MLB Player News

Bader and Renfroe were both claimed off waivers from the Angels on Thursday, giving the Reds some useful depth amid recent injuries. Bader will hit leadoff against lefty Jordan Wicks while Renfroe is in the cleanup spot.

Nuñez is unlikely to hit for a high average, but he looks set to lead off for the Nationals this season and has four steals so far this spring. He’s likely not a draft target in shallow fantasy leagues given how bad the Nationals offense could be, but his lineup position and speed make him an intriguing bench or MIF target in deeper formats.

Miller was told “not to push through if he felt anything at all,” so it’s unclear how much discomfort he felt, but the fact that he felt any is not a great sign. He is still cleared to play catch, so it’s nice that he isn’t fully shut down from throwing, but it’s just hard to trust him in fantasy drafts right now. Miller will almost assuredly miss the start of the season, which opens up a spot in the rotation for Cooper Criswell or Emerson Hancock.

Teel was injured while running the bases in a win over Team USA in the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday. That timeline means that Teel could return to games at the end of April. Whether that’s in Triple-A or in Chicago is unclear at this time, but he should still be able ot play the vast majority of the season with the White Sox. Edgar Quero will become the clear starting catcher for the White Sox until Teel returns, but we would caution against getting too invested in fantasy. Quero will post a decent batting average, but he hits at the bottom of the lineup, doesn’t steal bases, and has very little power. It’s a bit of an empty batting average profile on a mediocre team.

Ward broke open the scoring with a three-run blast off of Noah Davis in the fifth inning. It was Ward’s first home run and RBI of the spring, but the 32-year-old remains a boring upside pick in fantasy baseball drafts since it seems like he will be the leadoff hitter for a good Orioles lineup.

May also walked two and struck out three while registering a 23 percent whiff rate and 25 percent CSW. The command wasn’t ideal for May, who had just a 57 percent strike rate, but he had three whiffs on his four-seamer and two whiffs on four swings against his sweeper, which was nice to see. His four-seam velocity did drop about three mph in the fourth inning, but that’s not a huge shock in spring training. It’s hard to get overly excited about May this season since he is on a rebuilding team, and he has never produced much strikeout upside.

Cavalli has not yet allowed a run this spring and threw 68 percent strikes in this one, which is great news given his previous command concerns. However, he only produced a 12 percent whiff rate, which is not ideal. However, the 27-year-old former top prospect will be the Nationals’ Opening Day starter and has intriguing raw stuff, so he could be worth a late-round dart throw in fantasy drafts. Just don’t hold onto him too long if he starts the season slow.

Davis also struck out five and walked one on the day and had matched Kyle Bradish through four shutout innings before he gave up a three-run home run to Taylor Ward in the fifth. Davis had been used primarily as a reliever by the Rockies and Twins over the last few years, so it makes sense he may have worn down as the game went on. With that said, he posted a 34 percent whiff rate and 34 percent CSW on Wednesday while showcasing an intriguing sweeper and curve pairing. He won’t make the Pirates’ rotation, but this was an encouraging performance.

Bradish also posted a 26 percent whiff rate and 30 percent CSW while throwing 66 percent strikes. His sinker sat 95.5 mph, which is up from 94.8 mph last season. He also induced seven whiffs on 17 swings on his slider and curve combined. He remains a high-upside starting pitcher who could emerge as a fantasy SP1 in all league types this season.

That likely means Henderson, who has been shut down with elbow soreness since late February, will throw primarily fastballs in a non-max effort session. The hope is that he will begin a “return to game progression” on March 15th. That almost assuredly means he will not be ready to start the season. Considering Henderson also dealt with elbow inflammation at the end of last season, there is some cause for concern around his health. He also has to compete with Kyle Harrison, Robert Gasser, and Brandon Sproat for innings in Milwaukee’s rotation, which makes Henderson a player we’d avoid right now in redraft leagues.

The Brewers and Priester still have no answers for why he is experiencing soreness in his right wrist. We know that he’s had MRIs on his wrist, shoulder, and elbow, but none of those have seemingly produced any answer, so he will seek another opinion. Having to see a specialist is usually never a great sign for a player’s health, but we’ll wait to see what comes of the visit. It’s looking like Kyle Harrison has a good shot to start the season in the Brewers’ rotation.