MLB Player News

Mengden made it into five games (one start) last year for the Royals and will head to Triple-A Omaha for the outset of the minor league season. The 30-year-old veteran righty is merely emergency starting pitching depth at this stage of his career.

Grichuk provides New York with another lefty-mashing platoon outfield option to spell Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham. His arrival seems to further indicate that the Yankees would prefer to have Jasson Domínguez playing everyday at Triple-A instead of languishing on the bench. The 34-year-old veteran is coming off an underwhelming year split between the Royals and Diamondbacks where he batted .228/.273/.401 with nine homers in 113 games. He makes sense as a bench option with the Yankees but can be safely ignored in all fantasy formats.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters he anticipates Schlittler being in the club’s season-opening rotation but added that he likely won’t be built up completely from a pitch count and stamina perspective. The 25-year-old will continue ramping up his throwing program after missing time earlier this spring with back inflammation.

Lombard drew the start at the hot corner for Wednesday’s Florida nightcap and put on an impressive display with a phenomenal barehanded play early in the contest before smacking a 108.8 mph double a couple frames later. The 20-year-old former first-round pick will open the year in the upper minors and could potentially arrive at Yankee Stadium before the regular season comes to a close.

There are debuts, and then there are statements. Weathers’ first start in Pinstripes felt like the latter. The 26-year-old southpaw averaged a sizzling 98.5 mph on his four-seam fastball and topped out at a career-high 99.8 mph, a noticeable jump that immediately turns heads. Acquired from the Marlins last month, he offers short-term fantasy intrigue as he’s slated to open the year in New York’s rotation while Gerrit Cole (elbow) and Carlos Rodón (elbow) are sidelined. Injuries have limited him to just 24 starts over the past two seasons, so durability remains the looming variable. The velocity spike changes the calculus, re-affirming that Weathers is the type of late-round arm that can dramatically impact a fantasy roster if his health cooperates.

Poche fortifies Detroit’s left-handed relief depth at Triple-A Toledo heading into the year. The 32-year-old southpaw made 14 appearances between the Mets and Nationals last year, posting a bloated 12.54 ERA – 5.82 xERA – and 11/14 K/BB ratio across 9 1/3 innings of work. He’s made 239 career appearances in the big leagues dating back to 2019. He’s a low-risk emergency option for the Tigers.

With Tommy Edman (ankle) set to open the season on the injured list, there’s some runway for Kim to make some early-season noise. The 27-year-old speedster offers enough stolen base upside to matter in deeper mixed leagues as a temporary stopgap option. He’ll occupy a versatile bench role with the Dodgers once their ever-expanding Death Star of a lineup is back at full power.

There’s been some reluctance from fantasy managers to believe in Perdomo’s ability to replicate last year’s breakthrough campaign, based on early NFBC average draft position data. There’s probably going to be some pullback in the power department based on his underwhelming average exit velocity and hard contact percentage. However, his perch atop Arizona’s strong lineup lends itself to plenty of running opportunities and counting stats. He’s a top-10 fantasy shortstop until further notice.

Díaz made his first appearance in a Dodgers uniform without a ton of fanfare, averaging his typical 95.7 mph on his four-seam fastball, and needing just 12 pitches (nine strikes) to navigate his lone inning of work. The 31-year-old elite closer will leave camp to join Team Puerto Rico for the World Baseball Classic at some point in the coming days. He’ll be one of the first closers off the board in all fantasy drafts this spring.

Sasaki got off to a rocky start, allowing four of the first five batters he faced to reach base safely, which led to three runs crossing the plate. He threw just 17 of 36 pitches for strikes. The positive here is that he averaged an impressive 96.8 mph, topping out at 98.6 mph, on his four-seam fastball and recorded three strikeouts. He also showed off his new cutter and sinker. Sasaki’s key to sustained success will be fastball command and whether he can generate whiffs consistently on his signature splitter. He’s tentatively penciled into the Dodgers’ season-opening rotation but fantasy managers should take a wait-and-see approach before anticipating a breakthrough campaign.

Gallen is a bit behind the rest of Arizona’s rotation after re-signing late in the offseason. The 30-year-old is the favorite to start on Opening Day with Merrill Kelly (back) unlikely to get the nod following his recent shutdown.