MLB Player News

It was Veen’s first game action since undergoing season-ending left hand surgery back on June 22. The soon-to-be 22-year-old outfielder — MLB Pipeline’s 92nd-ranked prospect — possesses game-changing speed and stolen base prowess, but was limited to just 46 games this past season for Double-A Hartford due to injury. He’ll make up for lost development time this winter before heading to spring training. There’s a decent shot he makes it to the big leagues at some point during the 2024 campaign.

Morel finally broke through and got the Marlins on the board with a run-scoring single off of Clay Holmes in the seventh inning. That wound up being the only run that either team would score in the contest. He’s having a rough spring overall at the plate, hitting just .172 (5-for-29) with zero homers, four RBI and one stolen base in his first 32 plate appearances.

Paddack struck out three batters on the evening. The only real threat against him came as the Mets put runners on the corners with one out in the second inning, but Paddack escaped by striking out Luis Torrens and getting Tyrone Taylor on a ground ball. The 30-year-old hurler has pitched really well for the Marlins this spring, firing nine scoreless innings with a 0.89 WHIP and a 9/3 K/BB ratio. He was a viable fantasy option in the first half of the 2025 season, so it’s not crazy to expect the same thing could happen again.

Senga continued to make a statement in this one, firing 28 of his 38 pitches for strikes while getting eight whiffs and posting a strong CSW of 34 percent. His strikeout victims were Connor Norby, Graham Pauley, Christopher Morel, Fenwick Trimble and Chase Jaworsky. Senga’s velocity was up again in this one, averaging 96.5 mph with his fastball (+1.8 mph). Through his first two Grapefruit League starts he holds a 3.18 ERA, 0.53 WHIP and a 7/0 K/BB ratio across 5 2/3 innings. If he keeps this up, he could have a return to fantasy relevance in 2026.

Holmes racked up six strikeouts on the evening and didn’t walk a batter. He gave up a run-scoring single to Christopher Morel in the seventh inning, which happened to be the only run scored by either team in the contest. The 32-year-old hurler got nine whiffs on 62 pitches on the night, posting a strong CSW of 37 percent. He shouldn’t have an issue being fully stretched out before his first regular season assignment.

The 23-year-old slugger tagged Astros’ closer Bryan Abreu for a 422-foot (107.7 mph EV) solo shot in the fourth inning, pulling the Cardinals to within two runs at 4-2. He’s having an absolutely brutal time in Grapefruit League action, hitting .097 (3-for-31) with one homer and one RBI.

On the plus side, Leahy struck out five batters on the night while allowing one base on balls. He served up a solo homer to Christian Walker in the second inning, then the Astros piled on three additional runs in the fourth inning. Leahy got eight swings and misses on 74 pitches, posting a CSW of 34 percent. He now holds a 6.39 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and a 14/4 K/BB ratio across 12 2/3 innings. With so much competition for the final couple of spots in the Cardinals’ rotation, he may need to improve his next time out to secure his spot.

Walker opened the scoring in the ballgame, crushing a 336-foot (100.2 mph EV) solo shot off of Kyle Leahy to lead off the second inning. He also singled in the fourth inning and scored on an RBI knock by Taylor Trammell. Even with his two-hit attack, the 34-year-old slugger is hitting just .130 (3-for-23) on the spring, so perhaps this is just what he needs to get his bat going as we inch closer to Opening Day.

Teng walked two and struck out two on the night. The lone tally against him came on a sacrifice fly by Victor Scott II in his final frame. The 27-year-old hurler got five whiffs on 49 pitches in the ballgame, registering a strong CSW of 35 percent. He has looked sharp through his first four Grapefruit League outings, compiling a 3.12 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a 6/6 K/BB ratio over 8 2/3 innings.

Baty smacked a double off of Zack Littell in the opening inning and raced around to score the game’s first run as Ronny Mauricio followed with a two-bagger of his own. That would be his only hit in three at-bats on the night. The 26-year-old is having a strong spring with the bat, hitting .389 (7-for-18) with one homer, five RBI and one stolen base.

Edwards struck out four batters on the evening. He fired 40 of his 61 pitches for strikes in the contest, generating eight swings and misses (five on his fastball) while posting a CSW of 21 percent. The 34-year-old right-hander has certainly opened some eyes this spring, registering a 2.08 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and an 11/4 K/BB ratio across 8 2/3 innings of work. While he’s not going to crack the Opening Day rotation, it sounds like he’ll open the season as extra starting pitching depth at the Triple-A level and should get an opportunity with the big league club at some point during the season.