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Vaughn Dalzell previews the Elite 8 blockbuster between Purdue and Arizona, where the Boilermakers could be primed to upset the Wildcats on Saturday.

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Rotoworld Player News Headlines

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Josh Hader

HOU Relief Pitcher #71

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Josh Hader threw a bullpen session on Friday as he works his way back from bicep tendonitis.

Hader was scheduled to throw a bullpen and it went off without a hitch, which is great considering how back and forth his health status has been of late. If he stays on track, the expectation is that he would face live hitters in a few weeks before likely going on a rehab assignment. If everything goes perfectly, he could be back by the beginning of May. Keep an eye on his status though because things have not gone perfectly since his shoulder injury towards the end of last season.
Cam Schlittler

NYY Starting Pitcher #31

Cam Schlittler limited the Giants to one hit over 5 1/3 innings and struck out eight in the Yankees 3-0 shutout Friday.

Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Camilo Doval and David Bednar finished up with 3 2/3 hitless innings. The Yankees wanted to keep Schlittler at 70 or so pitches today, yet he was able to get 16 outs anyway. He recorded four strikeouts with his fastball, which averaged 98.5 mph, and only two of the nine balls in play against him were hit hard. Based on how he’s looked since day one this spring, he should be one of the AL’s better pitchers if he remains healthy.
Nico Hoerner

CHC 2nd Baseman #2

Cubs agreed to terms with 2B Nico Hoerner on a six-year, $141 million contract.

That is a lot of money, though deferrals are likely to bring down the present-day value. Hoerner and the Cubs had reportedly agreed to an extension yesterday, but the terms were undisclosed. This is the fourth-largest contract ever given to a second baseman and one that will keep Hoerner in Chicago for the next six years. Hoerner does a lot of things well as an elite defender and fantastic contact hitter. Those just aren’t skills that often age well and the Cubs now have him, Dansby Swanson, and Alex Bregman on long-term contracts that extend well into those players’ 30s.
Shane Baz

BAL Starting Pitcher #34

Orioles agreed to terms with RHP Shane Baz on a five-year contract through 2030.

The new deal, worth a reported $68 million, takes effect immediately and supersedes the one-year, $3.5 million deal he agreed to in January. So, the Rays are paying $64.5 million for his final two seasons of arbitration and his first two years of free agency. That’s great if he stays healthy and turns into an above average starter these next two years, and there’s good reason to think that at least the latter will happen. It’s probably a little riskier than most of these kinds of extensions, though, and it doesn’t come with the bonus of getting any option years tacked on. Baz is now due to become a free agent at age 31 after the 2030 season.
Christopher Morel

MIA Left Fielder #5

Christopher Morel was scratched from Friday’s lineup with a strained left oblique.

In spite of a rough spring, Morel was expected to serve as the Marlins’ primary first baseman. Perhaps it’s jumping the gun, but one imagines he’ll have to wait a few weeks now, and who knows if the job will still be there when he gets back? Owen Caissie, who was going to sit versus lefty Kyle Freeland, was inserted in Morel’s place, with Connor Norby switching from DH to first base. Deyvison De Los Santos could be called up if Morel goes on the IL.
Jeremy Peña

HOU Shortstop #3

Jeremy Peña is batting leadoff for the Astros against the Angels on Friday night.

He’ll make his season debut after sitting for Opening Day. It’s unclear exactly why the Astros sat him yesterday when they sent him to Triple-A Sugar Land to take live at-bats, but fantasy managers can overlook that as long as Peña is ready to go. Against LHP Yusei Kikuchi, the Astros will use a lineup of: Peña, LF Yordan Alvarez, DH Isaac Paredes, 2B Jose Altuve, 3B Carlos Correa, RF Cam Smith, 1B Christian Walker, C Yainer Diaz and CF Brice Matthews.
Ozzie Albies

ATL 2nd Baseman #1

Ozzie Albies is batting third for the Braves in their Opening Day matchup against the Royals Friday.

Coming off a .240/.306/.365 batting line in 2025, this is a pretty surprising lineup placement for Albies in the opener. He batted third in just seven of 157 appearances last season. He did hit slightly better against lefties (.277/.296/.412) last year, but we’re still a bit surprised. The full Opening Day lineup against LHP Cole Ragans is: RF Ronald Acuña Jr., C Drake Baldwin, Albies, 1B Matt Olson, 3B Austin Riley, LF Eli White, SS Mauricio Dubón, C Jonah Heim, and CF Michael Harris II.
Kazuma Okamoto

TOR 3rd Baseman #7

Blue Jays 3B Kazuma Okamoto is batting seventh in Toronto’s Opening Day lineup against the Athletics on Friday.

The Jays have a deep enough lineup that this shouldn’t mess with his run and RBI opportunities too much, but fantasy managers probably were hoping he’d hit higher than this. The full lineup against RHP Luis Severino is: DH George Springer, LF Nathan Lukes, 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., RF Addison Barger, C Alejandro Kirk, CF Daulton Varsho, Okamoto, 2B Ernie Clement, and SS Andrés Giménez.
Nick Kurtz

ATH 1st Baseman #16

Athletics 1B Nick Kurtz is batting leadoff against the Blue Jays on Opening Day.

He hit first in 18 games last year, so it’s not a total surprise, but we hope it doesn’t cut into his RBI totals too much. The rest of the Athletics lineup against RHP Kevin Gausman is pretty much as expected: Kurtz, C Shea Langeliers, LF Tyler Soderstrom, DH Brent Rooker, SS Jacob Wilson, RF Lawrence Butler, 3B Max Muncy, 2B Jeff McNeil, and CF Denzel Clarke.
Mickey Moniak

COL Right Fielder #22

Rockies placed OF Mickey Moniak on the 10-day injured list with a sprained finger.

No word yet on how much time Moniak will miss, but there were no reports that we’ve seen that indicated he was dealing with an injury in the first place. The Rockies recalled C Braxton Fulford to replace Moniak on the roster, and since Moniak wasn’t a must-use outfielder for Colorado they could slide any of their bench players into Moniak’s role against right-handers. Troy Johnston and Kyle Karros would seem to be the main options. It goes without saying that neither profiles as a useful fantasy player right now.