MLB Player News

Prior to the game, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker was unsure if the 26-year-old would be available off the bench. Luckly for him and the Marlins, they easily defeated the Braves 11-5 Saturday night, so De La Cruz got an entire night off his feet. The Marlins will likely see where he is at before Sunday’s game, but he could miss Sunday’s finale. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day until we learn more.

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.

Wetherholt will make his MLB debut on Thursday and get things going for the Cardinals right away from the top of the lineup. The 23-year-old hit 306/.421/.510 with 17 homers and 23 steals in 109 games in the upper minors last season. He did hit only .212/.386/.394 in spring training, so expect a little bit of an adjustment period, but his understanding of the strike zone looked MLB-ready, so he will likely figure things out as long as St. Louis keeps him in the lineup. The rest of the Cardinals’ lineup is: JJ Wetherholt 2B, Ivan Herrera DH, Alec Burleson 1B, Masyn Winn SS, Nolan Gorman 3B, Jordan Walker RF, Nathan Church LF, Pedro Pages C, and Victor Scott CF.

Despite the Nationals throwing a right-handed pitcher, it will be Shaw in right field and not Michael Conforto. Shaw has struggled with his outfield defense this spring, so he may not have a long leash in the outfield, but his offensive production improved drastically in the second half of last season and carries over into spring training. Playing time in Chicago remains a mystery when Seiya Suzuki (knee) is healthy, but Shaw is worth adding in case his super utility role leads to three to four starts per week. The rest of the Cubs’ lineup is Michal Busch 1B, Alex Bregman 3B, Ian Happ LF, Pete Crow-Armstrong CF, Nico Hoerner 2B, Carson Kelly C, Moises Ballesteros DH, Dansby Swanson SS, and Matt Shaw RF.

With the news that Jackson Chourio is going to be out for the next two to four weeks with a fractured hand, the Brewers quickly recalled Perkins from AAA. He will battle Jake Bauers for a chance to start with cheerio out. We would guess that Perkins will see most of his starts against left-handed pitching

Well, that’s a brutal blow on Opening Day. Chourio apparently suffered the injury in the World Baseball Classic, but the X-rays didn’t show a clear fracture. However, he aggravated the injury on a check swing this week, and that’s when further imaging revealed a hairline fracture. The Brewers claim he will be out anywhere between two and four weeks, but considering how important he is to the team and that the season is just starting, we would expect him to be out closer to a month. Blake Perkins was called up to take his spot on the roster, but Jake Bauers, who is fresh off a tremendous spring, could get the first look in the starting lineup.

It always seemed like Baty was destined to be the strong-side platoon at DH this year, but his draft price never really rose in fantasy leagues. After a demotion at the start of last season, Baty came back up with a more focused approach, cutting his swinging strike rate and called strike rate. He would then slash .266/.327/.454 in 110 games the rest of the way with 17 home runs, seven steals, and a 24 percent strikeout rate. He should be very productive this year for the Mets. The rest of their Opening Day lineup is: Francisco Lindor SS, Juan Soto LF, Bo Bichette 3B, Jorge Polanco 1B, Luis Robert Jr. CF, Brett Baty DH, Marcus Semien 2B, Carson Benge RF, and Francisco Alvarez C.

Polanco is going to play most days for the Mets, switching between first base and DH, so his hitting in this spot in the order, behind Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Bo Bichette, is tremendous for his RBI potential. Polanco slashed .265/.326/.495 in 524 plate appearances with Seattle last year, while adding 26 home runs and six steals. Considering he will also add first base eligibility soon, he is looking like a great value in fantasy leagues.