MLB Player News

Ozuna is finally getting some help in Atlanta after single-handedly carrying the club’s offense at the outset of the year. His fifth-inning blast off Rockies reliever Noah Davis was his 35th round-tripper of the season and he’s a virtual lock to eclipse the 40-homer summit for the second consecutive season. The fact that he’s limited to a utility spot will bother some fantasy managers, but he’s an undeniable absolute offensive force.

The 22-year-old phenom continued his impressive spring camp on Thursday, smacking a line drive single into left off of Brandon Sproat in the opening inning. After hustling to second to stay out of a double play, he then raced around to score the game’s first run on an RBI single off the bat of Jon Singleton. Smith also drove in a run of his own with an RBI single off of Trey McLoughlin in the second inning. He’s now hitting a jaw-dropping .636 (7-for-11) with a pair of homers and seven RBI in Grapefruit League play. If Christian Walker (oblique) is forced to start the season on the injured list, the door could be open for Smith to crack the Astros’ Opening Day roster.

The right-hander punched out two opposing hitters on the evening. The only hit that he surrendered was a two-out single to Mark Vientos in the opening frame while both of his strikeouts came courtesy of Pete Alonso. While Gusto impressed at Triple-A Sugar Land in 2024, his path to a spot in the big league rotation is blocked at the moment — and it will only get worse once Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. are ready to return during the season. He’ll continue to function as extra depth at the Triple-A level.

All three of Vientos’ hits in the contests were singles and he didn’t factor into the scoring of the club’s lone run in the ballgame. The 25-year-old slugger is off to a nice start in Grapefruit League play, hitting .294 (5-for-17), though he’s still looking for his first round-tripper. Vientos has found himself going just inside the top 100 players overall in recent fantasy drafts, making him the eighth option off the board at the third base position.

The highly touted right-hander struck out a pair while issuing one base on balls in the contest. He allowed a run in the opening inning as Jon Singleton plated Cam Smith with an RBI single. Sproat then settled down and worked a scoreless second inning including strikeouts of Brendan Rodgers and Jacob Melton. He seemed to tire a bit after starting the third, issuing a leadoff walk and a single before turning the ball over to the bullpen, and one of those inherited runners came around to score. While the 24-year-old impressed with his fastball in this one, it’s still clear that his secondary offerings need some work before he’s ready to join the Mets’ rotation.

Rodriguez laced a one-out single into center off of Zach Eflin in the second inning and scored the game’s first run as Enmanuel Valdez hit a sacrifice fly. He then chipped in an RBI single in the third inning that extended the Bucs’ lead to 3-1. The 24-year-old backstop is finally healthy this spring and has been sizzling at the dish, hitting .417 (5-for-12) with a homer and three RBI in the early going. He’s fighting with Jason Delay to open the season as the team’s primary backup behind Joey Bart.

The 22-year-old phenom walked two and struck out three opposing hitters on the night. The Pirates scratched out a single run against him in the second inning on a run-scoring ground ball off the bat of Luis Vazquez. Skenes then returned to start the fourth inning where he allowed a leadoff single to Ryan Mountcastle before turning the ball over to the bullpen and then runner ultimately came around to score as well. Through two spring starts, Skenes now holds a 4.50 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and a 7/3 K/BB ratio over six innings. The top pitcher off the board in drafts this spring, fantasy managers shouldn’t be dissuaded by a couple of mediocre spring performances.

After grounding out in his first at-bat against Paul Skenes, O’Hearn smacked a one-out single off of the Pirates’ ace in the third inning. He then delivered a game-tying two-run single off of Ryan Harbin in the fourth inning. With the two-hit attack, the 31-year-old slugger is now hitting .200 (3-for-15) with no homers and two RBI so far in Grapefruit League play.

The 30-year-old right-hander also issued a pair of walks in the contest and did not record a strikeout. Eflin retired the Pirates in order in the first inning, but they scratched out a run in the second on a pair of hits and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Enmanuel Valdez. He then returned for the third where the Pirates used a single, two walks, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly to push another run across — with another coming in shortly after Eflin exited. He holds a troublesome 7.71 ERA and 1.93 WHIP with only one strikeout through his first 4 2/3 innings in Grapefruit League action.

Not only did White break a scoreless tie with his blast off of Calvin Faucher, it was also the Braves’ first hit in the ballgame. White also went down on a called third strike in the ninth inning, finishing the evening 1-for-2. The versatile 30-year-old has made the most of his limited chances in Grapefruit League action, hitting .545 (6-for-11) with a pair of runs scored. If he keeps hitting like this he’ll make a strong case for inclusion on the club’s Opening Day roster in a bench role.

The 26-year-old right-hander punched out four batters on the evening, though he also issued four free passes. Anderson came out firing in this one, striking out Xavier Edwards and Jesús Sánchez to start the game before dusting Griffin Conine to finish the frame. In addition to the four walks that he allowed, Anderson also plunked a batter. The lone hit that he surrendered was a one-out single by Liam Hicks in the second inning. As long as he keeps pitching like this, Anderson should open the season with the fifth spot in the club’s starting rotation.