MLB Player News

Williamson’s home run was his third of the spring and was a 350-foot shot off Jesus Luzardo that left the bat at 95.7 mph. The 25-year-old is slashing .348/.423/.565 in spring and could get a chance to play some second base with Gavin Lux starting the year on the IL. He likely remains off fantasy radars outside of deep AL-only leagues.

Consider him day-to-day. If he can’t play Wednesday, then Rafael Marchan will do the catching.

Chapman continues to see the ball well as he collected three hits on Tuesday for his third straight multi-hit contest. He started with a pair of base hits in the first and third before knocking a double 111.7 mph off the bat in the fifth to drive in a run before scoring. The 32-year-old third baseman has just an 18 percent strikeout rate while hitting .304/.360/.478 with one homer, seven runs scored, and seven RBI across 50 plate appearances.

Walker’s last appearance, in which he pitched the sixth inning, raised some questions surrounding his role. He got the call once again in a high-leverage spot, with two runners on and two outs in the seventh with a four-run lead. Walker recorded the final out in the frame, then stranded two runners in a scoreless eighth. The Giants would tack on two more runs in the top of the ninth before Keaton Winn entered to close it out in a non-save situation. It appears this may be more of a committee situation than initially anticipated, with Winn possibly in the mix for saves.

Ray was outstanding on Tuesday in San Francisco, holding the Phillies scoreless into the seventh. He scattered three hits and three walks while collecting seven strikeouts on 12 whiffs. The 34-year-old left-hander has allowed four runs with an 18/6 K/BB ratio over 17 1/3 innings across his first three starts. Ray lines up for a start against the Reds in Cincinnati next Tuesday.

A double, a base hit, and a groundout brought one run in to score against Sánchez in the first inning. He stranded two more runners in the second, then later gave up two more runs on three hits in the fifth. Both were charged as unearned runs to Sánchez following an error. He returned for the sixth and gave up two hits, ending his day at 92 pitches. One of the inherited runners would come in to score. Sánchez gave up 11 hits in all while striking out six. Despite a bloated .429 BABIP through three starts, the 29-year-old left-hander has allowed just three earned runs with a 23/4 K/BB ratio across 16 1/3 innings over his first three starts for a 1.65 ERA. He’ll take on the Cubs at home on Monday.

Soler and López traded punches during a chaotic donnybrook that erupted during the fifth inning at Angel Stadium after a high-and-inside pitch. Soler clobbered a two-run homer off López back in the opening frame before being drilled hit by a pitch his next time up. Amazingly, it was Braves manager Walt Weiss who delivered a textbook tackle to bring Soler to the ground and help break up the brawl while Mike Trout managed to corral López, who somehow held onto the baseball throughout the entire incident. There will undoubtedly be suspensions handed out by the league after one of the wildest on-field melees in recent years.

Castro enjoyed a big day at the plate, starting with a base hit in the second inning to put the Rockies on the board with a run. He then took Mike Burrows deep for a two-run blast in the fourth for his first home run of the season. The versatile 28-year-old is slashing .250/.318/.400 with seven runs scored and seven RBI across his first 44 plate appearances with the Rockies.

Walker took Kyle Freeland deep for a solo homer in the second inning to put the Astros on the board. It would be the only run Houston could get across against the Rockies on Tuesday. Walker has been hot at the plate in the early going, with Tuesday’s blast his third in four games.

This is certainly a different version of Senzatela. The Rockies opted to keep the 31-year-old right-hander in a relief role this season, and it looks to be paying off. He recorded the final eight outs against the Astros on Tuesday, striking out three to earn his first career save. Senzatela is throwing harder in the shorter outings, with his fastball up to 97 mph. He’s tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings of relief with nine strikeouts, probably making him the most interesting reliever in the Colorado bullpen, which really isn’t saying much. But his role could be one to monitor if he works into high-leverage situations.

Freeland tossed a clean first inning, then surrendered a solo homer to Christian Walker in the second. That would be the only damage the Astros could do on Freeland as he held them from scoring again into the seventh, scattering two other hits and one walk while striking out five. The 32-year-old left-hander will look to keep the early-season success going in a start against the Padres in San Diego on Sunday.