Cincinnati Reds All-Star Elly De La Cruz hit home runs from both sides of the plate in his first two at-bats as the Reds opened Cactus League play.
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins is expected to miss the first month of the season after fracturing his right shin during batting practice. Brewers manager Pat Murphy revealed the severity of Perkins' injury before their Cactus League opener Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds.
The Cleveland Guardians added right-hander Jakob Junis on Sunday with a one-year, $4.5 million deal. Junis, 32, was a combined 4-0 with a career-best 2.69 ERA in 24 appearances (six starts) with the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds last season.
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona was in the dugout running a game for the first time in 510 days as he and the Reds opened Cactus League play.
“We’re always the underdogs every season it seems like,” Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich on MLB Network Radio on Monday. “We kind of enjoy proving people wrong.” Brewers management has a knack for finding value in the marketplace while filling roster holes.
Tuesday marked the first off-day of spring training, marking a perfect time to take stock of what’s happened in the fist two weeks of camp.
There were the sleeve patches on Milwaukee's uniforms ... Then, to top it off in fitting fashion, the Brewers walked off the Cincinnati Reds, 8-7, on Vinny Capra's second three-run home run ...
In the bottom of the first inning, De La Cruz, who was hitting third, hit one of his trademark, high-arching, moonshot home runs in the Cincinnati Reds ' Cactus League opener against Cleveland Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie.