MLB Player News

Stratton was signed to a minor league contract with an invite to big-league camp, and now he’ll be a part of the Pittsburgh bullpen. He’ll likely pitch in the mid-to-late innings to begin the 2025 campaign.

The bad news is that Smith picked up the bruise on his quad. The good news is that it appears he avoided a significant injury. Smith will likely sit a day or two, but should be back in the lineup in the coming days; assuming there is no structural damage, of course.

Encarnacion-Strand’s homer off Spencer Bivens ended the scoring in this one. He also singled today, so he’s gone 2-for-4 in both Reds games so far. Injuries to Austin Hays and Spencer Steer (limited to DHing) mean that CES’s playing time isn’t in question at the moment. If he keeps hitting, it won’t be an issue later on, either.

Justin Verlander matched Lodolo for five, but the Reds pulled ahead in the sixth and hung on from there. Lodolo won despite striking out just one and giving up eight hard-hit balls, including a Wilmer Flores homer. It all worked out against a below average offense, but he’ll probably need to be a little better next time out against the Brewers.

It sounded like Terry Francona thought Tony Santillan was his best reliever, but he was used against the bottom of the order in the seventh today. Graham Ashcraft then pitched a scoreless eighth before Pagán got the ninth. Because he’s so homer-prone, Pagan is a scary choice as a closer, though he can still pitch a scoreless inning more often than not. Scott Barlow and Santillan would be our more trusted Reds relievers at the moment.

Matt McLain got to him, but Verlander was strong against everyone else today, finishing up with five strikeouts and one walk. He averaged 94.1 mph with his fastball, up 0.6 mph from last year, and topped out at 95.9 mph. There’s little chance of Verlander reemerging as a Cy Young contender at age 42, but he should offer some mixed-league value while healthy.

He scored both runs the Reds got off Verlander. McLain’s plate discipline was lacking this spring after his year off, but the important thing is that his power has come all of the way back after shoulder surgery. In fact, he has five hard-hit balls through two games.

Machado will undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury. Jose Iglesias has replaced the All-Star at third base. This would be a significant blow for fantasy managers and the Padres if Machado were to miss significant time.

Myers started the game with a pair of doubles and a run scored before going to extra-inning against the Pirates. He started the tenth as the runner on second and scored the tying run to extend the game. The 29-year-old outfielder delivered in the 12th, knocking a deep hit to right field to walk it off.

Cruz showed off an incredible eye at the plate on Saturday, drawing four walks on the day. He stole second base in the sixth and scored on a single by Joey Bart before adding a second stolen base in the seventh. The 26-year-old outfielder has been aggressive on the basepaths to start the season, stealing four bases through three games.

The Pirates got a run across on Bellozo in the first inning on a single, walk, and a double. Bellozo tossed two more clean frames and stranded two runners in the fourth before he was relieved with one out in the fifth. The 25-year-old right-hander struck out four and walked two, throwing 46-of-71 pitches for strikes and generating eight whiffs. Bellozo is best left on the waiver wire when he takes on the Braves in Atlanta on Friday.