MLB Player News

Stanton did his damage off of Jose Urquidy leading off the second inning, clobbering an 0-1 cutter for a 424-foot (109.5 mph EV) solo shot to open the scoring in the ballgame. The 36-year-old slugger also singled in the contest, finishing the night 2-for-3. For the spring, he’s hitting .250 (2-for-8) through his first three games.

Ashcraft’s slider and curveball were phenomenal, and he maintained his sinker velocity into the middle innings, carving up a fully loaded Detroit lineup in one of the more impressive outings of the spring. The 26-year-old has posted a stellar 2.03 ERA and 16/1 K/BB ratio across 13 1/3 innings of work in Grapefruit League action. He appears locked into Pittsburgh’s season-opening rotation and is a savvy late-round sleeper candidate in all fantasy drafts this spring.

Collins has been managing a back issue recently and will DH on Wednesday night before returning to playing the field later this week. The 28-year-old corner outfielder appears on track to be ready for next week’s season opener.

Mey has struggled to an inflated 11.57 ERA across seven innings this spring. The flame-throwing 24-year-old will open the regular season back in the minors but should make his way to Cincinnati before too long. He’s made 13 relief appearances for the Reds over the past two years.

Murphy added that Harrison has dealt with blister issues in the past as a result of his changeup grip and downplayed any concerns that it would impact his readiness for the start of the season. It’s an encouraging update after the 24-year-old lefty made an early exit from Wednesday’s spring outing against the Angels. Blisters can be complicated, and often recurring issues, which makes this a situation fantasy managers should continue to monitor. Harrison has put together an excellent spring and is a savvy late-round lottery ticket in all fantasy drafts.

Arozarena returned to Mariners camp earlier this week after a stint with the Mexico in the World Baseball Classic where his biggest highlight was a bizarre exchange with teammate Cal Raleigh. The 31-year-old remains one of the better power/speed combo threats in the fantasy world after eclipsing 20 homers and 20 steals in each of the past five seasons.

The Rockies scored seven runs between the eighth and ninth innings today. Prior to that, Ritter’s homer in the fifth was their lone run of the game. Even though he’s struck out in 16 of his 51 plate appearances, Ritter is batting .340/.392/.553 this spring. He’s also 3-for-4 stealing bases. With Kyle Karros seemingly favored to start at third and Willi Castro in line to play a lot of second base, the Rockies might want Ritter opening up in Triple-A instead of sticking around as a utilityman, but we’ll see. There’d be more room for him as a part-time option at second, third and in the outfield if Karros is sent down.

Quintana struck out two. He has a 9.72 ERA and an 8/6 K/BB over 8 1/3 innings in his three spring starts, but it doesn’t figure to have any effect on his status in the Rockies rotation.

Hayes is 6-for-30 with one extra-base hit this spring, and it’s going to be interesting to see just how committed the Reds are to him at third if he doesn’t hit early in the regular season. They have four theoretical alternatives at third in Eugenio Suárez, Sal Stewart, Spencer Steer and Noelvi Marte. Suárez started there three times before leaving for the WBC, suggesting that he might be Francona’s preferred choice. Stewart has played there just once, while the other two haven’t been used there at all. Christian Encarnacion-Strand also got three starts at third before being sent down. Most likely, Hayes is going to be the everyday guy at the beginning of the season, but the Reds might be tempted to keep Nathaniel Lowe on the roster if they want to think of Hayes as more of a part-timer.

It’s fair to assume that Candelario is going to wind up with a spot on Los Angeles’ season-opening roster as a bench infielder. The 32-year-old reclamation project took Brewers upstart lefty Kyle Harrison deep in the second inning for his fourth long ball of the spring. He won’t carry any fantasy relevance but Candelario’s unexpected resurgence is a fascinating development for the Angels.