Underdog

The A’s outfield is getting incredibly crowded with talented young players. Tyler Soderstrom has shifted to the outfield alongside Lawrence Butler and JJ Bleday, but Denzel Clarke is also waiting in the wings at Triple-A and slashing .295/.426/.455 with 10 RBI and two steals in 13 games. Clarke also had 13 home runs and 36 steals at Double-A last year while playing strong defense in center field, so he could push Bleday this summer if the 27-year-old doesn’t start picking up the production a bit.

Weathers struck out six and walked nobody on the day. Obviously, allowing not one single baserunner in three innings is a pretty solid outing. He needed just 35 pitches (25 strikes) to get through the outing and, most importantly, held his velocity gains from spring training. He will probably move to High-A or Double-A for his next rehab start this week and could be back in Miami by the middle of May.

Adams was signed by the Steelers off the Saints’ practice squad during the 2021 season and signed a two-year deal the following offseason. A former third-round pick from the 2017 draft, Adams has appeared in 96 games during his eight-year career while making 25 starts. He totaled 14 tackles and one sack in 11 games last season and quickly became expendable after the Steelers selected Oregon DT Derrick Harmon in the first round of last week’s draft. Adams could still provide value as added depth on a roster, but his days as a starter are likely over.

Stewart logged 19 minutes in Game 1 and has missed the last three games of the first-round series with New York. Should Stewart miss Game 5, Paul Reed should continue to pick up additional minutes in his absence.

Kemp now has seven home runs on the season and is hitting .313 with a 1.072 OPS. More importantly, he has played games at 2B, 3B, LF, and 1B for Lehigh Valley this season, which means the Phillies could eventually call him up as a super utility player. His primary position is third base, so he could be an option there if Alec Bohm continues to struggle, but Kemp hit 16 home runs and stole 20 bases in the minors last year, so there is some power and speed here if he ever gets a shot.

McGreevy struck out four and walked three on the day and is now sporting a 4.08 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 25/7 K/BB ratio in 28 2/3 innings this season. The right-hander almost won a rotation spot out of spring training, and the Cardinals’ starting pitching has really struggled of late, so there is a window for him to push his way into the big league rotation. However, he’s going to have to pitch a little better to force St. Louis’ hand.