MLB Player News

Zimmerman made one ill-fated, late-season spot start for the playoff-bound Brewers and was tagged for six runs — five earned — over six innings by the Padres before being cut loose by the club. The 30-year-old southpaw put together a solid 4.19 FIP across 138 innings of work over 28 appearances at the Triple-A level last year. He’ll presumably have a chance to compete for a roster spot with the Cardinals in spring training.

Nikhazy made two appearances for Cleveland, allowing six runs over four innings of work last season. The 26-year-old lefty will open the year back in the minors as organizational depth. He posted an underwhelming 5.02 ERA across 86 innings at the Triple-A level last year.

Curet came over in an offseason trade with the Rays and offers enough strikeout upside to envision a back-end rotation or multi-inning relief role down the road. He’ll need to iron out some control issues to reach that potential. Chace and Cabrera are among the better pitching prospects in Philadelphia’s system and should ascend to the majors later this year.

Holliday is racing against a ticking clock to be ready for Baltimore’s season opener in late March, but he’s trending towards a return to game action before Grapefruit League play concludes. The 22-year-old second baseman is recovering from surgery to address a hamate injury in his right wrist. He’s resumed swinging a bat and should be ready to face live pitching at some point in the next week or two.

With Peña sidelined for at least a couple weeks while recovering from a fractured right ring finger, Correa is the logical choice to move back to his long-time defensive home with Isaac Paredes taking over at the hit corner on a temporary basis. Peña is hoping to be ready for Opening Day on March 26 against the Angels. However, his availability for Houston’s season-opener won’t become clearer until he’s re-evaluated in late March. The biggest takeaway for fantasy managers here is that Paredes appears unlikely to be on the move before Opening Day after it seemed like the odds of his finding a new home were increasing.

Rodríguez is the notable name here for fantasy managers, especially in dynasty formats after slashing .283/.336/.450 with 19 homers and 15 steals across 135 games between two levels to finish last year at Triple-A. The 21-year-old will require some additional seasoning on the doorstep of the majors but he’s a power/speed combo talent worth watching throughout the season. Arroyo is one of Cincinnati’s top prospects entering the year after batting .284/.345/.371 with three homers and 12 steals in 120 games last season for Double-A Chattanooga.

No surprise here. Young’s path to a roster spot became virtually nonexistent following the offseason arrival of starters Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt and Zach Eflin to fortify Baltimore’s rotation. The 27-year-old former pitching prospect posted a lackluster 6.24 ERA — 4.28 xERA — 1.54 WHIP and 47/22 K/BB ratio across 57 2/3 innings over 12 starts last year at the highest level. He’ll open the season back at Triple-A Norfolk as quality depth.

Suzuki went deep in the first and third innings, respectively, before drawing a bases-loaded walk to put Japan ahead in the seventh inning. Red Sox slugger Masataka Yoshida followed with a two-run single to give Japan a comfortable three-run cushion. He came up empty on a diving catch attempt in center field early in the contest that led to a pair of runs crossing the plate but made up for it with a two-run shot in his first at-bat before adding a go-ahead solo shot a couple innings later. The 31-year-old impending free agent is coming off a career-high 32 homer campaign with the Cubs last year. He’ll be a top-20 range outfielder in fantasy drafts this spring.

Kim’s clutch homer came against Japanese reliever Hiromi Itoh, the reigning Sawamura Award winner, in the fourth inning. It left is bat at 106 mph and traveled an impressive 410 feet, per Statcast. The 27-year-old speedster has made some noise in Dodgers camp this spring, showcasing overhauled swing mechanics, which have enabled him to drive the ball more consistently. He’s poised to open the regular season as Los Angeles’ starting second baseman while Tommy Edman recovers from offseason ankle surgery. He could deliver some sneaky early-season fantasy value, especially in deeper formats.

Ohtani finished 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, reaching base safely in all four plate appearances out of the leadoff spot. The 31-year-old two-way superstar has homered in back-to-back games for Japan as they attempt to defend their World Baseball Classic title. He continues to display an uncanny ability to meet the moment on the international stage, delivering a 408-foot moonshot in front of a packed Tokyo Dome as Japan managed to overcome an early deficit to knock off Korea. Ohtani will lead the defending WBC champions against an upstart Australia squad when pool play continues Sunday morning.

It’s nice to see to some over-the-fence pop from Yoshida, who pulled a no-doubter to right field in the third inning following round-trippers by Shohei Ohtani and Seiya Suzuki earlier in the frame. He also plated a pair of key insurance runs with a based-loaded, two-run single to close out a three-run seventh inning. The 32-year-old missed most of last season recovering from a shoulder injury and will likely be limited to a platoon role off the bench due to Boston’s overcrowded outfield mix.