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Stats

Rotoworld

Josh Hader

HOU Relief Pitcher #71

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Astros manager Joe Espada said Josh Hader (biceps) will return to the mound early next week.

The progression continues. Hader will have gone from playing catch to a bullpen session to hitting the mound next week. It seems like he’s still well behind schedule to be ready for Opening Day, but this remains a very fluid situation. Bryan Abreu is who you should be targeting in fantasy leagues if you’re not convinced Hader will be ready to go.

Injury

Source: Brian McTaggart

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Jesús Luzardo

PHI Starting Pitcher #44

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Jesús Luzardo pitched three shutout innings with five strikeouts Thursday as the Phillies topped the Red Sox 6-2.

Luzardo dominated Boston’s ‘B’ squad lineup, giving up zero hard-hit balls and finishing with a 42% CSW. After his heavy workload last season, Luzardo reportedly declined to pitch for either Venezuela or the U.S. in this month’s WBC, though Venezuela did include him on its reserve roster and could ask him again if it advances out of pool play.

Recap

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Langford, Rooker can pay off big-time in fantasy

March 5, 2026 01:32 PM

Eric Samulski and James Schiano dive into the outfielders picked in mid to late rounds that could hit big in fantasy baseball.

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Braiden Ward

BOS Center Fielder

Braiden Ward had two bunt singles, a hit by pitch and two steals against the Phillies on Thursday.

Ward already has 10 steals to go along with a .450/.522/.500 line in 23 plate appearances. The 27-year-old, who the Red Sox picked up from the Rockies for Brennan Bernardino in November, hit .290/.395/.391 with two homers and 57 steals between Double- and Triple-A last season. He’s not going to make the Red Sox out of spring training, but he could be quite the weapon off the bench late in the year and, should the Red Sox make it, in the postseason.

Recap

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Will Robertson

BAL Right Fielder #37

Will Robertson hit a two-run homer Thursday to help the Orioles best the Rays 4-3.

Robertson hit just .129/.173/.143 with a 27/2 K/BB as a 27-year-old rookie with the White Sox and Blue Jays last season, but he was really good in the minors, showing surprisingly strong exit velocity numbers. For the Jays’ Triple-A club, he had a 51% hard-hit rate and topped out at 114.8 mph off the bat. The Orioles claimed him off waivers from the Pirates in December and snuck him through waivers the following month, so he’s destined to begin the season in Triple-A.

Recap

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Zach Eflin

BAL Starting Pitcher #24

Zach Eflin threw two scoreless innings and struck out three Rays in his spring debut Thursday.

Eflin’s velocities today were up across the board from last year but especially so on his secondary pitches; his sweeper was up 1.5 mph from last year and his cutter was 1.8 mph better. That seems really promising in his first outing since back surgery. We weren’t looking at Eflin as a mixed-league guy this year, but if this holds up, he might help as an end-game pick,

Recap

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Ryan Pepiot

TB Starting Pitcher #44

Ryan Pepiot pitched around four walks to hold the Orioles scoreless for three innings on Thursday.

Pepiot’s velocity is still down 1-2 mph and he threw just 28 of his 57 pitches for strikes today, but it didn’t hurt him against the Orioles. While he’s yet to allow an earned run in five innings this spring, he’s not exactly helping his stock, which was up a bit with the Rays returning to Tropicana Field this season.

Recap

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Merrill Kelly

AZ Starting Pitcher #29

Diamondbacks’ manager Torey Lovullo told reporters on Thursday that right-hander Merrill Kelly (back) threw a successful bullpen session.

The 37-year-old hurler through 26 or 27 pitches during the session and didn’t report any lingering back issues. Kelly is still optimistic that he’ll be able to make his first scheduled turn in the Diamondbacks’ rotation, though there’s still no clear timeline from the team on the next steps in his throwing progression.

Source: Alex Weiner

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Drew Thorpe

CWS Starting Pitcher #33

Drew Thorpe (elbow) threw 20 fastballs during a successful bullpen session on Tuesday.

The right-hander had been shelved early in White Sox’ camp due to a bit of tendinitis in his surgically repaired right elbow. He’s feeling much improved now though and is hopeful that it was only a minor setback. He’ll throw another bullpen on Friday and continue his progression from there. He’ll begin the season on the injured list.

Source: Scott Merkin

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Luke Keaschall

MIN 2nd Baseman #15

Luke Keaschall finished 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBI as the Twins crushed the Yankees 15-0 in a rain-shortened game Thursday.

The game was called after seven innings, which was surely fine with the Yankees. Keaschall is 7-for-21 with only two strikeouts this spring. He has a chance to be a top-five fantasy second baseman if he can stay healthy this year.

Recap

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Taj Bradley

MIN Starting Pitcher #26

Taj Bradley shut out the Yankees for four innings to pick up a victory Thursday.

A nice rebound after he gave up five runs last time out. The bottom of the first started with a 105-mph Trent Grisham blast to center that would have been a homer in 21 major league ballparks, but it was just a long out in this one. Bradley went on to have a fine day, even though six of the eight balls in play against him were hit hard. One of those was a 99-mph liner to second that Tristan Gray was able to turn into a double play by picking Jasson Domínguez off first base.

Recap

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James Outman

MIN Center Fielder #30

James Outman went 2-for-3 and hit his second homer Thursday against the Yankees.

Outman is in the running to open the season as Byron Buxton’s backup in center, but he’s also auditioning for the rest of the league, as he’s out of options. He’s 6-for-18 so far and also 3-for-4 stealing bases.

Recap

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