MLB Player News

Yikes. Smyly also issued three walks on the day — including one to Josh Donaldson with the bases loaded — and didn’t record a strikeout. In all, he threw just 11 of his 28 pitches for strikes. The 34-year-old left-hander finishes the 2023 campaign with an uninspiring 5.00 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and a 141/56 K/BB ratio across 142 1/3 innings in 41 appearances (23 starts).

It seemed to be tracking this way, but now we know for sure. Benge, the 16th-ranked prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline, went 15-for-41 (.366) this spring with five runs scored, five RBI, and one steal. Only two of his hits went for extra bases, and he had just a 31 percent hard-hit rate in a small sample, so fantasy managers shouldn’t expect a ton of power production from Benge, but he has shown a good understanding of the strike zone and has the speed to steal double-digit bases. It remains to be seen how much he’ll play against left-handed pitching, so it’s not the most fantasy-friendly skillset for 2026 only, but he’ll be a regular starter in a good lineup, and that’s worth a gamble in the later rounds of drafts.

We know that Luis Severino was going to be the Opening Day starter, but the Athletics have now said that Jeffrey Springs will start on Saturday against the Blue Jays and Luis Morales will start on Sunday. Morales hasn’t had the best spring training, but did post a 3.14 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 43/18 K/BB ratio across 48 2/3 innings over 10 appearances (nine starts) with the Athletics last season. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues could add him for this weekend’s start, even to keep him on your bench and get a quick look to decide whether or not you want to hold him through the first waiver period on Sunday night or not.

The team wants Assad to remain stretched out as a starter, so he will pitch in the rotation in Triple-A. This means that Ben Brown has made the Cubs’ Opening Day roster as a reliever. While the Cubs have not officially transitioned Brown to the bullpen, it likely remains the best fit for his skillset.

We already knew that Suzuki would not be ready for Opening Day, but now the Cubs have decided to hold him out for longer. There isn’t any new information, and there was no setback or increased level of concern; the Cubs are simply being cautious with Suzuki at the start of the season. Matt Shaw figures to be the regular starter in right field until Suzuki comes back, and is worth adding in most league types given how well he played after the All-Star Break last year. How well Shaw plays and how soon Suzuki comes back could impact the playing time for Moises Ballesteros. If Shaw hits, and the Cubs want to bring Suzuki back as a designated hitter to not stress his knee, that could mean Ballesteros would lose his spot as a regular in the starting lineup.

Wheeler threw two innings on a back field on Monday “against low-level farmhands with no outfielders and the catcher calling balls and strikes.” However, the most important part of the day was simply that the right-hander came away happy and was able to go full speed against hitters. As of now, Wheeler remains on track to return in late April, but we have yet to see him pitch, so it’s hard to know for sure what version of the 35-year-old we’re going to get coming off such a big surgery. He remains one of the bigger risk/reward picks in fantasy drafts right now.

The 27-year-old left-hander came over from the Pirates in a trade this offseason along with Johan Oviedo. Samaniego had a good spring, throwing 5 1/3 shutout innings while allowing just one hit and striking out six. However, he has minor league options left, and the Red Sox have three other left-handed relievers in their bullpen, so they opted to send Samaniego to the minors and kept Ryan Watson on the team. Watson is a Rule 5 pick, so he would have needed to be sent back to the Athletics if he didn’t make the Opening Day roster.

Kreidler is a career .138/.208/.176 MLB hitter in 211 plate appearances, so he was always a long shot to make the Opening Day roster. His defensive versatility will likely give him a chance at some MLB at-bats this season.

With Austin Martin (concussion) back on track to begin the season with the Twins, Wagaman will head to the minors. That means Kody Clemens will operate as the primary backup first baseman behind Josh Bell. Wagaman had some intriguing batted ball data during his MLB debut last season, and he can play the outfield as well, so he figures to get a chance sometime this season.

Lux had missed time this spring with a “cranky” shoulder but returned to the lineup on Sunday. Apparently, he didn’t recover from that game as well as the Rays would have hoped. While his injury means that Richie Palacios will make the Opening Day roster, it’s unclear if Palacios or Ben Williamson will start at second base with Lux out. Palacios is a left-handed hitter, which would favor him, but neither player needs to be added in fantasy leagues right now.

The good news is that the injury is not related to his arm. The bad news is that, because of pitching mechanics, oblique strains can sideline pitchers for four to six weeks. Strider will not be able to throw while he manages the pain and inflammation. He will then begin some strengthening exercises and work his way back onto the mound and have to ramp up his pitch count again. Fantasy managers should expect Strider back in the rotation sometime in early May. Until then, the Braves will likely turn to either Jose Suarez or Didier Fuentes in their starting rotation; however, they could also decide to add any of Martin Perez, Carlos Carrasco, or JR Ritchie to their 40-man roster as well.