Homer Bailey (Tommy John surgery) threw another round of BP Thursday. He is still hoping to start for the Red at some point in June.
Ryan Braun had back surgery this offseason and he was scratched Thursday with back soreness. Concerns are growing. I’ve been willing to give him a pass with the back, but I admit to feeling like it might be time to start biting the old finger nails.
Keon Broxton is starting to generate some fantasy noise in Milwaukee… that was until manager Craig Counsell said that he will likely avoid naming a starting center fielder. Sounds like Broxton and Kirk Nieuwenhuis, at a minimum, will get a look. So much for that.
Asdrubal Cabrera injured his knee and the belief was that he would likely start the season on the disabled list. Turns out that may not be the case after all. A-Cab took six at-bats Thursday in an intersquad game and it sounds like he might still be ready to play in Game 1 for the Mets. For more, check out his Player Profile. I would wager that you are undervaluing his talents.
Ken Giles tossed a perfect innings Wednesday. He was hitting 96-97 on the gun. Things are moving back into focus for the Astros’ closer.
Travis Jankowski appears likely to get some run early in the season with the Padres. They will start Matt Kemp in right field, but other than that there really is no lockdown option in the outfield. It would seem that Jon Jay, Melvin Upton and Jankowski are vying for two spots in the outfield. Who is Jankowski? Baseball America has him listed as a 45 on the 20-80 scale which the same as a “fringe” average player. The #6 prospect with the Padres, Travis can really run having swiped 71 bases at High-A in 2013. He also makes decent contact, but he has a very flat swing that generates zero loft and no power. With Manuel Margot sent back to the minors Jankowski could offer a Jordan Schafer-type this season, but that’s still just NL-only league level unless he locks down a full-time role.
Josh Hamilton says that his knee feels as good as it has in five years. “It’s the best it’s felt in about five years. So, it’s like, ‘Don’t get too excited.’ Even if I regress and hurt it some, I’m still good. That’s how good it feels.” Right, uh huh. Totally buying it. Hell no I’m not. I could care less what Hamilton says. You’re a blithering idiot if you believe that what he said in that article will translate to a full season of work on the field. Ain’t no way it’s gonna happen. Hamilton will be 35 in May, though his body is likely that of a 45 year old after all the partying he did off the field. The last two seasons he’s appeared in 139 games hitting 18 homers with 69 RBI and a .259 batting average. That’s the best case scenario for me in 2016.
Michael Morse injured his hamstring Thursday. Shocking he has come up lame. The Pirates seem to be planning on the oft-injured John Jaso being their everyday first baseman with Morse supporting. Telling ya, we might see Josh Bell a lot sooner than some folks think. He’s one of those rookies we could see early in the year.
Daniel Norris will not be ready for Opening Day after suffering a back setback (see what I did there?). Norris is going for further testing, but a best case scenario will be a short-term trip to the DL (maybe sleeping in his van is an issue). This news means that Buck Farmer, Matt Boyd and Shane Greene will continue to battle for the fifth spot with the Tigers. You know who I’m going to suggest you take a shot on in AL-only leagues… hello Shane Greene! There’s a report from Jon Heyman that the Tigers might be eyeing Kyle Lohse and his veteran arm, Lohse is still a free agent, so keep an eye on that.
J.T. Realmuto had three hits Thursday and is locked in to daily work with the Marlins this season. He’s a prime second catcher option in mixed leagues who could end up a top-10 play by years’ end. He hit .259 last season with 10 homers, but he also stole eight bases and hit .338 over his final 80 at-bats last season.
The Red Sox demoted the future Thursday when they sent Brian Johnson and Henry Owens to the minor leagues. While Eduardo Rodriguez works his way back to full health the Sox will go with either Steven Wright or Roenis Elias.
Whew. X-rays on Troy Tulowitzki’s wrist are clean after he was hit by a pitch. He should be fine for Opening Day. We think. We hope. Maybe. It looks likely. You get it.
Jered Weaver will return to action Friday against the Athletics. He’s been missing some time with a neck issue that turned out to be a degenerative situation. He believes he will be able to pitch through it. He’s still an AL-only option if he can get his velocity back (see his Player Profile).
It’s coming…
Ray Flowers can be heard Monday through Friday, 7 PM EDT and Friday on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 6 PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).