Blue Jays put 3-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer on IL because of right thumb inflammation

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays put right-hander Max Scherzer on the 15-day injured list Sunday because of inflammation in his right thumb.

The move comes one day after the three-time Cy Young Award winner left his debut start with Toronto after three innings because of right lat soreness.

Manager John Schneider said Scherzer will visit a hand specialist in the U.S. on Monday.

“Hopefully this kind of resets him and knocks it out,” Schneider said of the persistent thumb issue. “We obviously need him. Elite pitcher, and we want him to feel his best.”

Toronto recalled left-hander Easton Lucas and selected lefty Mason Fluharty, both from Triple-A Buffalo. Left-hander Richard Lovelady, who allowed four runs in relief of Scherzer and took the loss against Baltimore on Saturday, was designated for assignment.

Following Saturday’s 9-5 defeat, the 40-year-old Scherzer said his lat soreness was directly related to lingering thumb pain that forced him to push back a spring training start earlier this month.

Calling himself “frustrated,” Scherzer said solving the thumb issue is his top priority.

“This thumb is absolutely critical to your arm health,” he said after Saturday's game. “I’ve got to get this 100% before I pitch again.”

Scherzer signed a $15.5 million, one-year contract in February. He went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA in nine starts for Texas last season, starting the year on the injured list while recovering from lower back surgery. He also had a stint on the IL with shoulder fatigue and didn’t pitch after Sept. 14 because of a left hamstring strain.

Scherzer allowed two runs and three hits Saturday, including two solo home runs. He threw 45 pitches, 28 for strikes. He struck out one and walked none.

Blueshirts’ Blunders: Trouba Trade Didn’t Solve Rangers’ Defensive Woes

Peter Laviolette instructs his team as Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Brennan Othmann look on against the San Jose Sharks. (Robert Edwards-Imagn Images)

On Friday night in California, the New York Rangers went head-to-head with former Rangers captain Jacob Trouba for the first time since they traded him to the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 6. And Trouba’s Ducks dealt the Blueshirts a serious blow to their Stanley Cup playoff aspirations by beating them 5-4 in overtime, underscoring a season-long issue for the Rangers: their defense.

Trouba isn’t an advanced analytics darling, but on a Ducks team that needs veteran experience, he’s averaging 20:49 of ice time per game, up slightly from the 20 he averaged for the Rangers in the 24 games he played for them before he accepted a deal to Anaheim. Yet, before and since the trade, the Rangers have largely been unable to stop opponents’ offense, averaging three goals-against per game – the 17th-best mark in the league in that category.

When the Rangers lose, they lose by a lot. Indeed, in 13 of their 28 losses since trading Trouba, the Rangers have allowed five goals or more. And they’ve gone 22-22-6 since the Trouba deal. For a team that has an elite goaltender in Igor Shesterkin – even if he has struggled at times this season – that’s simply unacceptable. And given that the Rangers are not locked to make the post-season this year, you can make the argument that their sub-par defense is the key reason for it.

Now, we’re not here to tell you that the Rangers would have been a strong shutdown squad if Trouba had stayed in Manhattan. But look at their defense corps today, and you’ll see a flawed group that can’t contain the opposition’s scorers.

Top blueliner Adam Fox has been decent with 56 points and a plus-8 plus-minus total, but K’Andre Miller is a minus-6, and Will Borgen – a decent pickup in the deal that sent Kaapo Kakko to Seattle – is only a plus-6. Plus-minus isn’t a perfect stat by any means, but it's still an indicator of a team’s all-around play, and the Rangers’ struggles in that metric says a lot about where they are in the standings today.

In making the Trouba trade, the Rangers obviously wanted to get out from under Trouba’s annual $8-million salary. But it's not as if they’ve used that cap space to improve defensively. Instead, it’s been more of the same, time and again, and Shesterkin hasn’t been able to steal games the way he has in previous seasons. And the Rangers’ offense – currently ranked 13th in the league at an average of 3.01 goals-for per-game – also hasn’t been able to bail out the defense.

You can point out that Trouba hasn’t been especially effective defensively since joining the Ducks, and that’s accurate, as Anaheim presently is 21st in the league with an average of 3.13 goals-against per game. But tellingly, the Ducks have been a better team than the Rangers since the Trouba trade, going 22-21-5 since Dec. 6. And Anaheim has allowed five goals or more in 10 of those 26 losses – again, not anything to write home about, but slightly better than the defensive efforts of the Blueshirts.

With their team’s struggles, Rangers fans are right to question the moves GM Chris Drury has made this season. Many Rangers fans were ready to part ways with Trouba well before the deal was consummated, but they can’t deny that trading their former captain hasn’t solved much of anything. 

And if the Rangers do miss out on the playoffs this year, their suspect play in their own zone will be the chief culprit for their demise.

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Little offense and a familiar issue for Nola as Phillies drop series finale

Little offense and a familiar issue for Nola as Phillies drop series finale originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON — No Trea Turner, no J.T. Realmuto and no offense for the Phillies on Sunday at Nationals Park as they dropped their series finale, 5-1, after taking the first two games.

With Turner sidelined by a back spasm and Realmuto out with a foot contusion, the Phils’ lineup was two bats lighter than usual. Edmundo Sosa started for Turner and Rafael Marchan for Realmuto, with Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh all moving up in the order.

Sosa, too, appeared to suffer an injury in the bottom of the seventh Sunday when Jacob Young slid into his knee at second base. He was able to stay in the game after being visited by a trainer and looked healthy an inning later when he singled and sprinted to take second on an error.

Realmuto should be ready for Monday’s home opener, manager Rob Thomson said, but the Phillies may give Turner another day to recover. It would give Turner three in a row with Tuesday’s off-day.

The Phillies had chances early and late on Sunday, their best opportunity coming in the top of the ninth when they loaded the bases with no outs. A run scored on a Marchan groundout but Kyle Schwarber struck out and Bohm lined out to end the game.

The Phils also had two baserunners in each of the first three innings but were unable to cash in. Two different potential rallies were killed by 5-4-3 double plays. In the second, Marsh walked, Johan Rojas singled with one out and the Phils were just about to turn the lineup over before Marchan’s GIDP. Marsh and Marchan singled with one out in the seventh and Nats lefty reliever Jose Ferrer hit Schwarber to load the bases, but Bohm hit a grounder right to Paul DeJong.

All eight Phillies hits were singles.

Aaron Nola started and cruised until hitting Keibert Ruiz with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. The next batter, Nathaniel Lowe, singled, and Josh Bell followed with a three-run blast to center. Just like that, the strong beginning to Nola’s day was erased.

His start ended after another two-out homer in the sixth from Lowe. Nola allowed five runs over 5⅓ innings and has given up 21 runs in 19⅓ innings in his last four season debuts.

One big inning has plagued Nola for much of his big-league career. He has a deep mix of pitches that can miss bats and freeze hitters, he is almost always around the plate and rarely shies away from challenging someone. Those qualities have led to long-term success but it’s also why some starts can turn ugly in a hurry. Nola tends to limit walks and hits but struggles with the home run ball. That might never change.

Cristopher Sanchez is next up for the Phillies to start Monday’s 3:05 p.m. home opener against the Rockies. There has been rain in the forecast, but at the moment, it looks like it might stay away until late in the game or afterward.

Colorado could be a 100-game loser and always struggles on the road, so the Phillies have a good chance at another series win before the schedule stiffens with the Dodgers and Braves.

Badly Damaged Tropicana Field a Reminder of Rays’ Predicament

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It’s no secret Tropicana Field is in a state of steep disrepair. But a long, slow walk Saturday morning around the perimeter of the 35-year-old stadium–now without a roof–revealed just how extensive those problems are.

Even the sign high above the ground identifying the ballpark and its location is missing letters, “St. ——burg, Florida. Some of the framing is also gone, as well as the green shell over the letter “a” in Tropicana. Those 100-mph-plus winds from Hurricane Milton were devastating.

That isn’t the half of it, Rays manager Kevin Cash said on the other side of the bay Saturday where his club lost 2-1 to Colorado Rockies at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field, their interim home for at least this season.

Cash said he’s been inside the Trop multiple times since the storm and has noticed the deterioration. There’s a feeling of nothingness.

“At first, it looked odd without the roof on it,” Cash said during a pregame media session. “Over time it’s kind of gotten worse. They’ve done a lot of work inside. The clubhouse initially was OK. But with the weather and successive storms,  more water has crept in there.”

The trademark sign is a symbol of the chaos and billions of dollars of damage Hurricane Milton wrought this past October in Pinellas County, home of the Trop.

Tropicana Field sign

Walking to the brink of an open loading dock, I was startled to see two things: the blue sky and sunlight flooding in what was left of the steel-skeletal beams that once held the Teflon roof, and no tarp across the blue seats of the upper deck. That used to be a mainstay to shrink capacity from the 45,369 when the Rays started playing there in 1998 to last season’s 25,025.

Even with that shrinkage, the Rays last season averaged 16,515 per game and a total of 1.33 million, third worst for Major League Baseball teams in both categories.

Two elderly female security guards dressed in bright yellow jackets barred any further access.

“Ask the Rays,” one said.

Cash is our eyes and ears.

“A lot of people were working very hard over there trying to fix it,” he said. “But now they’re just trying to maintain enough and see where we go.”

Much has been made about how the Rays are going to adjust to playing a season outdoors in the elements at Steinbrenner Field, but not enough focus has been placed on the emotional trauma of having to vacate your home of so many years to play and live elsewhere.

It’s a feeling shared by so many folks who lost their houses here in last year’s dual hurricanes and ensuing floods, not to mention the January Los Angeles fires and the ones recently plaguing the Carolinas. Tornados have also ravaged a lot of the South and Midwest.

The heart-wrenching question is whether to rebuild or move on. The St. Pete city council is facing that decision about the Trop right now and Thursday will have a pivotal vote on whether to fund the repairs. If they vote yes, the Rays will remain in a reconstituted Trop for at least three more years. If they vote no, the team can move on with approval of at least 75 percent of the other owners.

No question losing a professional sports franchise can have a devastating impact on a community. Just ask the baseball fans of Oakland and the hockey fans of Phoenix, who both lost their teams last year.

Right now, the pain of displacement for the Rays may be temporary, but it’s no less acute.

“It’s our home,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said in interview Saturday. “It’s a home we learned to love over the years. We’ve had a lot of special memories in that building. It’s a place that’s meant a lot to everybody. It’s just unfortunate.”

Neander, 41, has been with the Rays in some front office capacity since 2007 and has been through the eras of managers Joe Maddon and Cash, who took over for Maddon when he left for the Chicago Cubs in 2015. Neander was promoted to his current position in 2021.

Neander has seen it all from the rain-postponed, five-game World Series loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008 to the bubble 2020 World Series that because of COVID was played in Arlington’s Globe Life Field, a six-game loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Neither Neander nor Cash wants to yet face the fact the Rays may have already played their final game at the Trop, let alone St. Pete.

“There’s definitely sentiment about this for me and the players,” Cash said. “We enjoyed playing there. We’re certainly sensitive to the circumstances over there.”

Back at the Trop, the name Musial seems to have eroded off a plaque about the history of baseball in St. Pete that it says dates back to 1914. The team store is dark and bolted as are rusted chain fences, guardrails and gates surrounding the stadium to keep any stragglers out.

The only people in the vicinity Saturday morning were joggers, bicyclists and a few onlookers. There was no apparent restoration or construction work.

While 10,046 die-hard fans sold out the game in Tampa for the second consecutive day, the tarp was placed on the field afterward in anticipation of heavy Sunday rain and a possible first postponement of a Rays home game in club history.

Just 26 miles away at the Trop, a sign above a walkway intended for folks exiting toward the parking lot read, “THANK YOU RAYS FANS.”

That message now is falling on deaf ears.

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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Tyler Soderstrom, Jack Leiter open season strong

Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season.

The premise is pretty straightforward. I’ll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I’ll list the category where I think he’ll be helpful or the quick reason he’s listed. I hope that it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs or not.

For a player to qualify to be on this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, “These players aren’t available in my league,” and I can’t help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they’re available in many places and that can hopefully satisfy readers in all league types.

Hitters

TJ Friedl - OF, CIN: 38% rostered
(RUNS, SPEED UPSIDE)

Friedl is not a sexy waiver add, but he's the everyday centerfielder for the Reds and has been productive in that role whenever he's been healthy. In 2023, he hit .279 with swiping 27 bases and crushing 18 home runs in 138 games. He had nine steals and 13 home runs in 85 games last year. He makes an elite amount of contact and hits leadoff which should mean a decent amount of runs in that offense. He is likely going to get hurt at some point, but that doesn't mean you should pass up on him for a player who has less fantasy value right now. You're in a redraft league, not a Best Ball league, so stop thinking about August and September.

Kristian Campbell - 2B, BOS: 38% rostered
(BREAKOUT POTENTIAL, EVERYDAY ROLE)

Kristian Campbell didn't have the best spring, so he started falling in late drafts even though it was clear the Red Sox wanted him to be their starting second baseman. So far, Campbell is 5-for-10 with two walks, one home run, and two strikeouts while playing second base in two games and left field in one. He is one of the top prospects in baseball, and if he's going to get everyday run in a good lineup, he needs to be on your roster. If you're just looking for speed, you can add Campbell's teammate Trevor Story - SS, BOS (33%), who stole a base in each of his first two games. People love to rag on Story because he gets hurt often, and that's sapped a lot of his offensive juice, but he will run, and he's been a really good defender for Boston when he's healthy. He's going to play almost every day, and that's a good lineup to have pieces of.

Ivan Herrera - C, STL: 34% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, GOOD SCHEDULE)

Early in draft season, I mentioned that Ivan Herrera was a decent draft value since he hit .301/.372/.428 in 259 plate appearances last year with five home runs and five steals. The offensive upside was there, but the worry was that he was likely going to have to fight for time with Pedro Pages, which gave us some pause about him getting over 400 plate appearances. Well, Herrera started the first two games of the season, which makes me think that this could be more of a 70/30 type of split this season. That makes Herrera worth a gamble in all two-catcher formats. I also think that Alejandro Kirk - C, TOR (13% rostered) is in for a good season and has some viability in one catcher leagues, even. He is going to play almost every day in Toronto and has been an elite contact hitter his whole career.

Tyler Soderstrom - 1B, OAK: 33% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, EVERYDAY ROLE)

Soderstrom got off to a huge start to the 2025 season with a 2-5, two-home run game against Logan Gilbert and the Mariners. He's 5-for-12 in his first three games, but this is really about him being the everyday first baseman on a team that will be playing games in a minor league ballpark. Soderstrom also struck out just five times in the spring after striking out 25% of the time last year. That hasn't carried over in the first three days, but at just 23 years old, it's not crazy to assume Soderstrom is continuing to evolve as a hitter and may add at least a passable batting average to his 25+ home run power. Right now I'd only be adding for power upside, but there's some additional intrigue in here. Michael Busch - 1B, CHC (28% rostered) is another power-first first base option. The 26-year-old hit 21 home runs in 152 games for the Cubs last year and is going to be the everyday first baseman in a lineup that's deeper than it was last year. He's off to a slow start in 2025, but I do love that he's taken three walks in his first five games. His 11.5% swinging strike rate last year wasn't that high for a player with plus power, so I think we could see another step forward from Busch this year.

Victor Scott II - OF, STL: 30% rostered
(SPEED UPSIDE, BATTING AVERAGE POTENTIAL)

Last year, we were all going gaga over Scott because of his game-changing speed, but this year we seem to have forgotten about him despite him having a great spring training. That's the unfortunate power of one bad sample of MLB data. No, Scott is not going to hit many home runs or help you much in counting stats given that he hits at the bottom of the Cardinals' order, but the speed upside remains, and he's stolen two bases so far through two games. If he can just hit .250 or higher, then he's not going to hurt you in your batting average category, and he's going to carry you in stolen bases.

Matt Wallner - OF, MIN: 27% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, GOOD LINEUP SPOT)

The Twins faced three right-handed starting pitchers this weekend, and you saw exactly what that will mean for Wallner this season with him batting lead off in each game. No, he didn't get a hit in either of the first two games, but this is a guy with a 17% career barrel rate who tweaked his approach in the second half last season and hit .275 with 12 home runs, 34 RBI, and three steals over the final 73 games. There is some volatility in his skillset, but the power is unquestioned, and if the approach changes carry over, he's a great add, especially in daily moves leagues. In deeper leagues, I'm also a big for of Wallner's teammate Trevor Larnach - OF, MIN (3% rostered). Much like Wallner, Larnach will start against all right-handed pitchers, and I wrote about him as one of my favorite post-hype hitters this off-season. I should also note that Pavin Smith - 1B/OF, ARI (2% rostered) is in the same boat as an everyday guy against right-handed pitching andis somebody that I’m in onafter he hit .270/.348/.547 with nine home runs and a .896 OPS in 158 plate appearances in a part-time role last year.

Joey Ortiz - 3B/SS, MIL: 25% rostered
(MODEST POWER/SPEED UPSIDE, GOOD BALLPARK)

Much like TJ Friedl, Ortiz is not a sexy fantasy add, and perhaps better for deeper formats, but this is a guy who hit 11 home runs and stole 11 bases in 142 games last year while making elite levels of contact. His batted ball profile in the minors suggests that there is a little more thump in his bat and while that might just mean 15 home runs, there is a good chance that he's a 15/15 guy who can hit .250 or higher and is the everyday shortstop for a Milwaukee team that plays in a good home ballpark. Considering you'll soon be able to play Ortiz at 3B, SS, MIF, and CIF, that is a valuable player to have on your squad.

Kyle Manzardo - 1B, CLE: 27% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, EVERYDAY ROLE)

I know Manzardo can be harder to roster in formats where he's UT-only, but given his prospect pedigree and what we saw from him in spring, I'm surprised his roster rate is so low. He started on Opening Day against a left-handed pitcher, which makes it pretty clear that he's an everyday guy in Cleveland now. I had the chance to talk to him this spring about his adjustment to the big leagues that led to a strong finish to the 2024 season, so I'd encourage you to read that to see why I'm in on Manzardo this year. Another option at first would be Spencer Torkelson - 1B, DET (28% rostered); although, I'd much rather have Manzardo. Torkelson is off to a better start, going 4-for-9 with a home run and a stolen base, in addition to five walks in three games. However, I have less confidence in his contact profile overall. Additionally, he was challenged a lot last year with high fastballs and it limited his power output, and I need a bit more sample size to believe that's fixed. If you just wanted power, I think Torkelson is the better play over Manzardo, but I'd take Manzardo for everything else.

Lars Nootbaar - OF, STL: 21% rostered
(BREAKOUT POTENTIAL, EVERYDAY ROLE)

I wrote about Nootbaar in one of my off-season articles on hitters entering their peak age seasons, and said: "I feel like we’ve been waiting for the Nootbaar breakout for a few years now, but injuries limited him to just 405 plate appearances in 2024. When he was on the field, he hit .244/.342/.417 with 12 home runs and seven steals which hinted a little at what we can expect from him. His career 27.4% flyball rate suggests he might not have elite power upside. Busch Stadium is not great for left-handed power, so this might be a calculated approach from Nootbaar, but it means that even a breakout season might come with just 20 home runs. It could also have a .260 average and 12 stolen bases with an elite on-base percentage, which is great for some leagues." Also, I know there are a lot of Cardinals on here already, but Jordan Walker - OF, STL (11% rostered) is going to play every day and he was one of the top prospects in baseball not long ago, and I wrote about him in detail for my post-hype hitters article this winter.

Ben Rice - 1B, NYY: 10% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY)

Ben Rice is in a tough situation because we know the Yankees are going to want to use the DH spot to give days off to guys like Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Paul Goldschmidt, but I look at Rice the way I look at a starting pitcher like Jack Leiter or Max Meyer. The upside is clear, as I covered in my article on potential second-year breakout hitters. He has been hitting the cover off the ball. If we knew he was locked into a starting role, he'd be rostered in way more leagues. Those are the guys I want on my bench for the first few weeks of the season because I want to already have them if the playing time starts to shake out and people are rushing to throw huge FAAB bids on them. Think of the Colton Cowser situation from last year.

Otto Lopez - 2B/SS, MIA: 10% rostered
(SPEED UPSIDE, SOLID BATTING AVERAGE)

Lopez is a bit of an afterthought because he plays on a bad Marlins team, but I think he has some fantasy juice. The middle infielder has gone 5-for-11 with one home run, four RBI, and one steal in his first three games. Last year, he hit .270/.313/.377 in 117 games with the Marlins while stealing 20 bases. This didn't really come out of nowhere either. In 2022, he hit .297 with 14 steals in 91 games in Triple-A for Toronto, and in 2023, he hit .258 with 13 steals in 84 games at the same level. He's a good bet to hit .270 with 20+ steals in a full season as the second baseman in Miami, and that's valuable in a lot of formats.

Jeimer Candelario - 1B/3B, CIN: 9% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, GOOD HOME BALLPARK)

With Spencer Steer unable to play the field, we've seen Candelario start as the primary third baseman in Cincinnati with Gavin Lux shifting to left field. Candelario struggled in his first season in Cincinnati last year, but this is a guy who hit .251 with 22 home runs the season before and is a career .241 hitter. Given that Cincinnati plays in the best ballpark for offense, I think expecting a .250 season from Candelario with 20-25 home runs while hitting in the middle of the Reds' lineup is a pretty solid bet. If you need another corner infield option, Brett Baty - 3B, NYM (8% rostered) is going to be their second baseman against right-handed pitching, which will add some nice multi-position eligibility. Baty obviously tore up spring training, but remember that he has done that before. There is upside here since Baty is just 25 years old and clearly still evolving as a hitter, but he doesn't have a lot of time to stake his claim to an every day job, and there's not a track record of MLB success here, so I don't think you need to rush to the wire for Baty, even after the strong spring.

Jorge Polanco - 2B, SEA: 8% rostered
(DEEP LEAGUE OPTION, COUNTING STATS UPSIDE)

Polanco is another deep league target with soon-to-be multi-position eligibility, who I wrote about this off-season in an article on undervalued hitters:"He’s a career .263/.330/.435 hitter, and while I know last year was a down season, he was also playing through a knee injury that clearly impacted him. Despite that, he posted an 8.9% barrel rate, an above-average chase rate, and slightly below-average SwStr% and contact rates. We do need to point out that his overall contact rates and swinging strike rates have been headed in the wrong direction for the last two seasons, but for the vast majority of his career, he has been a 77% contact rate guy or better. In spring training this year, he has an 85% contact rate and just a 7.2% SwStr%, so perhaps a lot of that regression was due to injury."Gavin Lux - 2B, CIN (7% rostered) also appears to be the starting left fielder and regular clean-up hitter for the Reds right now. I'm not sure I believe in the talent or that the role will stick, but we can't ignore a cleanup hitter in that park hitting behind Friedl, Elly De La Cruz, and Matt McLain.

Kameron Misner - OF, TB: 0% rostered
(STARTING JOB, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)

This is only a deep-league option, but with Josh Lowe potentially out for months with an oblique injury, it seems that Misner will get the first shot to take his job in Tampa Bay. The 27-year-old was once an intriguing prospect for the Marlins, but it never quite clicked. Still, in 113 games in Triple-A for Tampa Bay last year, he hit .248 with 17 home runs and 30 steals. I don't really trust that Misner is any different of a hitter now, but somebody who has the ability to 20/20 in a starting role is worth a look in really deep formats. So is Manuel Margot - OF, DET (1% rostered), who is going to be the everyday centerfielder in Detroit with Parker Meadows and Wenceel Perez sidelined. Margot has been around long enough that we know what he can do, but he's a career .254 hitter who still has the speed to swipe bases in a full-time role. Detroit has also been hitting him fifth or sixth, which could lead to some chip-in RBIs as well.

Pitchers

Jack Leiter - SP, TEX (38% rostered)
Leiter was one of my most-drafted pitchers this year, and I wrote about him in my article covering undrafted starting pitchers with the talent to finish inside the top 25. The biggest thing for me was command, and I felt that Leiter's new sinker would help him pound the strike zone a bit more to set up his swing-and-miss stuff. The first start doesn't change any of that. His fastball was still 98 mph and missed plenty of bats, but was inconsistent in the strike zone. He struggled to locate his new kick-change, and his slider was fine. I actually wasn't super impressed by the start, but I was happy that he was able to produce a decent outing without his best stuff. The upside remains, and I'm happy to take fliers on him in all league types, but I still think volatility is ahead.

Dustin May - SP, LAD: 36% rostered
May did not pitch this weekend, which means he's set to make his regular-season debut on Tuesday against Atlanta. We don't love that start, even with Ronald Acuna Jr. out; however, we do love that May is locked in as the fifth starter on probably the best team in baseball. He has impressive raw stuff and is starting to miss more bats this spring as he varies his sequencing and locations. No, May is not going to pitch a full season for the Dodgers, but we don't care about that now. It's March. I'm happy to add May for the first couple of months, try to take advantage of solid ratios and wins and then I'll worry about replacing him when the time comes.

Grant Holmes - SP/RP, ATL: 34% rostered
Holmes got a raw deal when the Braves reconfigured their rotation so that he could start on Monday against the Dodgers instead of Sunday against the Padres. I really don't want that Monday start, and I probably won't use Holmes there in daily lineup leagues. However, Holmes will also start over the weekend against the Marlins, and I absolutely want to use him there. Holmes unveiled a new changeup this spring that looks like it will be a real weapon for him. He now has potentially three plus secondaries to take the heat off of his average fastball. I think he's being underrated right now. You could also chase upside with his teammate A.J. Smith-Shawver - SP, ATL (25% rostered), who won a roster spot and will start on Sunday against the Padres. Just remember that Spencer Strider is coming back in around three weeks, and somebody is leaving this rotation. Holmes has no minor league options, so the Braves can't send him down, which makes me think Smith-Shawver may not have a long leash in this rotation.

Luke Jackson - RP, TEX (30% rostered)
Look, I don't buy this, but if you're in a desperate situation for saves, you can chase them with Jackson since Bruce Bochy went to him for save opportunities in each of the first two games. I just don't love that Jackson essentially only uses his slider, and has never really shown the consistent ability to lock down saves. I don't see this lasting a long time, and I'd prefer to add Blake Treinen - RP, LAD (32% rostered) because I believe he's a good pitcher. Treinen is in a committee for the Dodgers, so he won't get all of the saves, but he'll get some of them and will also help with ratios and strikeouts and be far less liable to torpedo your ratio categories.

Jason Adam - RP, SD (30% rostered)
Everybody is going to chase closer specs this weekend, and I get it. However, instead of adding guys like Graham Ashcraft or Mike Clevinger, I'd rather add Adam. We know Adam is a good reliever. He's going to help your ratios and steal a few wins, and when the Padres finally trade Robert Suarez, who has been on the trade block all off-season, I think it'll be Adam that takes over and starts to get saves. You can add him now and not have to spend big money.

Justin Slaten- RP, BOS (24% rostered)
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Aroldis Chapman was the closer in Boston, but he also said that they would use him in the eighth inning if they felt they needed to. At the time, that seemed like a way for Liam Hendriks to pick up a few save chances, but then Hendriks went on the IL with elbow inflammation, and Slaten, who was pitching better anyway, got the first save chance of the season on Opening Day. If the Red Sox need to use Chapman earlier in games, it's going to be Slaten that closes them down, and Slaten has the talent to take that job regardless.

David Peterson - SP, NYM (20% rostered)
Peterson is yet another intriguing starter who did not pitch this first weekend. He will start on Monday against Miami, which is an elite streaming situation. I wrote about why Peterson is one of my favorite late-round starting pitchers to draft,so I’d encourage you to read that if you want a detailed discussion of why I like the left-hander.

Mike Clevinger - SP/RP, CWS (15% rostered)
Clevinger is the closer for the White Sox. No, that may not lead to a bunch of save opportunities, but it could lead to a few, and he's looked pretty solid in the role so far this spring and during the first weekend. I'm not running out to pick him up, but I don't think he's going to hurt your team in the same way chasing the Rockies and Marlins closer situation might.

Jose Alvarado - RP, PHI (14% rostered)
If you're in a fine spot with saves and just want to add an elite high-leverage reliever, I would recommend Alvarado. He was lights out this spring and is the late-inning left-hander in the Philadelphia bullpen. That means he could steal a few wins in close games, but he also could emerge into a timeshare if Jordan Romano were to struggle or the Phillies wanted to be cautious with Romano's innings coming off a shoulder injury. You could also take a gamble on Tony Santillan - RP, CIN (17% rostered), who may be the best pitcher in Cincinnati's bullpen. I know that Emilio Pagan - RP, CIN (2% rostered) got the save on Saturday night, and you can gamble there if you want, but Santillan is the cream of the crop here and could rise to the top. You could also gamble on Graham Ashcraft - RP, CIN (8% rostered), who has plus Stuff+ numbers but never missed enough bats as a starter. He could thrive in the bullpen, but this whole situation is a mess, and I wouldn't place big bids on any of these guys.

Max Meyer - SP, MIA (14% rostered)
I wrote about Max Meyer and Jack Leiter as two undrafted starting pitchers I think have the upside to finish inside the top-25, so you can read that article to see a more detailed breakdown of why I like taking a gamble on both pitchers in the first few weeks of the season. If you're in deeper leagues, I also like Sean Burke - SP, CWS (16%), but I just don't think we're going to get tons of wins out of him. I guess that's an issue for Meyer as well.

Brayan Bello - SP, BOS (11% rostered)
If you need an IL stash, Bello is already starting a rehab assignment in Triple-A, and optimism that the Red Sox could have him back by April 11th. I truly believe this is the year he breaks out. Bello tweaked his slider into more of a sweeper at the end of 2023, spent most of the offseason working on it, and then graded out as an above-average pitch by PLV in 2024. He started using it more against righties, and the swinging strike rate on it jumped from 10% to 16% while he also improved his zone rate as the season went on. The issue is that as his slider got better, he seemed to lose the feel for his change-up, which has always been his best pitch. Even though he doesn’t throw the changeup often to righties, Bello’s command of the pitch suffered in 2024, with a lower zone and strike rate, and it got hit much harder. It still had an 18.5% swinging strike rate to lefties, so Bello checks the boxes now of fastball for strikes and secondary for whiffs to hitters of each handedness, and if he can get the command of his changeup back to be a consistent strike pitch then he has all the things I want from a starting pitcher and we could see a big leap.

Tylor Megill - SP, NYM (9% rostered)
I wrote about Megill as one of my favorite late-round starting pitching targets this off-season (in the same article as Peterson), and said: "In 2024, Megill posted a 17.6% K-BB%, 12.8% SwStr%, and 27.6% CSW, all of which were better than the league average despite him having a fairly uneven season. He added a sinker last season, which has a 73% strike rate. He uses it primarily as a strike pitch to righties, which is crucial for him. He also added a cutter in 2024, and despite it having above-average swinging strike rate marks to righties and lefties, it’s also a pitch he can command for strikes with league-average zone and strike rates. It also allowed Megill to throw his slider less in 2024, which is good because his slider was a great out-pitch but struggled as a 20% usage pitch...He really has everything he needs to be a good MLB starter, but the consistency of that command is going to be crucial. With a full off-season under his belt to work on the cutter and sinker, we could finally see that in 2025."

STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS

(ranked in loose order)

Week of 3/31

Strong Preference

PitcherRoster%Opponent
Reese Olson28%vs CWS
David Peterson17%at MIA, vs TOR
Casey Mize10%at SEA, vs CWS
Marcus Stroman4%at PIT
Richard Fitts4%vs STL

Fairly Confident

Chris Paddack2%at CWS
Simeon Woods Richardson1%at CWS
Zack Littell2%vs PIT
Luis Severino25%vc CHC
Luis L. Ortiz5%at LAA
Martin Perez1%vs MIN, at DET
Emerson Hancock1%vs DET, at SF
Matthew Liberatore2%vs LAA

Some Hesitation

Ben Lively3%at LAA
Grant Holmes33%at LAD, vs MIA
Jordan Hicks3%at HOU, vs SEA
Kumar Rocker37%at CIN, vs TB
Jack Kochanowicz0%at STL
Davis Martin0%at DET
Cade Povich2%vs BOS, at KC
Ben Brown4%at ATH, vs SD
Kris Bubic8%%at MIL, vs BAL

ICYMI in Mets Land: Bats stay quiet in Houston; a positive step for Francisco Alvarez

Here's what happened in Mets Land on Saturday, in case you missed it...


What we learned as Ray's strong start, timely hits fuel win vs. Reds

What we learned as Ray's strong start, timely hits fuel win vs. Reds originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

CINCINNATI — For five innings Sunday, Robbie Ray looked like he was going to put manager Bob Melvin and new pitching coach J.P. Martinez in a very uncomfortable position.

Ray was perfect through that point of his debut, and in any other month, his pitch count of 61 would not have been an issue. But this being the first time out, that meant Ray had only about 25-30 more before the Giants would have to make a decision. As it turned out, Ray wouldn’t make it out of the sixth. 

The finale in Cincinnati was a strange one, with both pitchers taking a no-hitter into the fifth and Ray flirting with perfection before a home run derby broke out on both sides. In the end, it was a 6-3 Giants win, which clinched a road series win to start their season. 

The first baserunner on either side didn’t come until the fifth, when Heliot Ramos hit a solo shot with one out. Matt Chapman, who had the usual Matt Chapman defensive game, made it 4-0 with a two-run blast but the Reds countered with two homers in the sixth. 

It was a bullpen game from there, and the Giants are confident that always will favor them this season, although this one came with a twist. It was Camilo Doval, not Ryan Walker, who got the ninth. Doval returned to the ninth by striking out Elly De La Cruz and he had a 1-2-3 inning. 

Loves A Debut

In his first appearance as a Giant last July, Ray threw five no-hit innings at Dodger Stadium. He was better than that Sunday, at least until he reached the sixth.

Gavin Lux ended the perfect game bid with a single up the middle and it unraveled from there. After a highlight-reel grab from Chapman prevented a double, Ray was hit with a pitch clock violation. Former Giant Austin Wynns followed that with a two-run homer to left that cut the deficit in half. 

The next batter, Matt McLain, hit a solo shot, and Ray was pulled after walking Santiago Espinal on four pitches. Ray went from perfecto watch to three earned in 5 1/3. He struck out four while leaning heavily on his four-seamer, which had fluctuating velocity. 

Ray picked up a new changeup in the offseason and worked on it often during the spring. He didn’t try it until the bottom of the third and threw 10 overall, just two of which landed for strikes. 

The Right Way

Two games against very different kinds of right-handed starters. Two different pitches. Two homers for Ramos. 

Martinez was sailing along until he threw a changeup down and away to Ramos, who reached for it and yanked it down the left field line. On a day when everything was getting knocked down by the wind early on, the ball had enough to get a half-dozen rows deep in left. It was Ramos’ second homer of the series, joining the blast he hit to right off a Hunter Greene fastball on Thursday. In the eighth Sunday, he added a 110-mph RBI single. 

Ramos didn’t even make his 2024 debut until the 38th game of the season and still hit 22 homers. He’s as good a bet as any Giant to break the 30-homer draught that goes back two decades. 

Circle of Trust

Saturday’s appearance was Lou Trivino’s first in the big leagues since 2022. He had a long road back from Tommy John surgery, but he signed a non-roster deal with the Giants in the offseason and easily won a bullpen job this spring. 

Trivino, who broke into the big leagues with Melvin’s Athletics, was sharp in a perfect eighth inning of Saturday’s loss, throwing 11 of 13 pitches for strikes. A day later, Melvin tasked him with holding a one-run lead in the seventh. He got a pair of groundouts and then a long fly ball to right. 

The Giants already had used Randy Rodriguez twice this series and Walker was unavailable due to back tightness, but still, it’s clear that Trivino will get high-leverage innings right away. 

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Turner and Realmuto out Sunday, could play home opener

Turner and Realmuto out Sunday, could play home opener originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

WASHINGTON — Two of the Phillies’ four right-handed bats were out of the lineup Sunday afternoon, with Trea Turner sidelined again by a low back spasm and J.T. Realmuto missing the series finale at Nationals Park with a foot contusion.

Manager Rob Thomson described both absences as precautionary, and it sounds like they could both be in the lineup for Monday’s home opener against the Rockies.

“J.T. is still sore but it’s more of a precaution than anything,” Thomson said Sunday morning. “We’ll work on him during the game today. We could play him if anything happened to (Rafael) Marchan. And kind of the same thing with Trea. We’re shooting for those guys for tomorrow.”

Realmuto fouled a ball off his foot in his final at-bat Saturday and was removed in the seventh inning of a seven-run game. Turner was scratched an hour before that game after his back locked up fielding a grounder. The Phillies won, 11-6, to improve to 2-0.

Turner thinks the back spasm Saturday was caused by hip tightness late in camp.

“Maybe three or four days left in spring, my right hip,” he said. “Felt good playing, it was more sitting down or sleeping. It felt a little weird, but then when I played, it would feel fine. I think that turned into this.”

Without Turner and Realmuto, the Phillies started Edmundo Sosa at shortstop and Marchan behind the plate. Max Kepler was also out of the lineup against a lefty. Thomson had planned to start Kepler and sit Brandon Marsh against Mitchell Parker but reversed the decision after Marsh went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer on Saturday. The next time the Phillies face a left-handed starting pitcher is Wednesday, Colorado’s Kyle Freeland, and it sounds like Kepler will start that game with Marsh on the bench.

Hernández: Dodgers visiting Trump's White House goes against everything they represent

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 27: An American flag hangs from the ladders of a firetruck in the outfield.
A U.S. flag hangs from the ladders of a firetruck parked outside Dodger Stadium before the team's home opener on Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

When their moment came to show the world what they were about, they were served a fastball over the middle of the plate.

And the Dodgers whiffed.

Stupid me, thinking they’d overcome their penchant for choking when they won the World Series last season.

The Dodgers have accepted an invitation from President Trump to visit the White House on April 7, the franchise of Jackie Robinson bending the knee to hateful forces similar to the ones they challenged when breaking their sport’s color barrier.

How pathetic. How spineless. More than anything, how hypocritical.

Read more:Dodgers will visit President Trump and the White House to celebrate World Series title

Eight days after their White House visit, the Dodgers will celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. They will insinuate, if not outright say, they are more than a baseball team. They will portray themselves as leaders of social progress. They will be full of it.

The Dodgers are embarking on the path of least resistance, and that’s not what leaders do. Leaders don’t cower in fear of ignorant extremists, no matter how many of them there are. Leaders do what is right and deal with the consequences.

Before the Dodgers’ home opener on Thursday, team president Stan Kasten made an unconvincing effort to reframe the discussion about the upcoming trip to the White House.

“This was something we discussed with all the players, all of whom wanted to go,” Kasten said. “Remember, everyone in here grew up wanting to be a world champion and all the things that come with it, and it comes with a champagne toast, silliness in the locker room, a parade, rings, an invitation to the White House. It’s what they all come to associate with being world champions. Everyone wanted to go, and so we did.”

In other words, Kasten would like for the Dodgers to be treated like just a baseball team when it comes to the White House visit. How convenient.

Read more:Plaschke: Honoring past, dominating present, unbeaten Dodgers shine in home opener

Asked about the discrepancy in the values promoted by his franchise and the Trump administration, Kasten replied, “This [has] nothing to do with politics. For everyone in this room, this is about what they get as their reward for being world champions, getting to the White House. I think there are probably people in this room who have different points of view on politics. No one thought this trip is about politics, it’s about celebrating their world championship.”

But this is about politics. Regardless of the Dodgers’ intentions, contributing to the normalization of Trump’s rhetoric and behavior is political. Pretending Trump is as harmless as the average president is political.

I don’t expect athletes or coaches to be informed about anything outside of their fields of work. I don’t expect them to understand how a president’s policies can affect everyday people. What I do expect is for an organization’s primary decision makers to see the larger picture and for individuals such as Kasten to embrace the responsibility of doing what’s right by the Dodgers’ legacy, whether his players like it or not. Kasten disagreed.

“You can’t separate me from the players,” he said. “I won’t let you do that.”

There are times such separation can be beneficial, however.

When the Dodgers announced plans in 2013 to stage their first Pride Night, management encountered resistance from some corners of the clubhouse. Management’s decision to overrule the players has resulted in the Dodgers earning a reputation as a gay-friendly organization.

Kasten didn’t want to hear any of that.

“You can do whatever you want on the subject,” he said. ‘I’m finished responding to you, and I thought I gave you a well-considered, clear-English-sentence set of answers. That’s all I can do for you. That’s all I’m going to do.”

Fans arrive at Dodger Stadium ahead of the team's home opener against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
Fans arrive at Dodger Stadium ahead of the team's home opener against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

But did Kasten appreciate how a significant part of his team’s fan base was disappointed by the choice to accept Trump’s invitation?

“Either way,” Kasten said. “Whenever there’s politics involved, there’s approximately half of the fan base that feels one way and half that feels the other way. That’s everywhere. That’s how we are on political issues. We didn’t view it through a political prism. We viewed it through the reward that all of these players have spent their lives trying to achieve, and they deserve it and they wanted to do it.”

Except the fans of his team aren’t split 50-50. The majority of L.A. county didn't vote for Trump, and by defying their wishes, the Dodgers have broken their unwritten contract with a city that has supported them almost unconditionally.

The Dodgers owe this loyalty to the widespread perception that they represent Los Angeles and its residents. They have largely followed through on this unspoken agreement, by creating a stadium environment in which people of every background feel welcome, by constructing rosters that reflect the belief that diversity is a strength.

Read more:Letters to the Editor: Dodgers force an error with fans by agreeing to visit the Trump White House

Trump campaigned on xenophobia in multiple election cycles. He called Mexican immigrants “rapists” in 2015 when announcing his first presidential candidacy. He made unfounded claims last year that Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs. The rhetoric has led to actual policy decisions, as he has issued multiple executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the public and private sectors. The administration’s anti-DEI efforts were believed to have played a role in a temporary removal of an article on Robinson’s U.S. Army career from the Department of Defense website.

Trump’s presidency is characterized by a mean-spiritedness that runs contrary to the progressive vision of this country. The administration seems to be taking a bizarre delight in firing federal workers, with little or no consideration for how this could affect countless families.

There’s a reason so many of their fans feel betrayed. There’s a reason so many of them are despondent, especially after the Dodgers’ moral flexibility was exposed two years ago in their dealings with a drag group which they invited, disinvited and reinvited to be honored in a Pride night pregame ceremony.

The Dodgers will spare themselves the headache of dealing with Trump supporters in the short term, and whatever Kasten says, it’s obvious this is why they’re doing what they’re doing. But in doing so, they are losing what gave them a distinct place in American history.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Mets Notes: Griffin Canning's increase in velocity, Jose Siri's 'instincts', Max Kranick's return

Put bluntly, it was not a great Opening Weekend for the Mets -- especially on offense.

New York lost two out of three against the Houston Astros, scoring a total of five runs in the three games and culminating with getting one hit in a 2-1 loss on Saturday. Even in their lone win, the Mets pushed across just three runs and managed only five hits.

But the weekend wasn't all bad for New York whose bullpen pitched 9.2 innings without allowing a run. In fact, throughout the series the Mets were able to get all eight relievers into a game, with all eight looking good in the process.

Max Kranick's return to MLB

Saturday saw the team debut of Kranick who last pitched in the majors in 2022 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. His first order of business back on the job? Coming in to face Yordan Alvarez with the bases loaded and one out in a one-run game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Not exactly the "soft spot" that manager Carlos Mendoza was hoping to use the right-hander for in his first MLB appearance in three years.

And still, Kranick managed to escape the jam unscathed with a foul pop out and groundout to give his team a chance in the ninth. "Huge, huge," Mendoza said about Kranick's performance.

"My heart was definitely racing," Kranick said. "It feels good to get the jitters and the first one out of the way. I’m happy with how it went."

Kranick earned himself a spot on the Opening Day roster thanks to his spectacular spring training. And after getting the first one out of the way after all these years and an arduous journey following Tommy John surgery, he's excited to show the Mets what he can bring to the table out of the bullpen.

"It’s been tough the past couple years," he said. "I was really anxious to get the first one out of the way and hopefully keep rolling."

Jose Siri's impact

Siri made his first start of the season (and first with New York) on Saturday after Tyrone Taylor got the start in center field for the first two games. While he did strike out twice in two at-bats in the No. 9 hole, he also worked a walk, stole a base and scored the team's only run manufactured entirely by him.

Down 1-0 in the sixth, Siri led off the inning with a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a fly out and scored the tying run on a groundout to the pitcher, breaking for home plate after Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti turned his back on Siri to get the out at first base.

"That's instincts right there," Mendoza said about the heads up play. "He can impact and help you win baseball games in a lot of different ways, not only with his defense, with his legs, with the way he runs the bases. But he’s also got power so he’s a good player with a lot of tools that he’s gonna impact this team in a good way moving forward."

It'll be interesting to see how the center field position gets divvied up this season as both Siri and Taylor, two excellent defenders, bat from the right side. Taylor went 1-for-8 in his two starts.

Griffin Canning's uptick in velocity

The second starter to make his team debut this series after Clay Holmes pitched on Opening Day, Canning looked good over his 5.2 innings. The right-hander allowed two runs on four hits, striking out four and walking two, but his last pitch thrown went for an RBI double against Alvarez that was the difference in the game.

Nevertheless, after a spring training where his fastball sat around 93-94 mph, Canning's velocity topped out at 96 mph on Saturday, causing Mendoza to take notice.

"I thought Canning was really good overall," the skipper said. "The slider was good, changeup was good, the velo. I mean when you look at the first couple of innings, the fastball was up to 96 – something that we didn’t see in spring training. And he kept attacking, kept mixing his pitches. I thought overall he had a really good outing."

For Canning, he views the start as a good one to build off of going forward. But if he can prove to be a solid option like he was on Saturday and for all of spring training, the Mets "have something there," Mendoza said.

As for Alvarez, the slugger just got to Canning once again after entering play on Saturday 2-for-6 with a home run against the 28-year-old. Before the double, Alvarez was 0-for-2 on the night.

"I’ve had some tough battles with Yordan so that’s unfortunate to end it that way," Canning said.

Hernández: Roki Sasaki isn't an instant star. But the Dodgers don't need him to be one

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts removes pitcher Roki Sasaki from the game against the Tigers at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts removes pitcher Roki Sasaki from the game in the second inning of a 7-3 win over the Detroit Tigers at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Roki Sasaki chose right when he signed with the Dodgers.

Never mind not being ready to lead the rotation of another team and challenge Shohei Ohtani. The 23-year-old Sasaki doesn’t look ready to pitch in the major leagues.

Sasaki made his second start for the Dodgers on Saturday night, and it was somehow worse than his first. He didn’t make it out of the second inning of a 7-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Dodger Stadium, his control problems even more pronounced than they were in his debut in Tokyo.

He recorded only five outs. He walked four. He was charged with three hits and two runs. Of the 61 pitches he threw, only 32 were strikes.

Read more:Shaikin: Will Dodgers win a record 117 games? Orel Hershiser would like to see it

This disheartening start to his major league career — he walked five batters in three innings in his previous start against the Chicago Cubs — shouldn’t sound any alarm bells, but that’s only because he’s playing for the Dodgers.

If Sasaki needs another start or two to get acclimated to the pitch clock or low-quality American baseballs, the Dodgers can afford to give them to him.

If he needs to spend time refining his delivery in the minor leagues, the Dodgers have the necessary depth to cover his absence.

Sasaki won’t have a rookie season like Fernando Valenzuela’s or Dwight Gooden’s, but the Dodgers don’t need him to. The Dodgers are World Series favorites with or without him, and they have the luxury of treating him as if he’s a prospect without compromising their championship ambitions.

Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki delivers during his Dodger Stadium debut on Saturday night.
Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki delivers during his Dodger Stadium debut on Saturday night. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

His circumstances would be completely different if he’d signed with another team. On the San Diego Padres, he probably would have started the season as the No. 3 starter. Him pitching like this would have erased whatever chance the Padres had of dethroning the Dodgers in the National League West. The pressure to perform would be greater by several orders of magnitude.

However, there is a downside to not being needed, as Sasaki is with the Dodgers, which is that a player can be forgotten. Around this time last year, Bobby Miller was viewed as a star in the making. Miller didn’t have the season the Dodgers envisioned, as his performance declined and his health failed him. He started this season with the franchise’s triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City.

Read more:Moving Teoscar Hernández in lineup pays off for Dodgers in sweeping win over Tigers

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Moving Teoscar Hernández in lineup pays off for Dodgers in sweeping win over Tigers

Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernández runs to first base after hitting a two-run double against the Detroit Tigers.
Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernández runs to first base after hitting a two-run double against the Detroit Tigers in the fifth inning of a 7-3 win Saturday at Dodger Stadium. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Based on the Dodgers’ original lineup, Teoscar Hernández would have been in the dugout during the biggest at-bat of Saturday night’s game.

Originally, on a night the Dodgers gave normal No. 2 hitter Mookie Betts a scheduled day off following his battle with a stomach virus last week, switch-hitter Tommy Edman was supposed to follow leadoff man Shohei Ohtani in the batting order.

About an hour before first pitch, however, the team announced a late change.

Read more:Mookie Betts' walk-off homer in 10th keeps Dodgers undefeated: 'We just don't quit'

In the new lineup, Hernández was bumped up to second from the cleanup spot. Edman, who has been a significantly worse hitter from the left side of the plate since joining the Dodgers last year, was dropped to eighth against Detroit Tigers right-hander Reese Olson.

The switch meant that, when the Tigers intentionally walked Ohtani with a runner on third and two outs in the fifth, it was Hernández who came to the plate in what was then a tied ballgame.

Sometimes in baseball, those are the fine margins on which contests can be decided.

On cue, Hernández produced the biggest swing of the Dodgers’ 7-3 win over the Tigers in his pivotal fifth-inning at-bat, lining a two-run double inside the third-base bag to help the Dodgers extend their perfect record to start the season to 5-0 — making them just the fourth defending champion in MLB history to begin their season with five consecutive wins.

“Just kind of thinking through things, I just felt that if you slide Teo up, I felt good about that,” manager Dave Roberts explained. “And it just worked out.”

Read more:Nancy Bea Hefley, Dodgers organist who entertained fans for 27 years, dies at 89

Like the four wins that preceded it, the Dodgers’ performance was far from flawless. 

Rookie phenom Roki Sasaki failed to get out of the second inning in his first career Dodger Stadium start, struggling with his command again in a two-run, four-walk, 1 ⅔-inning outing.

The Dodgers’ bats only mustered two early runs off Olson, with Freddie Freeman hitting a solo home run in the first and Andy Pages scoring on Michael Conforto’s double in the second (despite running through a stop sign from third-base coach Dino Ebel and getting bailed out by a wayward throw to the plate).

Then, in the seventh, the Dodgers almost let the Tigers back into the game on two defensive miscues. Hernández dropped a fly ball while crashing into the wall on a running catch attempt, resulting in a leadoff triple. Two batters later, reliever Luis García created more traffic for himself by failing to cover first on a ground ball, albeit after appearing to tweak something on his pitch.

And yet, in what has become an early theme of the team’s title defense this season, the Dodgers nonetheless found a way to pull away late.

Hernández’s double gave them their first lead in the fifth. Will Smith and Edman extended it with solo home runs in each of the next two innings. And despite being called upon for more than seven innings of work, the bullpen posted almost nothing but zeroes the rest of the way, completing the club’s second-straight series sweep to open the season.

“The bullpen did a fantastic job ... and obviously the offense picked us up and scored some runs when we needed to,” Roberts said. “That's a good ball club over there. So for us to win three at home was a huge series for us.”

Like the first two nights of this home-opening series, Saturday began with another (albeit more muted) round of pregame ceremonies. Hernández, Betts and Ohtani were given their Silver Slugger Awards from 2024. One of last year’s postseason heroes for the Dodgers, Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty, was presented with his World Series ring by a group of his former teammates on the field. The same thing happened back in the clubhouse, with Dodgers players distributing rings to members of their behind-the-scenes staff.

"I think we've been able to compartmentalize,” Freeman said. “It's been a great weekend.”

It didn’t include a great start from Sasaki, though. Just like in his MLB debut in Tokyo last week, when he sprayed the ball around with shotgun-esque command, he put the Dodgers in an early hole amid more command issues.

In the top of the first, Sasaki found the zone on just 24 of 41 pitches, fell behind on five of the eight batters he faced, and gave up two runs on three singles (one of them, a swinging bunt by Manuel Margot that opened the scoring) and two walks (the second, a bases-loaded free pass that forced in another run).

In the second, Roberts pulled him with two outs after Sasaki issued two more walks, giving him nine in less than five total innings.

Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki delivers during the first inning Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki delivers during the first inning Saturday at Dodger Stadium. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

“Roki, throughout his entire career, he's been a command guy,” Roberts said of the 23-year-old right-hander, who only averaged two walks per nine innings during his four professional seasons in Japan. “Right now it's just not syncing up. So we're going to keep working on it.” 

That work, however, will have to come later.

Roberts then turned to his bullpen, counting on the group to pick up the slack in the same way they did so often in October.

“Those guys are ready for it whenever that happens,” said Smith, who caught six relievers over the next 7 ⅓ innings. “Like they say, they're dawgs down there. We're fortunate to have all of them.”

Indeed, the Tigers’ only other run scored after Hernández’s dropped ball in the seventh.

And by then, the right-field slugger already put the Dodgers in front.

Although Hernández said he didn’t realize he’d been bumped up to No. 2 spot in the batting order until he got to the dugout shortly before the game, he was fully locked in after watching Ohtani get intentionally walked in front of him.

“Any hitter that gets the guy in front of them intentionally walked, you put a little more effort and focus on the things you have to do in that at-bat,” Hernández said. “Just to do damage and help the team.”

This time, Hernández’s damage came in the form of a scorching one-hopper that snuck past Zach McKinstry at third base. Conforto, who led off the inning with a walk, scored easily from third. Ohtani, who was motoring around the bases from first, slid in safely behind him.

It already marked the fourth time this season the Dodgers managed to erase an early deficit.

And, with the help of another insurance run in the eighth — when Freeman’s RBI double scored Ohtani from second following his first stolen base of the season — the unbeaten Dodgers never looked back again.

“To go out there and play a good baseball game, get the sweep in front of our fans, while we celebrate last year,” Freeman said, “I think that was just a great job by all of us this weekend."

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Mets' Francisco Lindor not discouraged by hitless opening series: 'I've got to do a way better job'

Before the Mets received MVP-level production from Francisco Lindor for the vast majority of last season, the superstar shortstop endured an April slump that sparked the ire of fans for weeks.

Of course, it's still far too early to declare history repeating itself. But the opening series of the 2025 campaign certainly mirrored more of the worst from Lindor than the best.

A lineup built for serious damage has yet to check in, as the Mets were held to a single hit in their 2-1 road loss to the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Since the third inning of Friday's game, they've produced only two knocks, and at the center of the skid is Lindor, who went a hitless 0-for-11 in the series.

The heart of the Mets' order offered very little at Daikin Park. Aside from Juan Soto, who produced the lone hit on Saturday and reached base seven times in three games, other key contributors -- Pete Alonson, Brandon Nimmo, and Mark Vientos in particular -- combined for a measly 4-for-31 (.129).

It's no secret that Lindor, chock-full of energy and flare, has long been the tone-setter atop the Mets' lineup. Luckily, the sample size is tiny. There's no need to press the panic button or even lift up the security cover. If it provides some comfort, Lindor isn't worried about the skid either.

"I've got to do a way better job to be on base and to make things happen," Lindor said after the loss. "I think once I do that, then the offense is going to continue to get better. I feel like the guys had quality at-bats the entire weekend."

Before the game, manager Carlos Mendoza revealed that Lindor's wife is expecting their third child in the next week or two. The team has yet to learn how much time -- if any -- the 31-year-old veteran will miss.

Following the loss, Lindor was asked if it's been "tough" to play with the family news on his mind. He smiled and jokingly dismissed the notion.

"It's life, I'm sure I'm not the only one going through it. There's no excuses," Lindor said. "There was no baby last year and I was in the same spot. This is not my kid's fault. This is not my wife's fault. I own up to it. I didn't get any hits."

The Mets' offense will look to wake up on Monday in South Florida, when they begin a three-game set against the division-rival Miami Marlins. The trip back east could bode well for Lindor -- he's slashed .289/.387/.471 with five home runs, seven doubles, and 17 RBI in 31 career games at Marlins Park.

Mets fall on wrong side of pitchers' duel in frustrating 2-1 loss to Astros

The Mets wrapped up their Opening Weekend series on a sour note, falling to the Houston Astros, 2-1, in a rubber game on Saturday night at Daikin Park.

Here are some takeaways...

-- In his first at-bat, Juan Soto benefited from Daikin Park's short left field wall and, well, the Astros’ short left fielder. A towering shot that struck the manual scoreboard resulted in a stand-up double, as Jose Altuve’s leaping attempt to catch the ball was futile. Soto tagged up and advanced to third on a flyout to right from Pete Alonso, but he was ultimately stranded on the corner bag after a Mark Vientos strikeout.

-- Griffin Canning, who earned a rotation spot in spring training, didn't look the least bit fazed by his starting assignment. The leadoff single he allowed to Altuve was a line drive snagged by Vientos deep in the hole, and the long throw to first didn't arrive in time. But the defense picked up Canning moments later, as catcher Luis Torrens gunned down Altuve trying to steal second after a strikeout of Isaac Paredes.

-- Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti locked in after Soto's one-out double in the first, retiring 13 straight batters with four strikeouts through five innings. Canning matched Arrighetti's efficiency with one hit allowed -- the single to Altuve -- and four punch-outs of his own entering the fifth inning, but Houston drew first blood when Jeremy Peña took the Mets' right-hander deep for a leadoff solo home run to left.

-- Jose Siri broke Arrighetti's streak with a leadoff walk in the sixth, and his speed helped put the Mets on the board. After stealing second base with ease and advancing to third on a Francisco Lindor flyout, Siri aggressively charged home on a comebacker to Arrighetti that caught the Astros' infield by surprise once the play was made at first. Siri's bold baserunning helped knot the score, 1-1.

-- Houston managed to get the last laugh against Canning in the sixth. With two outs and a runner on first, Yordan Alvarez crushed a 2-2 slider that dented the center-field wall and brought Paredes home. The mistake pitch was Canning's last, but his Mets debut was strong. He allowed two runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts (87 pitches).

-- Jose Butto entered in relief of Canning and prevented further damage by striking out Christian Walker. He returned for the seventh inning, retiring the Astros in order on just seven pitches.

-- New York squandered a prime opportunity to tie the game against reliever Bryan Abreu in the eighth. Torrens led off the inning with a walk, and then Luisangel Acuña entered as a pinch-runner, successfuly stealing second with nobody out. But luck quickly turned Abreu's way, as he punched out Brett Baty and Siri, and induced a Lindor groundout. The Mets' superstar shortstop is now 0-for-11 to start the season.

-- Butto ran into trouble in the eighth, allowing a walk and a single that set up runners on the corners with nobody out. While he induced a grounder to third that resulted in a fielder's choice tag out at home, he loaded the bases with a walk to Paredes. Max Kranick was asked to clean up the mess, and he delivered with a foul out and groundout on five pitches. It was Kranick's first MLB appearance since 2022.

-- The ninth inning began with an intense rematch between Soto and Astros star closer Josh Hader, and this time, Soto reached base by walking on six straight sliders. But there wasn't a rally in the Mets' bones. Alonso popped out to shallow right on one pitch. Brandon Nimmo grounded out, pushing Soto to second. The game ended on a line drive from Vientos that found Peña's glove at short.

-- The Mets recorded just one hit -- Soto's first-inning double -- and they've produced only two knocks since the third inning of Friday's game. Overall, New York hit 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left four on base.

Game MVP: Yordan Alvarez

The clutch hit of the night belonged to the Astros' star slugger, even though it was his only knock in four at-bats. Call it a confidence-booster for Alvarez, who's now hitting .125 through three games.

Highlights

Upcoming schedule

With an unsual Sunday off-day to begin the regular season, the Mets (1-2) will return to South Florida for a three-game set against the division-rival Miami Marlins that starts Monday at 6:40 p.m.

David Peterson is scheduled to take the mound and oppose Cal Quantrill on SNY.

David Stearns explains his thinking about a perceived Mets’ weakness, the starting rotation

HOUSTON -- It is a straightforward question, the one asked most by Mets fans at the beginning of this promising season: folks want to know if the starting rotation is good enough.

Or, more pointedly, they want to know why the Mets did not do more to build a name-brand rotation after investing so heavily in a top offense. Clay Holmes on Opening Day, they say. Griffin Canning in Game 3. Really?

It’s a fair question -- and it’s not just the usual internet knuckle draggers asking. It’s legitimate baseball people, like the longtime major league scout who told me simply this week that “the Mets don’t have enough pitching.”

The Mets themselves disagree. Strongly. And they’re not stupid. So what gives?

On our SNY shows and in conversation, I’ve handled this question by saying that one has to assume that president of baseball operations David Stearns and his people know what they are doing. Stearns made his reputation running the Brewers as a guy who oversaw the acquisition and development of great pitching.

Those are my words, though, not Stearns’. On Saturday evening, standing in the Mets’ dugout in Houston, I asked the man himself how he would answer this oft-posited challenge to his offseason work.

Here’s how I worded the question: “Why is this rotation, which does not look like a championship-caliber rotation to the untrained eye, something that you guys feel good about?”

Worth asking, right?

What Stearns said:

“We think we have really talented pitchers,” he said. “And it's the talented pitchers that are in our rotation right now. It's the talented pitchers who are presently on the IL and it's the talented pitchers who may be in the rotation later in the year.

“A lot of what we try to guard against over the course of the season is what you can't predict, right? You can't predict things like injuries. You can't predict things like underperformance. You also can't predict breakouts, and if you lock yourself in with no flexibility, you also don't have the opportunity to take advantage of breakouts.

“The notion of a championship-caliber rotation, I think, is one that is worthy of discussion. I think if we look at the actual champions of baseball over the last however long you want to look at -- decades, 15 years, 20 years, some of them might have the Hall of Famer at the front end of the rotation, and some of them have guys who signed one-year deals and were traded midseason and all of a sudden got on the heater in September and October, and a team rode them to a World Series championship. Teams can be built in a variety of different ways. And I think successful rotations can be built in a variety of different ways.

“The last thing I'll say is like the long-term, successful rotation depends upon our ability to develop really quality starters, right? And that is what we are aiming to do. That is what the continuously successful teams at this level do, and really, that is where our focus is."

I then asked Stearns if he thought of pitching more in terms of staff than rotation.

“I think certainly in the playoffs, you do, but in building your opening day staff, you do need -- especially as MLB has cracked down on the number of pitchers and has cracked down on the roster movement we can do in season -- you do need some length out of your rotation.

“I don't think it needs to be seven innings every night, but you do need some length out of your rotation and or if not, you will go through your bullpen, you'll pay the price at some point later in the year. So I don't discount all the importance of starting pitching. In fact, I think starting pitching is really important.”

Some additional thoughts:

What I heard there were three basic elements:

1) Confidence in the pitchers who the Mets chose and the people who chose them -- Canning, Holmes, Paul Blackburn etc.

2) A desire to develop aces from within, and maintain flexibility to allow for top pitching prospects to potentially contribute later this year.

3) A related desire to keep a lane open for trade acquisitions. I strongly expect the Mets to be in on Dylan Cease and Michael King, if the Padres make them available this summer, and any other rotation rentals. They are too well-resourced and ambitious to have a passive trade deadline.

Stearns has certainly earned credibility from his time with the Brewers, when the team developed starters Corbin Burnes, Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff, along with a slew of top relievers. Now with the Mets, he is operating with new budget parameters and can not only oversee the ascent of homegrown pitchers, but sign them to contract extensions rather than lose them to free agency.

We can trust that when the Mets' front office hones in on a Blackburn at the trade deadline or a Canning in free agency, they see an element that excites them. It might be a plus pitch that has just started to click. It might be a potential adjustment in their delivery that, if implemented correctly by ace pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, could unlock a level of dominance.

The Mets know they will not hit on every acquisition; the $34 million ticketed for Frankie Montas’ bank account is not looking great at the moment. But when the team chooses a pitcher who seems random to us, it is always because of a specific quality or qualities that make that pitcher stand out.

Finally: did you notice when Stearns seemed to gently challenge the premise baked into my question about a “championship-caliber rotation,” and posited that champions assume many different shapes and structures?

To his point, the mighty Dodgers operated last October with Jack Flaherty at the top of their rotation. Flaherty is a talented pitcher, but he was a trade deadline acquisition pitching on a one-year deal after posting a 4.99 ERA the year before.

This was not how the Dodgers wanted to draw it up, or how they are attempting to draw it up this year, but it worked in 2024.