MLB Player News

Suzuki got his second triple of the year in his final at-bat in the ninth. He previously collected his sixth double and seventh homer. One of baseball’s best hitters this year, Suzuki is ninth in the majors with a .964 OPS and sixth with 25 RBI.

Basallo was repeatedly checking his hand after it got hit directly while he was trying to block a pitch, so there may be some imaging done after the game, but it doesn’t appear to be an issue. The 21-year-old had another strong day at the plate, ripping a 109.5 mph single before driving in two runs with a 100 mph ground rule double. He figures to spend the vast majority of his time as the designated hitter this season.

Kjerstad was not necessarily in the plans to start the season on the Opening Day roster, but the former top prospect has gone 6-for-14 so far this spring with one home run, two RBI, and just one strikeout in five games. Last year was a tough year for the 27-year-old, but after watching Kyle Stowers emerge in Miami, the Orioles may not be ready to give up on another former top prospect outfielder. The issue for Kjerstad is that Tyler O’Neill and Leody Taveras have no minor league options, so it may be a battle between Kjerstad and Dylan Beavers for the final spot on the Orioles’ roster.

The prospect known as “The Password” came over from the Red Sox in the offseason and has had a solid spring so far, going 7-for-13 with one home run, two strikeouts, and three walks. Garcia does most of his damage against left-handed pitching, and his home run came off lefty reliever JoJo Romero, so the Pirates may put him in a small-side platoon role to start, but he could emerge into a bigger role as the year goes on.

Griffin got the scoring started by clubbing a hanging sweeper from Kyle Leahy 408 feet at 108 mph off the bat for his third home run of the spring. It’s also only his third hit of the spring, as Griffin has now gone 3-for-15 in six games. He also has only two strikeouts, but has yet to draw a walk. There are certainly still some areas for the game’s top prospect to work on, but Griffin has prodigious raw tools and is making it hard for the Pirates to deny his spot on the Opening Day roster.

The two walks are not ideal, and Barco had just a 57 percent strikeout rate overall in this one, but his stuff was electric. He induced 11 whiffs on 20 swings, including posting a 47 percent whiff rate on his four-seam fastball. The 25-year-old is a long shot to make the Pirates out of spring training, but he did post a 2.81 ERA and a 116/49 K/BB in 99 1/3 innings between Double- and Triple-A last year and is one of the top prospects in the Pirates organization. He should pitch MLB innings this season.

Leahy’s velocity was down across the board, and he registered just one whiff on 22 swings while posting a 20 percent CSW. He allowed three hard-hit balls, including a home run to Konnor Griffin, but the average exit velocity against him overall was under 89 mph. Still, he had a sub-60 percent strike zone and will need to get his command in order if he wants to win a spot in the Cardinals’ rotation.

His home run was a 426-foot blast that left the bat at almost 108 mph. It’s a good reminder that the 33-year-old still put up elite bat speed last season and has yet to play his home games in a ballpark that’s as hitter-friendly as Fenway Park is. There’s a chance that Contreras puts up career-best numbers in 2026.

Suárez threw 64 percent strikes while registering a 13 percent whiff rate and 20 percent CSW. His velocity also seemed to be up considerably on both his changeup and curveball, so it will be interesting to see if this was a result of one game or is a conscious change the Red Sox are making to the pitch shapes. Regardless, Suárez’s fantasy value hasn’t changed much from where it was back when he was with the Phillies.

The 23-year-old outfielder led off the game with a single off of Tarik Skubal but was erased on a double play. He then opened the scoring in the contest with a two-run double off of Skubal in the third inning. Clase also singled in the sixth inning and scored on an RBI knock by Jesus Sanchez. With his three-hit attack, he’s now hitting .300 (3-for-10) with three strikeouts to start the spring.

The 24-year-old hurler wasn’t intimidated at all facing a lineup of Tigers’ regulars, retiring all nine hitters that he faced in order. Rogers struck out three batters in the contest — Kerry Carpenter, Gleyber Torres and Kevin McGonigle. He threw 22 of his 27 pitches for strikes, posting a CSW of 37 percent despite getting just one swing and miss. He’s not going to make the Opening Day roster, but Rogers showed on Sunday that he’s capable of getting big league hitters out and that could earn him a shot at some point during the 2026 season.