MLB Player News

The 29-year-old outfielder evened the score at two runs apiece with his 408-foot two-run blast off of Lance Lynn in the fifth inning. That would be his only hit in four at-bats on the evening. For the season, Wade Jr. is now hitting .262/.376/.428 with 17 long balls, 45 RBI and a pair of stolen bases in 502 plate appearances on the season.

Abel also struck out four and walked one while allowing an average exit velocity of 81.2 mph. It was an overall strong performance for Abel, who figures to start against the Royals next week in his first MLB start of the season. If you can wait until Sunday to add Abel, that’s great, but he is a priority waiver target for many right now, so you may need to add him now and hold him until that first start. He has a great foundation with strong fastballs and could be a plus starter for the Twins this season.

Suárez allowed two runs in the first inning and then a two-run home run in the second before settling down and throwing two straight scoreless frames. The fifth inning included three singles and a home run before Suárez was removed from the game. The veteran had only six whiffs on the day, and his velocity was down two mph on his four-seam fastball. We know Suárez is behind schedule due to his time in the World Baseball Classic, so it was good to see him throw 69 pitches here, but he’s also clearly not fully ramped up for the season. We wouldn’t read too much into a spring training start, especially for a pitcher who we know is behind schedule, but we also likely wouldn’t use Suárez against the Astros in his first start.

Lambert has been cut loose to pursue opportunities elsewhere after failing to make Houston’s season-opening rotation as a non-roster invitee.

Leiter walked none to finish the spring with an 18/3 K/BB and a 3.38 ERA in 16 innings. There’s not much in Leiter’s numbers to support him as an above average starter, but with his velocity, even modest improvements in his command or his changeup would still have the potential to lead to a breakthrough. He’ll start the Rangers’ second game of the season Saturday against the Phillies.

Lugo, who was pitching in a game for the first time since being pulled in the first inning of Team Puerto Rico’s loss to Italy on March 14, struck out four and got up to 82 pitches today. His velocity was up 0.5-1 mph from last year, so while the Royals couldn’t have been happy about that very early exit in the WBC, it seems he’s completely set for the start of the regular season. He’ll face the Braves on Sunday.

Pederson had been without an extra-base hit this spring, even though he entered the day with a 58% hard-hit rate. His .175/.298/.250 line seems extra discouraging for a 33-year-old already coming off a dreadful season, but we’d be more concerned if he weren’t averaging 95 mph off the bat. That said, while we’d expect Pederson to bounce back enough to help the Rangers this year, it’s unlikely that he’ll be much of a fantasy factor as a platoon guy who doesn’t hit for average or steal bases.

Vázquez will serve as the primary caddy to starter Yainer Diaz after making the club as a non-roster invitee this spring. The trickle-down effect here is that César Salazar will be designated for assignment and exposed to waivers since he is out of minor-league options.

The Yankees were apparently short on cash, while the Nationals needed a utility infielder. Short heads to Washington as emergency organizational infield depth at Triple-A Rochester. The versatile 30-year-old was in Yankees camp as a non-roster invitee this spring. He’s gotten into 243 games in the majors between five different organizations since 2021. He’s the definition of a modern-era stopgap solution up the middle.

Peguero provides Baltimore with additional relief depth at Triple-A Norfolk heading into the regular season after spending spring training with the White Sox. The 29-year-old journeyman made nine relief appearances between the White Sox and Brewers last year.

Slater finds a new home with the Marlins shortly after opting out of his contract with the Tigers over the weekend. The 33-year-old veteran’s arrival helps soften the blow of losing both Kyle Stowers (hamstring) and Esteury Ruiz (oblique) to injuries last week. He’ll operate in a lefty-mashing capacity off the bench for Miami, serving as a short-side platoon option to complement left-handed corner outfielders Owen Caissie and Griffin Conine.