MLB Player News

Couch unraveled quickly after allowing a leadoff single and didn’t make it out of the seventh inning. 57 of his 87 pitches went for strikes. For Couch, it was a much better outing than his previous start when he gave up five runs in just 2/3 of an inning in a loss to Charlotte. The 25-year-old’s 4.27 K/9 leaves a lot to be desired.

Escara’s second-inning homer against Rays starter Ryan Pepiot traveled 438 feet and left his bat at 108.4 mph. The 30-year-old backstop’s spot on New York’s season-opening roster likely comes down to whether they carry Jasson Domínguez in a reserve role and feel comfortable with Ben Rice as their lone backup catcher behind starter Austin Wells.

Bichette manufactured all of New York’s runs in this one, scalding a two-run double against Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara in the third inning before taking top pitching prospect Robby Snelling deep in the seventh. It was his first round-tripper of the spring. The 28-year-old will make the transition to third base in his Mets debut and will be a top-10 fantasy option at shortstop in drafts this spring.

Ruiz is battling with Heriberto Hernandez for the final spot on Miami’s season-opening roster. The 27-year-old’s speed and ability to handle center field makes him a quality bench option but the limited role makes it nearly impossible for him to offer any sustained fantasy relevance.

Lindor made his return to spring action over the weekend and has provided zero indication that he won’t be ready for next week’s opener. The 32-year-old fantasy stalwart is back at shortstop defensively and has looked like his usual self at the plate after undergoing hamate surgery last month. He remains an early-round building block in all fantasy drafts.

Alcantara gave up three hits and only issued one walk, building up his pitch count to 70 (46 strikes) in the process. The 30-year-old ace would’ve started the World Baseball Classic final had the Dominican Republic rallied to beat Team USA over the weekend. He’ll presumably get the ball on Opening Day for the Marlins next week.

Manaea retired all 12 batters he faced, needing just 52 pitches (36 strikes) to navigate four perfect frames. The big concern remains his velocity, which has been down all spring, as he was sitting just 88.6 mph on his four-seam fastball in this outing. The 34-year-old veteran southpaw will pitch at the back end of New York’s rotation following last year’s injury-marred season where he posted a disastrous 5.64 ERA (4.00 xERA), 1.22 WHIP and 75/12 K/BB ratio across 60 2/3 innings over 15 appearances (12 starts). He’s merely a late-round option for fantasy purposes this spring and will go undrafted in most leagues.

In four years with the Red Sox, Story has never hit a triple in the regular season. He has three this spring, though, and he’s batting .424/.441/.727 in 34 plate appearances.