Adrian Beltre’s pure joy at times on a baseball field, unless one attempts to touch his head, seems to be under appreciated by the fantasy community. Beltre’s two hits on Thursday do not jump off the page, but his double made him the all-time Latin American born hit leader with 3,054 in his career. Then, Beltre singled in the top of the eighth to tie Rickey Henderson for 24th all-time. Beltre’s next sets his sights on Craig Biggio’s 3,080 hits on his way up the career ladder.

 

That just happened

Michael Conforto not only returned to the Mets on time from his off-season rehab schedule from his shoulder injury, but he homered in his return against Stephen Strasburg. Not sure which one’s more shocking, Conforto’s ability to overcome his shoulder issues without losing power or the Mets training staff getting a player back on time. In case you’ve missed it, Yoenis Cespedes continues to surge hitting his third home run in only six games with seven RBI. Health remains a key for Cespedes, but this could finally be the year he breaks out in New York.

Boston must be encouraged by David Price’s first two starts this season. He’s the first pitcher in three years to begin the season with back-to-back scoreless starts working at least seven innings. Could he reach a third? If so, it would tie a mark set by Luis Tiant in 1966.

Tampa Bay third baseman Matt Duffy hit his first home run since August 28th of 2016 when he took Carson Smith deep in the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Duffy’s flown relatively low on the fantasy radar but his ability to attain double digits in home runs and stolen bases while hitting for average made him relevant not too long ago. Injuries derailed his production, but, he could be sneaky in deeper formats.

Matt Chapman’s recorded four straight multiple hit games. He’s hitting a robust .400/.455/.633 to over his first seven games with two home runs. Many liked him as a breakout candidate this year, and this start punctuates his upside. There’s going to be some growing pains, but Chapman may be worth the risk.

After walking only 20 batters in just under 80 innings last year, Brad Hand issued three of them in his second loss this year on Thursday against the Rockies. Hand did not benefit from an untimely dropped throw to first base by Christian Villanueva, but struggled finding the plate and walked in the go ahead run providing Ryan McMahon his first RBI of the season. Hand’s also working with reduced velocities this year, so he will need to be monitored going forward.

Not to be outdone, Alex Colome melted down in Boston giving up two earned runs on four hits and two walks. Kiss one’s WHIP goodbye if Colome was active in a lineup. Worse, Colome left the clubhouse early to avoid interviews after the game. Not a good look. Colome hadn’t pitched since March 29th, but rust cannot excuse not talking to reporters. Accountability kids.

 

Injury Updates

Changing his preseason workouts and stressing yoga, Miguel Cabrera left Thursday’s game after slipping rounding first base. It’s being reported as a strained hip flexor. Initial reports hint at this being a day-to-day thing for Cabrera. He’s started well this year with a home run and spraying the ball with nice exit velocities, but health will always be an issue going forward.

Hot hitting Adam Eaton left early on Thursday as well. Eaton underwent X-rays which revealed he broke up some scar tissue. Should only be a day or so, so Eaton’s considered day-to-day, like the rest of us.

Christian Yelich tweaked his oblique, say this three times fast. Same deal as Eaton, consider Yelich day-to-day, but soft tissue injuries linger, so Yelich may get a couple of days off as a result.

Arizona received some good news with Steven Souza Jr. healing well. He could head out on a rehabilitation assignment as early as next week in the minors.

Clint Frazier’s ramping up his baseball activities playing in a simulated game in Tampa on Thursday. He needs to progress to live games, but it’s headed in the right direction.

 

Quick Hits

Wade Davis allowed a home run to Manuel Margot, but notched his major league leading fourth save.

Hansel Robles of the Mets struck out the side once again. Since his promotion to replace Anthony Swarzak on the roster, Robles has faced seven batters, striking out six of them. Robert Gsellman also whiffed the only batter he faced today. He’s faced 14 batters this year with eight strikeouts for a 57.1 strikeout percentage. Leave him as a reliever please.

Perhaps many overlooked the White Sox offense. Matt Davidson’s 2-for-2 on Thursday with two walks and four runs scored, hitting .333 with a 1.414 on-base plus slugging percentage. Tim Anderson still owns zero plate discipline, but he swiped his fourth base of the season, hit three home runs already and hitting seventh in the lineup.

It feels fluky, but Niko Goodrum stole the first base of the year for the Tigers and launched a home run in the ninth inning against Yoakim Soria. Deep league players need to ride the bull until Goodrum kicks them off. Yes, he’s a rodeo. Speaking of a rodeo, Soria served up three earned runs in the ninth to blow his first save of the season.

Keone Kela has two saves to start the year, Brad Hand with two losses. Life comes at you fast.

Slugger Miguel Sano’s played six games with three home runs, struck out 48.1 percent of the time with a .444 BABIP. Good luck explaining his future outcomes other than power, strikeouts and a ridiculous batting average on balls in play.

Could Dan Vogelbach overtake Ryon Healy at some point this year? Vogelbach finished with two hits in Milwaukee while Healy’s off to a 1-for-18 start. Stay tuned.

Last, but not least. Both Howard Bender and Jim Bowden preached a breakout could be imminent with Maikel Franco. During the Phillies home opener on Thursday, Franco racked up three hits in four at-bats including a triple and a home run. His home run registered as a barrel leaving the bat with a 109.3 MPH exit velocity at a 21 degree launch angle and traveling 393 feet. He may not play full-time, but if he hits 30 home runs this year, who cares?

 

Statistical Credits:

MLB.com

Fangraphs.com