MLB Player News

Cueto latches on with the defending World Series champions after an underwhelming, injury-plagued campaign last year with the Marlins. The 38-year-old veteran righty will presumably head to Triple-A Round Rock to serve as emergency starting pitching depth and is unlikely to wind up making an impact for fantasy managers at this extremely late juncture in his pretty remarkable 16-year career that dates back to 2008.

Kurtz went deep for the third time in his last four games, clobbering a 400-foot opposite-field blast off Keaton Winn in the opening frame. The 22-year-old slugging prospect has gotten off to a sizzling-hot start this season, hitting .476 (10-for-21) with three homers and nine RBI through five games. His combination of top-of-the-scale raw power and strong plate skills are going to lead to some monster numbers in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. He figures to arrive in the heart of the Athletics’ lineup by midseason and figures to make an immediate four-category fantasy impact.

Ohtani – on his own bobblehead night no less – put the finishing touches on the Dodgers’ comeback with a monstrous walk-off home run to beat the Braves. Atlanta led 5-0 after the second inning in search of their first win of the season, but the Dodgers chipped away slowly before Ohtani sent them home with their eighth consecutive victory. The Dodgers and Ohtani look unstoppable at the moment and each seem well on their way to another incredible season.

It has not been a fun start to Snell’s Dodgers tenure. Not only did he not have his usual swing-and-miss stuff in this one, he got smacked for eight hard-hit balls against a Braves lineup that hasn’t been able to buy a run this season. However, every run was unearned due to two throwing errors by Max Muncy at third base. His first miscue would’ve ended the first inning without a run scoring and the next set Snell up for trouble by putting Stuart Fairchild on to begin the second inning. Still, it’s hard to be encouraged by Snell at the moment who now has a multi-year problem starting his seasons slowly. He’ll look to get back on track in his next scheduled start Tuesday against the Nationals.

The Braves, staring down an 0-7 start to their season, were in pure desperation mode in this one. That distress forced manager Brian Snitker to call on Iglesias for a five-out save after Daysbel Hernández put two runners on with one out in the eighth and fell behind Will Smith 2-0. That’s right, Snitker brought Iglesias into the game not just with two runners on, but in the middle of an at-bat down 2-0 in the count. Iglesias would then walk Smith, allow a two-run, game-tying double to Max Muncy, and later a walk-off home run to Shohei Ohtani. While he didn’t pitch well, this was a nightmare scenario for Iglesias to enter into as the Braves’ early season spiral only got worse.

Not even being spotted five unearned runs over the first two innings could help the Braves get their first win of the season. Albies did all he could though with a run-scoring double and then later a single that loaded the bases with two outs and the heart of the Braves’ order coming to the plate. They would not cash in on that golden opportunity and eventually blew their five run lead to fall to an unthinkable 0-7. This lineup will certainly come around despite their collective lackluster start.

The Braves pitching staff is already in dire straits just a week into the season and Elder could not provide them with the length they needed. He didn’t pitch terribly though, especially against a lineup as strong as the Dodgers. Tommy Edman and Michael Conforto each hit loud home runs, but that was the extent of the damage done. Of course, had he stayed in past the fourth inning it could have gotten uglier and the Braves were likely smart to pull him when they did in an effort to preserve their narrow lead. Elder seems to have a secure spot in this rotation with Reynaldo López’s long-term shoulder injury and is scheduled for another tough matchup with the Phillies next time out.

Ford has gotten off to a strong start at Triple-A on the heels of an impressive spring training performance in Mariners camp. The 22-year-old backstop’s speed and athleticism are extremely rare for a catcher and give him a shot at being one of the more unique talents in the fantasy landscape once he arrives. He’s a name to monitor in deeper mixed leagues on the chance that he gets a shot later this year with Seattle in a backup role.

Neto remains limited to DH for the time being and there isn’t an exact timetable for when he’ll be cleared to starting playing shortstop in rehab games. He has a couple weeks left on his rehab assignment, so there’s still plenty of time as he continues to work his way back from offseason shoulder surgery.

Colorado’s surprising decision to ship Veen to the minors and go with a Nick Martini and Mickey Moniak combo alongside Brenton Doyle and Jordan Beck remains rather inexplicable. The 23-year-old is tearing the cover off the ball so far at Triple-A, batting .368 (7-for-19) through five games.

Mayer recorded two batted balls with exit velocities over 98 mph and went deep for the second consecutive contest. The 22-year-old shortstop looked ready for the big leagues in spring training and it feels like only a matter of time before he forces his way to Fenway Park. We’re not envisioning superstar-caliber offensive upside in his immediate future, but he’s a gifted talent with the natural athleticism and feel for the game to outperform expectations.