Fantasy Impact:

Kikuchi debuted the sweeper in his spring training outing on February 28, getting a swing and miss against Shohei Ohtani. His sweeper averages 81 mph with 16 inches of break, giving him a different look he didn't previously offer with his slider, curveball or changeup. He finished Friday's spring training game against the Royals with eight strikeouts while allowing one run on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. Kikuchi is expected to get another start and throw around 90 pitches to ensure he's ready for the March 27 season opener against the White Sox.

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