MLB Player News

Kelly has been hotter than the surface of the sun of late with Friday’s two-homer explosion raising his full-season OPS to a surreal 1.675 mark. The 30-year-old backstop has never showcased this level of elite offensive firepower previously, so we’re anticipating some regression. However, that doesn’t mean his transformation into a viable mixed-league catching option isn’t real. Kelly should be rostered in all fantasy formats by this point after hitting .419 with six homers and 18 RBI in just 11 contests. He’s not going to catch every single day for obvious workload reasons, but he’ll be an impactful fantasy contributor when he’s behind the plate for Chicago.

This seemed like a bit of a foregone conclusion over the past couple of weeks, but it’s now official. The 21-year-old is the 2nd-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and will likely be Detroit’s starting shortstop. He slowed down a bit as spring went on, but hit .250 with two home runs, two steals, a 9/11 K/BB ratio, and just a 5.9 percent swinging strike rate in 56 plate appearances. That type of plate discipline, paired with his strong, hard-hit rate, is an impressive combination at his age and gives him a relatively safe floor. He hit .305/.408/.583 in 88 minor league games last season with 19 home runs and 10 steals, and could be a .250 or better hitter right out of the gate with the potential for 15-20 home runs and 10+ steals. He is also the current frontrunner for AL Rookie of the Year.

At first glance, it seems like that arrangement favors Frazier since the veteran hits left-handed while Peraza hits right-handed. However, Peraza went 16-for-51 (.314) this spring with two home runs and six steals with a 47.5 percent hard-hit rate, while Frazier went 9-for-32 (.281) with no home runs, one steal, and a 33.3 percent hard-hit rate. Frazier has also had a negative outs above average at second base in two of the last three seasons. It makes more sense for Peraza to be given a shot at the job, and maybe he’ll win it over the first few weeks of the season.

Volpe is making his way back from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder. He began his hitting program about a month ago and has now progressed to facing velocity. From there, he will need to begin a rehab assignment in Triple-A, but it’s not out of the question for him to return to the Yankees at the end of April or early in May. That could move Jose Caballero to the bench.

Casas suffered a patellar tendon rupture in May of last season and has been running out of the batter’s box and on the field in recent weeks. His next step is to work on sliding and playing in extended spring training games. Once that’s behind him, he will head to Triple-A to begin a rehab assignment. As of now, he is still on track to return at some point in May, when he is about a full year removed from his injury.

Not only does Martinez miss pitching against the Cardinals, but he now has to face the Brewers in Milwaukee. In addition to that, he has a hamstring issue after pitching to a 14.49 ERA this spring. The Rays are downplaying the issue, but it’s hard to see Martinez lasting long in the rotation with the way Ian Seymour pitched this spring. Seymour likely should have been given a chance to start anyway, with how well he pitched at the end of last season.

Boyle had been optioned to Triple-A on Friday, but with the news that Ryan Pepiot will land on the injured list with hip inflammation, Boyle is back up. He will start game two against the Cardinals, with Nick Martinez starting game four against the Brewers. Boyle is a high-risk fantasy option, but the Cardinals figure to be one of the worst offenses in baseball, so he may not be a bad option if you want to stream for strikeouts and a win.

Well, this comes out of nowhere. Pepiot threw five shutout innings in his last start and just posted a 0.90 ERA in spring training. The Rays have suggested they don’t expect Pepiot to be out long, which means Joe Boyle will begin the season in the Rays’ rotation and start game two against the Cardinals. Ian Seymour will likely serve as his piggyback if Boyle is unable to go deep into games due to command issues.

Cotillo mentions that Boston will re-assess after a few weeks, but Early has been named the starter for Sunday’s game against the Reds, and Oviedo will begin the season as a piggyback option behind starting pitchers like Ranger Suarez and Brayan Bello, who have not been built up to the same pitch count as Boston’s other starters. Early was a revelation in a small sample size last year and has the ability to be a true breakout this season, so he is a must add if he’s still available on your fantasy baseball waiver wires. Oviedo has mentioned struggling with the feel of some new pitches that Boston is adding, so keeping him in shorter stints in the bullpen makes some sense. He also has a good slider and a strong fastball with poor command, so a bullpen role might be best for him long-term as well.

Hedges was hit on the right hand by a pitch. If he needs to on the IL, the Guardians could bring back Jonathan Rodriguez or Petey Halpin. They already have David Fry to use as their backup catcher.

He also swiped his first base of the spring. Lowe is 5-for-17 with a homer and nine RBI in five games since returning from his mild oblique injury. One of the game’s best percentage basestealers, Lowe could offer some mixed-league value if he does enough running this year. He’ll be hitting in the bottom half of the Angels order, so there will be little reason for him to hold back.