1 week agoChicago White Sox catcher
Korey Lee (hand) exited Wednesday's contest early with a bruised hand. The X-rays came back negative and the team views him as day-to-day. Fantasy managers should expect Lee to miss a few games this week, but he did avoid a significant injury. The 26-year-old is expected to compete for the starting job behind the plate during camp. Last season, Lee held a .210/.244/.347 slash line with 14 doubles and 12 home runs across a career-high 125 contests. However, he held a low 4.3 percent walk rate and a high 31.0 percent strikeout rate, which were both well below the average marks. However, he was placed in the 97th percentile in pop time. If Lee were to miss time this week,
Edgar Quero,
Matt Thaiss, and
Omar Narvaez should see an increased role. When healthy, Lee should be expected to serve as the team's primary option behind the dish.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Chicago White Sox
1 week agoPittsburgh Pirates second baseman
Adam Frazier (back) is battling a sore back. Frazier has not been in a spring training contest since February 26. Manager Derek Shelton noted that the plan is for Frazier to appear in games "later in the week." Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his stats but seeing the team express optimism is a positive sign. Earlier in the offseason, the Pirates signed Frazier to a one-year contract worth $1.525 million. The 33-year-old spent the majority of his career with the Pirates after being drafted by them in the 2103 MLB Draft. Last summer, he appeared in 104 contests with the Kansas City Royals and posted a .202/.282/.294 slash line with a solid 20.1 percent K rate. When healthy, Frazier will likely have a utility role in the infield and only carry value in deeper formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Andrew Destin
1 week agoLos Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher
Ben Casparius has a "good chance" to make the Opening Day roster as a multi-inning reliever. Last season Casparius made his MLB debut and logged eight 1/3 innings with the Dodgers and held a 2.16 ERA with a 1.56 WHIP. He tallied 12 punchouts. Across this small stint, he generated an elite 4.8 percent barrel rate. At Triple-A, Casparius logged 67 innings and posted a 3.36 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP. He tallied 72 punchouts and served up 35 free passes. Earlier in the season, he held a similar 3.32 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP across 21 2/3 innings with Double-A. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his development at spring training, but it appears Casparius is viewed as a favorite to break camp. If he does earn a spot on the Opening Day roster, he could have value in NL-only leagues if he is used as a swingman.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Fabian Ardaya
1 week agoColorado Rockies shortstop
Ezequiel Tovar (triceps) left Wednesday's Cactus League game versus the division-rival San Diego Padres with a left-triceps contusion after being hit by a pitch, according to The Denver Post's Patrick Saunders. The hit-by-pitch happened in the first inning, and Tovar was replaced by
Owen Miller in the third inning. It doesn't sound like the 23-year-old's injury is very serious, so we'll consider him day-to-day for now. Fantasy managers drafting soon shouldn't be dropping Tovar down their draft boards. RotoBaller has Tovar ranked as the No. 12 fantasy shortstop after he posted career-highs in home runs (26), RBI (78) and runs scored (83) while leading the league in doubles (45) and at-bats (655) while also slashing .269/.295/.469 in 157 games played. The knock on Tovar is that he strikes out plenty (200 times last year), but also walked just 3.3% of the time.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Denver Post - Patrick Saunders
1
week
agoBaltimore
Orioles
right-handed
reliever
Andrew
Kittredge
(knee)
underwent
an
MRI
exam
on
his
left
knee
and
will
seek
multiple
opinions
from
doctors,
according
to
MASN's
Roch
Kubatko.
Kittredge
was
shut
down
last
weekend
due
to
soreness
in
his
knee,
and
even
though
read more...
1 week agoBaltimore Orioles shortstop
Gunnar Henderson (intercostal) is dealing with an intercostal strain in camp but is improving, according to manager Brandon Hyde. The skipper remains hopeful that Henderson will be ready for Opening Day later this month. The 23-year-old's availability for the start of the 2025 regular season is up in the air, but the good news is it's a mild intercostal strain, so even if he has to start the year on the injured list, it shouldn't be a lengthy absence. It's unclear when Henderson will return to Grapefruit League play after he injured his intercostal last Thursday. Henderson's injury could have fantasy managers hesitant to take him as a top-seven overall player in the early portion of the first round of drafts. If Henderson is forced to start Opening Day on the injured list,
Jackson Holliday could be moved to shortstop, which would open up a spot at either second or third for
Ramon Urias.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: BaltimoreBaseball.com - Rich Dubroff
1 week agoArizona Diamondbacks outfielder
Corbin Carroll (back) is getting pretty close to returning to Cactus League action, according to manager Torey Lovullo. The Diamondbacks were initially hoping that Carroll would return to the field on Wednesday, but they have elected to give him another day off to completely put his back injury in the rearview mirror. The 24-year-old was initially removed from Sunday's Cactus League contest against the Texas Rangers as a precaution. Barring a setback with his back, Carroll should be ready for Opening Day in late March. Fantasy managers shouldn't have any hesitation in taking Carroll early in drafts as an elite outfielder. The National League Rookie of the Year in 2023 was unable to bounce back from a slow start last year and finished with a .231 average, but he still managed 22 homers, 74 RBI, 35 steals and 121 runs scored in 158 games played.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Arizona Sports - Alex Weiner
1 week agoArizona Diamondbacks left-hander
Jordan Montgomery (finger) will pitch in a spring game on Friday, March 7, according to manager Torey Lovullo. Montgomery has missed the early portion of spring training due to a left index-finger strain, but it's good news that he's close to returning to game action, whether it be in a minor-league setting or in a Cactus League game against the Los Angeles Angels. Still, the 32-year-old veteran southpaw may not have enough time to get his arm built up in order to start the 2025 season in the Opening Day starting rotation for the D-backs. Given Monty's injury and his poor performance in 2024 in his first year in the desert, he should be avoided in 12-team mixed leagues. Never much of a strikeout artist, Montgomery's strikeout rate dropped from 21.4% to 15.6% last year while he also posted an ugly 6.23 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 25 outings (21 starts).
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Arizona Sports - Alex Weiner
1
week
agoThe
Cincinnati
Reds
reassigned
shortstop
Edwin
Arroyo
and
third
baseman
Cam
Collier
to
minor-league
camp
on
Wednesday.
Additionally,
the
Reds
sent
right-hander
Jose
Acuna,
catcher
read more...
1 week agoThe Baltimore Sun's Matt Weyrich reports that Baltimore Orioles right-hander
Grayson Rodriguez showed a significant drop in his velocity during his Grapefruit League outing on Thursday versus the Minnesota Twins, averaging 93.2 mph on his fastball and topping out at 95.3 mph. However, Rodriguez said he just felt "sluggish" and isn't attributing his drop in velocity to a physical or mechanical issue, but he "couldn't really get behind the ball today." The 25-year-old also said he isn't throwing at maximum effort yet. Rodriguez could be going through a dead-arm phase, which many pitchers experience in camp. Drops in velocity can often be the precursor to an injury, but for now, Rodriguez says he's fine. His velo will surely be scrutinized closely in his next outing. If healthy to begin the 2025 season, Rodriguez should be considered a low-end No. 3/high-end No. 4 fantasy starting pitcher.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: The Baltimore Sun - Matt Weyrich
1 week agoSan Francisco Giants left-handed reliever
Erik Miller (illness), who was dealing with a 104-degree fever while battling the flu recently, said he's feeling like himself again and will pitch in Friday's Cactus League game against the Cincinnati Reds. In addition to being out with the flu, Miller missed time early in spring training due to numbness in his left hand. However, the 27-year-old southpaw is ready to go and should open the 2025 season in San Fran's bullpen. Miller did have an ERA under 4.00 with 87 strikeouts in 67 1/3 relief innings, but he also had 38 walks in 73 appearances (10 starts). His lack of control is certainly controlling -- he also displayed issues throwing strikes consistently in the minors -- but he makes up for it with an above-average strikeout rate and high ground-ball rate. It led to 14 holds in his rookie season, which makes Miller a candidate for high-leverage relief work in 2025.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: San Francisco Chronicle - Susan Slusser
1
week
agoThe
San
Francisco
Giants
optioned
outfielder
Marco
Luciano
and
reassigned
infielder
Bryce
Eldridge
to
minor-league
camp
on
Wednesday,
according
to
the
San
Francisco
Chronicle's
Susan
Slusser.
Per
MLB
Pipeline,
Eldridge
is
considered
the
Giants'
top
prospect
in
2025.
read more...
1 week agoToronto Blue Jays infielder
Ernie Clement (mouth) is progressing and could return to the team's Grapefruit League lineup as early as Thursday, according to manager John Schneider. Clement was hit in the face by a pitch in Monday's spring training against the Detroit Tigers. The 28-year-old thankfully was able to escape with only a cut on his lip and avoided a concussion. Clement will be ready in plenty of time for Opening Day at the end of March, and as of right now, he's considered the favorite to see the majority of playing time at third base. The 28-year-old still needs to earn the starting job, though, and he'll need to continue to play well in 2025 to hold off others at the position. The former fourth-round pick by the Cleveland Guardians in 2017 out of the University of Virginia makes elite contact and slashed .263/.284/.408 with 12 homers, 51 RBI and 12 steals in 139 games in his first full season in the big leagues in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Sportsnet.ca - Ben Nicholson-Smith
1 week agoSt. Louis Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said that outfielder
Jordan Walker (knee) is dealing with some inflammation in his left knee, but tests didn't show any structural damage after he was forced to leave Tuesday's Grapefruit League game early. Walker will miss around a week in camp to allow his knee to "calm down," according to Marmol. If the 22-year-old former top prospect can avoid any setbacks with his knee, he still has a chance to be in the team's Opening Day starting lineup at the end of this month. The former 21st overall pick in 2020 had another dreadful season for the Cardinals in 2024 and was sent back to the minors, but the good news is that as long as he's healthy, he's going to see regular playing time in right field in what could be a make-or-break season for him in St. Louis. At this point, Walker is merely a late-round flier in deeper fantasy leagues for his power.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Daniel Guerrero
1 week agoMilwaukee Brewers right-handed reliever
Abner Uribe (knee) is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox after he had knee surgery last July. Uribe had surgery last summer for a lateral meniscus tear but now he's finally been cleared to pitch in spring games as he prepares for the 2025 season. The ball jumps out of the 24-year-old's hand, and he possesses swing-and-miss stuff, but he struggled with control and was optioned to the minors a year ago before his season-ending knee injury. The Dominican hurler actually opened 2024 as Milwaukee's closer with
Devin Williams injured, but he only ended up saving three games while posting an ugly 6.91 ERA while walking 12 and fanning 14 in 14 1/3 innings pitched at the major-league level. Uribe is a late-inning option for sure, but he's probably behind
Trevor Megill and
Joel Payamps on the Brewers' closer depth chart.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com - Adam McCalvy
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