MLB News

Los Angeles Dodgers catching prospect Dalton Rushing had a forgettable day at the plate on Thursday for Triple-A Oklahoma City, going 0-for-5 with five strikeouts. That makes nine punchouts in 21 plate appearances (42.9 percent) for the Dodgers' top-ranked offensive prospect. The former second-round draft pick hasn't had an overly high strikeout rate in the past, having come into the year with a 21.4 percent rate, so hopefully this is just the process of knocking some rust off at the beginning of the year. The 24-year-old is coming off a 26-home run campaign in 2024 and was solidly on a trajectory for a 2025 MLB debut, however, it might be a little later in the season than originally expected. The Louisville product is blocked for playing time at catcher with Will Smith locked up long-term, but Los Angeles had the 5-foot-11 backstop getting outfield reps last year in order to give him and his bat multiple paths to the big leagues. Assuming he gets back on track and debuts in 2025, he should have value in two-catcher leagues (with both C and OF eligibility on Yahoo) so long as he's getting regular at-bats.

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani (elbow) threw his first bullpen session since Feb. 25 last Saturday. According to manager Dave Roberts, the session went well, and Ohtani threw 25 fastballs. Ohtani was shut down from throwing for a period to build up as a hitter, but Roberts said the 30-year-old three-time MVP threw a light bullpen on Wednesday and is scheduled to throw a heavier one on Saturday in Philadelphia. However, even though Ohtani is throwing bullpens again, there's no timeline for when he'll face live hitters in simulated games. He's fully expected to pitch for the first time in a Dodgers uniform in 2025, but L.A. is in no rush to debut him on the mound with a fully healthy five-man rotation right now. The priority for the Dodgers is to have the ability to use Ohtani as both a pitcher and a hitter come October. Ohtani didn't pitch at all in 2024 after having Tommy John surgery in September of 2023.

Arizona Diamondbacks infield prospect Jordan Lawlar went 3-for-4 with a walk, three RBI, and a run scored for Triple-A Reno on Thursday. All three hits were singles, currently with just one extra-base hit on the young season and batting .273, but four walks have given him a nice .407 OBP to start the campaign. Regardless of performance, the D-Backs have to be happy the 22-year-old is simply healthy after playing in just 23 games all of last season due to injuries. In 2023 between Double and Triple-A, the right-handed hitter slugged 20 home runs and stole 36 bases over 105 games, resulting in an MLB debut for the then-20-year-old and even remaining on the team's postseason roster for their run to the World Series. Still young and ranked as MLB's 10th-overall prospect, the former first-round draft pick should push for a return to the majors this year. He's blocked all over the infield for playing time at the moment, but he's an injury away from being recalled. Once he's there, expect him to stay, and he has the talent to be a perennial 20/20 threat.

New York Yankees starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco earned the win on Thursday, striking out five in a 9-7 victory over the Diamondbacks. He allowed three runs on five hits and two walks. The veteran is looking to rebound this year after posting a 5.64 and 6.80 ERA over the past two seasons. Things could become complicated once Clarke Schmidt is ready to return, as there's no guarantee Carrasco will stick in the rotation after that point. His next start is currently scheduled to be next week in Detroit.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly got hit hard by the Yankees in a 7-9 loss on Thursday, allowing nine runs on nine hits and three walks in 3 innings. It hasn't been a great start to 2025 for the veteran, who has looked shaky in both outings so far. In his first start of the season, he held the Cubs to one run, but issued four walks compared to only one strikeout. He'll look to get things going in his next start, tentatively scheduled to be against the Orioles.

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis F. Castillo is expected to be promoted from Triple-A to start on Friday against the Giants. He's not to be confused with the other pitcher of the same name, who has been a staple of the Seattle's rotation for years. Luis F. Castillo has spent the last two seasons in Japan but is now ready to make his first start in the majors. He likely won't stick in the rotation for long, though, especially with George Kirby working his way back from a shoulder injury.

Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Owen Caissie went 3-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader for Triple-A Iowa. The three-hit performance only brought his batting average up to .250 (5-for-20), but with a double, a triple, and a home run included in those five total hits, the 22-year-old is slugging .550. The left-handed hitter spent all of 2024 at Triple-A, and though he hit .278 with 19 home runs and a strong .375 OBP due to a high walk rate, he struck out at a 28.4 percent rate. The former second-round draft pick is faring even worse to begin 2025, striking out nine times in 22 plate appearances (40.9 percent). The Cubs don't have a need for Caissie in the outfield at the moment and would surely like to see him get the strikeouts under control before throwing him into the fire in the big leagues, not to mention it could be prospect Kevin Alcantara who gets the call before him, but the 6-foot-3 slugger still has a good shot to make his major league debut later this season and could hold value in NL-only leagues.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Weston Wilson (oblique) is scheduled to face live pitching this week in Clearwater, Florida. This could put him on track to start a minor-league rehab assignment next week and be activated off the injured list in mid-April. This would line up with the original timeline of an expected six-week absence after he sprained his oblique on February 21st. He will serve mostly as a bench bat in Philadelphia, just like he did in 2024 when he posted a productive .284/.347/.489 slash line in 41 games.

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (back) could face live hitters by the end of this week. His recovery from back stiffness seems to be going well, with the next step after batting practice likely to be a minor-league rehab assignment. If all goes well, he should be able to return by the end of April. He'll be looking to build on his breakout 2024 season, where he posted a 3.46 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 150 innings. Once healthy, he will most likely take Taijuan Walker's spot in the rotation.

Washington Nationals third base prospect Brady House blasted his first home run of the season in a 2-for-3 day at the plate for Triple-A Rochester on Thursday. After going hitless in four at-bats in the first game of the season, the former 11th-overall draft pick has three multi-hit games in his last four, now slashing .350/.381/.600 on the young season. The Nats' top offensive prospect showed well in limited Grapefruit League play earlier this spring, going 7-for-21 (.333) with one stolen base and a 4:4 BB:K but was sent to Triple-A to begin the 2025 campaign. With a strong showing at the highest level of the minors, fantasy managers should expect the 6-foot-4 slugger to be in D.C. later this season. Power-needy managers in NL-only and deeper leagues could consider rostering him, but problematic chase and strikeout rates could be a drain on batting average once he gets to the majors.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo looked solid on Thursday, allowing one unearned run over 6 innings in a 0-1 loss to the Brewers. He allowed four hits and struck out four. It was his second quality start in a row, and he now holds a 1.42 ERA and 0.71 WHIP on the season. The 6'6" lefty has dominating stuff when everything is working in sync, and he'll look to carry this early-season success into his next start, which is currently set to be against the Giants.

Houston Astros infield prospect Shay Whitcomb went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs on Thursday for Triple-A Sugar Land. The two blasts were his first home runs of 2025, now 5-for-25 (.200) on the young season with four of his five hits going for extra bases. The former fifth-round draft pick hit 35 home runs in 2023 and is coming off a 2024 season in which he hit 25 home runs and stole 26 bags at Triple-A, earning himself an MLB debut late in the year. The major league audition didn't go as well, slashing .220/.304/.293 with no home runs or steals, however, he struck out at a better-than-league-average rate of 17.4 percent and walked at a better-than-league-average rate of 10.9 percent over 46 plate appearances. Fantasy managers should keep the right-handed slugger on their radar as he'll likely be in the big leagues at some point this season and could provide more meaningful contributions in his second go-round. While he's only eligible at third base on Yahoo, the 26-year-old also played four games at second base for the Astros in '24 and was manning first base on Thursday, so his added versatility provides multiple paths to playing time and potential multi-positional eligibility on Yahoo down the line.

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Charlie Morton had his swing-and-miss stuff going during Thursday's game against the Boston Red Sox. The veteran right-hander struck out 10 batters across five innings of work, which isn't easy against the Red Sox lineup. However, Morton also allowed six hits, five earned runs, and two walks during Thursday's outing. The final results were a mixed bag, but fantasy managers should've still received a decent performance due to the double digit punchouts. Morton has been smacked around for nine runs over two starts this season. Possibly, the Fountain of Youth has finally run dry, but we'll see what Morton can do during his next start against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto was a tough out at the plate all game long on Thursday. The veteran backstop would finish his day 3-for-3 with three singles in the win over the Colorado Rockies. Realmuto would also add on two steals, which are a little more rare at this stage in his career. Regardless, fantasy managers will continue to take these kinds of performances out of the 34-year-old backstop. His days of being an elite fantasy option are probably behind him, but Realmuto is still worth rostering in most fantasy formats.

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown got off to a rough start during Thursday's game against the Minnesota Twins. The right-hander gave up two runs in the first inning, but settled down nicely after that. Brown would follow that rough first frame with five scoreless innings to record his second quality start of the season. Brown allowed five hits, walked no one, and struck out eight batters in the win over Minnesota. He'll take a 3.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts through 12 innings into his next start against the Seattle Mariners.

Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker has been off to a slow start with his new team, but was able to do some damage on Thursday. Walker helped his team get on the scoreboard with a solo shot off right-hander Joe Ryan in the second inning. His day wouldn't end there as he would also single later in the game as Walker reached base three times during this contest. The veteran slugger is still hitting under .200 through the first seven games. However, his two-hit performance did help as the Astros were able to come back and win this ballgame. Fantasy managers will just need to be a little more patient with Walker.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (ankle) has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to March 31. The Dodgers were hopeful to avoid this, but Freeman wasn't progressing as they hoped from his right-ankle sprain. It's worth noting that the sprain is on the same ankle Freeman had surgically-repaired. That being said, the Dodgers aren't going to take any chances this early in the season and will give Freeman some time to rest. Enrique Hernandez figures to handle a majority of the playing time at first base while Freeman is out. Hernandez isn't a must-have fantasy player, but he does hit well against left-handed pitching. The veteran slugger figures to see a boost in value while Freeman is on the shelf. Freeman needs to be stashed in all fantasy leagues.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins was productive out of the leadoff spot on Thursday despite an 8-4 loss to the division-rival Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards, as he went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two RBI, a walk, a stolen base and a strikeout. Mullins' third home run of the year came in the first inning to lead off the bottom half of the inning against right-hander Tanner Houck in which he just hooked it inside the right-field foul pole on a screaming liner on a changeup. It's been a fast start for the 30-year-old outfielder, as he now has eight hits in his first 26 at-bats with 11 RBI and two stolen bases in seven games played. While Thursday's series finale against Boston was his first time batting leadoff for Baltimore, it's unlikely he'll remain there regularly moving forward with All-Star shortstop Gunnar Henderson (intercostal) set to make his season debut on Friday in Kansas City.

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker had a throwback outing in his first start of the year on Thursday against the visiting Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park in the team's 3-1 victory. Walker kept the Rockies scoreless through six innings while giving up three hits, walking one and striking out four for his first win of the 2025 season. Fantasy managers in deep leagues will want to take this outing with a grain of salt since it came against Colorado, but it was a good first outing for the 32-year-old veteran as he fills in for lefty Ranger Suarez (back) in Philly's starting rotation to begin the season. Things probably won't come as easy in his second start next week against the division-rival Atlanta Braves, though, and Walker will head back to the bullpen when Suarez is ready to return from the injured list.

Boston Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck was unable to go deep enough into Thursday's game on the road in Baltimore against the division-rival Orioles to pick up a win in an 8-4 victory at Camden Yards. Houck allowed three earned runs on five hits (one homer) while walking two and striking out six in four innings of work for a no-decision. It wasn't a very efficient outing for the 28-year-old hurler, as he needed 82 pitches to complete four innings against the O's. The former first-rounder (24th overall) out of the University Of Missouri will be hoping to be better in his third start of the year next week at Fenway Park against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays. It's not the start that his fantasy managers were hoping for, as Houck has now allowed seven runs in only 9 2/3 frames to begin the year.