MLB Player News

After missing the entire 2022 season and being limited to only 12 2/3 innings at the big league level in 2023 while battling back from injury, Crochet stepped into the White Sox’ rotation in 2024 and performed as one of the top overall pitchers in all of baseball. The 25-year-old left-hander compiled a 3.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and a 209/33 K/BB ratio across just 146 innings in his 32 starts. A very popular name in off-season trade talks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Crochet donning a new jersey before the 2025 season begins.

Thomas has been a mostly forgotten outfielder in fantasy drafts this spring, going outside the top 400 in NFBC formats since the start of March. The 30-year-old speedster still offers 25-steal potential but it’ll be hard for him to deliver much else in a platoon role with the Royals, especially since he’ll be batting towards the bottom of the lineup when he does get a chance.

Vogt added that Ramírez jammed his left shoulder on a head-first slide into third base, which led to his removal from the second inning of Sunday’s spring training contest against the Athletics. The 33-year-old fantasy superstar will presumably undergo precautionary imaging to rule out any structural damage, but it doesn’t sound like a serious concern. Regardless, fantasy managers should continue to monitor the situation closely in the coming days, especially since Opening Day is less than two weeks away.

Ragans gave up a run-scoring single to Edgar Quero and uncorked a wild pitch, which accounted for all the damage against him in this one. The 28-year-old lefty has been hit hard this spring overall, but still owns an impressive 15/3 K/BB ratio across 10 2/3 innings of work. He’s widely regarded as a top 12-15 fantasy starter in drafts this spring, making him a borderline SP1 or strong SP2.

Smith, the fifth-overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, handed out one walk and needed just 30 pitches (18 strikes) to spin a pair of frames in this one. The 22-year-old lefty profiles as an impact fantasy arm once he ascends to the majors based on his sky-high strikeout rates. He’ll gain some additional seasoning in the upper minors to open the year but there’s a chance he reaches the big leagues at some point in the second half.

The unexpected Candelario renaissance as a non-roster invitee in Angels camp has been one of the more compelling minor storylines in the Cactus League this spring as he continues to build a real case for a utility role. The 32-year-old infielder took journeyman reliever John Brebbia deep in this one for his second big fly of the spring. He’s spent time at several spots this spring and could be an option between second and third base in a reserve role off the bench.

McCarthy’s fall from fantasy-relevance with the Diamondbacks likely remains at the forefront of most fantasy manager’s brains this spring, but it’s worth noting that he’s hitting .297 in 13 games since arriving in Colorado. The 28-year-old speedster appears to be the favorite to lead off for the Rockies on Opening Day and should get a boost in the batting average department from Coors Field. At the risk of sounding like Charlie Brown with Lucy and the football, there are some reasons to believe in McCarthy as a late-round flyer, especially in deeper mixed leagues.

Carroll remains limited to DH as he works his way back from last month’s hamate surgery, but the expectation is that he’ll return to right field in a game setting at some point in the coming days. The 25-year-old fantasy superstar is still shaking off some rust after an extended layoff from game action, but he should be a full-go for the start of the regular season.

With Joe Musgrove appearing likely to open the season on the injured list while working his way back from Tommy John surgery, there is an opportunity for Vásquez to gain a little traction in San Diego. The 27-year-old righty continues to flash increased velocity this spring, with his fastball sitting in the mid-90’s and nearly touching triple-digits, which is a positive development. He finished with four strikeouts and didn’t issue a walk in this outing. It’ll take a surge in the strikeout department for him to be mixed-league relevant but we’re not ready to rule it out completely.

Pfaadt continues to look dialed in this spring, allowing just one run with an 11/3 K/BB ratio across 10 innings over three starts. The 27-year-old righty hasn’t done anything dramatic to overhaul his pitch mix besides leaning on his changeup and curveball more frequently against left-handed batters. There’s enough history to suggest not reading too much into the small sample size this spring but it certainly makes it easier to believe in Pfaadt as a late-round option in mixed leagues.

Encarnacion bolstered his chances of making San Francisco’s season-opening roster in a lefty-mashing bench role by clobbering a gargantuan 463-foot moonshot off Brewers southpaw Shane Drohan in the second inning. It was his second big fly of the spring. He still has some work to do to lock up a spot on the Giants’ roster over the final few days of camp, but he’s made a strong impression so far. His fantasy appeal is limited to NL-only formats as a cheap power source.