MLB Player News

Lauer will become a free agent in the near future. Unfortunately, he lost 2 1/2 mph off his fastball this year and his spot in the Brewers’ rotation quickly followed. He wound up 4-6 with a 6.56 ERA in nine starts and one relief appearance. He was a solid enough starter the previous two years, going 18-12 with a 3.47 ERA.

Carter has some post-hype sleeper to his profile after a few lost seasons to injuries and is widely available in shallow leagues. The idea that he might not be stuck in a pure platoon situation adds to his appeal. Carter has hit .222 with two homers and a steal in 27 Spring Training at-bats to date, managing a .909 OPS.

No real surprises here as Johnson had an option year remaining, Johnson managed a 1.86 ERA in 9.2 innings during Spring Training, striking out eight. He’ll likely be shuttled back to the majors several times over the course of the season.

Gray will get a chance to ramp up in the minors after missing all of 2025 due to Tommy John surgery. Hassell being optioned down is likely good news for Joey Wiemer’s chances of winning a bench spot.

Jung has nine total bases in two games since returning from an adductor strain that cost him 2 1/2 weeks. It’d certainly be great for the Rangers if he could bust out at age 26 after spending a fair amount of time on the IL in each of his first three full seasons. He hits the ball hard enough, and now he just needs to get his strikeout rate down some. It didn’t really happen last year, but his contact numbers were easily the best of his career.

We were rather hoping Rocker might emerge as the Rangers’ closer at some point, but he’s making a strong case for a rotation spot right now. He topped out at 98.5 mph tonight, and his average fastball was up a bit more than one mph from last year. His slider generated nine whiffs on 12 swings, and both times it was put into play, it resulted in soft contact. He still doesn’t project as a mixed-league option at this point, but his stock is climbing.

He allowed six hits, walked one and struck out four. Wacha’s four spring outings have produced an 8.44 ERA, and he gave up three runs in three innings in his lone WBC appearance for Team USA. On the brightside, he had a 7.64 ERA last spring and still opened up with a 2.98 ERA in his first eight starts.

Something just isn’t right here, though Estévez keeps pitching anyway. His average fastball was 89.2 mph tonight, down from 95.9 mph last year. His best outing so far saw him average 90.8 mph for the Dominican Republic against Team Israel. He’s been under 90 mph in all three outings in Royals camp. Obviously, he’s not complaining of anything, but it seems like a good idea to stay far away from him in drafts. Lucas Erceg, on the other hand, is worth a late-round pick, even though he hasn’t looked particularly strong himself this spring.

Strahm was charged with a run after departing the game against the Rangers. He has a 3.38 ERA in six appearances this spring.

It’s merely a formality as Fried will get the ball to kick off the regular season next Wednesday at Oracle Park in San Francisco with both Gerrit Cole (elbow) and Carlos Rodón (elbow) opening on the injured list. The 32-year-old southpaw was outstanding in his Yankees debut last year, posting an American League-leading 19 wins along with a 2.86 ERA across 195 1/3 innings over 32 starts. He’s a top 10-12 range fantasy starter in drafts this spring.