Greetings, friends. We’re back for another baseball season. More importantly, we have a fun new series this year!

Welcome to the Daily Opener.

Every morning, I’ll be with you to recap the previous day of baseball and talk about what stood out to me. We’ll find fun stats. We’ll lament some injuries. We’ll take a peek at the day ahead. And we’ll have a few laughs.

Have questions or just want to talk baseball? Feel free to reach out on Twitter @mikeMaher with questions or feedback anytime.

Top Stories

Byron Buxton hit two home runs on Sunday and now has three home runs in three games. The fantasy managers who took a chance on the incredibly high ceiling are cautiously smiling while waking up every morning still nervous about the injury concerns. We’ve never seen a full season from Buxton (the closest we’ve come is the 140 games he played in 2017 as a 23-year-old), but it could be something special if we ever do.

Hunter Greene made his MLB debut on Sunday, and it was spectacular. He allowed three earned runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings in a win over the Atlanta Braves. He threw 20 pitches at 100+ MPH and looked filthy. In Triple-A in 2021, Greene struck out 79 batters over 65 1/3 innings to go with a 4.13 ERA after dominating Double-A with a 1.98 ERA and 60 strikeouts over 41 innings. We may only get to see about 100 innings from Greene this season, but he is going to be fun to watch.

Hunter Greene is very fun pic.twitter.com/n6XE2Im532

— mike Maher. (@mikeMaher) April 11, 2022

Steven Kwan went 5-for-5 with a double and four runs scored on Sunday. He was also hit by a pitch, so he actually reached base six times in a win over the Royals. Through three games, he is batting .800 with an .857 OBP and 1.857 OPS. Is he going to keep this up all season? Yes! Just kidding. BUT he is an intriguing player. Kwan has excellent bat-to-ball skills and walked more than he struck out in the minor leagues. He’s small and doesn’t have a ton of power or elite speed, which is why he isn’t an overly hyped prospect. In 2021 across 77 games at Double-A and Triple-A, Kwan batted .328 with 12 home runs and six stolen bases.

Fun!

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ridiculousness:

117.9 MPH off the bat and it went 467 feet! ???
Vlad Jr.'s never hit a home run harder or farther during his MLB career and that's saying something! pic.twitter.com/kcphlAAETW

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 10, 2022

Rub Some Dirt On It (Injuries)

• Trevor Story missed Sunday’s game against the Yankees with a non-COVID illness. He’s day-to-day for now.
• Hyun Jin Ryu has a hamstring contusion after being hit by a comebacker but is expected to be fine.
• Garrett Cooper has a left wrist contusion after leaving Sunday’s game after being hit by a pitch. X-rays came back negative.
• Blake Snell is likely headed to the injured list with a groin injury.
• Luke Weaver landed on the injured list with elbow inflammation Sunday.
• Jordan Montgomery is dealing with some swelling in his knee after being hit by a comebacker on Sunday night, but he is expected to make his next scheduled start.

Studs and Duds

Here are some of the best and worst performances from yesterday.

Studs (Hitters)

• Byron Buxton – see above.
• Jose Ramirez – 3-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 3 R, 1 BB
• Michael Chavis – 3-for-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB
• Steven Kwan – see above.
• Amed Rosario – 4-for-4, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R
• Oscar Mercado – 2-for-6, 1 HR, 1 3B, 5 RBI
• Jonah Heim – 2-for-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
• Nick Solak – 2-for-3, 1 HR, 4 R
• Brad Miller – 2-for-3, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
• Gary Sanchez – 2-for-4, 1 HR, 5 RBI
• Andrew Vaughn – 2-for-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB
• Matt Olson – 3-for-4, 1 HR, 2 R
• Mitch Haniger – 2-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Studs (Pitchers)

Saturday was all about the pitchers. On Sunday, you could make the argument that there weren’t ANY studs (other than Hunter Greene’s electric debut, of course).

No starting pitcher went more than 5 2/3 innings yesterday. Carlos Carrasco was the only pitcher to go more than five innings.

— mike Maher. (@mikeMaher) April 11, 2022

• Carlos Carrasco – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 5 K in no-decision against the Nationals
• Daulton Jefferies – 5 IP, 0 Er, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K

Duds (Hitters)

• Bo Bichette – 0-for-5, 3 K
• Yoshi Tsutsugo – 0-for-5, 4 K
• Marcus Semien – 0-for-5, 2 K
• Brandon Nimmo – 0-for-5, 2 K
• Tommy Pham – 0-for-5, 1 K
• Robbie Grossman – 0-for-4, 3 K

Duds (Pitchers)

• Steven Matz – 3 IP, 7 Er, 9 H, 1 BB, 5 K in loss to Pirates
• Jackson Kowar – 3.1 IP, 7 Er, 11 H, 1 Bb, 4 K against Guardians
• Hyun Jin Ryu – 3.1 IP, 6 Er, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K in no-decision against Rangers
• Spencer Howard – 3 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 5 Ks, 4 HR allowed no-decision against Blue Jays
• Ian Anderson – 2.2 IP, 5 ER, 3 H, 5 BB, 1 K in in loss to Reds
• Kris Bubic – 0.2 IP, 5 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 0 K in loss to Guardians

It’s pretty rare that we get two pitchers from the same team on the Duds list, but congratulations to Jackson Kowar and Kris Bubic for defying the odds.

From the News Desk

We have an incredible news desk at FantasyPros. Seriously, they crush it. If you don’t already, you should sync your teams with My Playbook and check out the Fantasy News and Scores app for updates about your players.

• Tommy Romero called up by Rays
• Garrett Whitlock signs four-year extension
• Trevor Story (illness) unavailable Sunday night
• Hyun Jin Ryu exits following comebacker
• Ryan Yarbrough placed on IL
• Blake Snell (abductor) likely head to IL

Dingers

Here is every player who hit a home run yesterday:

Byron Buxton (x2)
Oscar Mercado
Gary Sanchez
C.J. Cron
Brandon Lowe
Cooper Hummel
George Springer
Willy Adames
Jorge Alfaro
Carlos Correa
Jose Ramirez
Brad Miller
Matt Olson
Mitch Haniger
Matt Chapman
Nelson Cruz
Jurickson Profar
Seiya Suzuki
Bobby Dalbec
Christian Walker
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Nolan Arenado
Travis d’Arnaud
Jack Mayfield
Jean Segura
Michael Chavis
Jonah Heim
Nick Solak
Andrew Vaughn
Elias Diaz
Danny Jansen
Jorge Polanco
Francisco Lindor
Rowdy Tellez
Tyler Stephenson
Mike Brosseau
Billy McKinney
Max Kepler

Swipes

Here is every player who stole a base yesterday:

Francisco Lindor
Aaron Judge
Cedric Mullins
Adolis Garcia
Wander Franco
Nico Hoerner
Kyle Farmer
Randal Grichuk
Ketel Marte
Luis Robert
Connor Joe
Garrett Hampson

Arm Barn Report

Jake Diekman got the save for the Red Sox on Sunday with Matt Barnes reportedly unavailable. Barnes did not pitch in any of the three games against the Yankees as he deals with a back issue, but he apparently isn’t a candidate for the injured list and could be available as early as Monday.

Art Warren earned his first career save on Sunday and looks like he-and not Tony Santillan-is the front-runner in Cincinnati.

Here is every player who recorded a save yesterday:

Jake Diekman
Ryan Pressly
Art Warren
Dominic Leone
Ty Blach
Josh Hader
Tanner Rainey

Today’s Starting Lineup

• Mets-Phillies is nationally televised on FS1 today, and the matchup is Taijuan Walker vs. Ranger Suarez.
• There aren’t a ton of great pitching matchups, but I’ll definitely be tuning into Blue Jays-Yankees to see those two offenses and Alek Manoah.

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Mike Maher is an editor and content manager at FantasyPros and BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive, follow him on Twitter @MikeMaher, and visit his Philadelphia Eagles blog, The Birds Blitz.