Chicago

Cubs

The former top prospect opened the scoring in the ballgame with an RBI double off of José Soriano in the top half of the first inning. He then added a run-scoring single in the fourth inning that extended the Cubs’ lead to 4-1. He’s facing an uphill battle at earning a spot on the Cubs’ Opening Day roster, but is off to a terrific start — hitting .500 (4-for-8) with a couple of RBI and a 2/3 K/BB ratio.

The 35-year-old southpaw made a statement in the opening inning, getting Zach Neto on a ground ball before striking out Mike Trout and Yoan Moncada in succession. He then got a couple of weak ground balls to start the second before punching out Travis d’Arnaud. With his pitch count in a manageable range, Boyd returned for the third where he once again set down the Angels in order. Overall, he threw 23 of his 34 pitches for strikes, generating seven swings and misses and registering a CSW of 29 percent. This is likely to be his final start before Boyd leaves to join the Team USA for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

Taillon has gotten roughed up both times out so far, leaving him 0-2 with a 17.18 ERA. Still, his velocity is fine, and he wasn’t hit particularly hard today. It’s nothing to be concerned about at the moment.

Horton came in after Jameson Taillon allowed three runs and exited before Caleb Thielbar gave up five runs, making his day look a little more impressive. He struck out two and walked one while throwing 26 pitches.

The Cubs signed Austin to a one-year contract back in December, and he was one of the favorites to land a bench spot on the Opening Day roster. It’s unclear what happened, but Cubs manager Craig Counsell simply noted that Austin would be out for months. That could open the door for both Michael Conforto and Chas McCormick to make the Cubs, with Matt Shaw perhaps getting some starts at first base against lefties to begin the season. Of course, Cubs 1B prospect Jonathan Long also hit .305/.404/.479 with 20 home runs in 140 Triple-A games last year and hits right-handed.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that an MRI showed “no UCL concerns,” but forearm inflammation is never a great sign. The Cubs are hopeful that Wick’s return timeline is “days down, not weeks,” but it’s unclear right now. The 26-year-old was battling to be the Cubs’ sixth starter with Justin Steele (elbow) out to begin the season.

It qualified as a major surprise when Imanaga accepted a qualifying offer from the Cubs at the outset of the offseason since he figured to have plenty of suitors on the open market. The 32-year-old southpaw has settled in as a consistent top-50 range starting pitcher for fantasy purposes, even if his velocity and strikeout rate are trending in the wrong direction. It’s notable that his fastball velocity was up to 93 mph in this early-spring outing, which is an encouraging sign.

Counsell added that Long is feeling better after being diagnosed with a left elbow sprain following a collision at first base last weekend. The 24-year-old slugging prospect mashed 20 homers in 607 plate appearances for Triple-A Iowa last season. The expectation is that he’ll still be medically cleared to join Team Chinese Taipei for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

Barring a couple of injuries, Brown’s only path to making the Cubs is as a reliever, but the team is keeping him stretched out for now. If all goes as hoped for the Cubs, there’s a good chance he’ll end the season as a setup man. First, though, he might open up in Triple-A Iowa’s rotation.

No word yet on whether it’s a guaranteed contract or a minor league deal. Conforto was a big disappointment for the Dodgers last year, but his exit velocity numbers weren’t so bad. With the Cubs, he’s a potential fallback to Moisés Ballesteros in the DH role or possibly a fourth outfielder ahead of Chas McCormick or Matt Shaw. Considering that the rest of the Cubs’ potential bench guys are right-handed hitters, his left-handed bat might come in handy.