MLB Player News

Bieber scattered four hits while issuing just one free pass to go along with the aforementioned punchouts. It came against one of the worst lineups in baseball, but the former Cy Young candidate looked the part in the Opening Day victory, and it comes after the right-hander looked sensational for the majority of Cactus League play. Bieber will have a chance to take the mound again next week in Seattle against the Mariners.

Conforto opened the scoring in the ballgame with a two-run double off of Emerson Hancock in the third inning. He then came around to score on a run-scoring single by Enrique Hernandez. The 32-year-old outfielder then crushed a solo shot off of Logan Evans in the fifth inning that made it a 4-0 ballgame. He’s off to a strong start in his first spring with the Dodgers, hitting .304 (7-for-23) with a homer and three RBI. He looks like a particularly interesting late-round outfield option that can be had after pick 250 in mixed league drafts.

The left-hander scattered three hits and one walk on the evening against a slightly watered down version of the Mariners’ lineup. Wrobleski got eight swings and misses on 58 offerings in the game — half of them on his fastball which averaged 93.7 mph — while posting a solid CSW of 31 percent. While Wrobleski would likely get the opportunity to start on most teams, he finds himself buried on the Dodgers’ depth chart to begin the season and it’s only going to get worse once Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw are ultimately ready to take the mound.

The 26-year-old backstop entered the game as a defensive replacement for Cal Raleigh in the eighth inning. He then strolled to the dish in the ninth and walloped a 393-foot (106.3 mph EV) two-run shot off of Matt Sauer to get the Mariners on the board. He has impressed in limited action at the plate this spring, hitting .600 (6-for-10) with a pair of long balls and four RBI.

On the plus side, the 25-year-old right-hander did record four strikeouts on the night while allowing only one base on balls. He worked his way through the first two innings without allowing a run, but the Dodgers finally broke through in the third as Michael Conforto delivered a two-run double and Enrique Hernandez chipped in an RBI single. Hancock got eight swings and misses on 44 pitches on the evening — four of them on his fastball — while posting a strong CSW of 34 percent. With George Kirby (shoulder) expected to start the season on the injured list, the door is now open for Hancock to break camp in the Mariners’ starting rotation.

Uh oh. Cole was lit up for six runs in Thursday’s Grapefruit League start against the Twins, though he did see his velocity bump back up slightly during that outing. It sounds like he complained of some soreness in the elbow after that start though which raised a cause for concern. The 34-year-old ace missed nearly three months last year due to elbow issues. The Yankees expect to have a clearer picture on his status within the next couple of days. Even if it does wind up being something minor, it will still put his status for the start of the regular season in jeopardy. His absence would likely result in Will Warren or Carlos Carrasco making New York’s season-opening rotation.

Wells put on full display why he could be a major weapon for the Bombers out of the leadoff spot on Friday, socking a 326-foot (90.3 mph exit velocity) shot over the wall in right field to give his squad an early 1-0 edge. The 25-year-old backstop also singled and flied out to right in the ballgame, finishing the night 2-for-3. On the spring, Wells is hitting an impressive .375 (6-for-16) with a pair of long balls and five RBI. He’s an intriguing late-round catcher option as he’s currently the 14th player off the board at the position with an average draft position just after pick 200 overall.

The 33-year-old right-hander struck out a pair of batters on the evening and didn’t issue a free pass. The only run that he allowed in the ballgame came on a long solo blast off the bat of Nathan Lukes with two outs in the second inning. Stroman got just three whiffs on 50 pitches on the night, posting an uninspiring CSW of 20 percent. For the spring, he holds a 6.75 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a 4/0 K/BB ratio across 6 2/3 innings through his first three starts.

Lukes demolished a 1-0 curveball from Marcus Stroman in the second inning, launching a 407-foot (107.2 mph exit velocity) solo shot to right center that pulled the Jays to within a run at 2-1. Lukes also worked a leadoff walk in the fifth inning, swiped second base and raced around to score on a double by Addison Barger. He faces an uphill battle at winning a spot on the team’s Opening Day roster, but getting off the schneid on Friday and upping his batting average to .200 (3-for-15) will help his cause.

On the plus side, the 27-year-old right-hander racked up four strikeouts on the evening and didn’t walk a batter. All of the damage done against him came via the long ball, with Austin Wells belting a leadoff homer and Cody Bellinger adding another solo shot just two batters later. Rodriguez got an impressive 10 swings and misses on 52 pitches on the night — five of those on his fastball — while posting an elite CSW of 40 percent. His fastball averaged 94.8 mph in the game, up nearly a full mph from where he sat during the 2024 campaign (93.9 mph). It’ll be interesting to see if he breaks camp in the bullpen or stays stretched out at Triple-A Buffalo as he’ll be the next man up once the Jays suffer an injury in their starting rotation.

Herrera victimized Tayler Scott in the third inning, jumping on a first-pitch sinker and crushing a 352-foot (90.4 mph exit velocity) two-run shot to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead. He also singled and lined out to the pitcher in the ballgame. The 24-year-old backstop is having a strong spring at the dish, hitting .286 (4-for-14) with a homer and four RBI in the early going. With Willson Contreras shifting to first base for the upcoming season, Herrera will handle the bulk of the action behind the plate for the Cardinals and could end up being a viable option in deeper mixed leagues. He’s currently the 16th catcher off the board on average with an ADP just outside of the top 225 players overall.