MLB Player News

Cruz took Blue Jays reliever Jorge Alcala deep in the sixth inning for his second big fly of the spring. He singled and swiped second base, his fifth steal of the spring, earlier in the contest with Toronto ace Kevin Gausman on the hill. The 27-year-old center fielder has put together a strong spring, hitting .417 (10-for-24) through nine games.

It’s flown a bit under the radar fantasy-wise, but Hoerner has put together a strong spring, batting .389 (14-for-36) with six extra-base hits, including a pair of home runs, in 14 games. The 28-year-old speedster will occupy the leadoff spot in Chicago’s formidable lineup and projects as a top-10 second baseman fantasy-wise thanks to a realistic 25-steal, 80-runs scored floor to go along with a strong batting average.

Palencia was named Chicago’s closer roughly a month ago by skipper Craig Counsell and he’s looked the part this spring, putting together a dominant run as Venezuela’s stopper in the World Baseball Classic before finishing Cactus League play with four shutout frames. The hard-throwing 26-year-old has the talent to blossom into an upper-echelon fantasy closer this season and looks like a borderline top-10 option already.

Imanaga generated a staggering 17 swinging strikes, with nearly half of them (eight) coming on his sweeper alone. The 32-year-old’s fastball velocity was up nearly two miles per-hour in this outing as he continues to flash increased velocity this spring, leading to a 4.50 ERA and 18/3 K/BB ratio across 18 innings of work. He’s looked extremely impressive this spring, causing his fantasy stock to increase as a result, vaulting him into the top 40-50 range among starting pitchers entering the year. He’s in line to take the ball on Saturday against the Nationals to kick off the regular season.

It was a deflating end to an otherwise electric spring for Lagrange as he served up a staggering nine hits, including home runs to Michael Busch and Alex Bregman, on a 93-degree afternoon in the Arizona desert. The hard-throwing 22-year-old top pitching prospect appears poised to reach New York at some point later this season but was unlikely to make the club’s season-opening roster, especially since he’s pitched just 78 1/3 innings above High-A in his career. He’ll marinade a bit longer on the doorstep of the big leagues but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him come up as a dominant multi-inning reliever at some point later this year.

It’ll likely be a temporary demotion for Arrighetti since Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters he’ll be an option once they expand to a six-man rotation at some point in April. The 26-year-old righty was limited to just seven starts due to injuries last year. He’ll offer some appeal as a streaming option in deeper mixed leagues once he returns to Houston.

It sounds like the Dodgers are planning to bring Snell along extremely slowly over the next two months as he gradually builds up his pitch count and stamina until he’s ready to make his season debut at some point in May. He’s been working his way back from a shoulder injury that put him behind the rest of the rotation earlier in camp. The same goes for Edman, who is still working his way back from offseason ankle surgery, and didn’t end up appearing in any spring training contests.

The decision leaves Connelly Early and Johan Oviedo as the fifth and sixth options in Boston’s rotation mix. Tolle did almost everything possible to prove he belongs in the big leagues with a strong Grapefruit League showing that included a 2.53 ERA and 13/1 K/BB ratio across 10 2/3 innings. The 23-year-old top pitching prospect would’ve likely been ticketed for a long relief role at the start of the regular season so he’ll instead remain stretched out as a traditional starter on the doorstep of the majors until a more permanent opportunity arises. He’ll be worth rostering in all fantasy formats based on his strikeout upside once he gets a real chance.

Espada added that Spencer Arrighetti will open the season back at Triple-A Sugar Land before being an option once they expand to a six-man rotation. It’ll be Cristian Javier and Tatsuya Imai taking the ball over the weekend against the Angels before Lance McCullers Jr. starts Monday’s series opener against the Red Sox.

Sheehan will follow Opening Day starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto with Tyler Glasnow closing out a three-game season-opening series against Arizona. It’ll be Roki Sasaki followed by Shohei Ohtani early next week to kick off a three-game set against the Guardians at Dodger Stadium. There are some reasons for mild concern with Sheehan fantasy-wise after experiencing some diminished velocity this spring but he’s still going to be a viable mixed-league fantasy contributor. It’ll be Justin Wrobleski operating in a piggyback role, most likely with either Sheehan or Sasaki the first time through the rotation.

Bellozo and Brebbia were in Rockies camp this spring as non-roster invitees attempting to make the club’s season-opening relief mix. Bellozo will presumably head to Triple-A Albuquerque to open the year while Brebbia has been cut loose to pursue opportunities elsewhere.