MLB Player News

Rutledge finished strong for the Red Wings, pitching 13 scoreless innings in his final two starts. Overall, though, he had a 6.40 ERA and walked 77 over 122 1/3 innings in Triple-A. One imagines he’ll be in some danger of getting DFA’d or non-tendered this winter. First, though, he’ll get to spend the final weekend in the bullpen.

The Reds are going to take is slowly with Steer — who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts at DH during Thursday’s season opener — at the outset of the regular season after missing most of spring training with a shoulder ailment. The 27-year-old will get some extra time off in the coming days, but the positive sign for fantasy managers is that he doesn’t appear at risk of requiring a trip to the injured list. It’ll be Jeimer Candelario taking a turn at DH on Saturday afternoon with Santiago Espinal at the hot corner.

Roden has gone 1-for-5 with an RBI through two games to open his big-league career. The 25-year-old rookie appears poised to continue playing regularly for Toronto in a corner outfield role, but will cede the occasional start when bench outfielders Nathan Lukes or Davis Schneider need to get in the lineup. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues considering his extensive track record in the upper minors as a high batting average contributor and strong power/speed source.

Moncada will make his Angels debut on Saturday after sitting out Thursday’s season opener due to a lingering thumb issue that cropped up during the late stages of spring training. The 29-year-old former top prospect is running out of chances in the big leagues, so he’ll need to perform with Los Angeles this season if he has any hope of remaining a viable big-league regular.

Capra makes his second straight start at the hot corner, facing Yankees southpaw Max Fried, with Oliver Dunn on the bench. The 28-year-old went deep during Thursday’s season opener following a torrid spring where he blasted six homers in 55 plate appearances. He’s at least worthy of a speculative roster spot in extremely deep mixed leagues and NL-only formats.

Hahn was in Mariners camp this spring as a non-roster invitee and will stick around with the organization as extra minor-league relief depth. The 35-year-old journeyman hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since the 2021 season.

Pomeranz tossed a scoreless inning on Friday for Triple-A Tacoma as he attempts to make it back to the big leagues for the first time since 2021. The 36-year-old lefty has been derailed by shoulder issues the last few years, but he looked sharp in spring training. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him get a chance with the Mariners at some point down the road.

Wallner has gone 0-for-4 with a walk through two games atop Minnesota’s lineup to kick off the regular season. The 27-year-old was a fixture atop the lineup card throughout spring training and figures to get some extended run there to open the year. His blend of patience and above-average pop figure to make him an impactful fantasy contributor this season, especially if he sticks in the leadoff spot.

Nootbaar is back in the leadoff spot for the second straight game after going 2-for-4 with a two-run homer during Thursday’s season-opener at Busch Stadium. The 27-year-old’s ascension to the leadoff spot comes in the wake of Masyn Winn’s ice-cold spring and it doesn’t look like he’s going to be moved down anytime soon. It’s an unexpected boost for his fantasy value as it’ll result in an uptick in plate appearances and runs scored.

Hamilton was sidelined in the late stages of the spring with a viral illness and will need a handful of minor league relief appearances before he’s ready to rejoin New York’s middle relief mix. He should be ready to return next week when he’s first eligible to be activated.

Goldschmidt is atop New York’s lineup card for Saturday’s showdown against Milwaukee left-hander Nestor Cortes after Austin Wells led off Thursday’s season-opener against righty Freddy Peralta. It’s Ben Rice heading to the bench in this one with Jasson Domínguez at DH and Trent Grisham heading to left field. Yankees manager Aaron Boone hinted throughout spring training that the former NL MVP would get chances in the leadoff spot against southpaws, which should provide a small boost to his fantasy appeal in deeper formats. We’re anticipating Wells continuing to lead off against right-handed pitching moving forward.