MLB Player News

He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out two. Pepiot’s velocity on all of his pitches was up slightly (from 0.2 to 0.9 mph) from last year, so that’s nice to see in a spring debut. We’d like Pepiot better if the Rays were playing in the trop, especially given that he’s a flyball righty. He still figures to offer some mixed-league value while healthy, but his ERA should take a hit at Steinbrenner Field.

No real surprises for the Mariners as Castillo, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo will follow Opening Day starter Logan Gilbert kick off the season with tasty matchups against the rebuilding Athletics. It’ll be Emerson Hancock, who is filling in for an injured George Kirby (shoulder) drawing the starting assignment for Monday’s series opener against the upstart Tigers.

Springs will make his Athletics debut following Opening Day starter Luis Severino. Osvaldo Bido and JP Sears will toe the rubber for the final two games of the Athletics’ season-opening series in Seattle before Joey Estes kicks off a three-game set against the Cubs.

Kelly will be followed by Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez to close out a four-game series against the Cubs. Marquee offseason addition Corbin Burnes takes the ball for Tuesday’s showdown at Yankee Stadium before Opening Day starter Zac Gallen draws his second turn through the rotation.

Taillon finds himself sandwiched between Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga, who will take the ball on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Nothing official regarding who will draw the starting assignment for Sunday’s series finale in Arizona, but we’re anticipating that nod going to either Matthew Boyd or Ben Brown. The other would presumably start Monday’s series opener against the Athletics in Sacramento, which would put them in line for a two-start week.

Canning’s striking metamorphosis this spring gives him some appeal for fantasy purposes, even in standard mixed leagues, as a viable streaming option. I’ll be challenging to trust him right out of the gate against a team that has plenty of history against him from his time in Los Angeles, but he should be rostered in deeper formats. It’ll be Tylor Megill starting on Friday after Clay Holmes takes the ball for Thursday’s opener. New York will send out David Peterson and Kodai Senga next week to kick off a three-game series against the division-rival Marlins.

Gillispie will take the ball for Miami’s fourth regular-season contest following Opening Day starter Sandy Alcantara, Connor Gillispie and Valente Bellozo at the outset of the season-opening series against the Pirates. It’ll be Cal Quantrill kicking off a series against the Mets. The 26-year-old former top prospect showed flashes of legitimate breakthrough potential this spring, thanks to some tweaks to his arsenal, including the addition of a brand-new sweeper.

Baltimore hasn’t announced the order for the remainder of their Opening Day rotation yet, but it’ll be Cade Povich starting the club’s fifth game on Monday against the Red Sox followed by Zach Eflin. It’ll be Dean Kremer and Tomoyuki Sugano to close out the remainder of the season-opening series against Toronto.

Gausman will be followed by Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt to close out the season-opening series against the division-rival Orioles. It’ll be Bowden Francis taking the ball on Monday night to kick off a three-game series against the Nationals with Opening Day starter José Berríos following afterwards.

Houck opens the regular season going head-to-head with Rangers prospect Jack Leiter. The 28-year-old righty was hit hard this spring, but he’s a borderline top-60 starting pitcher for fantasy purposes entering the year based on his track record. He’ll be followed by Walker Buehler and prospect Richard Fitts to close out the remainder of the season-opening four-game set.

He’ll be followed by Tyler Mahle and Jacob deGrom to close out the remainder of the four-game season-opening series. It’s a challenging opening assignment for Leiter right out of the gate, but he’ll need to perform in his first couple outings to avoid being jettisoned once veteran Patrick Corbin is ready to make his season debut. The 24-year-old righty was arguably the talk of the Cactus League this spring and should be rostered in all fantasy formats. If he’s truly made a leap in terms of commanding his overpowering arsenal, Leiter could put together a legitimate breakthrough campaign.