

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitching prospect Michael McGreevy tossed two shutout frames in his spring debut. The right-hander did not allow a baserunner and tallied two strikeouts. The 24-year-old is currently competing for a spot at the back-end of the St. Louis rotation. Last season, McGreevy received a brief taste of the majors and performed well as he held a 1.96 ERA with a 0.78 WHIP. He tallied 18 strikeouts across 23 innings. He showed elite command as he only served up walks at a 2.3 percent rate and generated groundballs at a strong 64.6 percent rate. Across 150 innings at the Triple-A level last summer, the 24-year-old held a 4.02 ERA with a 1.31 WHIP. If McGreevy were to fall short of a spot in the rotation, the Cardinals will likely have him open the campaign at Triple-A to further his development instead of moving him to the bullpen.


Texas Rangers starting pitching prospect Kumar Rocker struggled in his second outing of spring training. He was given the starting nod but was only able to log an inning of work as he served up four earned runs to the Milwaukee Brewers. In his first outing, he also allowed four runs. The 25-year-old entered camp as a favorite to land a spot in the starting rotation, but if he continues to stumble, the team may opt to have him open the campaign at Triple-A to further his development. He was given a brief look at the majors last summer and held a 3.86 ERA with a 1.54 WHIP across 11 2/3 innings. Across 36 2/3 innings in the minor leagues last season, the right-hander posted a strong 1.96 ERA with a 0.79 WHIP. He held an elite 5:55 BB:K ratio. If Rocker were to open the season at Triple-A, Dane Dunning could be given a starting role.


San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (back) is back at third base and is hitting cleanup on Tuesday for the split-squad Cactus League game against the division-rival San Francisco Giants. Machado was scratched from a spring training game a week ago due to some back tightness, but after resting up, he's feeling better and is ready to return to the field. It's a good sign he's also being allowed to play defense in his return, so Machado should be ready to go later this month for Opening Day, barring a setback with his back. Although he's on the wrong side of 32, Machado has been extremely consistent and has 30-plus home runs in seven of the last the last 10 full seasons. Although he hit just 29 bombs a year ago, he drove in 100-plus runs for the fourth time in his career and has at least 600 plate appearances in 10 of his 13 MLB seasons. Machado is RotoBaller's No. 6-ranked fantasy third baseman.


Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Ji Hwan Bae (hand) is back in the Grapefruit League lineup on Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox and is starting in left field and batting leadoff. Bae suffered a jammed right ring finger in the spring training game on Sunday while sliding into third base and was given the day off on Monday to rest. The 25-year-old is fine now and will continue his competition with the likes of Jack Suwinski, DJ Stewart, Joshua Palacios, Nick Solak and Billy Cook for the fourth and fifth outfield spots to open the regular season in Pittsburgh. He's doing his part early in spring training, going 3-for-8 with a double and a run scored in five games. Bae has elite speed (33 steals in three MLB seasons), but he's also hit an underwhelming .231/.296/.304 with two homers in 150 career big-league games. The fact he has minor-league options remaining could mean he'll be starting the year at Triple-A Indianapolis.


Cincinnati Reds infielder Jeimer Candelario (tooth) has been out early this week at camp because of a painful wisdom tooth. Candelario missed early work on Monday for an appointment with a dentist and is returning on Tuesday to have the tooth pulled. Barring a complication with his mouth, the 31-year-old veteran should be back in Cincy's Cactus League lineup sooner than later. Candelario should mostly play first base for the Reds in 2025, but he'll also see at-bats as the third baseman and designated hitter. He was a disappointment last year after signing a three-year, $42 million contract with the Reds, as he hit .225/.279/.429 with 20 home runs, 56 RBI, four steals and 47 runs in only 112 games played while dealing with multiple injuries, including a fractured big toe in August. Candelario could bounce back with better health in 2025 in his second year with the Reds, making him a potential value pick late in drafts for corner-infield depth.
