Cleveland

Guardians

Martinez had three of the four hardest-hit balls for the Guardians today with a 107. 8 mph single, a 107.5 mph double, and a 105.6 mph home run that traveled 374-feet. It was Martinez’s first home run and his first four RBIs of the season. The 24-year-old can play multiple positions on the field, and much of his production today came against right-handed relievers, so maybe the Guardians will give him some at-bats when left-handers are not on the mound.

All of Hoskins’ doubles were at least 98 mph off the bat, and he also added a 102.1 mph flyout on the day. The 33-year-old is seeing the ball pretty well to start the season, with a .259/.394/.444 slash line and two RBI. The power hasn’t materialized yet, but when it warms up in the North, the ball should start to carry a bit. He remains a solid option in 15-team leagues.

Cantillo also struck out nine and walked two while throwing 61 percent of his pitches for strikes and registering a 37 percent whiff rate. Cantillo had great control of his changeup, throwing it for strikes 72 percent of the time and getting seven whiffs on 11 swings. When his changeup is on like that, he’s going to produce against pretty much any lineup. He can be trusted again next week against the Cardinals.

Arias left Monday’s game with the injury and was put on the injured list on Tuesday. The Guardians updated his timeline on Wednesday after further evaluation, and it will be a long absence for the 26-year-old. Juan Brito will continue to start in the middle infield in Arias’ place.

Even with tough left-hander Cole Ragans on the mound, the Guardians will have DeLauter back in the lineup after one day off. He will hit fifth instead of second, but it’s nice to see that he is not in a strict platoon. It does seem like Kyle Manzardo and Bo Baylor are in strict platoons, as both of them will sit yet again with Austin Hedges catching and Rhys Hoskins at first base.

Valera hit the injured list at the end of spring training with a left calf strain and figures to remain stationed on the doorstep of the majors once he wraps up his rehab assignment. The 25-year-old was one of the most promising prospects in Cleveland’s system a few years before injuries stalled his progress.

Brito was called up Tuesday by the Guardians, and he made an immediate impact. The 24-year-old laced a double for his first MLB hit, and he added a single for good measure. The 24-year-old will likely handle second base with Gabriel Arias on the injured list due to a hamstring issue, and he’s worth monitoring in AL-only formats. It’s hard to see mixed-league relevance for now, however.

With the score tied at 1-1, Rocchio laced a one-out single off John Schreiber to score Cj Kayfus and gave the Guardians the walk-off win. The 25-year-old infielder went hitless outside of that knock, but a game-winning single will help make up for that in a hurry. Rocchio has gotten on base at a solid .341 clip over the first 11 games, but he offers almost zero power and doesn’t really steal bases, either.

Smith came in to pitch in a 1-1 game, and he kept the Royals from reaching base while picking up a pair of strikeouts. The 26-year-old now has two wins on the year, but he’s struggled prior to Tuesday’s action with an ERA of 6.43 over six appearances.

Williams was basically spraying the baseball during Tuesday’s start, as he issued five walks and threw just 55-of-102 pitches for strikes. Despite that, he was able to limit Kansas City to the solo run, and that came on a solo shot from Carter Jensen. Williams has struck out 25 hitters over his first three starts, and while his command offers a lot of volatility, the ability to miss bats (10 swings and misses in this one) gives him a considerable ceiling. He’ll be back Monday against the Cardinals.