


Minnesota Twins second base prospect Mickey Gasper was informed that he made the club's Opening Day roster. Gasper made a good impression in Grapefruit League play, going 12-for-39 (.308) with two home runs, a stolen base, and an 8:5 BB:K. Not only that, the 29-year-old is versatile, manning first base, second base, and catcher this spring for the Twins, plus he's a switch-hitter. The 2018 MLB draft pick finally made his long-awaited MLB debut last season for Boston, although he was unable to muster a hit in his 18 at-bats, so hopefully he can get that out of the way early this year. He owns a career .275/.392/.449 slash line in the minors, with a .174 ISO, .383 wOBA, and 136 wRC+. A career walk rate of 13.9 percent should translate and a 15.8 percent career strikeout rate is promising as well, however, it remains to be seen if a utility role will provide him with enough at-bats to make him fantasy-relevant, especially with super-utility player Willi Castro also still with the team.




Kansas City Royals pitchers Alec Marsh (shoulder), Kyle Wright (shoulder/hamstring), and James McArthur (elbow) were all officially placed on the 15-day injured list on Monday. None of these come as a surprise, with all three of them battling injuries this spring. Marsh is dealing with the most minor injury of the three, with a delay in his build-up due to tightness in his shoulder. Wright has progressed to throwing bullpens but is recovering from both an offseason shoulder surgery and a hamstring strain. McArthur is likely to miss the most time, as he is still recovering from an offseason elbow surgery and hasn't begun throwing yet.


HoustonAstros pitching prospect Ryan Gusto has made the team's Opening Day roster, according to manager Joe Espada. The 6-foot-4 hurler spent all of 2024 at Triple-A, posting a 3.70 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and a 14.1 percent K-BB% over 148 1/3 innings of work. The righty showed well enough this spring, too, allowing one earned run on three hits and seven walks while striking out eight in 7 2/3 innings. The former 11th-round draft pick has worked as both a starter and a reliever but is slated to begin the 2025 campaign as a reliever for the Astros. Whenever the 26-year-old pitches, it will be his major-league debut, but he need not be rostered in most fantasy leagues other than deep AL-only formats.


Texas Rangers relief pitcher Luke Jackson could be in the mix for saves in 2025. Manager Bruce Bochy said things will be "pretty close" to how he used the bullpen in Monday's 6-3 win over the Royals, where Robert Garcia pitched the 7th, Chris Martin pitched the 8th, and Jackson picked up the save in the 9th. This news comes as a surprise, with the job being primarily considered as a two-way competition between Garcia and Martin up until this point. Bochy did clarify that the roles aren't defined, so it's still likely that all three see save chances at some point. Jackson split 2024 between the Giants and Braves, where he posted a 5.09 ERA and 1.47 WHIP with 59 strikeouts and 26 walks in 53 innings. It's unlikely he will become a dominant reliever in 2025, but this bullpen situation is definitely one to monitor.



Houston Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes is set to bat in the two-hole entering the season, with outfielder Yordan Alvarez batting third, according to manager Joe Espada. Paredes will be looking to take advantage of the Crawford Boxes in short left field of Daikin Park and perform like the player he was in 2023 when he slashed .250/.352/.488 with 31 home runs for the Rays. He should see plenty of pitches to hit while batting in front of Alvarez, who has proven himself to be one of the best hitters in the league. He is coming off of a 2024 season where he slashed .308/.392/.567 with 35 home runs, 86 RBI, and 88 runs in 147 games.
