MLB Player News

The 25-year-old backstop led off the fourth inning with a sharp single off of Tyler Rogers. He then smacked an RBI single into left off of Camilo Doval in the fifth inning, pulling the Halos to within six runs at 8-2. He went down on strikes in his only other plate appearance on the day. For the spring, O’Hoppe is now hitting a blistering .556 (5-for-9) with a pair of RBI in the early going.

The veteran struck out two and walked one on the day while posting just a 14 percent whiff rate and 24 percent CSW. He got ahead in the zone with his four-seam fastball early and was able to get weak contact on changeups and sliders out of the zone. It was an efficient performance but not an exciting one for fantasy purposes. Things will get much tougher next week against the Yankees, where Heaney is not a recommended start.

Meyer looked good on Sunday, averaging 95.6 mph on his fastball, which is almost two mph up from last season. He also got 10 whiffs on his slider and was able to pound the strike zone with his new sinker and sweeper. The deeper pitch mix led to a 30 percent whiff rate and 34 percent CSW on 93 pitches. The only real blemish was a solo home run to Andrew McCutchen in the 2nd inning, but then a throwing error by Eric Wagaman allowed an unearned run to score in the fifth as well. Meyer has a tough outing next week against the Braves, but he’s at least worth a roster spot in most formats right now.

That’s why he brought on Camilo Doval instead of Walker to protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning against the Reds. Fortunately, the Giants believe that it’s a minor issue and that Walker should be ready to go on Monday. While you’d like to take the manager at his word, it’s a situation that fantasy managers should monitor before setting lineups for next week.

Normal closer Ryan Walker was unavailable with back tightness, so the Giants turned to former closer Doval. The 27-year-old responded with one strikeout and no baserunners to earn his first save of the season. Walker is expected to be back tomorrow, so Doval is not a recommended add in fantasy, but if you have Walker on your team, getting Doval to back him up is not an awful idea.

Ramos took Nick Martinez deep in the fifth inning for the first hit of the game. It was a 380-foot homer that left the bat at 97 mph for Ramos’ second home run of the season. He later added a 109.8 mph RBI single in the eighth inning to pad the Giants’ lead. The 25-year-old is coming off a career year last season and has a good chance of building on that in 2025.

McLain took a sixth inning pitch from Robbie Ray and clobbered it 402 feet at 107.9 mph for his second home run of the year. The 25-year-old missed all of last year after shoulder surgery and an oblique injury, but he seems healthy right now and could be in for a big season.

Martinez was pitching a shutout through his first four innings, but he allowed a solo home run to Heliot Ramos in the fifth inning and then an RBI double to Jung Hoo Lee and a two-run home run to Matt Chapman in the sixth. Stamina will be a bit of a question mark for Martinez this season since he has shuffled between the bullpen and rotation over the last few years. He did strike out five and walk one while showing off a true six-pitch mix that should help him remain a viable starting pitcher option in deeper leagues all season and a streamer in shallow leagues. He can probably be trusted next week on the road against the Brewers.

Ray was absolutely cruising through the first five innings, not allowing a single baserunner. However, the wheels started to fall off in the sixth. Ray allowed a lead-off single to Gavin Lux and then was able to get a groundout before allowing back-to-back home runs and a walk before being removed from the game. The left-hander posted a 25 percent whiff rate and 24 percent CSW on the day and struggled to find the strike zone with anything other than his fastball, including his new changeup, which had just a 20 percent strike rate. Better days are ahead for Ray, who will next square off against a Seattle team that struggled against lefties last year.

Sugano went out to warm up for the fifth inning when the Orioles’ athletic trainer came out to look at his hand. The 35-year-old right-hander subsequently left the game, cutting his big league debut short after four innings. It’s unclear how severe the injury might be or if a trip to the injured list will be necessary.

Ruiz, who stole 67 bases for the A’s in 2023, had since fallen out of favor with the organization. Reg flags were raised at the outset of 2024 when Ruiz began the year in the minor leagues. Now the 26-year-old speedster is likely on his way out of the organization altogether as he’s been designated for assignment. It’s possible he catches on with another team soon.