MLB Player News

A third round pick in the 2009 Draft, Joseph was the Reds’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2010. The 24-year-old has been dominant across the Double- and Triple-A levels this year, going 8-3 with a 1.72 ERA in 44 relief appearances. He will be in Kansas City’s bullpen before the end of the year.

Perhaps this is connected to Mike Tauchman’s injury, but the Mets inked Tommy Pham to a minor league deal and will send him to Triple-A Syracuse. The 38-year-old hit .245/.330/.370 with 10 home runs and five steals in 449 plate appearances for the Pirates last season. He could be an option for the Mets against lefties at some point this season.

With Rob Refsnyder no longer on the team, the Red Sox don’t have a clear platoon partner for Abreu. Isiah Kiner-Falefa may make some starts in the outfield against lefties, but he’s playing second base today with Marcelo Mayer sitting. This is great news for Abreu’s fantasy value, and he could be in for a real breakout season. The rest of the Red Sox’s Opening Day lineup is: Roman Anthony LF, Trevor Story SS, Jarren Duran DH, Willson Contreras 1B, Caleb Durbin 3B, Wilyer Abreu RF, Isiah Kiner-Falefa 2B, Carlos Narvaez C, and Ceddanne Rafaela CF.

The Red Sox have said they would get Mayer more at-bats against lefties this season, but that won’t be the case on Opening Day against Andrew Abbott. Isiah Kiner-Falefa will start in Mayer’s place, and fantasy managers will have to hope that this is not a locked-in situation for Mayer all season long.

With the Cubs throwing left-hander Matthew Boyd, it will be Andres Chaparro starting at first base. This isn’t a huge surprise, but it’s a little disappointing considering how poor the Nationals’ lineup is. There was some hope that they would view García Jr. as enough of a key hitter to play him against some lefties, but that may not be the case. The remainder of the Nationals’ Opening Day lineup is: James Wood LF, Andres Chaparro 1B, Brady House 3B, Daylen Lile DH, Joey Wiemer RF, C.J. Abrams SS, Nasim Nunez 2B, Keibert Ruiz C, and Jacob Young CF

It’s only one game, but it seems that Hamilton may have beaten out Luis Rengifo for the third base job in Milwaukee. Hamilton did enjoy a good spring, slashing .333/.393/.510 with one home run and seven steals in 56 plate appearances, but he’s also a .222/.283/.359 career hitter in 550 MLB plate appearances. What’s more, he graded out as an above-average defender at second base during his time with the Red Sox but a below-average one at shortstop. It remains to be seen how he can handle third base and how long he lasts as a starter, but his speed puts him on fantasy radars if he’s going to start against right-handed pitching.

With Jackson Chourio (hand) on the IL, it will be Bauers who gets the first start of the season. The 30-year-old had a tremendous spring, hitting .462/.571/1.154 with seven home runs and three steals in 49 plate appearances. It’s obviously a small sample size, but it’s pretty eye-opening. Bauers figures to start against most right-handed pitchers for the next month, with Blake Perkins starting against lefties. That could give Bauers fantasy value in deeper formats. The rest of the Brewers’ lineup is: Brice Turang 2B, William Contreras C, Christian Yelich DH, Andrew Vaughn 1B, Jake Bauers LF, Sal Frelick RF, David Hamilton 3B, Garrett Mitchell CF, Joey Ortiz SS.

Even against a right-handed pitcher, Ward will man the top spot in the lineup. That figures to be a valuable place in the order, given the caliber of hitters behind him. Ward was likely going too late in drafts and could be in for a big season in Baltimore. The rest of the Orioles’ lineup is: Taylor Ward LF, Gunnar Henderson SS, Pete Alonso 1B, Adley Rutschman C, Samuel Basallo DH, Tyler O’Neill RF, Colton Cowser CF, Coby Mayo 3B, and Blaze Alexander 2B.

It’s not a complete surprise, but it is confirmation that Andujar, not Castellanos, will begin the season as the primary designated hitter. Andujar hit just .220/.305/.420 in spring, but he did have three home runs and a manageable strikeout rate. He’s a career .282 hitter in 467 MLB games and could have some deep league fantasy value if he’s going to hit in the middle of the Padres’ lineup. The rest of the Opening Day lineup is: Fernando Tatis RF, Xander Bogaerts SS, Manny Machado 3B, Jackson Merrill CF, Miguel Andujar DH, Gavin Sheets 1B, Ramon Laureano LF, Freddy Fermin C, and Jake Cronenworth 2B.

Even with a left-handed pitcher going, it seems that Wallner is going to be in the starting lineup. A big reason for that is that the Twins only have one right-handed hitter on the bench, Austin Martin, and he’s starting in place of Trevor Larnach. Every other bench hitter bats left-handed, which means the Twins may not be able to platoon Wallner as much as they used to. That seems like great news for fantasy managers, but Wallner is also a career .181/.273/.368 hitter off of lefties with a 31 percent strikeout rate. However, last season was his best season ever against southpaws, so maybe he will carry that over.

With left-hander Trevor Rogers on the mound for the Orioles, the Twins will use Martin in left field instead of Trevor Larnach. Martin dealt with a concussion in the spring, but also hit .353/.476/.353 with four steals in 16 games. He likely won’t play enough to be fantasy relevant in most formats, but the speed could be a nice perk. The full Twins lineup is: LF Austin Martin, CF Byron Buxton, 2B Luke Keaschall, C Ryan Jeffers, RF Matt Wallner, DH Josh Bell, 1B Victor Caratini, 3B Royce Lewis, and SS Brooks Lee.