Howdy y’all.
Not much has changed in the past couple of weeks since I released initial rankings, so I did my best to recap tidbits from the back end of spring training that could impact early season waiver claims.
If there’s anything pressing that I missed, let me know in the comments!
Matt McLain suffers shoulder injury, doubtful for Opening Day
Gotta love when teams provide zero clarity as to what a player is dealing with injury-wise!
The only information that has been given publicly (from what I found) is that Matt McLain has soreness in his non-throwing shoulder and has undergone an MRI after a dive made in practice. (Fun fact about me: When I was a kid and someone asked me what I thought MRI meant, I said “Magically Reveals Injuries.” Honestly? Not too far off.)
While there was some initial optimism surrounding the injury, things haven’t gotten much better and I tend to err on the side of caution when teams are being cryptic about these sorts of things. Between their hesitancy to provide more information on the injury, reports of a second opinion being sought, as well as the acquisition of Santiago Espinal from the Blue Jays to bolster their infield depth, I think it’s safe to assume the Reds aren’t optimistic about McLain’s early season availability.
With this news, Jonathan India will get a bump up in my rankings, while McLain will be bumped off the list entirely until his outlook clears up. Outside of India and Espinal, Spencer Steer could also see some reps at second during McLain’s absence.
Jared Triolo is the Pirates Opening Day starter at second base
With Ji Hwan Bae destined for the IL, and both Liover Peguero and Nick Gonzales optioned, Jared Triolo is all but confirmed to be the Opening Day second baseman for the Pirates.
Beyond his excellent showing this spring (.324 average, .910 OPS), Triolo has shown exemplary on-base skills at every level, including an impressive 11.5% walk rate and .298 average in 209 plate appearances in his debut last year. His above-average defense at second, and his ability to play third and spell Ke’Bryan Hayes on days off will help him accumulate a ton of plate appearances this year.
That said, he’s currently projected to be hitting ninth, and seeing as he carried a BABIP north of .400 in both AAA (226 plate appearances) and the majors last year, he’s likely due for some regression in the batting average department. I’d approach with caution in standard leagues, but he might be worth nabbing in those extra deep OBP leagues.
Jordan Westburg set for regular role, Jackson Holliday reassigned to AAA-Norfolk
In a bit of a bummer for some folks who took big swings in early drafts, Jackson Holliday was reassigned to AAA-Norfolk last Friday, March 22. Despite carrying a strong average through Spring Training (.311 average, 2 HR, 2 SB), Holliday’s lack of experience against high-level left-handed pitching was one of the major hurdles he had to clear, according to Orioles GM Mike Elias. His 15 strikeouts in 48 plate appearances this spring probably didn’t help either.
With Holliday needing some extra seasoning, Jordan Westburg should have an unobstructed opportunity to begin the season. Westburg saw a lot of success in AAA last year, hitting .295 with 18 dingers in 301 plate appearances, but took a step back after being called up, hitting just .260 with 3 homers in 228 plate appearances. While his exit velo numbers and hard-hit rates indicate he might be due for some positive regression, his heavier pulled ball profile as a right-handed hitter makes me think Camden Yards will continue to stifle his power output.
Until he’s officially called up, Holliday will get bumped from my middle infield rankings, while Westburg likely sneaks in near the back end of the second base list.
Tommy Edman to start season on IL
Despite looking like a potentially solid value earlier in draft season, issues with Edman’s surgically repaired wrist have persisted throughout Spring Training, making an IL-stint to start the season inevitable. While Edman would likely have spent most of his time in the outfield, his positional eligibility at both middle infield slots and 25+ stolen base upside would have made him one of the better values during draft season had he been able to break camp healthy and with the team.
In leagues that are light on bench and IL slots, Edman will be a good name to monitor in the coming weeks. Even if he misses the first month of the season, there’s a chance he could give your team a solid bump in steals, which is an uncommon bump to your roster off the waiver wire. If you do have IL slots, I’d happily squirrel Edman away for his eventual return.
It seems to me that the reds at least for the last several years
Have the distinction of being a very injury plagued team.
I wonder how they compare to other teams injury-wise.