MLB Player News

Waldichuk was excellent against the Tigers on Friday. He held them scoreless until the fifth inning, when Carson Kelly took him deep for a two-run homer. Waldichuk tossed one more inning to complete the quality start, striking out seven batters over the six frames. The 25-year-old left-hander ends the day with a 5.31 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and a 129/68 K/BB ratio across 135 2/3 innings He lines up for a final start against the Twins in Minnesota next week.

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.

Díaz remains one of the more underrated hitters in the fantasy landscape, even after launching a career-high 25 homers last year. The 34-year-old on-base machine is likely to see some regression in the power department with the transition back to Tropicana Field, but he’s a safe bet for 15-20 homers with a near-elite batting average. That’ll do.

Warren has been one of the bright spots for the Yankees this spring, posting an impressive 1.77 ERA 16/3 K/BB ratio across 20 1/3 innings of work. The 26-year-old righty will open the year at the back end of New York’s rotation and offers some streaming appeal in deeper mixed leagues against weaker lineups on the road.

It’s relatively easy to envision Pepiot benefitting tremendously from relocating to pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field after spending last year in a minor league ballpark. The 28-year-old righty has put together an excellent spring, compiling a microscopic 0.90 ERA despite a 7/9 K/BB ratio across 10 innings.

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.

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.

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.

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.