in the fourth inning. The 22-year-old slugging prospect ostensibly learned how to pull the ball more consistently to start tapping into his big-time power upside last year in the minors, finishing with 25 big flies in 136 games, including five in 18 big-league contests. He’s a strong contact hitter for a burgeoning slugger, which insulates against a total collapse at the highest level, and if the power spike sticks, he projects as a consistent 25-plus homer threat. He’s a strong late-round sleeper candidate in fantasy drafts this spring.

Lowder drew the starting assignment in this one and needed just 43 pitches (29 strikes) to navigate three frames, scattering two hits in the process. The soon-to-be 24-year-old missed all of last year due to an avalanche of injuries including a forearm strain and oblique issues that kept him on the shelf. He remains one of the better pitching prospects in Cincinnati’s system and should be ready to step into their rotation at some point in the regular season.

Soler went deep for the first time this spring, sending a line-drive out to left field in this one. The 34-year-old veteran masher was limited to just 82 games during his Angels debut last season because of persistent back issues. He’s one of the stronger bets to reach the 20-homer mark in a full season but he doesn’t offer much else from a fantasy production standpoint at this stage of his career.

Pasquantino anchors a strong lineup that features his Royals teammate Jac Caglianone in addition to fellow big leaguers Jakob Marsee, Dominic Canzone and Kyle Teel among others. Italy kicks off their World Baseball Classic campaign on Saturday with a showdown against Brazil at Daikin Park in Houston.