Sal Frelick To Play Third Base In Spring Opener

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick will bat leadoff and play third base in the team's Cactus League opener on Saturday against the San Diego Padres. Given all of the outfield depth that Milwaukee has at the big-league level, the Brewers have had Frelick working out on the infield in camp, and they are going to […]

Noelvi Marte Scheduled To Play On March 2

Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said that rookie infielder Noelvi Marte (hamstring) is scheduled to make his spring training debut on March 2 against the Colorado Rockies. Marte suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain in November while playing winter ball, and the Reds are slow-playing the impressive youngster this spring. Barring a setback, the 22-year-old […]

Gio Urshela Chooses The Tigers

Free-agent infielder Gio Urshela and the Detroit Tigers agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal on Thursday, according to sources. The 32-year-old veteran should help the Tigers at third base and can also play the outfield and at first base. His ability to hit left-handers suits what the Tigers have been seeking over the winter. […]

Cavan Biggio Taking Batting Practice Thursday

Toronto Blue Jays infielder Cavan Biggio (shoulder) is taking batting practice on the field at spring training on Thursday. Biggio has been dealing with left-shoulder tendinitis in camp, but the issue never sounded serious, and he has plenty of time to get ready for Opening Day in late March. The 28-year-old probably won't play in […]

Gunnar Henderson Feeling Better

Baltimore Orioles third baseman Gunnar Henderson (oblique) is going to miss around the first week of spring training games due to his left-oblique aggravation, but he's feeling better. Henderson said he has increased his hitting and fielding workload recently in camp. "Glad to go nip this thing out that way," Henderson said. The 22-year-old reigning […]

Jon Berti Now In Utility Role

Miami Marlins infielder Jon Berti was the team's projected starting shortstop for the 2024 season before they signed shortstop Tim Anderson to a one-year, $5 million deal on Thursday. Anderson now has a clear path to everyday playing time in Miami at the 6. Berti is far better suited for a utility role. The 34-year-old […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Reports for Hitters - Updates for Manny Machado, Willson Contreras, Noelvi Marte, Tommy Edman, more

The 2024 baseball season is just over a month away, but fantasy draft season has already begun. As always, injuries will mightily affect the 2024 campaign and fantasy lineup or draft decisions. Let's take a look at injured hitters Manny Machado, Willson Contreras, Noelvi Marte, Tommy Edman, and more. This is our weekly edition of […]

Exit Velocity (EV): Using Sabermetrics For 2024 Fantasy Baseball

If you've watched a baseball broadcast in the Statcast era, you have undoubtedly noticed the broadcasters commenting on a batted ball's exit velocity or EV. Many have taken to using stats like Hard% and Soft% to forecast how a player should be performing, expecting larger Hard% rates to produce larger BABIP and HR/FB figures. There […]

Luis Rengifo Says He's Fully Healthy

Los Angeles Angels infielder Luis Rengifo (biceps) told Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com that he is fully healthy after recovering from surgery to address his torn left biceps tendon. The injury kept him sidelined for most of September and October of last season, though he still managed to play while slashing .264/.339/.444 with a 114 wRC+. […]

Red Sox Interested In Gio Urshela

The Boston Red Sox are among the teams interested in adding free-agent infielder Gio Urshela, according to a source. In addition to Boston, the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels, and Miami Marlins have been looking at Urshela. His market has been slow to develop this offseason. The 32-year-old veteran is best […]

Manny Machado Could DH "Sooner Than Later"

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt said that third baseman Manny Machado (elbow), who is coming off offseason shoulder surgery, will not play in the team's Cactus League opener on Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, Machado is "trending in a really good place" and could serve as the designated hitter "sooner than later" […]

Jose Ramirez Could Hit Second This Year

Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said he's talked to All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez about hitting second and third in the lineup this year. Ramirez has traditionally hit third but moved into the No. 2 spot last year to try and help the team's struggling offense. Either way, Ramirez is going to hit near the […]

Noelvi Marte To Miss First Five Cactus League Games

Cincinnati Reds rookie infielder Noelvi Marte (hamstring) said the Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered while playing winter ball feels "good," but the Reds are slow-playing him in camp and he's expected to miss the first five Cactus League games as a result. The Reds are saying there's no reason Marte won't be ready for […]

White Sox Plan To Develop Colson Montgomery At Shortstop

Chicago White Sox director of player development Paul Janish said Tuesday that the team plans to allow top prospect Colson Montgomery to initially play in his natural position of shortstop. Janish said, "We are proponents of let's give him that opportunity." However, he also mentioned that health and playing success could leave the possibility of […]

Luis Urias Recovering From Shoulder Inflammation

Seattle Mariners infielder Luis Urias (shoulder) came in a couple of weeks ago to the team's spring training facilities and was dealing with some right-shoulder inflammation before being shut down from throwing. However, tests came back good, and he was able to resume work at camp on Monday. The 26-year-old has plenty of time to […]

Emmanuel Rivera A Backup Option At Shortstop

Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Emmanuel Rivera is a backup option at shortstop behind starter Geraldo Perdomo this year, despite the fact that he hasn't played the position as a professional. However, the 27-year-old Rivera has played the 6 in winter ball and again this offseason, and some in the front office think he has the best […]

Maikel Garcia To Start Season At Third Base

Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Monday that, while the team values the multi-position skill of several of their players, third baseman/shortstop Maikel Garcia will start the season at third base. This is not that surprising, as the 23-year-old spent the majority of his rookie season at the hot corner. Garcia slashed .272/.323/.358 in […]

Mariners Have Discussed Pursuing Matt Chapman

The Seattle Mariners have already made several moves this offseason but "have discussed the possibility of adding" free-agent third baseman Matt Chapman, per the Seattle Times' Ryan Divish. The 30-year-old had an excellent start to the 2023 season but finished with a .240/.330/.424 slash line and 17 home runs, 66 runs scored, and 54 RBI […]

Nolan Arenado Takes Batting Practice Monday

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado (back) was scheduled to take live batting practice at spring training on Monday. Arenado appears to be fully healthy at camp after ending the 2023 campaign on the injured list due to lower back spasms. The 32-year-old eight-time All-Star took pilates in the offseason and lost some weight […]

Brett Baty Made Adjustments To His Swing

New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty took to video scouting of himself after his rookie season to get a better sense of what went wrong in 2023 and how he can fix it. "My top hand was a huge thing. I just needed to get that stronger and really just try to be more […]

Livan Soto Claimed Off Waivers By The Angels

The Los Angeles Angels have claimed infielder Livan Soto off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. Soto was designated for assignment by the Angels last month before being claimed by the O's, who subsequently DFA'd him again. He ends up back with the Angels and will likely just serve as infield depth for the big league […]

Ezequiel Duran To Spend More Time At Third Base

Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said that infielder Ezequiel Duran will now spend more time at third base and the infield as a whole than in the outfield with starting third baseman Josh Jung (calf) out for two to three weeks with a calf strain suffered in Friday. The team's No. 6 prospect, Justin Foscue, […]

Christopher Morel Opens Camp With Focus On Playing Third Base

Chicago Cubs infielder Christopher Morel is focusing on playing third base as Spring Training gets underway, manager Craig Counsell told the media on Saturday. The Cubs' new skipper explained that he wants to maximize Morel's impact both in the field and at the plate, and he thinks he can do so by giving the 24-year-old […]

Sal Frelick Working Out On The Infield

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick has been working out at second and third base this offseason under the tutelage of former big-league second baseman Dustin Pedroia. Frelick rated as an above-average defender in both right and center field in his rookie season in 2023, but he's adding to his versatility in camp. The arrival of […]

Josh Jung Out A Couple Weeks With Calf Strain

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (calf) will miss a couple weeks after being diagnosed with a left-calf strain. Jung had discomfort in his calf while working out at spring training on Friday and will now miss the next several weeks, but it remains to be seen if this injury will put the 26-year-old in […]

Alec Bohm Wins Arbitration Over Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm won his salary arbitration hearing over the team on Thursday and will make $4 million in 2024 instead of the $3.4 million that the Phillies proposed. This was Bohm's first year of arbitration eligibility after he slashed .274/.327/.437 with a career-high 20 home runs, 31 doubles, a career-high 97 […]

Ehire Adrianza In Camp With Angels

The Los Angeles Angels have brought infielder Ehire Adrianza into spring training as a non-roster invitee. The veteran appeared in just five big-league games with the Braves last season and failed to record a hit in his 11 trips to the plate. He also played sparingly in the 2022 season when he played just 37 […]

Josh Jung To Have MRI On Calf

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (calf) is set to have an MRI on his left calf after feeling some discomfort in a workout on Friday morning. The 26-year-old enjoyed a potent rookie season in 2023 as he slugged 23 home runs alongside a .782 OPS across 122 games, missing time late in the season […]

How To Attack Hitters In The First Three Rounds Of Fantasy Baseball Drafts

We're in the middle of preparing for the most fun thing we will do all year: drafting our fantasy baseball teams. You have probably often heard the idea that you can't win your league with your first picks, but you can sure lose it by starting with bad picks. That being said, let's take a […]

Biggest Year-Over-Year BB% Risers for Fantasy Baseball Drafts (2024)

In this article, we'll look at players' BB% from 2022 to 2023 to see who had the biggest increases. For this exercise, I first took out any hitter who did not collect at least 400 PA in 2023. Next, I eliminated anyone who did not rise to at least above league average BB% (8.6%). Finally, […]