MLB Player News

Granillo threw 36 pitches yesterday, so he’s being swapped out for a fresh arm. He has a 4.82 ERA in 18 2/3 innings for the Cardinals this season.

Happ’s homer was the second of the season, and it came in the third inning off Chad Patrick. The outfielder’s roundtripper came right after an Alex Bregman homer, and the two will likely be hitting near each other to open the regular season. Happ will once again be a solid — if flawed — fantasy option in 2026, because that’s what he’s been for seemingly the last 40 years.

Bregman and Ian Happ went back-to-back in the third inning off Chad Patrick. The 31-year-old has swung the bat well in his first spring training with the Cubs with a slash of .471/.550/1.000. Bregman is more of a high-floor than a high-ceiling player at this stage, but there’s still enough oompf in his bat to suggest he’s worth a starting spot in eligible formats.

All three runs scored in the fourth, an inning in which Alcantara gave up four of the five hits he allowed and was pulled with two outs. He returned for the fifth and worked a scoreless inning then in spite of a leadoff walk. Alcantara topped out at 98.4 mph today and threw 56 of his 86 pitches for strikes. He’ll get to begin the season Friday with essentially another spring start at home against the Rockies.

Peterson’s average fastball came in at 90.7 mph today, down from 91.6 mph previously this spring, 92.2 mph last year and 93.1 mph in 2024. There was never any doubt that he’d open up in the Mets rotation, and the team has picked him as one of their five starters with Sean Manaea opening up in the pen. However, Peterson’s history of being effective as a reliever might work against him if he doesn’t get off to a nice start. He’ll take his first regular-season turn Saturday against the Pirates.

Hicks is 6-for-24 with no extra-base hits. The 26-year-old had a solid .346 OBP in 390 plate appearances as a Rule 5 rookie last year, but he also slugged just .346, and his exit velocity numbers don’t suggest much more power is on the way. Also, while he’s a better catcher than Agustín Ramírez, he’s still below average defensively behind the plate. Whether it’s at catcher, first base or DH, he figures to be in the Marlins lineup most of the time against right-handers to begin the year. Most likely, though, he’s going to wind up being replaced by Joe Mack at some point.

Pauley had been limited to DH duties by forearm tightness. He’s hitting .231/.344/.346 over 31 plate appearances this spring and he’s come in at .207/.284/.358 in 216 major league plate appearances to date, but it looks like the Marlins might make him their third baseman against right-handers. There just isn’t much reason to suspect he’ll be a long-term solution there.

Five innings of four-run baseball might as well be called a Michael Lorenzen. The right-hander walked a trio while striking out three, and two of the hits he allowed went over the fence. Lorenzen is set to open the season as the Rockies’ No. 2 starter, and that’s just kinda sad, isn’t it?

Conrad was the 17th pick of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest, and while his first full professional season will be delayed, he has a chance to be a strong fantasy option in the long-term with several above-average tools.

Springs was lit up in his early spring outings, but pitched well to finish the Cactus League campaign. The 33-year-old will pitch near the top of the A’s rotation to open 2026, but he’s a streaming option until proven otherwise.

McGarry was the Nationals’ Rule 5 draft pick from the Phillies, and assuming the 26-year-old isn’t claimed off waivers, the right-hander will head back to Philadelphia. McGarry was once a Top 100 prospect, but his command has prevented him from being more than organizational depth.