MLB Player News

The Red Sox’s new third baseman is now 10-for-27 this spring with three doubles and one triple. He has also walked five times and struck out just one while stealing two bases. After hitting 11 home runs last season, there’s a chance that Durbin could push closer to 15 this year in Fenway Park, and his new environment should help him improve on his .256 batting average as well. He looks like a potential target if you wait to fill your corner infield spot in drafts and need some speed and batting average.

Cruz got off to another shaky start, colliding with Bryan Reynolds on a fly to left to let in a run in the third. He more than made up for it, though. Cruz hit eighth tonight against lefty Brandon Williamson after sitting out the first time the Pirates took on a southpaw. His first homer came off Williamson, with the second providing insurance in the ninth against Pierce Johnson. If he’s in the lineup against another left-hander in Andrew Abbott on Wednesday, it will almost surely be because of the strong showing tonight. He didn’t start any of the previous three times the Pirates faced Abbott.

Chandler was perfect in the first, second and fourth innings, striking out two each frame. In between that, he walked three in the third and gave a run because Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds collided on a fly to left. That frame also featured TJ Friedl bunting into a double play. The fifth was like the third inning minus the hijinks; Chandler walked three out of four and got pulled in favor of Yohan Ramirez, who did Chandler a huge favor by striking out Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz to strand the bases loaded. Chandler’s wildness still cost him a win. There’s no denying a stuff, but he’s lost the strike zone a handful of times since the beginning of the spring. He won’t be all that valuable in fantasy leagues until he can get a handle on that. He’s due to take on the Padres next.

Dennis Santana was called in to bail out Hunter Barco with the Reds up 6-3 in the eighth and wound up throwing a scoreless inning. That temporarily set up Soto for his first save chance, but that was denied after the Pirates scored twice in the top of the ninth. Soto came in anyway and did make things interesting before pitching around a single, a walk and a HBP. Soto is enough of a threat for saves in Pittsburgh to perhaps warrant a spot in deep leagues, but Santana would seem to be quite a bit more trustworthy in the ninth.

Williamson, who is returning from Tommy John, was making his first start since 2024, and by giving up three homers to the Pirates, he accomplished something that no pitcher had done since that season. Ryan O’Hearn and Bryan Reynolds hit back-to-back homers off him in the second before Oneil Cruz chimed in with another in the fourth. Williamson was supposed to be part of some odd hybrid gig for the Reds before Nick Lodolo’s blister meant there was room for all three of him, Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder in the rotation. Instead of going back to whatver was the original plan, they should probably just send down Williamson once Lodolo returns.

It’s largely just been popups from Ozuna so far. His launch angles on his two flies tonight were 52 and 55 degrees. He has only two hard-hit balls and none of his nine balls to the outfield have traveled more than 315 feet. The Pirates paid him too much this winter to give up on him quickly, but the early returns are simply bad. Even in spring training, he managed just one barrel in 44 at-bats.

It’s his first three-hit game since last July 5. Jansen started the Rangers’ first two games, sat in favor of Kyle Higashioka in the next two and then was back in there tonight. The Rangers made it sound like the plan was for Jansen to get a bit more playing time than Higashioka behind the plate, but neither seems like an option outside of two-catcher AL-only leagues.

It would have been one run in five innings if Wyatt Langford hadn’t terribly misread Gunnar Henderson’s shot to left with two outs in the fifth. DeGrom struck out seven and walked none while throwing 79 pitches, which is right where the Rangers said they wanted him before the game. He was making his first start of the season after being scratched Saturday with neck stiffness.

The Rangers couldn’t resist using their three best relievers, Martin, Robert Garcia and Cole Winn, for the third time in four game tonight, so like they were Monday, they’ll be shorthanded against Wednesday unless they’re willing to use those guys four times in five days. Martin would seem to be very easy to rule out. If Garcia is unavailable, too, maybe Tyler Alexander will get his third save chance already.

Ward didn’t seem like the ideal choice to open as the Orioles’ leadoff hitter, but he done just fine there so far, batting .300 with a 4/3 K/BB. He is still looking for his first homer. Last year, he had 36 of those for the Angels, though he hit .228 with 175 strikeouts in the process.

Alonso and deGrom, obviously former Mets teammates, had a little interaction after Alonso’s single in the first, as deGrom made a pickoff throw that nearly hit Alonso while he wasn’t being held on (Jake Burger did scoot over to catch it). Alonso had the last laugh in the fourth, hitting a shot 400 feet to left center. He’s 6-for-19 for his new team.