Even when you’re a fan of one specific major league baseball team, it can be difficult to keep track of all of the news that surrounds your favorite club on a daily basis.
However, when you’re a fantasy baseball owner and you now have to multiply that effort by 30 in order to be as up to date as possible with each and every club? It’s a fool’s errand that borders on the impossible.
Fear not! We’ll be here each and every Monday to give you a snapshot of what’s going on in the world of baseball, with one fantasy takeaway from each of the league’s 30 teams. Think of it as your one-stop shop for the week ahead.
Here are the takeaways for this week, with Opening Day less than two weeks away:
Arizona Diamondbacks: Does Rickie Weeks have another major league season left in him? If you’re to believe his hot spring (.370 batting average, 1.003 OPS), the 33-year-old is very likely to stick with the D-backs. Manager Chip Hale said Weeks has “done everything we’ve asked. It’s not easy to sit on the bench at times and then come off the bench and go into a game as a vet. But he’s been great.” Weeks, a second baseman for most of his career, is now patrolling left field in an effort to extend his baseball lifespan.
Atlanta Braves: Bud Norris has an ERA of 8.53 and a BAA of .364 this spring, neither of which matters at all to the pitcher or the team. After a five-run first inning on Sunday, Norris retired the next 11 batters he faced, working into the fifth inning and impressing manager Fredi Gonzalez in the process: “I saw a competitor,” Gonzalez said. Norris, Julio Teheran and Matt Wisler are in line to be the top three starters in the Atlanta rotation in 2016.
Baltimore Orioles: Kevin Gausman has had a lingering case of shoulder tendinitis that the pitcher finally decided to deal with by receiving a cortisone injection on Sunday. The decision puts his availability for the start of the season in question, but manager Buck Showalter is optimistic that he won’t have to skip Gausman’s first turn through the rotation. The Orioles won’t need a fifth starter until Apr. 13, so there’s an extended window for his recovery.
Boston Red Sox: With Pablo Sandoval struggling defensively this spring (four errors in his first dozen games), manager John Farrell is no longer locked into having the Panda in the starting lineup at the hot corner come Opening Day. With Travis Shaw hitting .441 this spring (with nine RBIs), Farrell will find a way to get him into the lineup one way or another: “We want his bat to contribute, more so than maybe a regular utility or backup bench player.” That could mean some outfield or first-base starts, but third base is looking more and more like a real possibility.
Chicago Cubs: Don’t be surprised if Javier Baez ends up with many positions of fantasy eligibility by the time this season is over. Manager Joe Maddon has already started Baez at first and second base, shortstop and center field this spring and considers him “perhaps the most important player” on his bench. Versatility could well lend itself to Baez becoming an everyday player for the team, even if only for a few innings per game.
Chicago White Sox: Obviously the news surrounding the White Sox during the past few days centered on the Adam LaRoche story and his subsequent decision to leave the team. The fallout from those events is that manager Robin Ventura now has to figure out who he will use as his regular DH. For now, he expects to use a combination of Melky Cabrera and Avisail Garcia in the role, though he notes that “they don’t like it all that much, but that’s where we’re at.”
Cincinnati Reds: Left field for the Reds remains a mystery and will likely remain that way right up until Opening Day, if not longer. Manager Bryan Price is looking to go with a platoon of Adam Duvall, Scott Schebler and Yorman Rodriguez. Schebler is the only left-handed hitter in that trio, but Price said he isn’t as concerned with that aspect of the equation as he is with lack of experience. “If we’re going to [go] with two young yet-to-be-established players, they’re going to have [to] split time,” Price said.
Cleveland Indians: While 37-year-old Juan Uribe will start the season at third base for the Indians, there’s no guarantee he finishes the year on the roster if the team doesn’t contend. Jose Ramirez and Giovanny Urshela are the candidates to start at third base on Opening Day 2017, though there’s a chance that shortstop Erik Gonzalez could slide over to third base at the Triple-A level, as he’s otherwise blocked by Francisco Lindor.
Colorado Rockies: General manager Jeff Bridich promises that Trevor Story‘s chances of being the Rockies’ starting shortstop on Opening Day will not be affected by finances and a desire to send him down to the minors in order to delay the start of his arbitration clock. “You take a look at who you think the best player is, and does he fit on this team and does the group fit together like you want? That whole issue of starting the clock and all that kind of stuff, it’s kind of blown out of proportion,” Bridich said.
Detroit Tigers: “We’ll see how he is tomorrow.” That’s what manager Brad Ausmus said Sunday when asked about Victor Martinez‘s timetable for swinging a bat again. The Tigers DH has been sidelined for a week with a mild left hamstring strain, and as April gets closer and closer, Martinez is running out of tomorrows. With each passing day, chances of Martinez missing out on the start of the season grow greater — especially because the team opens in Miami, where he’d have to play first base to get into the starting lineup.
Houston Astros: The Astros are still searching for a backup catcher but have thus far found nothing to their liking outside the organization. Right now, there are only two catchers remaining in camp (other than starter Jason Castro), and manager A.J. Hinch on Sunday said there’s still a competition going on between Roberto Pena and Tyler Heineman. Evan Gattis could start the season on the disabled list as he recovers from hernia surgery, so he’s not in the mix as a potential backup option at this time.
Kansas City Royals: Manager Ned Yost has not yet decided on his Opening Day starter, but the overall makeup of his initial five-man rotation is very close to being set. While Yost said he was still mulling over the potential inclusion of Dillon Gee and Chien-Ming Wang as his No. 5, it does appear as though Edinson Volquez, Yordano Ventura, Ian Kennedy, Chris Young and Kris Medlen will end up as the starting quintet come April.
Los Angeles Angels: Entering Sunday’s action, the left-field platoon of Daniel Nava and Craig Gentry was hitting a combined .441 this spring. That’s why manager Mike Scioscia was singing the duo’s praises: “There is no doubt, every time you see those two guys play, you get more confidence that it will be a good combination.” Neither player is in the top 100 outfielders in ESPN’s staff rankings, but deeper-league or AL-only fantasy players might want to take a flier on one of this pair.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Brandon Beachy is dealing with a sore elbow, so on Sunday the Dodgers decided to give the No. 5 starter job to Mike Bolsinger instead. Unfortunately, while warming up for his start after receiving the good news, Bolsinger felt some abdominal tightness and had to be scratched, and a stint on the disabled list looms. Zach Lee, who had been sent to minor league camp, could return and claim the job. Also in the mix are Carlos Frias and Joe Blanton, both penciled to be in the bullpen.
Miami Marlins: Jose Fernandez will not be the Opening Day pitcher for the Marlins, as the team has announced it will go with Wei-Yin Chen instead. The move has nothing to do with the team’s assessment of the pair of pitchers but rather it’s being made with an eye on keeping Fernandez well-rested for the entire 2016 season. Manager Don Mattingly said Fernandez, as the No. 2, would get an extra day of rest before nearly half of his starts this season, allowing him to get to 28 or 29 starts, assuming he stays healthy.
Milwaukee Brewers: After getting struck in the face by a pitch from Dodgers reliever Matt West, Rymer Liriano had to be taken from the field on a stretcher. The outfielder suffered multiple facial fractures and is almost assured to start the season on the disabled list. The injury to Liriano, who was expected to make the 25-man roster because he is out of minor league options, might end up helping Rule 5 pick Colin Walsh stick with the club.
Minnesota Twins: A Miguel Sano error in right field led to three unearned runs in Sunday’s game against the Yankees — the second blunder this spring from the “outfielder in training.” There are no plans to scuttle the Sano-as-outfielder experiment just yet, as manager Paul Molitor notes it’s been more good than bad thus far: “For the amount of innings he’s been out there, there hasn’t been a lot of balls where he’s been challenged.”
New York Mets: Monday is expected to mark only the third game of the spring in which David Wright has started at third base, and while manager Terry Collins remains optimistic that the veteran will be ready to go on Opening Day, he’s not etching his lineup card in stone just yet. “I’m hoping there is [enough time],” Collins said. “Do I think so? Yes. Is there? We’ll have to wait and see.”
New York Yankees: As ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes, “Yankees manager Joe Girardi has said repeatedly that there is an open competition for the rotation this spring, and based on results, Ivan Nova has outpitched CC Sabathia to this point.” Still, because of Sabathia’s high salary, it is unlikely that he ends up in the bullpen, performance notwithstanding, which potentially could result in Nova getting dealt.
Oakland Athletics: Outfielder Sam Fuld has a shoulder injury that will keep him out of action for at least three weeks. That opens the door for the trio of Coco Crisp, Mark Canha and Chris Coghlan to be the primary backups to Khris Davis, Billy Burns and Josh Reddick. Eric Sogard still has minor league options remaining, so he’s the likely candidate to be sent to the minors to start the 2016 campaign.
Philadelphia Phillies: Expect the Phillies to pounce on any potential everyday outfielder as cuts increase in number over the next few weeks headed into Opening Day. With Aaron Altherr out for several months, and Cody Asche unable to play of late due to an oblique injury, the team will look to upgrade from the quartet of Peter Bourjos, Tyler Goeddel, Cedric Hunter and Odubel Herrera, if at all possible.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Manager Clint Hurdle seems to like the early results of his experiment to bat John Jaso and Andrew McCutchen 1-2 in his regular batting order. Hurdle says once he comes to a final decision on McCutchen’s lineup spot, he doesn’t plan on changing it often during the season. If No. 2 is where the center fielder ends up, Hurdle believes “he’s going to score more runs than he’s scored ever before.”
St. Louis Cardinals: After being released by the Mets, Ruben Tejada signed a one-year contract with the Cards this weekend, and is expected to start a large chunk of games at shortstop until Jhonny Peralta returns from his thumb injury. Jedd Gyorko will also see time in multiple spots in the infield, but the addition of Tejada is a good sign the team will allow Aledmys Diaz more time to develop at Triple-A.
San Diego Padres: Left-hander Robbie Erlin threw four scoreless innings on Sunday, as he continues to make a case to be part of the Padres’ starting rotation. Tyson Ross, James Shields and Andrew Cashner are locks. Manager Andy Green has been impressed with Erlin of late, but says it’s still a four-man competition for two spots between Erlin, Colin Rea, Brandon Maurer and Drew Pomeranz.
San Francisco Giants: Both Matt Cain and Johnny Cueto are said to be “on target” to be able to start the season on the mound when their turns come up for the Giants, but manager Bruce Bochy is fully prepared to turn to Chris Heston and/or Clayton Blackburn if the need arises. “If we have to give these guys a break, we have depth this year,” Bochy noted. Depth may be required, as Madison Bumgarner is also trying to get his timing back after missing action due to foot and rib cage injuries.
Seattle Mariners: Wade Miley was too efficient in his Sunday outing for the Mariners, as the pitcher needed to throw only 59 pitches in a five-inning effort against the Indians. As a result, Miley had to throw some extra pitches on the side in order to increase his workload for the day. Overall, manager Scott Servais was pleased with the outing, and expects the pitcher to be a key part of his rotation in 2016.
Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays are in Cuba for a pair of exhibition games against the island nation’s national team, and the special nature of the trip is sure to raise the intensity level for all the players involved. It will be interesting to see how players perform in an environment that better simulates a regular-season atmosphere. Cuban outfielder Dayron Varona will lead off for the Rays in the opening contest. Although he is not on the team’s 40-man roster, several Rays veterans lobbied to have him included on the trip, in order to return home for the first time in three years.
Texas Rangers: Manager Jeff Banister still doesn’t have a good idea as to who might end up as his No. 5 starter, citing a lack of separation between candidates that include Chi Chi Gonzalez, Nick Martinez and Jeremy Guthrie. As a result, there’s still an outside chance that either Phil Klein or A.J. Griffin could still swoop in with a few solid performances over the next two weeks and steal a job.
Toronto Blue Jays: Similar “separation issues” are befuddling manager John Gibbons, as Toronto also seeks to solidify the identity of its final rotation member to start 2016. Gavin Floyd, Aaron Sanchez, Jesse Chavez and Drew Hutchison have all pitched well this spring. However, Gibbons may be tipping his hand as to which way he is leaning when he says, “With Gavin, he’s better than I thought he’d be. He’s got lots of experience with big-league clubs. … That will help him.”
Washington Nationals: “This guy doesn’t have 10 years of experience for nothing. He is playing every position. He’s hustling. He was down a couple of days with a [strained left oblique]. We want him to give him the best chance to make this club. It appears like he’s in good shape now. He is playing his butt off.” This was what manager Dusty Baker had to say about Brendan Ryan, who is batting .400 this spring. He’s battling with Tyler Moore, Matt den Dekker and Clint Robinson for those precious final bench spots.
