Yankees sign right-hander Shelby Miller to minor league deal
The New York Yankees have signed right-hander Shelby Miller to a minor league contract and invited him to major league spring trainingMARCH 27, 2022•ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nolan Gorman - Scratched with back tightnessGorman was scratched from Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets due to lower back tightness, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
ImpactGorman was originally in the lineup at second base and batting seventh. It's unclear how serious the injury is at this point, or whether it will affect the team's plans for him to begin the campaign.
MARCH 27, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Jesús Aguilar - Launches first spring homerAguilar went 3-for-5 with a double and a three-run home run in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.
ImpactGetting the start as the designated hitter and batting fifth, Aguilar crushed a Steven Matz offering to straightaway center field in the first inning to kick off a big day at the plate. The 31-year-old slugger racked up 22 homers and 93 RBI over 131 games last season with a .788 OPS, and he figures to be a dependable middle-of-the-order presence for Miami while splitting his time between first base and DH.
MARCH 27, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Elieser Hernandez - Dealing to begin springHernandez gave up one hit and struck out three over three scoreless innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.
ImpactHe entered the game in the fourth inning after Trevor Rogers got the start, and Hernandez promptly fanned Nolan Arenado to begin his day. The 26-year-old right-hander has yet to allow a run so far this spring and has a 6:0 K:BB through five innings as he looks to establish himself as a reliable arm at the back of the Marlins' talent-laden rotation.
MARCH 27, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Trevor Rogers - Solid spring debutRogers allowed one run on two hits and a walk over three innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He struck out one.
ImpactMaking his spring debut, the southpaw got tagged for a solo home run by Paul Goldschmidt in the third inning but otherwise had little trouble with a St. Louis lineup that featured a number of regulars. Rogers broke out in 2021 with a 2.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 28.5 percent strikeout rate over 133 innings and 25 starts, and if he can maintain or even build on the control gains he showed last year, he may not have reached his ceiling yet in the majors.
MARCH 27, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Richard Bleier - Could get situational savesBleier is an option for save chances to begin the season if Dylan Floro (hip) isn't available, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
ImpactFloro, Miami's expected closer, has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game due to hip soreness, so manager Don Mattingly may use a committee in his place that includes Anthony Bender, Anthony Bass and Bleier. The latter is the left-hander in the group, so his late-inning role is likely to be situational, but getting the occasional save would still boost his value in holds-plus-saves formats. Bleier is coming off a strong 2021 season in which he recorded three wins and 20 holds over 68 appearances with a 2.95 ERA and 0.98 WHIP.
MARCH 27, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Anthony Bass - Could see early save chancesBass is an option to close for the Marlins at the beginning of the season with Dylan Floro delayed by a hip issue, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
ImpactFloro was expected to be the ninth-inning man for Miami to begin the season, but he has yet to appear in a Grapefruit League game while dealing with hip soreness. Of the remaining options for saves, Bass has the most experience, recording 12 saves for the Mariners and Blue Jays between 2019 and 2020, but Anthony Bender is viewed as having the best stuff, while Richard Bleier could also see work against left-handers at the end of games. "I think we're going to be more of a mix-and-match club," manager Don Mattingly said Friday. "We're not sitting here with Mariano [Rivera] or Kenley [Jansen] or these dudes that you say, 'This is my ninth-inning guy, he gets the ball every time.' That might develop like that, but right now, I don't think we're there." While Mattingly may talk in terms of a committee, his track record suggests he much prefers having one set closer, so if Bass or Bender have a quick start to the season in the role, they may well end up keeping it for awhile.
MARCH 27, 2022•ROTOWIRE
