

Boston Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello (shoulder) is set to throw a bullpen session at camp on Friday, according to Mass Live's Christopher Smith. Barring a setback with his right shoulder, the Red Sox believe that Bello will be ready for Opening Day in late March. The 25-year-old has been dealing with right-shoulder soreness early in spring training but has been throwing on flat ground as he begins to ramp up. The Dominican hurler looked great early on in 2024, but walks were his undoing ultimately and he finished with a 14-8 record, 4.49 ERA (4.19 FIP), 1.36 WHIP, a career-high 153 strikeouts and 64 walks in 162 1/3 innings over 30 starts. To take the next step as a fantasy arm in 2025, Bello will need to limit the free passes and keep the ball in the yard. His injury this spring won't help endear him to fantasy managers in deeper leagues. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 99 fantasy starting pitcher.


The Boston Red Sox are "shooting for the weekend" for catcher Connor Wong (shoulder) to make his Grapefruit League debut, according to manager Alex Cora. "He's going to get live at-bats tomorrow and the next day," Cora said. Wong has been slowed early in spring training with a sore shoulder, but it's not an injury that really puts his Opening Day availability in question for the end of March. The 28-year-old will be Boston's primary catcher in 2025 after he hit .280/.333/.425 with career-highs in home runs (13) and RBI (52) while stealing eight bases and scoring 54 runs in 126 games played. The playing time will be there, but fantasy managers shouldn't necessarily expect a repeat of his 2024 numbers, especially in the average department. Wong's breakout season was fueled by a bloated BABIP. Treating him as a No. 1 fantasy catcher would be a mistake.


Cincinnati Reds outfielder Stuart Fairchild (thumb) made another start in center field on Wednesday in a Cactus League game against the Los Angeles Angels. It's Fairchild's third game of the spring -- he went 0-for-5 with a strikeout in his first two contests -- since having surgery on his right thumb late last season. The 28-year-old appears to be a full-go this spring as he competes for a platoon role in Cincy's outfield in 2025. In 94 games in 2024 in his second season with the Reds, Fairchild hit just .215/.286/.368 with a career-high eight home runs, 30 RBI, 13 stolen bases and 33 runs scored in 233 trips to the plate. With no minor-league options left, he's a good bet to be on the team's Opening Day roster in a reserve role. In his time in the big leagues, he's been a below-average hitter with poor plate discipline. His glove is his strength for the Reds.


Boston Red Sox right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks (elbow) was up to 96 mph on the radar gun in his Grapefruit League debut on Wednesday versus the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays while tossing a scoreless inning. It was Hendriks' first game action since a minor-league rehab appearance last June. The 36-year-old veteran allowed a single and struck out one in the outing as he looks to bounce back in 2025 after not pitching at all in the big leagues last year following Tommy John surgery in 2023. The Australian native is a three-time All-Star and has 116 saves in his 13-year MLB career, so he'll be in Boston's competition for saves this season alongside Aroldis Chapman, Justin Slaten and Garrett Whitlock. A closer committee is entirely possible, which won't help fantasy managers, but if Hendriks' velocity can stay around 96-97 mph, he should be interesting as a cheap bullpen arm in holds leagues.


Updating a previous report, the Philadelphia Phillies think first baseman Bryce Harper (triceps) will be fine after he was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Toronto Blue Jays, according to manager Rob Thomson. Harper left the game immediately in the sixth inning and has a contusion in the right triceps area. "They're not overly concerned," Thomson said. The Phillies will check on Harper again on Thursday. The 32-year-old former MVP won't play on Thursday, but he should be just fine moving forward. Fantasy managers also shouldn't have anything to worry about. Harper reached the 30-homer mark for the fifth time in his career in 2024 and also had 40-plus doubles for the second time in his career. RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 3 fantasy first baseman and the No. 22 overall player this spring.
